Code Avengers
Inculcating Computational Thinking Skills and Digital Fluency

As digital fluency becomes a necessity rather than a distant goal, a new Digital Technologies curriculum has been introduced that all schools and kura will be expected to deliver from 2020. Moreover, by 2025, computer science and digital technologies will be mandatory in half of all schools worldwide— affecting millions of teachers and hundreds of millions of students. Across the globe, students from year one onwards will start to learn how computers work, and how to use them for instilling an understanding of key principles that drive Digital Technologies including algorithms, programming, data representation, digital media, and electronics.

Embracing this massive change for Lana Signal, an ESOL (English as a second language) and Classics teacher based out of New Zealand, was challenging as she was not trained in Digital Technologies and came into the role “knowing nothing” about what was in store. Thanks to the extensive intervention of Code Avengers, Lana, who is now a close-knit member of the Code Avengers team, has evolved from an inexperienced teacher to an expert in the new curriculum in no time. Today she helps design the material taught, as well as advising teachers on how to learn, plan, teach and assess Digital Technologies. Without the relevance of Code Avengers to the new curriculum, Lana would have struggled.

Lana’s story highlights one of many cases wherein Code Avengers was able to bring in a significant difference to teachers’ lives. With a full suite of courses for computer science teaching designed using effective pedagogy, Code Avengers’ digital learning platform, in essence, is a one-stop shop made by educators for educators to learn, plan, teach and access computer science/digital technologies. The Code Avengers digital learning platform has been instrumental in providing the skills and insights or the foundational tech skills for the underprivileged students to create jobs and opportunities in their local communities, not only improving their lives but the lives of those around them.

In an era where students are the digital natives and teachers the digital immigrants, according to Hamish Day, CEO of Code Avengers, educators need to employ a dramatically different instructional approach and upscale themselves with the new skills required for training students. “There is a fine line between teaching and understanding a subject and giving the students something exciting about the same.

Modern education is about developing digitally capable thinkers; there is, therefore, a need for digitally capable teachers,” he says. With a wide customer base across over 20 countries, Code Avengers is rising up to this need with a game-changing offering that is bringing hope and new knowledge to literally millions of users.

Modern education is about developing digitally capable thinkers; there is, therefore, a need for digitally capable teachers

The Code Avengers platform empowers teachers with professional development, making them DT experts and providing them the confidence to teach the new curriculum. The platform teaches the skills to build things such as websites, apps, and games in an engaging gamified or story-based way and increases math and critical thinking skills. The cloud-based platform also saves time invested in planning, preparing and marking lessons, which in turn massively reduces the workload of teachers and allows them to spend more quality time with their students. The live tracking feature of the platform allows teachers to identify students who are struggling and help them exactly when they need help, whilst simultaneously letting those who excel continue on to higher levels. Teachers can also keep a tab on student progress with analytics at a glance and data tracking. The platform allows students to learn coding and design skills with an entire suite of online courses and offline materials and activities.

Code Avengers acknowledge their social responsibility by conducting free code camps and providing courses translated into local languages for underprivileged and autistic children. “In a nutshell, we aim to kickstart students’ futures and turn wasted screen time into productive screen time and a real opportunity to get ahead,” concludes Day.