Get excited because this is a big one. Our free global Code Challenge for kids starts April 5!

Coding can seem a little scary at first, which makes sense if you’re a kid and you’ve never talked to a computer. There are a lot of weird characters in code that you don’t use and you may not even know what they’re called.

Never used this  {  symbol before? 

But, code is all around us! The technology we use on a daily basis is built on a foundation of code. For kids, learning to code is an opportunity to understand the digital world around them. Like painting on a blank canvas, kids can create websites, apps, and games from a blank computer screen.

While most kids enjoy technology, many don’t understand how it works. 

“Only 20% of students meet STEM benchmarks, and this is even though careers in STEM topics are the most in-demand and also the highest-paying.” From Skipy: (The Benefits of STEM toys in the Growing Years)

These kids haven’t had the opportunity to learn about the meaning of STEM or try coding. At least, not in a way that sparks their interest and makes them see what’s possible. 

The Code Challenge is a fun and educational event that introduces kids to coding in an engaging way. We created this event as an activity to guide our students’ learning and were blown away by the response from kids around the world. Our winners spanned 3 countries and we got positive feedback from kids and their parents about how they were challenged and engaged every step of the way.

Last year, over 2,000 students and parents participated in the first Code Challenge and over 6,500 voted for the grand prize winners. This year, because of the amazing response, we asked our students to be more involved and to help us come up with a theme and character for an experience even more kids will love. 

The Code Challenge starts on April 5, register to join! 

Beginner-friendly for kids ages 8-18. No coding experience is needed to play. 

How the Code Challenge Works

As kids follow the story of our hero Nym and his quest through the galaxy to save the Xocron crystal, they’ll be presented with 21 Python-based coding questions. These questions first explain the coding principles, relevant across most coding languages, and then ask for that principle to be applied to help Nym race from planet to planet. 

Each correct answer earns the ability to move on to the next question. After those 21 questions, players earn a $25 CodeWizardsHQ gift card and access to the boss level. To defeat the boss, they will need to write a short program in Python or JavaScript. Anyone who writes a successful program will be placed in the Hall of Champions for a public vote. The top 3 winners will receive a t-shirt and cash prize of $100, $50, and $25 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, respectively.

Play the Code Challenge

To play the Code Challenge, register and create an account. 

After that, login to your account from April 5 – 25 to play. 

Students will receive a new question every day on the Code Challenge platform to complete their mission. 

Code Challenge for Educators & Teachers

We’re also inviting educators and teachers to join in on the fun. Teachers can sign up their entire class to play together. Teachers who register 50 or more students will receive a free t-shirt and, if 80% of the class completes the first 21 questions, teachers will also have a chance to win a $500 technology grant. Get the details and register. 

So, why wait? The Code Challenge is free and open to kids 8-18.

Register today and let’s play!

The post Our 2nd Annual Code Challenge Launches April 5 appeared first on CodeWizardsHQ.

CodeWizardsHQ is an online coding school for kids focused on offering the most fun and effective live, online coding classes for kids and teens ages 8-18. The classes are teacher-led, student-centered, and project-based. Unlike self-paced and video courses, CodeWizardsHQ has a structured and progressive curriculum with separate tracks tailored to elementary, middle, and high school students. 

In response to current events, many schools have closed and kids are at home. Administrators and teachers are working around the clock to provide students with an education while also navigating their home life. To help both students and teachers during this trying time and to provide learning opportunities for students to be productively engaged, CodeWizardsHQ has temporarily lowered prices, added new daytime classes, and created personalized schedules that work for each family’s current situation.

“Due to the growing number of school closings due to COVID-19 around the world, CodeWizardsHQ recognizes the critical need for students to have access to virtual education,” said Jey Iyempandi, founder and CEO of CodeWizardsHQ. “It is our responsibility as a company to support continued learning on a global level.”

For current students, the classes are continuing uninterrupted and extra support is being given by offering free bonus classes and extra office hours during regular school hours that serve to reinforce coding skills. 

For prospective students, CodewizardsHQ is offering various choices:

Kids, who are exploring online learning and coding, now have access to 1-hour coding concept classes in Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and Scratch. CodeWizardsHQ is also opening 1-week mini-courses that run M-Th during school hours that explore topics that include: Thinking like a programmer, Data Types and Variables, and Functions and Conditionals. 

To provide a complete and comprehensive learning experience, our full courses are now available at an accelerated pace. This means classes are completed in only three weeks instead of twelve.

