I don’t know about you, but coding has been on my mind this month. Through my visits to schools and conversations with educators, I know it’s not just me. Educators everywhere are really excited about the way computer science can play a part in the classroom.
Well, the folks at Intelitek reached out to me to share a special competition. Later this week the University of New Hampshire is hosting the finals of the state’s Cyber Robotics Coding Competition.
This special event is co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Department of Education, Intelitek STEM and CTE Education Foundation, 4-H, the Univeristy of New Hampshire and Oracle Academy to help students participate in a coding competition that shows off what they’ve learned about computer science.
If you haven’t heard of Intelitek before, they’ve been around for more than three decades. Their goal is to bring robotics into classrooms using a wide range of digital tools. In addition to offering tools for students to help them prepare for the future, Intelitek also supports educators through targeted professional learning.
Why is coding important?
More than learning how to build a new app, coding skills transcend one single activity. Coding skills can help students understand relationships between ideas, learn how to problem solve, practice drafting and revising, and so much more. So, when Intelitek told me about their CoderZ platform and the competition they are sponsoring this year, I was excited to share the news and let you know how to get involved too!
Cyber Robotics Coding Competition
The Cyber Robotics Coding Competition is an eight-week virtual coding competition. It started as a special partnership with the New Hampshire DOE and New Hampshire 4-H. Students who participate in this competition have an opportunity to develop STEM-related skills during the program. They use a cloud-based simulation platform that features a virtual, three-dimensional animated robot.
This unique computer science competition is the first-of-its-kind and lets schools and districts engage students in STEM learning using game-based competitions. And what’s even better – it’s free to participate.
During this year’s event, competitors (students in grades 5-9) complete missions on Intelitek’s award-winning CoderZ Cyber Robotics Learning Environment. If you haven’t seen it in action before, CoderZ is a cloud-based coding platform used to compete in over 80 different and challenging robotics missions and features a graphical simulation of LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robots. With this online platform, students have access to a coding interface where they can activate a virtual robot. Also known as a cyber-robot, students can watch the results of their coding decisions come to life in a real-time simulation.
Starting a Coding Competition
Last year was the first time the Cyber Robotics Coding Competition was in New Hampshire. During that time, over 2,600 students participated. This year, students from 44 New Hampshire middle and high schools -totaling 4,200 students – will participate. Globally, Since the CRCC has gained traction and popularity. Now over 100,000 students from different corners of the world take part in events similar to this one.
For more information on the Cyber Robotics Coding Competition, head over to their website to learn all about this program! And you can follow the New Hampshire finals online this Saturday the 15th at https://crcc.io/new-hampshire/ and watch the awards ceremony live at 3PM.
