CHEERY ROBOT ACADEMY BLOG

Open up a world of opportunity for your child by introducing them to coding and computer programming from a young age. Kids are insatiably curious and eager to learn and play, and computer programming opportunities lean into their curiosities, engage creativity, and foster life-long problem-solving skills.
 
Coding programs are increasingly popular for children ages five and up. While educators in some schools have made it possible for students to explore technology and develop coding skills from a young age, there are many programs and workshops available outside of the classroom.
 
Kids with a wide variety of interests will find it fun to learn how to code, and if you start while they’re young, you’ll be amazed by what they’ll learn.
 
Should My Child Learn How to Code?
 
Simply put: Yes! When children have the opportunity to explore technology and learn how to code, they are advantageous in other facets of their education. Not only will they get first-hand knowledge and coordination in using computers, but they’ll also have a creative outlet.
 
Teaching kids coding also provides an opportunity for them to develop excellent problem-solving skills. Young children are sponges, and if they get used to the problem-solving process in coding, there’s no doubt they’ll be able to transfer those skills to other areas of their life.
 
As a child develops programming skills, they may find that they’re interested in developing games, characters, apps, and tools. They’ll begin to see how technology works together, write their own scripts, adapt their own codes, and produce something that makes them proud. Give them the building blocks they need, and see where their curiosity leads them!
 
If you’re not sure whether or not your child will enjoy coding lessons, remember that it appeals to various interests. Your child might love coding concepts if they:

• Have an inherent interest in technology, whether through computers, tablets, or gaming systems
• Enjoy challenging educational games, like puzzles or problem-solving activities
• Use drag-and-drop coding toys, like Code-a-pillar
• Participate in games that engage programming skills, such as Minecraft or Roblox
• Can follow detailed instructions or enjoy free play with building toys such as LEGO
• Gravitate to creative outlets like art classes and cooking classes
• Of course, even if your child doesn’t express a strong interest in any of these things, they might latch on to coding as a new hobby. Learning to code is something a child could do independently or with a friend or parent. As kids learn more about the basics of coding, they’ll find many creative avenues to explore.

 
Understanding how computers work is a foundational building block for many paths in life. Just think how many people you know that don’t understand the basics of coding or that coding is what’s used to make applications and programs. To some degree, they’re at a loss.
 
Technology is ever-changing. Providing young children with the confidence they need to learn and adapt to new technologies continuously will empower them throughout their lives.
 
Your cool coding kids might someday develop their own coding language, create new technologies, or use their skills as a programmer to engineer unique solutions in life and in their careers!

​At Cheery Robot Academy we teach kids & teens to code the language of the future while having lots of fun! Students are afforded the opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of computer science and technology.
 
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​Programming is a useful skill for virtually anyone. It teaches you to think about how a process works. It teaches you to think about the steps that are needed to make a process happen and how to solve problems.

As a parent who is researching different options, it’s important to know that each language will have its benefits and drawbacks. The important thing is that your child learn the concepts behind the programming, such as the logic behind writing code, how to use constructs and tricks of the trade.
 
Scratch
 
If your child is interested in creating games, animations, interactive stories, art or music, then Scratch is a coding language that will be perfect to get them started. While this language is simple enough for children, there are enough functionalities and options that even experienced programmers use the language. Scratch also has a very interactive online community where people share their artwork and games with each other, which can further engage your child.
 
Python
 
Python is a programming language that reads like normal speech. One rarely has to add comments to the code because Python code that is written well enough reads as if the comments are already included in the code. If your kids are going to learn something like coding, then you would want them to get a basic grasp on how to think like a programmer. With Python, students will have very few obstacles with regards to learning how to program. They will be able to learn how to construct programming ideas within their heads and then focus on transferring these ideas into instructions that the machine can interpret. Python also has a “batteries included” philosophy, which refers to the tremendous amount that can be done just by simply researching and using the core Python libraries. Many of the common functionalities that programmers need are already built into the programming language, which makes this a great language for kids to learn.
 
Java
 
Java is arguably a bit harder to learn than Python, but choosing Java as a first-time programming language will make learning any subsequent language a bit easier for students. Many students have already thought about creating their own apps or websites but simply don’t know where to start. Java has been around for two decades and there are so many online resources, toolkits and tutorials that virtually anything can be created from the ground up using Java. There are a few initial hurdles to overcome, such as installing JDK and understanding how the syntaxes work, but the object oriented setup of the programming language makes it easy for students to progress.
 
At Cheery Robot Academy we teach kids & teens to code the language of the future while having lots of fun! Students are afforded the opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of computer science and technology.

Long gone are the days when a teacher simply assigns chapters and then stands up in front of the class lecturing for an hour or two. Nowadays, kids are using iPads and MacBook’s in every classroom. Learning has become more interactive than ever before in the history of education.
 
Educators are even finding ways to bring in technology that students are already obsessed with and using on a daily basis in order to enhance the learning experience and increase overall retention.
 
Here are four popular eLearning tactics utilizing technology to make school something students actually enjoy and look forward to every day.
 
Gamification
 
This one should be a no-brainer for anyone in the education industry. The current generation, and even those preceding it, are gamers. Some would say they are addicted to their Xboxes, PlayStation, and mobile gaming apps. You already have a captive audience, so you may as well take advantage of it in the classroom.
 
Gaming in education can range from actual Nintendo-like learning applications to board games such as Scrabble. By creating a friendly competitive environment, students are more motivated and more engaged.
 