Students can even take an online coding class with friends from school. For groups of four to six students interested in taking a full course in three weeks, we are offering a custom schedule option with special group pricing. Classes are available early in the day, mid-day or afternoons. This is a great opportunity for teachers, parent groups, and/or organizations that want to provide a fun and engaging programming education to groups of kids instead of individual students. 

These online coding courses are available for Elementary, Middle, and High School students.

To find more information about these classes and to sign up, visit www.codewizardshq.com

About CodeWizardsHQ

CodeWizardsHQ is the leading online coding school for kids and teens ages 8-18. They deliver the most fun and effective live, online coding classes which are designed to give students the programming knowledge, skills, and confidence to thrive in a digital world. For more information, visit codewizardshq.com

The post Free & Reduced Priced Coding Classes During COVID-19 School Closures appeared first on CodeWizardsHQ.

Many people have asked me about the story of CodeWizardsHQ. My answer is simple, it grew out of love and the desire to make a world of opportunities available to my daughter. I wanted my little girl to follow her dreams and she wanted to learn how to code. The journey wasn’t easy, but now, four years later, we have evolved in incredibly significant ways. 

In order to meet the ever-changing landscape of computer science, our course offerings have expanded from a single track into classes for Elementary, Middle School, High School, and Advanced Placement Computer Science to serve ages 8-18. These provide a robust curriculum that offers a structured and comprehensive coding education complete with a hands-on coding experience through a non-profit internship.

Our student body has also evolved and we now serve a more diverse body of students. CodeWizardsHQ has transcended the local sector and has moved toward global markets. CWHQ now has students around the globe, as far as Australia and Korea. 

Many times, I wonder if parents know how CodeWizardsHQ compares to other companies. Did you know that CodeWizardsHQ’s student completion rate is 93%? The highest in the USA! This is the result of our student-centered, project-based approach. Our commitment to student satisfaction has brought about significant improvements over the last four years in our platform, curriculum, and student-teacher communication. These upgrades have maximized student success, which is reflected in our stellar reviews. Thank you to those that have taken the time to do this! 

Our new courses not only enhance the scope of what students will learn but provide a springboard to future success. Our one-of-a-kind platform and the services our vetted and experienced teachers provide, from office hours to personal emails for students to reach them, speaks to our commitment to student success. We have been and will continue to provide your child with the fun and rewarding learning experience that we’d want for our own children.

At the end of the day, like you, I am foremost a parent. When my head finally hits the pillow, I think about my kids, their schedule, their needs, and their happiness. I know this is what parenting is all about. My hope is that our program at CodeWizardsHQ can give you one less thing to worry about in your child’s academic success.

With that, I invite you to explore our new website! Please take a look at these new features and give us your feedback.

 Get the Official Press Release: CodeWizardsHQ Completes Rebrand & Expands Curriculum to Serve Ages 8-18 [Download PDF]

The post CodeWizardHQ’s Future Ready New Look and Website appeared first on CodeWizardsHQ.

The Austin EdTech Startup has partnered with ChickTech to #GiveBack

[Austin, TX, October 1, 2019] CodeWizardsHQ, the global coding school for youth ages 8-18, has partnered with ChickTech, a national organization serving thousands of girls and women every year through tech programs and events.

The partnership aims to improve access to technology education to students and broaden the impact of ChickTech. ChickTech & CodeWizardsHQ are working together to create a roadmap for local ChickTech Chapters to involve youth in coding. 

The harder part of getting girls and youth into technology is getting them to try it and experience the fun and joy of programming. CodeWizardsHQ offers an Introduction to Python class that is designed to do exactly that. We create Aha! moments while exposing students to the wonders of programming, creating a passion for coding! 

With this partnership, CodeWizardsHQ and Chicktech plan to bring that introductory programming class to a far broader audience. 

The introductory class typically costs $39/student. As a result of this partnership, the course will be made available at a partner price of just $20/student. Of that, 50% of the class fees will be donated back to ChickTech by CodeWizardsHQ. The funds raised will help ChickTech continue FREE youth hands-on, technology workshops for girls, including non-binary and transgender youth, across the country.

ChickTech was founded in 2012 to engage women and girls of all ages in the technology industry while working to create a better technology culture for all. ChickTech has made a direct impact on tens of thousands of participants, including girls, women, and men. Their programs include summer camps, ChickTech: High School, Meetup groups for adults in tech, and ACT-W Conferences.

