Making a difference for students with coding
Like it or not, technology has made its way into everyday life and Utah students are getting a more in-depth lesson on how to use it in the future.
CodeChangers is teaching students ages 8-18 in Iron and Washington counties about web development, computer programming, robotics and digital design.
The Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 1 1/2-hour-long classes provide online and in-person instruction to students split up in three groups by age.
Monthly tutorials that use projects and DIY-based assignments are also incorporated into the lessons.
The curriculum has been licensed by public and private education facilities, said CodeChangers CEO and President Michael Wilstead.
“The concept of what we’re trying to get kids to do is use technology for a good purpose,” Wilstead said. “Our biggest challenge now is helping parents and children understand that’s the vision of CodeChangers to teach you a life skill.”
Students are given their domain names where they can upload files they are working on to practice their lessons in the classroom and at home, Wilstead said.
Students can also earn awards and badges when they make progress. Parents are able to login to view their child’s progress and see the suggested level for how far their student should be.
A pilot program was launched during the spring semester in 2015 with six students from the St. George area.
Private sector web developers and programmers were brought in to test the curriculum. According to Wilstead, the students' parents asked for more of these courses after seeing what their children had learned.
The courses are also set up so that a non-tech teacher can run the program and teach it during regular school hours.
The program is currently taught by teachers who work in the private sector and interns from Dixie State University assist during the classes as well. The student-to-teacher ratio is about 1:6, Wilstead said.
“We want to bring in people that can mentor the kids,” said Co-Founder Jason Schallenberger. "People who are in on the current trends and what’s going on in the industry and making sure they can pass on that desire to the kids.”
Wilstead said there are 25,000 open programmer, developer, web, ui/ux and tech positions within 300 miles of St. George that have been posted within the last 10 days with an average pay of $80,000.
It was because of this need in the tech industry that Schallenberger and Eric Pedersen, DSU’s dean of science and technology, came up with the idea for a program that would teach students more about technology with a focus on coding while helping them prepare for the 2015-2030 economy.
After offering several different camps and schools and finding them successful, CodeChangers was eventually formed to offer a more intensive course for students.
“I think letting people know the quality that’s there has been the struggle so far,” Schallenberger said. “A lot of people don’t understand the resources we have.”
This year’s first semester began Jan. 12 with about 60 students in three locations. Another semester will start in March with an expectation of the same amount of students, Wilstead said.
George Washington Charter School and Vista Charter School have both sponsored CodeChangers as an after-school program for their students.
If a student does not have access to the program through a school, they can take the courses through DSU, Wilstead said.
Schallenberger said they would like to expand beyond Southern Utah and already have a set date to open the program in Provo in March. The first international target for CodeChangers is Monterrey, Mexico.
“This is a worldwide need because everything has become more technologically advanced,” Schallenberger said. “In the near future, I would say the next 20 years, it’s going to be a really high-paying developing field and it’s going to be one of the fastest growing in the future.”
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