VIEWS & OPINION


VIEWS & OPINION


Closing the UK’s’s IT skills ga p Comment by CHRISMEAH, Co-Founder of School of Code,


which are currently funding on Kickstart ChrisChriisMeah and Bhisish Patel Pa


The current IT skills gap in the UK is estimated to cost the economy £63 billion a year in lost GDP. This figure is now too big to ignore, and action needs to be taken to ensure the next generation has the necessary IT market.


With the rise of e


teaching computing, what we’re finding is a few hours a week is not enough. Skills like


merging technologies, there is skills to fill the future job


a growing demand for high level digital skills in areas such as cyber security, cloud and mobile computing and data analytics.While today’s “social media generation” are perfectly capable of navigating the digital world, we need to ensure youngsters want to be engineers and data scientists as well as the next YouTube sensation. Computing was introduced to the UK school curriculum in 2014 – where children take classes in coding and computational thinking. This year, Computing GCSE entries increased by 76%with engineering close behind with the second largest increase at nearly 12%(2016 GCSE results).We need to ensure that these figures stay on the rise in the years to come.


More still needs to be done to ensure children are digitally equipped to open a variety of jobs and opportunities in the future. Despite schools


programming, coding are not necessarily areas which parents and teachers are most comfortable in unless they have an existing background in the sub


bjject, which means that often students can find themselves isolated in the learning experience. Solo learning for people of all ages can be a lonely journey – which is one reason why people drop out of online courses. Those without an innate love of coding need support and motivation to keep at it, which current coding courses can easily neglect.


Another factor for disengagement is that most courses and the learning experience it provides does not reflect how these skills can be applied in the workplace. Companies need to work collaboratively, where people collectively solve problems, help each other, and review each o ther’s work. If we want different types of people coming into the technology talent pool, we need to make sure everyone has access to support and motivation while they are learning.


Recognising that collaborative activities are as crucial as learning the IT skill itself, we tapped into


that with our online multiplayer coding game. Users get to learn how to code, solve problems together in real time and collaborate or compete so it brings back that fun element to learning a new skill.


The way we approach teaching and support learning in this digital age will impact the pipeline of IT skills in the future.We therefore have a duty to support teachers in delivering the curriculum and help parents learn alongside their children - by working together it means they can better progress and develop these key skills.


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Helping students stay app-savvy Comment by MARK BENTLEY, London Grid for Learning


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It seems there is an app for everything these days. Whether you are booking a doctor’s appointment, checking Facebook or learning Italian, there’s an app (or ten) for it. But what exactly are we agreeing to when we click download and accept to that long list of permissions?


There’s probably, definitely, an app for that… My phone died yesterday. It’s getting a bit old, and frankly cannot cope with the pace of the modern world: in other words, I had too many apps on it. Whilst I was trying to resurrect the device, I took the opportunity to trawl through the list of long-forgotten apps.


There’s probably, definitely, an app for that…


My phone died yesterday. It’s getting a bit old, and frankly cannot cope with the pace of themodern world: in other words, I had toomany apps on it.Whilst I was trying to resurrect the device, I took the opportunity to trawl through the list of long-forgotten apps.


Not only could I not remember ever installing many of them, I had given them permissions linked to my camera, microphone, network connection, photos, storage space and the ability to wipe and block the entire device. What was I thinking? At that moment, I probably wasn’t. So many apps today demand full access to your device, and your only option is to not install it in the first place. Tricky if you really want it (or tell yourself you ‘need’ it).


What do they want from us? What do theywant fromus?


When you are talking to your pupils about online safety and what they allow onto their devices, it might be wise to check out what you have buried away in the recesses of your phone, and what exactly you have allowed.


When you are talking to your pupils about online safety and what they allow onto thei r devices, itmight be wise to check ou t what you have buried away in the recesses of your phone, and what exactly you have allowed.


Sometimes we might think that as long as millions of people have installed an app, or the app provider is a major international company, then “it must be okay”. This depends of course what ‘okay’ means. Whilst the largest providers can generally be trusted not to download viruses or lock


1 6 www .education-today.co.uk.co.uk www


Sometimes wemight think that as long asmillions of people have installed an app, or the app provider is amajor international company, then “itmust be okay”. This depends of course what ‘okay’means.Whilst the largest providers can generally be trusted not to download viruses or lock


Not only could I not remember ever installingmany of them, I had given thempermissions linked tomy camera,microphone, network connection, photos, storage space and the ability to wipe and block the entire device. What was I thinking? At thatmoment, I probably wasn’t. Somany apps today demand full access to your device, and your only option is to not install it in the first place. Tricky if you really want it (or tell yourself you ‘need’ it).


It seems there is an app for everything these days.Whether you are booking a doctor’s appointment, checking Facebook or learning Italian, there’s an app (or ten) for it. But what exactly are we agreeing to when we click download and accept to that long list of permissions?


apps are fre targeted to After all,


whilst rema message to


Helping students sta y app-savvy Comment byMARK BENTLEY, London Grid for Learning


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our devices, the terms and conditions will tell you that they intend to use and often sell our data, albeit anonymised.


our devices, the terms and conditions will tell you that they intend to use and often sell our data, albeit anonymised.


After all, apps are not cheap to develop, and advertising needs to be targeted to generate revenues, so there must be a reason why high-quality apps are free. Lots of adults shrug their shoulders at this, but is it a good message to be passing on to young people? How do we advocate caution whilst remaining realistic?


Time to go “off grid”? Time to go “off grid”?


We could decide to remove all apps from our phones and tablets and only use web-based services, but realistically, that’s not going to happen. What we can do though is use the ‘data conversation’ to remind our pupils about the kind of materials they should or should not be storing on their phones. We should also take advantage of the opportunity to talk to parents about age ratings and restrictions. You might think that Facebook is harmless and that it’s okay to lie about your child’s age so they appear over 13 and are therefore able to join, but you cannot later change the date of birth, which means that within a few years they will be treated as an over- 18 user.


It is also wise to ensure you only download apps from the official appstores and talk to children about in-app purchases. Is there a danger of your credit card being maxed out downloading a virus or inappropriate material?


But at the end of the day, it comes back to the same education messages of openness, awareness and caution. Why not visit the Phonebrain website for hints and tips on things to watch out for – I bet it won’t just be your pupils who will learn something from it!


But at the end of the day, it comes back to the same education messages of openness, awareness and caution.Why not visit the Phonebrain website for hints and tips on things to watch out for – I bet it won’t just be your pupils who will learn something fromit!


Novembe r 2016 2016


It is also wise to ensure you only download apps fromthe official appstores a nd talk to children about in-app purc hases. Is there a danger o f your credit card beingmaxed out downloading a virus or inappropriate material?


We could decide to remove all apps fromour phones and tablets and only use web-based services, but realistically, that’s not going to happen.What we can do though is use the ‘data conversation’ to remind our pupils about the kind ofmaterials they should or should not be storing on their phones. We should also take advantage of the opportunity to talk to parents about age ratings and restrictions. Youmight think that Facebook is harmless and that it’s okay to lie about your child’s age so they appear over 13 and are therefore able to join, but you cannot later change the date of birth, whichmeans that within a few years they will be treated as an over- 18 user.


apps are not cheap to develop, and advertising needs to be generate revenues, so theremust be a reason why high-quality e. Lots of adults shrug their shoulders at this, but is it a good be passing on to young people? How do we advocate cautio n ining realistic?


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