Dr. Payne speaks on Coding and Cyber as the New Literacy at TEDx 2018.

Imagine a world with a literacy rate of only 3%.

What if, out of every 100 people, only 3 could read and write?

Right now, in America, there are over 320 million people, yet fewer than 9 million of us, less than 3%, can read and write code – the language of technology.

So, what is code? Coding, or programming, is just telling a computer what to do – code is the same thing as software. Or, if you’re younger than 30, code is what apps are made of. Code is what runs a computer, and computers are everywhere today, in all the coolest gadgets, from 3D printers to drones, from self-driving cars to smartphones, fitbits to roomba’s and more. Software, code is a part of every piece of technology you’ll use at home and at work for the rest of your life.

Almost every job that you want, or that you want your kids to have, is touched by computer software – imagine the advantage you can have if you learn to speak the language of code.

As many as 70 million jobs could disappear in the next 10 years due to automation. On the other hand, there are over 6 million job openings unfilled in the US right now. Over a million of those are good-paying technology jobs, with no qualified applicants. No literate applicants.

And you don’t have to go very far to find these jobs – there are literally thousands of coding and cyber-related jobs right here in Atlanta.

Why are you so valuable if you’re a coder? Because we’re problem solvers who can use technology. Are there problems in the world? A few, right? The world needs problem solvers! Your goal in life should be to solve more problems than you create! Coding gives you the power to solve problems using technology, and the world highly rewards problem solvers…

You might have seen a graphic like this one, from code.org: 

https://code.org/images/cs-stats/Slide5_CS_Education.png

A college graduate earns over half a million dollars more in a lifetime than a high-school graduate. A computer science graduate earns over a million dollars more than a high-school graduate. There’s another stack of gold coins that belongs to the right of this – a cybersecurity professional may be able to earn another half million more than the average IT worker.

And the gap is growing wider. That small stack of coins is a grim picture of what technology illiteracy can look like. But this chart is also an illustration of how important coding is to your future, to your children’s future.

In 1910, fewer than 18% of teenagers went to high school, and in 2010, fewer than 18% of teenagers went to a high school that taught coding.

It only took us 30 years to correct that first problem. As farming jobs disappeared in the early 1900’s, the US invested heavily in secondary education, and by 1940, 3/4 of teenagers went to high school. We need to do the same this century for technology education – by 2025, we need more than 3 out of 4 teenagers to go to a high school that teaches coding and cybersecurity.

As parents, as teachers, as citizens, we can’t wait until 2040.

I’m a computer science professor and a cybersecurity expert. I’ve been teaching coding since 1998. I write books, I record videos, I travel, I speak in high schools, elementary schools, middle schools, conferences. But it’s not enough. How many of you have taken a computer programming class? … see,there are some – that’s good, but it’s not enough. I need your help.

All of you. You can learn to code.

Henry Ford once said “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

But, if you think you can’t code, you just haven’t tried yet. If you’re in this audience today, or if you’re watching online – you can learn to code starting now.

Some of you may already feel your defenses kicking in – what if I’m not good at it, what if I don’t like it?  What if I just don’t want to be a coder for the next 20 years? My answer might surprise you…

Coding is not the goal. Coding is the gateway.

Coding is not the goal. Coding is the gateway.

In the same way we learn English not just to become authors or journalists, but to be able to communicate with others. And Math doesn’t just help us become accountants or engineers, it helps us solve problems, manage our finances, and make complex decisions.

People who learn to code can become entrepreneurs, innovators who create new platforms to connect people in new ways. You can become an animator, filmmaker, or you could be like two of my former students who’ve worked at both Riot Games and Blizzard Entertainment, building games like League of Legends and World of Warcraft. You can go into IT or cybersecurity, robotics, artificial intelligence or into any other job with extra skills, extra literacy, that can buffer you from some of the rapid changes that are coming.

