TECHNOLOGY

Learning to code develops young minds

Learning how to code from an early age will prepare the youth for the digital world of work and entertainment, writes Levi Letsoko

Organisations offering extracurricular IT projects for school learners have succeeded in demystifying computer programming. From a distance, coding and robotics resemble rocket science. But when fused with fun and games, as well as the prospect of job security in the future, these subjects capture young learners’ interests.

Former professional teacher John Naicker left the classroom to head up ed-tech start-up EDRO where he learned how to develop an effective learning programme. He is currently the co-founder and CEO of Think Camp, an organisation that runs an online programme teaching children how to code.

“Our lessons are all run live and focus on giving children the skills and concepts needed to start creating their own apps, games and websites,” says Naicker.

“Think Camp was founded to get kids to create digital products rather than merely consuming them. We strive to give them the skills, concepts and confidence needed to achieve that.”

Naicker points out that it is important to teach coding using the same teaching formula and age-specific concepts as mathematics. Coding concepts can be taught successfully to learners from the age of nine and those who start early can gradually adopt more complex coding concepts as they grow older.

Founder and director at Codespace Emma Dicks aims to revolutionise and transform education models to prepare young people for the 21st-century world of work through her educational institution. An advocate for an inclusive economy and tech industry, Dicks founded Codespace to make coding and software engineering lessons accessible.

“I first started teaching girls how to code because I wanted young women to go into the workplace with a skill that would get them a ‘seat at the table’. I then realised that there was a massive gap in our education system and that young people simply do not have the skills that the industry needs,” she says.

Dicks has been globally recognised for the work she has done through Codespace: she was listed as a candidate for Fortune’s Most Powerful Women and is a recipient of the Queen’s Young Leader award.

Naicker’s Think Camp offers an online coding programme called RocketHour. The programme gives children the personal attention needed to guide them through the coding concepts. It is complemented by an interactive facility that ensures learners are constantly engaged.

“The programme gives students both a highly structured learning experience and a supportive work environment. There is also a completely free one-on-one orientation session that ensures every new RocketHour participant is placed in the perfect class for their age, experience and ability,” explains Naicker.

“The hour-long classes run as an online extramural, offering students a regular, weekly time slot that takes them from a coding newbie to coding ninja.”

Naicker emphasises that organisations that aim to make coding lessons accessible must be careful of taking the wrong approach to teaching. He stresses that poor teaching methods can hamper the confidence of young learners and how they experience the subject.

FROM CODESPACE TO THE TECH INDUSTRY

Codespace coding and software engineering courses form a pipeline from school into the workplace.

“Learners who do our courses in school can move directly into completing our professional qualifications after they matriculate. Alternatively, our learners are first in line to apply to receive university scholarships to study Computer Science or IT at university through our Tech Leaders Scholarship programme,” says Emma Dicks, Codespace founder. A SUPERPOWER

Think Camp’s co-founder and CEO John Naicker says that learners who learn to code will be well equipped to solve digital problems and create digital products. “Code is the Swiss-army knife of digital skills; it allows you to approach any problem with an array of possible solutions. It really is a superpower that allows you to become an involved creator rather than a passive consumer.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Government says that this year 200 schools will be piloting a draft coding and robotics curriculum from Grades R to 3, while 1 000 will be piloting the Grade 7 curriculum.

Source: President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking at the 2021 Virtual Basic Education Lekgotla

Zoom fatigue

It’s official, Zooming is a thing, but so is Zoom fatigue. Thando Pato discovers the causes of this new phenomenon

Video calls have become part of our daily lives since the COVID-19 pandemic hit and social distancing became a way of life. Subsequently, Zoom, available on Android and IOS, has become the most used video conferencing platform in the world. According to Apple, Zoom was the most downloaded app in the Apple iStore in 2020.

Accessible and easy to use, Zoom has also been used by schools to connect students and teachers. However, while handy and efficient, there is emerging research that “Zoom fatigue” may be our next pandemic. *Christine is a Grade 6 teacher at a private school in Johannesburg, and her school started using email, WhatsApp and Zoom to communicate lessons and teach classes. She says the move from face-to-face teaching to online learning, while necessary, has been jarring. “You don’t have as much interaction as you do in person. The kids are reluctant to talk, so I find myself talking a lot more, which is exhausting. I also find staring at the screen for so long draining. The exhaustion I feel at the end of a day of online teaching compared to face-to-face is different.”

WHAT IS ZOOM FATIGUE?

Clinical psychologist Dr Colinda Linde says Zoom fatigue is real. “Zoom fatigue refers to the stress and mental exhaustion we feel after prolonged periods of video conferencing. Symptoms include weariness, fatigue, boredom, irritability, headaches and eye strain.”

Linde says that platforms such as Zoom are particularly challenging for children for several reasons. “The first thing kids are asked to do on a video call is mute themselves to eliminate distracting background noise. But they are now left

“Zoom fatigue refers to the stress and mental exhaustion we feel after prolonged periods of video conferencing.” –Dr Colinda Linde

with an empty sound void and, combined with the visual stimulation, this can easily put young minds into overdrive. They are also working harder to pick up nonverbal cues from their teacher and others, like a shoulder shrug or a smile.”

