Coding in the Office

We talk constantly in the classroom with how useful coding is. Not only do future software developers need to learn coding skills (obviously…), but almost anyone who works in any kind of job can benefit from understanding some basic tools of the trade.

We have tons of little bits of code in use to help us keep the Academy of Code running smoothly. These include spreadsheet formulas and macros for student lists (including tracking attendances and scores across multiple venues) and cashflow forecasting, Python scripts for generating class lists from the output of our booking system, custom bits of code to make our website do exactly what we want, and lots else besides.

Today we needed to send off some certificates for a course we’re running for the Life Skills Academy in Blackrock College. We had some lovely certs from last year’s UCD event (see below), but a designer working on some other projects for us had thrown together the background texture and we didn’t have a copy in the office. We could have reached out to get access to a copy, but that could take a few hours if not a few days, and the certs are needed now!

(Not everything is always so last minute, we hasten to add. Although when you’re moving the speed we’re moving, sometimes just-in-time is actually a pretty decent bar to be clearing!)

Luckily enough, drawing patterns of circles is something Processing is very good at, and Processing just so happens to be our main teaching language.

We weren’t shooting for an exact replica, but figured that we should be able to get something very servicable in a dozen or so lines of code. There was a bit of trial and error involved in getting a pattern we were happy with, but broadly speaking what we came up with after ~15 minutes of fiddling with parameters was a cert we were ready to take to the printers.

Clockwise from top left: original without background texture; first background texture attempt (circles shrink too quickly); happy with the size but the circles only fade horizontally; bottom left is what we were after!

The code for this involves nested for loops, which are introduced around in grade 6 of our curriculum:

size(2970, 2100);

background(255);

noStroke();

for (int i = 29; i > 0; i --) {

  float k = 90;

  for (int j = 20; j > 0; j--) {

    fill(255, 120, 36, i * j / 5);

    ellipse(i * 100, j * 100, k, k);

    k -= 2.5;

  }

}

saveFrame();

There’s nothing revolutionary in this, and we certainly could have done something similar in Paint given enough time, but we figured it was a good example of where coding can provide a shortcut to those in the know. Even for those with no intention of being full time software developers, a little knowledge can go a long way. And honestly, if you enjoy puzzles, it’s incredibly satisfying to be able to puzzle your way through a few lines of code in service of your day job.

Happy coding!

How to Wire a Plug (& Test it!)

We’ve mentioned on the blog before that we’re really keen on exposing our students not only to coding but to technology more broadly. In particular we want our classes to be full of activities that few if any of our students will have tried before.

One of those activities is wiring a plug. This lesson made the cut for a couple of reasons. For parents, hearing that their 8/10/12-year-old child has learned how to wire a plug is really cool. Lots of adults can’t do that confidently, let alone primary school kids!

For the students, it’s always good fun to get a break from the screen to do something hands on. Even better when the lesson starts with warnings about not electrocuting yourself or cutting off your fingers. What 10-year-old doesn’t get a little excited at that?!

Test boxes - do YOU know how to wire a plug??

As tutors, we like lessons which have real-life applicability, and we really like lessons that make kids sit up and pay attention. We’ve structured our lesson with safety as a top priority, and part of that is starting the lesson by talking about the destructive power of electricity. Speaking from experience, shock and awe is a great way to demand a class’ attention!

It’s also great to be able to hand over tools which, while not that dangerous, do demand a certain amount of care. In our experience students will rise or fall to the level of our expectations of them, and the best thing we can do as educators is to let them know we expect a whole lot from them.

There was also a lot of care put into the design of our tester boxes, pictured above. The cables the students will be stripping and re-wiring a plug to have a 3-pin male connector on the other end. The test boxes also have a 3-pin male connector, along with the standard socket. To finish the circuit students need the “key”, a 3-pin female-to-female cable carried by the tutors (pictured below). This, along with our low student:teacher ratios, helps ensure that it would be nearly impossibly to connect the test box to mains power and complete the circuit, even if you did somehow manage to get out from under the watchful eye of our tutors!

The full circuit

The teacher’s “key”

As for the boxes themselves, the idea is very simple. Inside the boxes are large 6-volt batteries, the three visible LEDs and buttons, and a resistor. When the circuit is complete with the newly wired plug and the teacher “key”, each wire can be tested independently. If everything has been done correctly the blue button should light the blue LED, and so on. If for example the blue and green/yellow wires have been mixed up, then the blue button will light the green LED, and vice versa. Finally if a wire hasn’t been connected properly at all then the LED will simply not light at all.

