Introduction to PictoBlox
What is a Program?
A program is a set of instructions that a computer follows to complete a task. The computer receives the information, handles it, utilizes it, and then gives an output based on it by following a program.
We are surrounded by computers and computer programs; Smartphones, cars, washing machines are all computers, and they follow different programs to carry out different tasks. E.g. when you search for a contact in your phone, a program already fed into the phone finds the correct number for you. Washing machines also have different programs that decide which task the machine will do. E.g. programs control how hot the water will be, or for how long the machine will wash the clothes.
According to Linda Liukas, a Finnish computer programmer, children’s writer, and programming instructor, programming consist of three parts:
- Planning the program
- Writing the program in a programming language into a code
- Testing and debugging the program
The second part is what everybody generally considers as programming. Only this part requires coding skills; the first and third parts require additional skills like problem-solving, and decomposition (the ability to break down bigger problems into smaller, manageable tasks).