Tag Archives: Coding Skills

Education, Uncategorized

Code like a girl!

Does your daughter love any STEM subject? Girls who learn how to code may help preserve and boost their confidence. Here’s why and how to start coding like a girl:

Girls have been historically underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields. According to a recent study from Florida State University, many young girls who love STEM subjects may wind up abandoning these interests before high school or college. 

The study shows that part of the problem resides in a tendency among girls to underrate their own abilities in subjects like math or engineering, which later leads them to pursue other interests instead. That’s why girls need extra encouragement regarding STEM interests. And the sooner the better because often girls begin to drift away from their STEM-related interests as early as fifth or sixth grade.

That’s a shame because STEM education and careers play a vital role in shaping the future of our world and improving the quality of life for people. It also means that many highly-intelligent girls won’t explore their talents in the job market for these fields—ones that typically offer excellent job security and higher-than-average salaries.

Code like a girl

So here are some reasons why it’s important for girls to be encouraged and supported in STEM:

Diversity:

Women bring unique perspectives, experiences and problem-solving skills to STEM fields. Gender diversity leads to a more innovative and effective work environment.

Closing the Gender Pay Gap:

Women who work in STEM careers often earn higher salaries than those in non-STEM fields, helping to close the gender pay gap.

Improving the Representation of Women in Leadership Positions:

Encouraging girls to pursue STEM careers can help increase the representation of women in leadership positions, leading to a more balanced and inclusive workplace culture.

Solving Global Challenges:

STEM fields are at the forefront of solving some of the world’s biggest challenges, such as climate change and access to healthcare. By encouraging girls to participate in STEM, we are giving them the tools to make a positive impact on the world.

Encouraging Creativity and Innovation:

STEM careers encourage creativity and innovation, helping girls to develop important skills that can be applied in many different fields.

In conclusion, it’s essential to support and encourage both boys and girls to pursue STEM education and careers. Exposing children to different learning experiences increases the opportunities for them to find the right fit for what they like to do. By doing so, we can create a more diverse, equitable, and innovative future. Check out our STEM classes and camps so your daughter can code like a girl!

Education, Parenting, Skills

STEM skills for the future

STEM-based education teaches children more than math or science concepts, it puts an emphasis on preparing children for the future. The skills that STEM education gives to students extend beyond these fields. In fact, STEM helps children develop valuable skills that enable them to be successful in any industry or field they choose. But what are those valuable skills and how can they use them for a better future?

Before stepping into the skills derived from a STEM-based education, we should understand what STEM really means. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The term STEM has become recurrent in school’s curriculum, education policies and skills needed for employment.

STEM skills for the future

STEM is a method of education where these subjects are taught together and not individually. It shows the bridges between these valuable subjects by putting students at the core of the experience. STEM focuses on hands-on experiences, making children active learners instead of passive listeners.

Skills Derived from STEM-based education

The focus on hands-on learning that STEM education encompasses, added to real-world applications, helps children to develop fundamental skills for their future. These so-called 21st-century skills include media and technology literacy, initiative, flexibility, productivity and communication. Perhaps even more importantly, STEM-associated skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, curiosity, decision making, and acceptance of failure are inherent to this learning style.

Regardless of the interests, passions, or future career paths considered by children, these skills are preparing them to be successful and innovative wherever they go. 

Problem-solving

One of the skills that really makes the difference in any life situation your child could face is problem-solving. One can think of all of life as a series of problems of different complexities, in addition to the problem-solving nature of school, university, or in careers: society requires more problem-solving skills than it ever has before. STEM develops problem-solving skills like no other subject because it encourages kids to experiment, make mistakes and learn from their own experiences to find or create solutions.

Creativity

The ability to think creatively and change standards are the basis of innovation. Creativity isn’t as simple as it sounds, but it is not a skill you are simply born with either; you can train creativity. Learning how to think outside of the box can change the way you approach different situations on a daily basis. STEM-based education teaches how to look at a problem from a different perspective while fostering creativity.

Flexibility

In a world where advances in technology, inventions and knowledge change by the day, flexibility is definitively a much-needed skill. Since technology and science change so quickly, flexibility is also integral in success in STEM-related education since they’re always updating themselves. The ability to be flexible will prove incredibly valuable to keep updated in the ever-changing environment around us. Last, learning to adapt quickly will help your student to adapt to a fast-paced career and job market. 

In addition to these life-changing skills, there are also solid numbers related to the increase in STEM-related job opportunities as shown below.

