Pencil Code is an

educational programming language An educational programming language is a programming language that is designed mostly as an instrument for learning, and less as a tool for writing programs to perform work. Types of educational programming languages Assembly languages Origi ...

and website. It allows programming using

Scratch Scratch or scratching may refer to: Science and technology * Scratch (programming language), an educational programming language developed by MIT Media Lab * Scratch space, space on the hard disk drive that is dedicated for only temporary stor ...

-style

block coding In computing, a visual programming language (visual programming system, VPL, or, VPS) is any programming language that lets users create programs by manipulating program elements ''graphically'' rather than by specifying them ''textually''. A VPL ...

CoffeeScript CoffeeScript is a programming language that compiles to JavaScript. It adds syntactic sugar inspired by Ruby, Python, and Haskell in an effort to enhance JavaScript's brevity and readability. Specific additional features include list comprehen ...

. Code runs directly in the web browser and can be shared with others. The language centers on a model of a

pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage, and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion (mechanical), abra ...

programmatically drawing on a 2-dimensional screen, with the pencil cursor visually depicted as a turtle. A 2019 study by Deng et al. in an eight-week teaching intervention comparing text-based and block-based environments found that students learning in a mixed environment had improved confidence and computational thinking.

History

Pencil Code was created by David Bau and his son in 2013. It was inspired by

Logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordm ...

, the 1967 programming language for drawing on a screen using a

Lisp A lisp is a speech impairment in which a person misarticulates sibilants (, , , , , , , ). These misarticulations often result in unclear speech. Types * A frontal lisp occurs when the tongue is placed anterior to the target. Interdental lispi ...

-like programming language.

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

has funded improvements to Pencil Code via

Google Summer of Code The Google Summer of Code, often abbreviated to GSoC, is an international annual program in which Google awards stipends to contributors who successfully complete a free and open-source software coding project during the summer. , the program is ...

projects.

References

External links

Pencil Code official website

Common Sense Education page
Domain-specific programming languages Educational programming languages Free educational software Programming languages {{prog-lang-stub