My mom – and I am so lucky to have my mom here in the audience today! Thank you, mom – I love you – My mom bought me my first computer, a Commodore 64, in 1983 – I believe we have a picture – look how happy I am, and thinking about that computer still makes me smile 35 years later.

I started coding as a teenager, but I have a lot of students who take their first programming class as young adults. They didn’t know that instead of just playing Minecraft all these years, they could have been coding in it!

Let me give you three reasons to start coding now:

#1) Code for you.

It’s not just about the money, although you’ll make a lot… If you go on to learn about cybersecurity, you can protect yourself from cyber criminals and online predators. If you learn how to build web and mobile apps, you can create your own business model like Uber or AirBnB.

You can start by finding a technology that you enjoy. Go to a library and use a 3D printer to print something cool. Buy a programmable drone for under $100.

A lot of people like to start coding with a block-based programming language like Scratch or Blockly – this is the Tickle app, that uses a block-based programming language to tell drones and robots what to do.

The commands look like lego bricks – you pick the blocks that you want the drone to run, and the blocks snap together in the order you decide. When you’re the programmer, you get to choose how things work!

Let’s run this block of code on this actual drone and see what the code does…

Find the apps that are fun or fascinating to you, and try those things first. Even before you understand every line of code, run it, change it, move things around. Learn to code, for yourself first.

#2) Do it for others.

Bring value to your future employer, provide for your family, impact your community. When you learn to protect yourself online, you can better protect your kids and family members from online threats. You can build apps to help people in your hometown: One of my students this semester is building an app for the City of Dahlonega that allows residents to report problems like potholes in the road and street lights that are out. In addition to giving the exact GPS location of problems, it tracks when and how many people have reported an issue, and the problems that get reported by more people get higher priority in being repaired.

You can build a future for your family, and make your neighborhood a better, safer place – that’s the kind of lasting impact you can make when you learn to use technology to solve problems.

#3) Do it for the world.

Charity Water is a global clean water initiative that revolutionized transparency in both the dire need for clean water in poorer countries and in the ability to track where your donation is being used, down to the precise GPS coordinates of the drinking well you sponsor. A web application, code, is helping bring much-needed attention, and relief to people that need it the most.

At my house, my wife is able to track the remaining 3,800 tigers left in the wild through a similar app from an animal rescue organization. The thought of big cats becoming extinct before our kids grow up is heartbreaking to her. If there’s something that breaks your heart, or something that makes you really mad, coding can help you harness the power of technology to reach thousands or even millions of people who care about the same cause, and create a positive chain reaction to make people aware, and get them involved.

If you’re passionate about protecting your country, every branch of the US military now recognizes cyber as a domain equal to land, sea, air and space.

Today, billions of people go online every day, sharing skills and resources, creating new businesses, new charities, new games, new apps, new ways of seeing the world.

4 Billion of the world’s 7-1/2  Billion people have access to the Internet: spies and soldiers, terrorists and activists, hackers, doctors, musicians and bloggers are logging on every day, and it’s all possible because of code.

People say the world is changing – the world has already changed. Don’t get left behind. Step out of your comfort zone, and become literate in the language of technology.

Learn to code. What you do with it from there… is limitless.

Watch the full video of Dr. Payne’s TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoEqyswsFvs 

I just learned that both of my new courses, Real-World Ethical Hacking: Hands-on Cybersecurity  and Learn Java the Easy Way: Build Desktop & Android Mobile Apps  are rated in the top 10% of all courses on Udemy! These courses join my best-selling Teach Your Kids to Code (Python)  to give you a complete path from beginning coder to advanced coder to ethical hacker!

To celebrate, you can enroll in all three courses (or share with a friend, so you can learn together) for just $10 each! Just enroll using the coupon code CYBERHERO10 !

• https://www.udemy.com/real-world-ethical-hacking/?couponCode=CYBERHERO10 – Includes FREE Kali Linux, Metasploit, and links to free, legal copies of Windows 10 and more!
• https://www.udemy.com/java-the-easy-way/?couponCode=CYBERHERO10 – Includes FREE Java, Eclipse, and Android Studio download and installational videos!
• https://www.udemy.com/teach-your-kids-to-code/?couponCode=CYBERHERO10 – Includes FREE Python 3.6 download and setup instructions, step-by-step!

