More than 100 students from Mayaro and surrounding communities participated in computer coding workshops at the Mayaro Resource Centre over the July-August vacation period.
The Cracking the Code vacation learning experience provided students with a technical and practical understanding of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, coupled with learning the fundamentals of computer-based coding.
The training was sponsored for the second successive year by bpTT, and delivered by Education Solution Specialists Limited (ESSL), a media release said.
It said the MP for Mayaro, Rushton Paray was high in praise of the training programme. Paray delivered the feature address at the graduation function on August 21.
[caption id="attachment_1032448" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Vice-president of corporate operations at bpTT Giselle Thompson gets feedback from the students during her visit to the coding camp at the Mayaro Resource Centre. - courtesy CJ Communications[/caption]
“It’s great to see the presence of so many parents here today – you all are key to guiding the success of your children. Information and communications technology and coding are now life skills and should be a part of the curriculum from the primary school level. The graduates of this programme stand on the edge of a digital frontier and bpTT has empowered you for a dynamically changing world. Coding is the literacy of the future, and you are the pioneers who will lead us forward.”
The workshops which began on July 7 involved age groups ranging from eight to 11 in the first four cohorts, and the second session for students 12 and over. Apart from the core computer coding-based skills, the participants were also guided to develop abilities such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and real-time adaptability.
For Emmen Sobion, this was an essential experience for her nine-year-old son, Jaysean, who attends Mafeking Government Primary.
[caption id="attachment_1032447" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The top computer coding camp graduates, back row with Luis Araujo, communications advisor, bpTT, left; Brendon Butts, managing director, ESSL; and Rushton Paray, Member of Parliament for Mayaro. - courtesy CJ Communications[/caption]
“My son loves computers and he’s very good at gaming with the desire to build his own games. He’s so focused that he started saving up to buy a laptop and I fully support his interests. He saw the ad for this workshop and he explained to me what coding was and how important it is. I did my own research, and this truly is the way of the future. This camp was an excellent opportunity for him to gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive global society.”
The students delved into a technology-focused understanding of diverse topics including animation, coding games and creating programs. They extended these concepts into marine life preservation, renewable energy, hydroponics, erosion mitigation and designing prototypes such as traffic lights and a storm alert system using softw