The other challenge with video conferencing, Linde says, is that children must be on their best behaviour for long stretches of time because they are on camera, which is mentally taxing.

TIPS TO MANAGE ZOOM FATIGUE

Linde suggests a few ways to help your child manage the symptoms of Zoom fatigue. 1.Create boundaries. Creating a designated space in your home for online learning is essential. “Creating physical boundaries for school helps mentally prepare kids for learning, and also allows for different parts of the home to feel more relaxing and mentally noninvasive,” says Linde. 2.Tweak your Zoom settings. To reduce performance anxiety and the possibility of being self-conscious on camera, Linde says go to settings and adjust your view to gallery view. “Seeing themselves in a grid, rather than as the main focus of the screen, helps kids contextualise their visibility and reduce the feeling that all eyes are on them.” 3.Focus on the speaker. Encourage your child to preserve their mental energy by shifting their focus to whoever is speaking during Zoom, rather than their image during a meeting. “By doing this, they can use their mental energy to learn, rather than feel self-conscious or be distracted by what classmates are doing,” 4.Encourage mini-breaks. Linde advises scheduling short breaks between lessons to allow your child to stretch and take a break from staring at a screen. “A few minutes of running around, playing with pets or a few jumping jacks, make a difference.” 5.Keep Zoom calls to a minimum.

“Since school is co-opting Zoom for learning, we need to build in other socially distant ways for kids to connect with peers,” advises Linde. “Consider outdoor meet-ups with masks as an alternative to Zooming friends for personal connections.” *Name changed

Internet safety

Thando Pato finds out how to protect your children from online predators

With the recent introduction of social media platforms, like TikTok, targeted specifically at teenagers, online gaming, and the growing popularity of other platforms like YouTube and Instagram, children now have more avenues to make friends other than socialising at school or in their communities. However, how healthy are digital relationships compared with face-toface relationships?

ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS VS PHYSICAL FRIENDSHIPS

Clinical psychologist Asanda Madi explains: “Virtual friendships offer an opportunity to connect with someone who holds the same interests, while also affording minimal demands on physical energy and time. Some children might even find that they are more authentic in virtual settings than physical ones because it allows for a bit more anonymity. Friendships that exist in our physical realm are traditionally those that are based on shared environments, rather than specific shared interests. Online relationships are different in that they allow one to bond over precise interests that ‘real-world’ family and friends might not fully grasp.”

Madi says that, ultimately, there are advantages and disadvantages to virtual friendships and face-to-face encounters. “What is important is constant reflection, insight and adaptability. Parents need to monitor the impact of the different situations and consider the unique personality and context of their child.”

HOW CAN PARENTS PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN FROM DANGER?

Bhavna Lutchman, online counselling project manager at Childline South, says that parents need to create a culture of transparency and trust by discussing boundaries and usage. It is also important that parents encourage their children not to share everything, and equally important to monitor how much information they share on their social media

BUILD A BRIDGE TO YOUR CHILD’S VIRTUAL WORLD

Dean McCroubey, founder of My Social Life, offers five tips for parents to keep children safe online. 1. Make it clear that you, as parents, own their smartphones and control their access to data and Wi-Fi. This gives you a “lever to pull” when managing their screentime. 2. It’s okay to say no. Children must know that there are consequences to poor behaviour, even in a virtual world. 3. Have a written contract that sets out the terms and conditions of your child’s online presence. Be clear about which apps and platforms they may access. You will find one on the mysocialife.com website. 4. Make use of screentime management tools. There are downloadable apps that will enable you to view their commonly used apps and control their time online. 5. Show an interest in your child’s online life, and be familiar with the apps and games they are using. “If you don’t have a bridge (to their world) how will you get across when you need to intervene?” says McCroubey. If you don’t speak about what they are experiencing in their virtual lives, you will find yourself in the dark, which can be dangerous for your child.

platforms about their children as predators are lurking everywhere.

For peace of mind, Lutchman says parents need to act when there are behavioural changes in their child. Parents need to look out for the following: • a decrease in online activity, but a sudden increase in their screentime • being secretive about online activity and with whom they are communicating • withdrawal from social interaction and activity • negative changes in their day-to-day behaviour.

HOW TO STAY SAFE WHEN USING TIKTOK

Consider the following to ensure your children stay safe when using the popular TikTok app.

Make sure they are the right age.

Users need to be 13 years and older. To stop children from using the app, parents can simply block it from a device. Reset privacy. TikTok accounts are automatically set to public. Encourage your kids to set theirs to private so they need to approve a follower before they can view content. Also, let them know that they can block or report users. Cap their screentime. TikTok has a screentime management function – under the Digital Wellbeing section – which will help manage usage. Be thoughtful about their profile. Even with private settings, a pro le photo, username and bio are available to all TikTok users. Parents should help teenagers safeguard the amount of personal information shared online.

Enable family pairing of devices for

extra support and safety. Parents should sync devices so they can monitor usage. You can also then set controls around direct messages. Source: TimesLive, TikTok taking off in SA under lockdown