Kelly Tagalan Moonhack Interview

Kelly Tagalan Moonhack Interview

Code Club Australia has announced the return of Moonhack to again capture the imagination of Australian students and help improve digital literacy, an important skill every child needs in the modern world.

 

Thousands of children across Australia will participate in Moonhack by taking part in computer coding exercises on the night of August 15. This year, Moonhack will be part of the 20th anniversary of National Science Week, Australia's annual celebration of science and technology.

 

Last year saw the event break the world record with 10,207 kids all coding on the same day. This year, Moonhack is going global with the aim to have kids all over the world coding over a period of 24 hours. The event will launch from Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand, the closest cities to the International Date Line and continue around the globe for August 15th in every country.

 

Code Club Australia General Manager Kelly Tagalan said, ' Moonhack is about so much more than just kids coding. We are reading kids' statements along with their registrations telling us why this kind of education is so important. One girl said, she's planning to be an engineer, like her dad, and wants to learn to code early, because it's helpful to her in solving problems."

 

'We also want kids to spark a love for learning through computational thinking, because it will be required in more than 70% of jobs of the future- complex problem solving and a basic understanding of how technology is built is already an in-demand skill set in Australia's job market," Ms Tagalan said.

 

'Our mission is make sure that every Australian child has the opportunity to learn how to code, no matter where they live, what school they go to or what kind of access to computers they may have at home."

 

Jackie Coates, Head of the Telstra Foundation, Code Club Australia's founding funder, encouraged parents across Australia to get on board and organise a Moonhack mission control in their homes or local schools.

'Digital technology is changing every aspect of our lives and computer coding is the language of the 21^st Century. At the Telstra Foundation we're passionate building the skills our kids need to prepare them for the jobs of the future," Ms Coates said.

'The best thing about Code Club is that it breaks down the myth that computer coding is hard and complex – it's actually fun and through Moonhack something parents can do with their kids. As a mum of tweens, I've been able to get involved in coding with my kids through Code Club's unique approach – and we've had a blast doing it."

 

Code Club Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that provides tools and support for teachers and volunteers to provide free coding lessons. Currently, there are more than 65,000 Aussie kids across 1950 Code Clubs in Australia, from Perth to Gold Coast and South-Western Sydney – Australia now has the biggest network of clubs outside the UK.

 

'I want to learn to code because it's the language that will help me get the job I want. I want to invent something cool that can help make the world better," said Amanda, age 9 in Queensland.

To participate in the event, families can register their details at moonhack.com by midnight on August 15th, 2017.

 

Moonhack.com

codeclubau.org

 

Moonhack is Code Club's free Record Setter World Record event for kids aged 8-18 around the world. On August 15, kids all over the globe, in many languages and from all time zones, will be Moonhacking.

 

You can try one of our Moonhack projects or submit your own coding project with a moon theme. Last year we broke a world record with 10,207 Aussie kids all coding on the same day and this year we're going global.

 

Moonhack 2017 will launch from New Zealand , the closest country to the International Date Line and continue around the globe for August 15th in every country.

 

#moonhack

#getkidscoding

Code Club Australia is a nationwide network of free, volunteer-led, after-school coding clubs for children aged 8-12. We also provide curriculum and training for teachers.

 

We create projects for our volunteers to teach at after school coding clubs. The projects we make teach children how to program by showing them how to make computer games, animations and websites. Volunteers go to their local junior school or other venue, such as a library, for an hour a week and teach one project a week.

 

Code Club is about fun, creativity, and learning through exploring. It's important that the children enjoy their time at Code Club. They should understand that they're in charge of the computer, and can (and should) make it do what they want, not the other way around.

 

Code Club Australia was founded in 2014 by Annie Parker. The first Code Club was founded in the London by Clare Sutcliffe.

 

#getkidscoding

 

 

Interview with Kelly Tagalan, Code Club Australia's General Manager

Question: What is the Moonhack event?

Kelly Tagalan:    Moonhack is Code Club's free event for kids aged 8-18 around the world. On August 15, kids in Australia and all over the globe, in many languages and from all time zones, will be taking part in computer coding exercises.


Question: How does this event help improve digital literacy?

Kelly Tagalan: Moonhack is an annual event (we're in our second year now) that's run by Code Club Australia. At Code Club, we create projects for our volunteers to teach at after school coding clubs. The projects we make teach children how to program by showing them how to make computer games, animations and websites.


Question: Why is improve digital literacy so important for children in Australia?

Kelly Tagalan: We want kids to spark a love for learning through computational thinking, because it will be required in more than 70% of jobs of the future - complex problem solving and a basic understanding of how technology is built is already an in-demand skill set in Australia's job market. Moonhack will help build the pipeline for the future.


Question: How can Australians get involved in the Moonhack event?

Kelly Tagalan:   To participate in the event, families can register their details at moonhack.com by midnight on August 15. You can try one of our Moonhack projects or submit your own coding project with a moon theme.


Question: How many Australians do you think will be involved in the coding event?

Kelly Tagalan: Thousands of children across Australia will participate in Moonhack on August 15. Last year's inaugural event saw 10,000 children take part and more than 23,000 have already registered for this year's Moonhack!


Question: What is Code Club Australia?

Kelly Tagalan:  Code Club Australia is a nationwide network of free, volunteer-led, after-school coding clubs for children aged 8-12. We also provide curriculum and training for teachers.

We create projects for our volunteers to teach at after school coding clubs. The projects we make teach children how to program by showing them how to make computer games, animations and websites. Volunteers go to their local junior school or other venue, such as a library, for an hour a week and teach one project a week.

Code Club is about fun, creativity, and learning through exploring. It's important that the children enjoy their time at Code Club. They should understand that they're in charge of the computer, and can (and should) make it do what they want, not the other way around.


Interview by Brooke Hunter