Coding and rbotics are essential as they power out digital world
WORKPLACE STAFF
THE new ORT South Africa STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Academy will be holding additional workshops and lectures in computer coding and robotics for both learners and teachers to get them up to speed with 21st century skills requirements.
The global educational and training non-profit organisation presently runs coding workshops for teachers in the Ivory Park area. The participating teachers have in turn, started coding as an extra mural activity for Grade 5s and a “Destructobots” Club has taken off with many enthusiastic learners enlisting.
“These skills (coding and robotics) are necessary in order to make people employable in tomorrow’s world,” says Ariellah Rosenberg CEO of ORT SA. “In some countries, robotics and coding are already part of the school curriculum as governments have acknowledged that this is crucial to supporting their nations for generations to come.”
In 2014, primary and secondary schools in England started teaching coding to learners between the ages of five and 15, replacing the old information and communications technology (ICT) with a new computing curriculum.
According to Rosenberg, in South Africa the challenge is the skills gap experienced in the job market.
“How do we get more people to turn from consumers of technologies and social media to creators and thinkers?” she asks.
Governments and education systems around the world have identified computational thinking, coding and robotics as essential and relevant subjects to develop higher thinking skills which are required for the future workplace.
Kevin Cummins, an expert in teaching computational thinking, robotics and coding at schools, finds that such subjects encourage students to explore solutions to problems which remain unsolved.
It inspires innovation and supports problem solving skills which form the basis of advanced mathematics and science, he says.
Coding can embed thought processes which will be essential to any future tradesperson, CEO jobs in computer sciences and only around 400 000 graduates qualified to do them.
medicine and journalism – will be affected by the need for at least an understanding of programming and coding.
or surgeon.
“In addition to preparing ourselves for these changes and the implications that new technologies will bring with them, we also need to be getting ready for the reality that many professions are going to become redundant.”
Society has a responsibility
to ensure the next generation is equipped with the skills required to solve, create, invent and reinvent ideas, problems and ourselves.
“This is exactly what ORT SA is doing,” says Rosenberg. Dignified Funeral Services & Funeral Policies 24 HOURS SERVICE Tel :031 5073 925 CELL: 083-783 3582/ 082-447 2746 SPRING SCHOOL 1 Oct – 9 Oct 2016! Register now (registration forms available at
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