In Chile, Fundación Kodea has partnered since 2015 with Code.org, a non-profit organization born in 2013 in the United States whose mission is that every student in every school in the world learns to code for promoting coding skills in kids.
Everything began with the Hour of Code in 2015, which is replicated year after year at the national level to promote the development of digital skills in children and teenagers of the country.
Code.org: bringing Computer Science to the classroom
On September 2 at 8:30 a.m., IdeoDigital, a country project originated thanks to a strategic alliance between the Korea Foundation and the BHP Foundation, which seeks to create the necessary conditions to implement Computer Science in the Chilean public school system, together with Fundación Educacional Seminarium, they bring to Chile Pat Yongpradit, academic director of Code.org.
The education expert will present on Computer Science in the classroom at the “III Innovation and Technology Seminar: Today’s Tools for Tomorrow’s Education” which aims to provide guidelines and key tools for the incorporation of technology into processes. of learning applied by teachers in the classroom, evidencing their leading role and relevance in the future of girls, boys, and young people. During the Congress, Pat will share with the speakers Jennifer Groff, Researcher at the MIT Media Lab and MIT Education Arcade, and Rose Luckin, professor at the University College of London and Director of EDUCATE.
Pat served as a high school programming teacher, where he inspired his students to create games and mobile applications for social causes, running initiatives to expand participation in Computer Science, tripling the number of girls taking the subject. He has been recognized as a Microsoft Worldwide Innovative Educator, and participated in the book “American Teacher: Heroes in the Classroom.” He is certified in biology, physics, mathematics, health, and technology education.
Replicating an International Model to teach coding
Currently, more than 40% of American students have an account on Code.org, as well as more than two million teachers and 55 million students around the world. IdeoDigital seeks to replicate this in Chile, creating the necessary conditions to implement Computer Science in the Chilean public school system, through the development of curricular courses initially based on Code.org for grades 1 basic to 4 medium, aimed at teachers and students, which will remain as a public good and free of charge for the entire school system.
“As educators we want our students to be engaged and love to learn. Computer Science provides that opportunity. Never before has technology creation been so accessible and powerful, with just a laptop and Internet connection, students can create games, applications, simulations, solve problems in their community and in the world ”says Pat Yongpradit.
Claudia Jaña, Education Manager at Fundación Kodea, explained that “the journey that Code has taken in the US is interesting to observe in order to incorporate all its good practices in the process of training Chilean teachers to develop their digital skills and become leaders of Computer Science for our country ”.
“At Fundación BHP we believe that quality learning is the way to develop the skills necessary for the future and for all children to develop their potential. Today we have a unique opportunity to transform the system and to better equip this generation of students, and generations to come, with the skills needed for the future. If we strengthen digital inclusion and provide better educational opportunities, we can take a significant step to close the gap in the quality of education, and thus, with the contribution of everyone, contribute to creating more equitable and just societies ”, says Alejandra Garcés, director of the Chile Program of the BHP Foundation.
Code.org is supported internationally by figures such as former US President Barack Obama, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Facebook founder Marck Zuckenberg, among others.