I agree that undirected learning is huge. I don't know how I'd go about reproducing it... you need both availability of resources (software and hardware), and y

I agree that undirected learning is huge. I don't know how I'd go about reproducing it... you need both availability of resources (software and hardware), and you need plenty of relaxed time spent with those resources to find the particular angle you end up taking into the environment. That doesn't seem compatible with a bootcamp-ish weekend program where you get hand-held through "making a web app" because the point is to Make You A Coder. If I was trying to figure out how to actually give kids the opportunity to get interested in coding, well, I'd start off trying to go for an open-ended after-school program, where you can drop in and mess around with computer stuff with access to knowledgeable adults if needed. I'd try to get the adults to propose interesting little projects that might capture the imagination of the kids. I'd try to get donated VPS time, not so we can force the kids to make cookie-cutter web apps but so they can put together their own janky terrible stuff, and if they screw up we just kill the VPS and start over. Personally, I think trying to focus on games too much is also a mistake--either you end up with the Logo turtle (educational but incredibly boring) or you have 9 kids just playing Minecraft while the tenth actually learns to script it.