Augmented Reality
 
If the phenomenal success of the Pokémon Go application tells us anything, it’s that augmented reality (AR) can certainly capture and hold someone’s attention. This is what makes this type of technology perfect for the education and eLearning industry.
 
Utilizing AR can turn an ordinary classroom into Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by making ordinary objects and subjects come alive. Students can utilize QR technology to scan codes on books or exhibits in museums to learn more. Historical videos or photos can be accessed in order to get a more personalized experience than just reading about an event in a textbook.
 
Plus, augmented reality can teach students that their smartphones can actually be used to make them smarter.
 
Virtual Reality
 
Virtual reality (VR) is not just for gaming. It is also being utilized in new ways to teach things including history, literature, and even engineering and architecture with the use of 3D modelling.
 
VR learning is not limited to just the classroom, either. Google launched “Google Arts & Culture” – providing access to VR tours of some of the world’s most famous museums and historical collections.
 
Immersive Environments
 
An immersive environment in education combines virtual reality (VR), 3D technology, and gaming in order to give students a truly unique experience when it comes to learning. As the current generation’s attention span continues to wane, immersive educational environments succeed at keeping students engaged for longer periods of time.
 
Immersive environments help students not only with memory and retention, but also with technical and problem-solving skills while stimulating their creativity. These types of programs can even improve the overall health of students by making them more active in the classroom.
 
With all of the new technology being utilized in today’s classrooms, you can’t help but wonder, what will the classrooms of future generations look like? Will there even be classrooms or will education be delivered exclusively via remote instructors and virtual reality? Will mobile phones powered by artificial intelligence become our permanent 24/7 “teachers?” That all remains to be seen. The bottom line is that with all of the options available to all of us now, none of us should ever stop learning.
 
At Cheery Robot Academy we teach kids & teens to code the language of the future while having lots of fun! Students are afforded the opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of computer science and technology. 

​Visit our website www.cheeryrobot.co.za

Unique among all professions, a well-trained programmer can quickly land a high-paying job and can create, with diligent effort, digital experiences that rival anything even Einstein was able to cogitate.
 
Depending on your area of specialization (front end engineer, cyber security engineer, back end engineer, mobile engineer, etc.) you can do much with your programming skills:

• You can help to elucidate some of the most elusive mysteries of the universe—all of which have baffled philosophers, cosmologists, physicists, mathematicians, and mere mortals.
• You can write code to perform surgery and diagnose illnesses better than any doctor ever could.
• You can create user interfaces and websites and other experiences that hundreds of millions of users will depend on every day.
• You can create your own start up, such as a new Facebook, or any kind of Internet entrepreneurial venture. Much is left to accomplish and invent in the Internet business world and in digital and online industries of every kind.
• You can create artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and services and products.
• You can create a cyber security firm or work as a hacker to defend your country’s critical data and services from rogue hackers, or protect your firm’s intellectual property and more.
• You can manage the server processes and system software that store the massive data and run the applications users don’t see, but that matter more than most people realized. Think of the possibilities that can be done with all the data we collect and share today.
• You can create mobile apps—both the user interfaces and the back end logic.
• You can build software to solve some of the biggest challenges that face humanity.
• You can create algorithms and write code for databases and authentication services and the like, process and tasks that differ much from building user interfaces.
• You can build autonomous machines, build massive applications for businesses and medical equipment or commercial machines.
• And you can create programs of imaginable wonder that extend all that we know, by creating new worlds, new realities, and new experiences. For instance, you can create worlds of virtual reality (VR) and produce augmented reality (AR), as well as program autonomous machines for land, sea, and air. You can any of these wondrous things and others we have yet to ponder.

 
As you see from the list above, a programming career has more far-reaching opportunities and consequences than more than any other career does perhaps any other field. If you want to have the biggest impact on humanity, you should consider becoming a programmer.
 
At Cheery Robot Academy we teach kids & teens to code the language of the future while having lots of fun! Students are afforded the opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of computer science and technology.

​This moment may be the best time in human history to become a programmer because:

Anyone, no matter their intellect or financial status or place of residence, can train to become an employable programmer or become a start-up founder.

• Just a few years ago, you needed at least a computer science bachelor’s degree to get a proper programming education. But today, you can become a specialized software engineer or programmer with just a few months of training. Further, in just those few months, you can become a proficient software engineer.

 

• For any programming career, there exists high-quality, affordable, online and offline programming educational opportunities, and the quality of these courses available online today are as excellent as the same courses available at exclusive and prestigious universities. Consider that a youngster from a remote part of Gambia with internet access on his mobile phone can take the same courses a fortunate American at an Ivy League university takes.

 

• As a programmer, you can earn a larger starting salary today than many doctors and lawyers earn.

 

• You can work from anywhere in the world for any company in the world.

 

• You can build companies, as large or as rich or as extraordinary as you can imagine them.

 

• You can build software-driven platforms and revolutionary policies to help the poor realize prosperity.

 
No wonder many people want to learn to code and, even though most don’t become employable and successful programmers, still tens of thousands routinely survive the exhausting and arduous programming education to become successful programmers.
 
At Cheery Robot Academy we prepare the youth of today for the future of tomorrow!

​Welcome to Cheery Robot Academy, a place where kids & teens learn to code all year round. Cheery Robot Academy combines collaboration, immersion and our unique outcome based curriculum with direct instruction from our instructors to get your kids & teens to code and rocking their inner hacker in no time!​

At Cheery Robot Academy we teach kids & teens to code the language of the future while having lots of fun! Students are afforded the opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of computer science and technology.