CodeWizardsHQ offers an innovative and pragmatic multi-year curriculum for grades 3-12. For young learners, CodeWizards’ Junior Level focuses on scratch programming while older students participate in a comprehensive course sequence that begins with an introductory programming series that progresses through advanced algorithms and data science. The final year students get real-world experience through an internship or capstone project. Beyond coding, the CodeWizardsHQ educational experience nurtures curiosity and builds confidence through a student-centric pedagogy that includes social and emotional components that foster collaboration, exploration and personal growth.

If you would like more information about this topic contact Ana-Maria Medina, ana@codewizardshq.com.

The post CodeWizardsHQ Gives Back Campaign + ChickTech Partnership appeared first on CodeWizardsHQ.

At CodeWizardHQ we believe coding can transform the future. Earth Day is a reminder that we are all part of a big beautiful planet and need to join together to take care of its magnificence.  

Today we salute The Three Kid Inventors. All three of the amazing students below used computational thinking to bring their imagination to life. They saw a possibility and built a life-saving robot, light homes without electricity, and make our world healthier through harnessing green energy!

Coding and computational thinking are not just specialized technicals skills that limit our kids to sitting in front of a screen. They provide the catalyst for making life-changing inventions come to life.  Learn how our program can launch your kids’ possibilities for becoming the innovators of tomorrow: www.codewizardshq.com

Thirteen-year-old David Cohen created two major potentially life-saving inventions, including one designed to locate earthquake victims and one equipped to prevent mosquito-borne diseases. 3M

David Cohen, Texas. As he learned about earthworms in class he became curious to learn if anyone had created a robotic earthworm. He began to actively inquire about the applications such a robot could have and decided to build one himself! Using the knowledge had had from coding he created a prototype robot. The robot had heat-sensing technology and GPS. The robot served to rescue people from emergencies safely and efficiently!

(Rafikov Family/Discovery Education)  Nikita Rafikov, 11, built a “House Of The Future” with windows that contain a green fluorescent protein to emit light.

Nikita Rafikov, Georgia. The 11-year-old developed a way to embed GFP, or green fluorescent protein, into windows to create efficient glass and lighting. GFP is the protein found in certain jellyfish that creates those cool bioluminescence effects seen in nature photography. By embedding this protein into windows, Rafikov has found a way to light homes without the use of electricity.

(Picture Credit, 10 empreendedores mirins que deram certo Por Daniela Moreira)

Javier Fernandez-Han, Texas. At 9 years old, he knew he wanted the Versatile System, a mix of new and existing technology that uses algae to treat waste, produces methane and bio-oil as fuel, grows food, and traps greenhouse gases.

References:

Texas Eighth-Grader Builds Robots to Combat World Issues

Kid Inventors Vie for Top Honors in National Science Competition

15 Year Old Invents Complete Algae Energy System

The post Connecting Earth Day and Coding appeared first on CodeWizardsHQ.

Last month, I took over 50 Ubers in India.

During these trips, I talked to the cab drivers about their thoughts on Uber.

In these conversations, some interesting insights emerged.

The common theme is this – They can’t believe that Uber, with a simple software product, is getting the lion’s share of profits.

Their contention was that the traditional sources of investment in a business was all made by them.

• They invest the capital needed to buy the car.
• They invest the manual labor needed to drive.
• They cover all the gas and maintenance expenses.

However, Uber walks away with all the profit.  

How could this be?

Therein lies the power of software.

All that physical infrastructure is needed and will be there, but software is what makes it productive and efficient. As a result, it is the most profitable part in the value chain. That is also why Uber is valued at $70 billion.

We see the same story with Airbnb. All those beautiful exotic houses are needed, but Airbnb is what puts them to productive use. As a result, they make all the profit. Today, Airbnb is valued at $30 Billion.

Even in FedEx, much of the value of FedEx as a company is in the software that runs the firm, not in the planes, trucks, sorting centers, and drivers.

This trend is what prompted the legendary Netscape inventor and venerated venture capitalist Marc Andreessen to say, “Software is eating the world”. You can read that article here.

What does this mean for your children?

If software is the most profitable part of a firm, working with software skills will give your child a great chance to make a lucrative career.

Even if they don’t end up becoming software engineers, knowing how the most profitable parts of a business work will keep them ahead of the competition.

Through our comprehensive coding curriculum, we prepare your child for college and career success.

Enroll in our 12-week “Introduction to Programming with JavaScript” class to see if coding captures your child’s interest.

The post What Uber Teaches You About Your Child’s Future appeared first on CodeWizardsHQ.