Here are some recent 5-star reviews from students:

★★★★★  “Greatest course on Java for the beginner student I have ever seen on Udemy and/or other platforms. Instructor is quick to respond to my questions. Will be looking for any and all course he crafts in the future.”

★★★★★ “This is a great introduction to ethical hacking, as well as working with different hacking tools in order to protect your own network.”

You’ll learn through short, step-by-step videos:

• Protect yourself from viruses, ransomware, and other attacks by learning the tricks the bad guys use, and how to stop them.
• Quickly master the hottest new job skills in Windows, Linux and Android hacking & cybersecurity– with over 1 Million job openings 
• Set up your own safe, FREE virtual network and VM (virtual machine) lab for Ethical Hacking on your desktop or laptop (PC, Mac, and Linux).
• Learn to fix vulnerabilities, and how to stop 99% of attacks by doing just four things.

You can use the Coupon Code CYBERHERO10 in any of my courses this month!

★★★★★ Join over 25,000 students from 150 countries in my top-ranked and best-selling courses!

Forward this to friends, colleagues, and family members who could become coders and cyber heroes! The $10 price won’t last forever, but once you enroll, it’s yours to keep. And, if you refer a friend and they win the $25 Amazon Gift Card, I’ll give you one, too! Enroll now with the coupon code CYBERHERO10!

I look forward to seeing you in class!

Sincerely,

​

Dr. Bryson Payne, Computer Science Professor and Author
Teach Your Kids to Code (2015)
Learn Java the Easy Way (2017)
Real-World Ethical Hacking  (2018)

Enroll Online:  Ethical Hacking  |  Python  |  Java

 
Buy both books on Amazon today!

The University of North Georgia is designated by the NSA as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).

The University of North Georgia (UNG) recently earned designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CDE).

The designation is from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Security Agency (NSA) who jointly sponsor the National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) program. Universities are designated based on their robust degree programs and close alignment to specific cybersecurity-related knowledge units, pilule validated by subject matter experts in the field. CAE graduates help protect national security information systems, prescription commercial networks, and critical information infrastructure in the private and public sectors.

In January, UNG launched the Center for Cyber Operations Education to plan, coordinate and support cyber education in the university’s 30-county service region.

“Our institution is well on its way to becoming a national leader in cybersecurity education,” said Dr. Bonita Jacobs, president of UNG. “Being recognized alongside other elite universities heightens our academic reputation and validates that our cyber education initiatives meet the highest national standards.”

Read the full story at https://ung.edu/news/articles/2016/05/ung-cited-as-a-national-leader-in-cyber-security-education.php

To say thank you for all the support my readers, students, and friends have given me throughout this adventure, I’ve set up two permanent coupon codes for my Udemy courses. My book is just ~$19 or so on Amazon, thanks to working with a great publisher, No Starch Press. We were able to keep the cost of the books low even with full-color throughout, to make Teach Your Kids to Code affordable for parents and kids around the world (and now in 3 languages).

I now have students in 129 countries (see my Instructor Dashboard from yesterday, right), thanks to Udemy, and I want to make sure my online video courses are as affordable to students worldwide as my books are, so starting today, the coupon code FOREVER19 will give you full, unlimited access to either “Teach Your Kids to Code” or “Fun with Java” for just $19, forever.

It’s kind of like a Forever stamp here in the U.S. – buy it now, and it’s good forever. I feel the same about learning to code – enroll now, learn Python or Java, or both, and life’s good forever (well, at least you have a great skill that can earn you terrific money for a lifetime).