Projections of  STEM-related occupations:

  • According to PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) 75% of fast-growing occupations require STEM skills.
  • Employment in STEM occupations grew by 10.5% or 817,260 jobs, between May 2009 and May 2015. Compared with 5.2% net growth in non-STEM occupations.
  • Computer occupation is showing the highest number of STEM jobs because of the consistent progression in the digital sector. 
  • As a result of the increasing participation of consumers and businesses in the digital economy, computer-related occupations are expected to grow exponentially in the next 10 years. 
  • STEM workers command much higher wages and are also less likely to experience joblessness than their non-STEM counterparts.

-U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Jan, 2021

(Here you can dive even deeper into the stats surrounding STEM-related occupations)

The data above is solid: needs in the job market are changing. That’s why we place so much emphasis on the importance of learning to code from a young age. Preparing children today to become the innovators, inventors, designers and coders of tomorrow begins with a STEM-based education. From schools, camps, and after-school programs we can create hands-on and real-world experiences to prepare our children for a lifetime of success. 

Let us know how you feel about STEM in the comments and if you’re interested in another blogpost about how you can start exploring STEM skills from home!

Skills

7-Year-Old Displays Coding Skills on “Steve Harvey”

Coding recently got a major platform on the Steve Harvey show. A young child showed off his skills for the comedian-turned media titan. Consider a recent article for the Morning Call titled “Lower Nazareth 7-year-old to talk computer coding on ‘Steve Harvey.’”

According to the author of the article, “There’s a ‘Little Big Shot’ in Lower Nazareth Township and his name is Kedar Narayan. The 7-year-old is so talented at computer coding that the ‘Steve Harvey’ daytime NBC talk show asked him to appear on the program at 2 p.m. Monday when Harvey kicks off a week of celebrating kids. Kedar will explain to Harvey, who also has an NBC Sunday primetime show called ‘Little Big Shots,’ what computer coding is and talk about the program he invented called ‘Storibot.’ ‘Storibot’ is a 3D board game that teaches coding to children and includes tactile elements so that visually impaired children can use it. Harvey is showcasing kids with incredible talent, some who have been on ‘Little Big Shots’ and some who are getting their big break on the ‘Steve Harvey’ stage. Kedar, who is homeschooled, has been writing computer code since he was 5. He started when his parents became frustrated that he was spending too much time playing video games and fibbed to him that his Wii was broken, says his mom Anita. They said he needed to learn how to create games. He learned with a program called Scratch, created at MIT, and from YouTube. His mom, Anita, is a former coder. His father, Kartik, is a biochemist for Sanofi Pasteur. Kedar won an award in November at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair, where he was discovered by Steve Harvey’s people. Anita says the show contacted them two weeks ago and flew them to Chicago, where they taped the show April 12.”

When it comes to customized coding education, your best bet is CodeRev Kids. At CodeRev Kids, our lessons focus on computational thinking, which encompasses a wide variety of programming languages and concepts.

Our lessons build upon one another and we adjust starting points to each student’s level of expertise. Thus, the entire curriculum is customized. We are known for saying we are the most educational tech camp out there, but we also keep the focus on having fun. As a result, students stay engaged while learning to blend creativity with technology.

Sign up for one of our camps today!

Coding Education, Skills

Is Learning Coding as Important as a Second Language?

While they are in the minority, there are some people out there that still don’t see the value in coding. However, others are debating whether or not it’s more important than learning a second language. Consider a recent article for the Shorthorn titled “Column: Coding is as valuable as a second language.”

Alex Purcell of the Shorthorn writes, “Computer coding covers the basics for fueling the revolution of computers and cell phones. And it’s something everyone should learn how to do. It’s redundant, but it bears need for emphasis: technology impacts every person. No matter what profession or lifestyle, it’ll find it’s way into everyone’s world. Technology embodies life in the 21st century. We need to learn about how it works. We need to learn about how technology survives and how it fails by learning to code. Computer coding is a way into the depths of the world around us. Software itself is becoming a universal language connected to the inner workings of our society. If we want to learn how to speak with the machines that surround us, we should have a basic knowledge about coding. Coding helps with finding jobs. Zach Sims, co-founder of Codecademy, says in a Time article that efficiency can be discovered by learning to code. ‘It creates higher-level job opportunities for un- and underemployed young people, some of whom will go on to found their own companies,’ he says. Not only could you start a breakthrough company, but pre-existing corporations are increasingly desperate to keep technology in their businesses. People who know how to program are crucial for an enterprise to compete and can quickly secure a place in the top tier of potential employees. Even if you don’t want to code for the rest of your life, there’s still use for it. Basic coding knowledge helps with grasping the automation that makes everyday life easier. It’s naive to be deaf to the current language of our world.”

When it comes to customized coding education, your best bet is CodeRev Kids. At CodeRev Kids, our lessons focus on computational thinking, which encompasses a wide variety of programming languages and concepts.

