Video games in the classroom.
most kids would agree that’d be a cool way to learn.
Now, a new learning facility in Boca Raton is hoping to do that, by teaching coding in a fun way.
“We take video games, something that kids can relate to and use it as kind of a ‘sneak attack.’ So they think they’re having fun but in actuality they’re learning real skills that are going to set themselves up for the future,” said Rick Engelbart, the owner of Code Ninjas.
It’s called Code Ninjas.
Here’s how it works. The coding curriculum is broken down into nine levels, all named after karate belt colors.
Students, ages 7 through 14, then navigate the ranks, moving at their own pace.
“They’re building small video games throughout their sessions and each video game introduces a new concept. As soon as they prove themselves, we move them to the next belt. We make a big deal out of it and eventually they make it to black belt where they build their own App and we help them publish it on an App Store,” he said.
Engelbart says the skills they’re learning now could pave the way for a future career in coding.
“Not only the traditional computer programmers but for people who can think like software engineers and network architects,” he said. “Whether they’re building an App, whether they’re solving some resource distribution problem in a Third World country.”
If they decide to take another career path down the road, Engelbart says he is confident they will be able to apply the other skills they learn at Code Ninjas, like teamwork and problem solving; skills they can use every day.
Engelbart also owns a Code Ninjas in Wellington. For more information on how to enroll your child in either center, click here.