Udemy has notified instructors that it’s changing its pricing structure next month, and they’ll no longer run $15-$20 or similar sales like they’ve done sporadically in the past. But, I want you to be able to enroll in my courses at a great price, and I want you to be able to share the gift of coding with friends, family members, and people you care about. $19 seems like the perfect price to be able to share the joy of coding in Python or Java at. With over 19 hours of combined video and exercises in the two courses, and new content added every month, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

I’m grateful for the support, the great feedback, the questions, requests, and all the code snippets and cool apps my students and readers have sent me on this journey so far, and we’re deep into development on the book to accompany the second course, “Learn Java the Easy Way“, coming September 2017 from No Starch Press.

Thank you for choosing me as one of your guides on the world-changing path to learning to code.

Let me know if I can help anytime, and happy coding!

p.s. FOREVER19 really is a permanent coupon, as in forever $19 – if you ever have any trouble enrolling in either course for $19 using this coupon code, comment below, message me in Udemy, tweet to me @brysonpayne, or let me know somehow – I’ll make sure to get you the course at that price as long as there’s Internet.

p.p.s. Here are links to all three, my book on Amazon, the Teach Your Kids to Code on Udemy, and Learn Java Like a Kid on Udemy – just $19 for any one!

Fun with Java – 12 hours of video for just $19 on Udemy, now and forever!

Teach Your Kids to Code (2015) – by Bryson Payne on Amazon

Teach Your Kids to Code, 7.5-hour Video Course at Udemy.com, just $19!

Join over 3,000 students learning Java the quick, fun, and easy way with my new course at https://www.udemy.com/learn-java-like-a-kid/?couponCode=10REASONS

You can celebrate the new year by joining over 6,000 students in my brand new Java programming course, “Learn Java Like a Kid: Build Three Desktop and Mobile Apps!” on Udemy – and, thanks to the Udemy New Year’s Promotion, you can enroll for just $10 by using the coupon code 10REASONS!

I would love to have you as a student in “Learn Java Like a Kid”, the perfect next course to add to your programming skills, and you get 90% off at just $10 through January 31, 2016 with this special offer from Udemy!

Over 12 hours of video in short, 2-10 minute lessons you can watch at your own pace, with full source code downloads so you can get started right away

A screenshot from the interactive, multi-touch Android app, BubbleDraw, you’ll learn to program in my new Java course!

You’ll build three complete desktop apps (Guessing Game, Secret Message Encoder, and BubbleDraw), and then develop the same apps for Android mobile devices to extend your Java programming skills (see a screenshot, left)! Learn Java by building quick, easy, fun apps you’ll actually enjoy and be able to share with your friends!

The course went live on New Year’s Eve, was featured in Udemy’s $10 New Year’s promotion, and gained over 2,900 students in the first four days, a new personal record!

Master a powerful new skill in 2016: Programming in Java, one of the highest-paying and most popular programming languages in the world today. Join me in “Learn Java Like a Kid” – you’ll be glad you did!

Happy New Year, and I hope you make the most of 2016!

p.s. The Udemy promotion ended Monday, January 11, but I’m leaving the coupon code 10REASONS active for at least another 1,000 students or through January 31, whichever comes first, to give you every reason to sign up to learn Java the fun, quick and easy way. Enroll today!

Register for my FREE O’Reilly Webcast, TOMORROW (Thu, 8/13) from 1-2ET (10-11PT).

There’s still time! Register now for my FREE O’Reilly Webinar, “Teach Your Kids to Code: Basic concepts with Turtle graphics in Python”, LIVE tomorrow, Thursday, August 13, 2015, from 10-11am Pacific Time (1-2pm Eastern).

You can register for free at https://www.oreilly.com/pub/e/3422 – I’ll be demonstrating how you can teach (and learn) basic programming concepts likes variables, loops and functions using Turtle graphics in Python, with examples straight from my book and Udemy course, with a few bonuses added in.

Turtle graphics have been teaching kids basic coding concepts since the late 1960’s. The Turtle module in Python carries the turtle tradition into the 21st century and makes turtle programming easy and accessible on Windows, Mac, Linux and more.

