It’s been a long time since BBC Basic was introduced in 1981 and it left a lasting legacy on the British tech industry, with countless programmers taking their first steps into coding through this platform. Its impact on the development of technology in the UK is undeniable, and now Elan, a new British programming language designed specifically for schools, aims to inspire the next generation in the same way.
ELAN is committed to carrying forward the spirit of BBC Basic, offering accessible tools to engage young learners and foster future British tech talent. By staying free of charge, open source, and focused on the needs of schools, ELAN promises to be a valuable and exciting resource for teachers across the UK.
There is a great article in Issue 25 September 2024 of the Hello World newsletter covers this in more depth. The article can be found on page 62. If you are not a member, you should sign up with the below link:
If you are a member:
3 key points from the article:
- Elan and all associated resources are free and open source.
- Commited to remaining focused on the needs of teaching programming in schools.
- You will have the option to run Elan remotely or install it on your school server (as a simple web page) or even to run it as a stand-alone HTML page on your desktop with no server access
