Get Hackney Coding – Hackney’s month of code
Hackney Council has joined forces with the Hackney Learning Trust and Samsung to help raise awareness of coding in primary schools and to offer a series of free training sessions for 80 teachers to become experts in the new curriculum.
February will be dedicated to spreading the word about the importance of coding in the school curriculum using social media. By using the hashtag #GetHackneyCoding on twitter, schools, young people, tech professionals and families from across the borough are being encouraged to join the conversation and share their coding experiences, their favourite parts of the new computer curriculum and to get involved with a tech challenge.
The #GetHackneyCoding competition will be open to those in education (aged 5-18) and family teams (which can have a maximum of five members including one under the age of 18) who can submit an idea for a new computer game, and will have the chance to make their game come to life on a DIY Gamer console from Technology Will Save Us. The competition will be judged at the end of the month by a panel of tech, gaming and education experts.
Businesses within Hackney’s Tech City are also being encouraged to put their names forward to help teach after-school Code Club sessions, that will help to support young people who want an extra helping hand to get started on how to code.
Other partners who are joining forces to spread the word about coding include: Code Club, Tech City UK, Here East, Union Developments, Tech City News, Education Foundation and the 3Beards.
The new computer curriculum is helping to teach the next generation the skills needed to help open opportunities for future careers especially those in the tech sector, an industry that is growing exponentially and has a significant base in Hackney, as home to Tech City, the UK’s largest tech cluster.
Being taught the new curriculum in schools not only helps to forge a future career, but can also help with day-to-day life skills such as problem solving and team work. That’s why I want to encourage everyone in Hackney to join the coding conversation, for young people to talk about computers and the curriculum with their families, join-in with the free competition and explore what coding is all about. Let’s get Hackney Coding this February.
Technology offers amazing opportunities for children to develop and create. We believe that this is something that should be encouraged at every possible level and work to do so through our programmes to promote digital literacy and innovation. It is vital for both the benefit of young people’s futures and the future of our nation.
Britain has the opportunity to become a digital powerhouse if we can embrace digital learning and innovation. For this to happen we need to ensure that people are empowered to learn digital skills and share their experiences to encourage others to do so too. We are proud to be supporting Get Hackney Coding and look forward to seeing what possibilities it will unlock.
The #GetHackneyCoding competition will close on 23 February.