Turtle graphics in Python are a great way to introduce kids to coding, staring with short programs of just five to ten lines of code that draw beautiful, colorful shapes that kids can create and modify as they learn. I’ll be sharing some of the turtle basics I began teaching my own sons when they were two and four years old, all the way through fully interactive elements I teach in freshman-level college courses.

In this webcast, you will learn:

• How to code turtle graphics in Python
• How to engage children from pre-K through college with short, interactive, visual programs for every age level
• How to build on more advanced programming concepts using turtle graphics as a foundation

Register at https://www.oreilly.com/pub/e/3422, then tune in LIVE tomorrow from 1-2 Eastern (10-11 am Pacific)! Happy coding!

Join over 1,100 students and growing in my Udemy course, “Teach Your Kids to Code”!

We launched “Teach Your Kids to Code” as a Udemy online course in mid-July, and over 1,100 students have enrolled in less than a month! If you’re one of my students, thank you for taking the course – if you haven’t signed up yet, you can still use the coupon code FRIENDS27 to get $30 off and start coding today for just $27 (the original coupon code has expired, but FRIENDS27 will work from now on). Over six hours of total content, in short, easy two-to-six-minute videos will have kids and adults age 5 to 95 coding in minutes!

This week is also my FREE O’Reilly Media Webcast, “Teach Your Kids to Code: Basic concepts with Turtle graphics in Python” on Thursday, August 13 from 1-2pm ET (10-11am PT). You can register for free at https://www.oreilly.com/pub/e/3422 – I’ll be demonstrating how you can teach (and learn) basic programming concepts likes variables, loops and functions using Turtle graphics in Python, with examples straight from my book and Udemy course, with a few bonuses added in.

The book is back up in the Top 5 Children’s Programming Books on Amazon this week – we’ve stayed in and around the top 10 since its release in May, but the O’Reilly webcast buzz has pushed us as high as #3 the last few days.

Alex just filmed a video (the 100th lesson in the Udemy course) with me this past week, right before he and Max started back to school. Max says he’s willing to do a video next month, so we’ll keep adding to the Udemy course and keep spreading the word about teaching kids to code!

It’s an awesome time in the Payne household! Hope you and your family are doing well, and happy coding!

** Use the Coupon Code KIDSCODE27 to save $30 NOW! **

Teach your kids (and yourself) to code fun, colorful apps and games in Python, the powerful programming language used at tech companies and in colleges worldwide. Learn coding step-by-step from Computer Science Professor Dr. Bryson Payne, author of the Amazon #1 New Release and Top 10 Best Seller in Children’s Programming Books, Teach Your Kids to Code (2015, No Starch Press).

Give Your Kids a Huge Advantage in a High-Tech World

• Quickly master new problem-solving skills in Python with colorful, fun examples
• Teach younger kids to code using Turtle graphics, with text-based games and apps for older learners
• Develop a new creative outlet, building playable games and creating beautiful graphics
• Learn the basics of coding, from variables to loops and functions, with interactive, visually engaging apps

This is the kind of course you can enjoy with your kids!

Packed with fun examples, colorful graphics, and easy-to-follow plain English instruction, Teach Your Kids to Code is the course parents and kids, teachers and students can enjoy together, as they build one of the top job skills of the 21st century! Python is a great first language for beginners, but it’s powerful enough to be used in companies from Google to IBM.

I designed this programming course to be easily understood by absolute beginners, with example code I used with my own pre-schoolers all the way through the apps I teach to college freshmen.

Quick, two- to eight-minute lessons will get you coding your own apps from scratch in minutes. Over 80 lectures and 6 hours of content will give you the practice you need to master the powerful new skill of coding.

Everything you need to get started right away

Complete with working code downloads and high-definition videos, you’ll be able to work alongside a professor with 17 years’ teaching experience and over 30 years of programming knowledge. You’ll also receive a certificate of completion upon finishing the course.

No Risk: Preview videos from Sections 1, 2, and 4 now for FREE, and enjoy a 30-day money-back guarantee after you enroll – zero risk, unlimited payoff!

