Coding Contest Helps Students Purchase Tech for Classroom

A passion for coding can bear plenty of fruit. These benefits can take the form of anything from a trophy to a lucrative career. Consider a recent article for 9&10 News titled “Students Buy Classroom Drone, 3D Printers, GoPros with Coding Contest Earnings.”

Adora Namigadde of 9&10 News writes, “A unique contest gave students at one Northern Michigan school access to some very cool technology. Now students at Buckley Community Schools are putting it into practice — and teaching others how it works. ‘This equipment is innovative. Most people have not actually seen a 3D printer, they’ve only heard about it. Most people haven’t flown a drone,’ said Buckley Computers Teacher Sara Papineau. But now that technology is available to students at Buckley Community Schools. They participated in a coding contest called ‘Codecademy.’ Students could win one hundred dollar gift cards to donors choose, a teacher crowd funding site. Thirty-six students qualified — and they got some extra cash for having at least 10 girls on that list. The grand total this year – 4,600 dollars. ‘Initially, we thought we were going to receive 1,000 plus the additional 1,000. So when it more than doubled, we were ecstatic.’ Students in the computers class chose what sort of equipment they’d get. ‘I came into class and pulled up Amazon, who is one of the main vendors for Donors Choose, and literally said ‘What would you like to learn next year?’’ Now, it’s in the classroom. Seniors in Computers Three are learning how to use the equipment — including a drone, GoPros, and 3D printers. ‘When all the new equipment got in and we were opening it, it was like Christmas again,’ said Buckley Senior Dennis Nolf. Once they master the technology, they’ll teach it to younger students. There’s been a learning curve… ‘We have a junior Evan Marlowe, he actually calibrated two of our 3D printers because we couldn’t figure it out,’ said Buckley Senior Dominique Kroskie.”

The best way to cultivate your child’s coding talents is with mentorship and engaging educational programs. CodeRev Kids offers both of these things and customizes lessons to meet your child’s needs.

At CodeRev Kids, we emphasise computational thinking, which encompasses a wide range of programming concepts and languages. Our lessons build upon one another and we adjust starting points to each student’s level of expertise, making the entire curriculum customized.

We are known for saying we are the most educational tech camp out there but we also keep the focus on having fun. As a result, students stay engaged while learning to blend creativity with technology.

If you’re interested in taking your child’s coding education to the next level, check out our fall classes and afterschool programs!