Let’s Teach Kids How to Code — Progate Learning Experience Workshops
‘Digital kids’ is what we are calling them! They are tech-savvy, up-to-date and experts with gadgets. It’s no surprise that a 4-year-old child today is able to unlock a mobile phone and navigate to an application with utmost ease. We live in a digital age where technology is significant in pretty much everything we do on a day to day basis. Technology surrounds us at home, school, offices and the environment in which we live in. The exposure to technology starts early and kids are adept at using the same. However, this expertise comes with only readability skills and no writing skills — that makes children passive users to technology. We would want children to be able to understand this technology and be able to create it themselves. How awesome would it be to learn how to create platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Uber, Swiggy that we use every day?
Schools and colleges are equipped with computer labs and computer science classes, however, the curriculum for the fast-paced technological world of today is obsolete and of minimum importance to kids. A cricket player is not coached about the history of cricket but is instead coached in playing cricket on the field. Similarly, learning about the history of computer science and outdated programming topics would not serve the purpose. Instead, children should be coached on the playing field, by teaching them how to code and create. The adoption of computer science as a core subject is still lacking in many schools in India and the need of the hour is to understand the value of digital literacy and programming technology in the education of our children.
Progate Learning Experience Workshops are designed to bridge this gap between students, teachers and the curriculum, helping students learn faster and teachers teach better. The real world skills of today are acquired by practical application of programming knowledge and skills. A Progate Learning Experience Workshop is a one-hour introduction to programming. Students are introduced to the concept of programming and how it can be used as a powerful tool to create anything! Students are then given hands-on experience in the coding field using Progate. They are allowed to pick any lesson of their choice and start learning and coding right there. It’s simple and fun, just like a game! Text is boring, videos are long and dull, instead, students can learn using intuitive slides which are quick and simple. The focus of Progate Learning Experience Workshops is to inspire students to learn programming and discover the joy of programming by creating something on their own. “Progate guides me through every step. It is more effective than classroom teaching as I am able to practice what I have learned on the spot”, says Harshita Kannan, a 10th std student from Deccan International School, Bangalore. Harshita’s classmate Deeksha Athreya says that she is able to correct her mistakes then and there and see her code live. She thinks this has been the easiest way to learn programming.
A student’s learning does not stop just there. There’s much more! Students studying on Progate gain access to a vast global community of developers as well as students who are learning programme just like them. Through this community, students get to interact, learn and develop with each other. They get to exchange ideas, problems and find solutions themselves with the help of the community. This not only enhances a student’s learning curve but also serves as an excellent networking opportunity! Students get to stay connected with the community through Facebook groups. Progate believes in empowering teachers by assisting them with the latest technology and resources in education. Teachers can connect with each other through Educator communities where they can come together, collaborate and change the way education is delivered.
A programming class helps students gain a better understanding of how technology is designed and how the software that they use every day are built. While every student may not want to be a programmer, the knowledge of programming would help them in any field they may want to choose to pursue be it engineering, design, marketing, finance, economics, medicine etc. The employment of computer science engineering students in India is still critically low due to the inability of practical application of their college education which is mostly theoretical with little application. By introducing programming to young children, we inculcate critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity early. Helping our students understand how technology works and how it can be used to its complete potentiality should be foundational in the education curriculum of every school in India.
Let us together inspire students to become the creators of tomorrow.
Sign up for a Learning Experience Workshop at your institution today — bit.ly/requestprogateworkshop