Early Praise for Teach Your Kids to Code

“Dr. Bryson Payne is a computer scientist and professor of the highest caliber, and with Teach Your Kids to Code, he brings the power of computers within easy reach for learners young and old.”—Dr. Antonio Sanz Montemayor, Informatics Professor, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain

“The concepts in Teach Your Kids to Code can help any young person enhance their college prospects and expand their career opportunities.”—Dr. Raj Sunderraman, Department Chair of Computer Science, Georgia State University

“Dr. Payne set us on the path that led us to our dream jobs! With Teach Your Kids to Code, he’s providing parents and teachers everywhere the chance to do the same for the next generation of creative problem-solvers.”—Shah and Susan Rahman, Riot Games

What is the target audience?

• Perfect for homeschooling parents or K-12 parents and teachers who want to give their students a HUGE advantage by learning to read and write code.
• Apps and games suitable for kids from Pre-K through College Freshmen.
• Kids can follow the course by themselves from 3rd grade through college age, but you can introduce children as early as preschool. (I started coding with my kids when they were 2 and 4 years old.)
• Includes examples from chapters 1-7 of the book, Teach Your Kids to Code, by Dr. Bryson Payne.
• This course does NOT include animation or game programming in Pygame.
• This course is NOT for experienced Python coders, unless you want to learn to make beautiful Turtle graphics & games, or code with your kids.

Try the free preview at https://www.udemy.com/teach-your-kids-to-code/. Enroll today and get $30 off with the coupon code KIDSCODE27!

Teach Your Kids to Code: Python Programming for All Ages! by Dr. Bryson Payne on Udemy.com

No Starch Press is running a pre-sale promotion at 50% off the cover price ($29.95 -> $14.98) for my new book, Teach Your Kids to Code – a parent’s and teacher’s guide to computer programming – through next Wednesday, February 18. Go to https://www.nostarch.com/teachkids and enter BRANIAC as the coupon code to get INSTANT access to the Early Access eBook, and the print version ships the last week of April.

If you know anyone who might have a young person interested in programming (ages 2-22), please feel free to pass this on to them –  if you miss the pre-launch sale, you can preorder the book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and Barnes & Noble will be featuring a promotion of Teach Your Kids to Code in May and June.

It’s been a great experience working with the No Starch team, and I’m thankful for everyone who’s pre-ordered Teach Your Kids to Code!

Thanks!

-Bryson

Check out Meme Smasher by my student, Dan McWilliams, in the App Store!

Wow! I’ve got 62 students in two sections of Mobile App Development this semester at UNG, the most popular computer science elective we’ve ever offered! We’re programming apps in Android and iOS, and having a blast! It’s so popular, we’ve added a new Minor in Mobile App Development that starts this Fall 2014 – CSCI 1301/1302 (Java I/II) plus CSCI 3660 (Mobile App Dev), CSCI 3000 (Web Programming), and any CS 3000/4000 elective course, and you’ve got a Minor in Mobile App Development!

I’ve even had students submit their apps to the App Store and Google Play, while the semester’s still going – check out Dan McWilliams’ RNGuess (a random number guessing game we built as a project in CSCI 3660) for Android in Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.danielmcwilliams.rnguess and his THREE awesome apps, RNGuess, Slippy Car, and Meme Smasher for iOS in the App Store at https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/daniel-mcwilliams/id812807320 , and I’ll post updates as other students submit their apps.

This semester, we’re programming native apps in both Java, using Eclipse with Android ADT [https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html], on the Android platform, and in Objective-C using Xcode 5 [https://developer.apple.com/] on the iOS platform. Both are free to download, install and use (although you have to have a Mac to use Xcode), have a wealth of online tutorials, and are the tools that professionals use to develop apps every day.

I can’t wait to see everything these 60+ students will create as we go through their term projects – updates to come!

Update: William Stowers is updating the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests app – click here for the Android version