As you can imagine, we get into a lot of intriguing conversations about technology. One recent conversation brought up the following statement: “Open Source is a terrible idea.” It’s great to be able to challenge or explore statements like this, especially for kids excited about STEM education and tech education. Let’s dive in and discover just how “terrible” open source really is.
Open Source — The Basics
Girls Into Coding is all about taking the enthusiastic girls in tech and girls in STEM of today and helping them become the top women in tech of tomorrow. One aspect of that is looking beyond STEM education and into the activities kids do every day, especially the devices they interact with.
That’s where a good understanding of IoT comes in. We can help our kids by understanding what it is, why it’s important, and how your kids are already interacting with it in their daily lives.
What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?
Could technology be a force for good? Kids who make Minecraft palaces today could be the eco-architects of tomorrow. Kids who fairly balance out the stats in their Roblox creations might be sharing out resources in a community cooperative in a few years’ time. STEM education and particularly tech education is about so much more than making sure our children get great careers. It could be about saving the world.
What is Technology for Good?
Tech for good is the concept that, overall, technology has an overall positive impact on humanity. More specifically, we’re thinking about the ways technology not only improves the lives of…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t the next big thing. It’s already here, and it’s in more aspects of your life than you know. AI runs automated processes, makes financial decisions, and even recommends what jeans you might want to buy next. So, why isn’t there more focus on it as part of early years STEM education?
STEM and tech education in the U.K. is far from ideal in many school settings. Not enough youngsters pursue STEM subjects to fill the engineering and digital roles available. When it comes to girls in STEM or girls in tech subjects, the numbers drop even…
Engaging young people, especially girls, with tech education and STEM subjects is absolutely crucial. Over the pandemic situation, we’ve come to rely on technology like never before. But with gender bias around school subjects appearing as early as key stage two, how do we ensure our girls know that there are fun, exciting opportunities in tech for them?
Challenges for Girls in Tech
Do your kids love their extracurricular activities? From cricket to coding, kids thrive on doing something that breaks up the routine of scheduled learning — whether that’s at home or in the school setting. Plus, those extra hours after school or on a weekend help provide a more well-rounded education than academic learning alone, whilst letting your children explore their passions. The weekend coders of today can be the tech leaders of the future! But did you know that extracurricular activities have real benefits for mental health, too?
Resilience
What a year it has been. Because of the unprecedented Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, communities have completely transformed. Businesses have irrevocably changed — and in some instances, sadly disappeared. Physically, families have been apart — but they’ve also learned how to stay closer via digital means. We take a look back over 2020 and glance forward to what 2021 might bring in terms of STEM education and tech education, especially for our children.
What the Pandemic has Taught Us
Right-back in April of 2020, we realised that the pandemic was showing us that it’s more important than ever that girls get a head start with tech education…
Generation Z, definition: The group of people who were born in the US and Western Europe after 2001 (Cambridge English Dictionary)
Gen Z is the first generation to grow up entirely surrounded by what we perceive as modern technology. During their lives, there have always been computers, consoles, mobile phones, and some form of social media.
Because of this, and improving STEM education, Gen Z has a unique relationship with technology that perhaps eludes older generations. …
It’s a long, long time since “children should be seen and not heard” was a widespread saying amongst adults. Thankfully, most parents and carers accept that children are naturally loud and inquisitive, and give them the space to explore and experiment. But listening to our kids isn’t just about indulging so-called childish whims. It’s about acknowledging that they may have genuine insights and ideas that we haven’t yet uncovered. How do we ensure that we’re creating an open and welcoming space for our young voices in coding and STEM?
STEM education has never been more crucial. Yet there are gaps in what happens at school that can only be filled with the help of extracurricular events. Community technology events allow children, young people, and even adults to meet like-minded folks and gain some real hands-on experience in the realms of coding, robotics, and more. If you’ve ever been to one of these events, you’ll know how engaging and inspiring they can be. But do you know what goes on behind the scenes?
Girls Into Coding
We engage girls in STEM activities, education, and careers supporting them through hands-on workshops and events.