Our lessons build upon one another and we adjust starting points to each student’s level of expertise. Thus, the entire curriculum is customized. We are known for saying we are the most educational tech camp out there, but we also keep the focus on having fun. As a result, students stay engaged while learning to blend creativity with technology.

Sign up for one of our camps today!

Coding Education

Young Refugees Take Skills to Another Level at Coding Academy

For a group of refugees in Arizona, coding is impacting their lives significantly. Consider a recent article for AZCentral titled “Coding Academy teaches young refugees computer programming skills.”

Chloe Nordquist of AZCentral writes, “Eager students gathered for a day long ‘refugee coding academy’ at Seed Spot, a business incubator that buzzed with energy. Students as young as seven typed away on laptops as area tech professionals gave them hands on training in basic coding skills. ‘I thought it would be cool to have another experience with my friends and get to learn something,’ a 7th grader Haneen Elshishtawy said. She is from Egypt, but has spent most of her life in the United States. Computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow 12% from 2014 to 2024 adding about 488,500 new jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local tech startup founders, students, and volunteers organized the event to help young refugees in Arizona prepare for new job opportunities. ‘Were trying to teach refugees how to code for the opportunity to kind of include them to build the future,’ said Omron Blauo, project manager for the coding academy. ‘They’re kind of excluded and we think that giving them that opportunity to learn about technology is an amazing thing.’ The students spent the day learning how to code a game similar to Flappy Bird. While they only learned the basics, the goal of the academy was to spark interesting in pursuing coding in their academic careers that could later lead to better paying jobs. ‘It’s a new experience for me. I haven’t really done coding before,’ 15-year-old Samah Mohamed said. Mohamed grew up in Kenya and moved to the United States five years ago. ‘It’s really amazing how women can get this opportunity,’ she said. ‘It’s hard to get jobs. it’s hard to go to school. It’s hard to actually get money [in Kenya]. But here the economy is really good,’ said Mohammed.”

When it comes to customized coding education, your best bet is CodeRev Kids. At CodeRev Kids, our lessons focus on computational thinking, which encompasses a wide variety of programming languages and concepts.

Our lessons build upon one another and we adjust starting points to each student’s level of expertise. Thus, the entire curriculum is customized. We are known for saying we are the most educational tech camp out there, but we also keep the focus on having fun. As a result, students stay engaged while learning to blend creativity with technology.

Sign up for one of our camps today!

Coding Education, Skills

Taking on the Coding Skills Gap

The United States has a major problem when it comes to the coding skills gap. We have a need for more people with coding capabilities but many college graduates are not leaving school with these skills. Consider a recent article for Bloomberg Business titled “Are You Wasting Your Money at Coding Boot Camp?”

Sarah Grant of Bloomberg Business writes, “Fixing the gap between the skills that students graduate college with and the ones they need for a good job has been O’Donnell’s battle since he was Colorado’s secretary of higher education, from 2004 to 2006. In that role, he privatized the state’s student loan servicing business. ‘I was constantly getting complaints that there weren’t enough STEM grads,’ he said. ‘There wasn’t a lack of college grads; it was that the graduates didn’t have the critical skills employers needed.’ The rise of boot camps has been one answer to that problem. The pitch: Learn tech-related skills such as mobile development, Web design, and coding for a fraction of the time and expense it would take to get a Master’s degree. Boot camps last from 10 to 12 weeks and charge about $11,000. Starting salaries for boot camp graduates, said O’Donnell, can range from $70,000 to $100,000. There are 67 full-time boot camps in around 51 U.S. and Canadian cities, according to boot camp review site Course Report, which estimates that by the end of this year, the market will have grown 138 percent from last year. Not all these programs live up to the promise of all-but-guaranteed jobs with great salaries, however. And with no formal accrediting system in place, prospective students have little data with which to compare them. What’s more, lenders can’t determine how much a program will help or hurt student creditworthiness. Some programs don’t even track graduates’ outcomes, said O’Donnell. ‘If a program doesn’t even have the processes in place to know what their numbers are, it’s an indication that the program isn’t as competitive,’ he said.”

For those who really want to get ahead of the curve and set themselves up for lucrative coding-related careers, it starts early. When it comes to youth coding education, your best bet is CodeRev Kids.

At CodeRev Kids, we offer a customized coding education that focuses on computational thinking, which encompasses a wide variety of programming concepts and languages. Our lessons build upon one another and we adjust starting points to each student’s level of expertise. Thus, the entire curriculum is customized. Even though we are known for saying we are the most educational tech camp out there, we also keep the focus on having fun. As a result, students stay engaged while learning to blend creativity with technology.

Sign up for one of our classes today!