Why coding?

Last week, Microsoft Reactor – the biggest Microsoft Startup Hub in the Southern Hemisphere – hosted the top 45 students of the CODE4FUN Christmas Coding Challenge. It was an incredible opportunity for our students to meet, learn and be inspired by Annie Parker, who is Microsoft’s Global Head of Startups; Dave Glover, Regional Developer Advocate; Lynn Dang, Head of Talent Acquisition; Dr Neil Roodyn, VR Advocate and Michael Watson, Microsoft Reactor Program manager.

The students learnt about cutting-edge technology such as AI, Machine Learning and Virtual Reality. Dave Glover helped our students to try machine learning for themselves and they taught a computer how to distinguish a banana from other fruits. It was so much fun to see how the machine did exactly what it was programmed to do and pick the banana from a table of many objects.

The students also had the opportunity to experience Microsoft’s ‘Mixed Reality’ headsets. During the experience, they learnt about space and saw the connection between virtual and real reality.

One of the main takeaways from Annie Parker is that it’s never too late to start to learn to code. She was confident that many of the talented CODE4FUN students would one day become Microsoft Developers and use their skills to make positive change.

Thank you very much to all the Microsoft staff for inspiring our students and encouraging them to continue their coding journey. Our students are more excited than ever about the endless possibilities of coding and the opportunities this important skill will create for them in the future.

The 2018 CODE4FUN Christmas Coding Challenge is proudly supported by Officeworks and ASUS.

We will be announcing the details of the next CODE4FUN Coding Challenge in early March 2019. We invite all our students to participate in the next challenge for their chance to win fantastic prizes, visit a leading tech company and of course, learn and have lots of fun along the way!

Check out some of the photos from the day below:

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the 2018 Christmas Coding Challenge.

This year we challenged our students to develop an Interactive Resume with WOW factor! We achieved a record number of entries from 282 students and the calibre of submissions was absolutely outstanding!

Submissions were judged on creativity, originality, design, coding skills, animation skills and overall WOW factor! Digital literacy skills are critical for children growing up in a world being reshaped by technology and the challenge aims to reinforce the skills and concepts they have learnt in class.

In addition to these skills, the challenge also helped students to express creativity and develop their confidence in presenting to their peers, which is a valuable skill in any context; whether it be in school or in their future careers.

By participating in the CODE4FUN challenges students continue to build on a breadth of important skills with the support and guidance of our teachers. The increasing quality of work that is being submitted each challenge is a testament to the effectiveness of the challenges in motivating our students to explore new ideas and push their skills to new limits.

Thanks to our supporters Officeworks and ASUS, every participant will receive a prize and certificate in recognition of their hard work. Prizes include Laptops, Tablets, Virtual Reality Headsets and other cool gadgets. The Top 3 Winners won an incredible ASUS ROG Strix GL502 laptop!

In addition to the fantastic prizes, the Top 45 students will receive an exclusive invitation to visit MICROSOFT REACTOR SYDNEY where they will meet Annie Parker, Microsoft’s Global Head of Startups, and many other inspirational Microsoft staff members.

Special congratulations to the top six students below who received the main awards for the challenge:

FIRST PLACE:

Cooper – First place & ASUS laptop in Unity 3D category, Pro coding class in Mosman

Project link: https://adiggins.itch.io/cooper-heriot-resume

Rafael – First place & ASUS laptop in Java & Processing category, Pro coding class in Bondi Junction

Project link: http://raf-resume.herokuapp.com/

Kai – First place & ASUS laptop in Scratch category, Advanced coding class in Glenhaven

Project link: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/247640805/

SECOND PLACE:

Isabella – Second place & laptop in Scratch category, Robotics class in Mosman

Project link: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/256240815/

Mateo – Second place & laptop in Scratch category, Advanced coding class at Our Lady of Good Counsel

Project link: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/245343358/

Bryce – Second place & laptop in Scratch category, Intermediate coding class in Granville

Project link: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/246445884/

Thank you for supporting this challenge and we look forward to announcing details of the 2019 Coding Challenge in the new year.

Kids from as young as six have started shaping our world with technology,
and they’re loving it.

The 2018 CODE4FUN Winter Coding Challenge proves the next generation
of children are leading the way out of the classroom and creating their own
bright future.

This year’s coding challenge was My First Business App Prototype, a challenge
designed to introduce students to the world of startups, and encourage them to
think as entrepreneurs and change-makers. After months of hard work, 212
students from 26 schools across Sydney submitted their business app
prototypes. This year’s impressive creations included virtual retail stores,
games, time management apps and even a digital wallet to manage cryptocurrency.

The challenge was won by three students – Ava McCann from Wenona School
in North Sydney won with her time management app. Sophia Gionis from
Maroubra Junction Public School won for her virtual cupcake store, and Oliver
Bone from Birchgrove Public School also won for his gaming app. The three
winners each took home a laptop and the top 30 coding students were invited for
an exclusive tour of Australia’s Google Headquarters.

“I love the freedom of coding,” says 11-year-old Ava, who has been attending
CODE4FUN Programming School for three years. “You can do whatever you
like, make whatever you like, be whoever you like!”
“Coding is the most important skill you can have at the moment,” Ava says. “Just
about every job in the future is going to involve coding.”

Coding is increasingly being seen as the ‘4th literacy’ that can be applied to any
industry. As Australia transitions to a knowledge and ideas economy, giving kids
confidence and knowledge through programs like CODE4FUN is an essential
and important part of equipping them with the skills they need for the jobs of the
future. According to the Digital Careers organisation, students need experience
and skills in computational thinking and computer programming (coding), to be
successful in their future careers.

“I’d love to work with tech and software when I’m older, or maybe become an
architect,” says 12-year-old Sophia. “The things I learn through coding classes
can help me in whatever job I decide to do.”

Co-Founder and Director of CODE4FUN, Grigory Punanov says, “CODE4FUN
challenges are designed to get the kids thinking differently. They test their ability
to be creative and inventive, to build business ideas that solve real-world
problems. We are so proud of the prototypes submitted by our students and
would love to see even more kids channelling their passion and energy for
technology into ideas that can change the world!”

About CODE4FUN
One of Sydney’s first coding schools for kids, CODE4FUN has been giving kids
from as young as six the opportunity to express innovative thinking and creativity
by building games, stories and apps. Working with schools and education centres,
CODE4FUN offers coding courses in over 28 locations across Sydney.