Why should Gen Z be more involved in coding, fostering creativity, and building confidence?

At the height of the digital age, schools are realising the increasing importance of "hybrid learning"— the integration of technology with traditional learning methods.

In a few years, the rapid evolution of technology has taken over nearly every aspect of our lives, becoming a part of a child’s daily routine before they even turn a year old. This increasing dependence on technology for daily survival has created a need for technology basics taught in schools, along with the ABCs.

The advent of remote learning amidst COVID-19

The demand for physical isolation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated our dependency on technology as a means of basic communication with the outside world.

With schools shut for a long period during the lockdown, the need for a virtual classroom setup sparked what some call a "zoom boom", as video calling quickly replaced traditional classrooms.

Although the e-learning platforms were in existence before the pandemic, it was not well adopted on as massive a scale as it is today. Due to the pandemic, the majority of the schools had to go online in a matter of weeks to address the crisis and to ensure continued learning for the children.

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What is coding? Why should parents invest in coding?

With COVID-19, there were a lot of immediate changes that were made across sectors, the education sector being one of the most prominent. This sudden transition and adaptation dawned light upon the importance of the continuous creation of new and innovative software and tech solutions to meet the world's growing needs.

To prepare for the future, we must be digitally literate and learn the language of the future — coding. Nearly all the industries, even those not directly linked to technology, will soon call for a basic understanding of coding. 

In simple terms, coding is the process of writing computer programs in a language, which the system understands. The future scope for growth in the number of coding jobs will create a proverbial job explosion, making it an essential skill to learn, along with whichever specialisation one chooses to pursue as a career in the future.

Importantly, it not only provides security in terms of jobs available in the market or the near future but also helps a child grow in all dimensions, aesthetically.

How can coding build confidence in kids?

Besides being one of the most sought-after skills of the future, coding fosters creativity and helps build confidence in kids. Since the language is used to create functioning apps and working software from scratch, children can be as creative as they like with their ideas and be armed with the tools to bring those ideas to life.

It fosters out-of-the-box thinking to create something out of nothing. It also encourages kids to get creative with their problem-solving skills and develop an independent approach to tackling obstacles. This, in turn, builds their confidence as free-thinking individuals. 

Future outlook of the edtech space

Although the pandemic is finally showing signs of slowing down, the technology industry is not. The future of coding looks bright, and the tremendous success of innovative tech solutions over the past two years — as a replacement for offline activities — has proven the "new normal" is here to stay.

This, especially, rings true for the edtech space. It is safe to say that schools, along with the "traditional" modes of instruction, will join hands with a more technological or "edtech" approach, which will benefit young learners.

It will not only be beneficial for the students but will also ensure a complete holistic transformation in a child’s overall personality in generating various life skills and advancing the creativity one has.

Combining the two modes of imparting and acquiring knowledge (be it in classrooms or through virtual platforms), the future beholds a success story for the industry.