(We owe a big thanks to Eoin Sweeney of epms.ie for his work on assembling the test boxes and ensuring they are safe for student use. His bread and butter is doing CCTV and alarm systems, but it seems there’s plenty else he can turn his hand to as well. Thanks Eoin!)

The Best 'Back-To-School' Laptops

Laptop recommendations for aspiring coders!

With the new academic school year fast approaching and a busy school year ahead, you’ll want to be comfortable knowing that your laptop is taken care of! Here are a couple of laptop recommendations to get you started.

Generally speaking, we would usually recommend spending approximately €600-€850 on a laptop. You certainly can get laptops for less, but they are often false economies and usually it’s worth spending the extra couple of hundred quid to get something that will last! For our courses, we also don’t allow the use of Chromebooks or tablets (iPads & Android), so do be aware of this if you’re thinking about joining our classes 😊

Samsung Galaxy Book

Price: €769

Samsung’s entry level Galaxy Book is a solid and relatively sleek 15.6 inch model that covers all the basics really well. It’s a lot lighter than most laptops (1.6kg) meaning you or your child won’t need to break your back carrying it around from home to school.

The configuration that costs €769 comes with the latest (11th gen) Intel i5 processor, 8GB of Ram and 256GB of storage. There’s a good selection of ports & connections, including two USB-C slots. one USB-A, a full size HDMI a headphone port (for those Zoom calls) and a MicroSD memory card slot.

Battery life is decent at about 5-6 hours hours between charges. The display isn’t touchscreen but it’s non-glare 108p resolution offers a crisp picture for you to keep an eye on your lines of code!

Lastly, at time of writing you get a free pair of Samsung Buds (€179 RRP) when you purchase this laptop & who doesn’t love free stuff!

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

Price: €739

The 12.4 inch Surface laptop Go is a relatively cheaper model when compared with other Surface options. The biggest attractions of this model are design related. It comes in a choice of 3 colours and is very light (only 1.1kg). It also has a relatively good battery life squeezing out 7-8 hours of on-the-go charge.

The main attraction is of course the touchscreen that works with several stylus models including Mircosoft’s Surface Pen (RRP €115) to the much more affordable Timovo Pen (RRP €35).

It’s also powered using a USB C connection - meaning the charging plug doesn’t need to be a monstrosity of a thing, it can be a simple USB-C(PD) charger.

The main con is the lack of ports. There’s only one USB-C port on the laptop, and one USB-A and a 3.55mm headphone jack. If you envision needing more ports, you’ll likely also need to invest in a dongle adaptor.

It’s also worth flagging that if memory is what you’re looking for, you might be somewhat limited with the base 128GB model, but you will have the option (for a fee) of upgrading to the 256GB model.

In short, this is a great laptop to turn on out of the box and simply get started - whether that be for study or work. It’s light and effective, and comes in at a relatively competitive price point.

Dell Inspiron 15 3000

Price: €649

If there was an all round solid performer, the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 would be it. Although in certain aspects in can feel a little dated quality-wise (e.g. mediocre 720p webcam and 1.9kg weight) - it has a solid keyboard, good screen size (15.6 inch), and the specs will allow you to handle pretty much any task school or college (or coding classes!) can throw at you.

It comes with 8GB of RAM and the latest Intel i5 processor - plus with 256GB of storage, you’ll have plenty of room for saving your work and projects.

If photography or videography is your thing, this model might be useful as it comes with a full-sized memory card reader and a HDMI port. Although you might think these adaptors are industry standard, many modern laptops have removed them and now ask you to pay for dongle adaptors in order to get this functionality (Apple, we’re looking at you…).

The Intel i5 (11th Gen) model also has both types of USB ports as well as a joint headphone/microphone port.

Macbook Air M1 Chip

Price: €999+

The MacBook Air with M1 chip starts at €999 (with no add-ons or upgrades) and is Apple’s entry-level laptop, sitting below the MacBook Pro with M1 that starts at €1,299. These are the first models in Apple’s move away from traditional Intel x86 processors to arm-based chips similar to those used in iPhones and iPads.

The baseline entry model comes with a 13.3” LCD screen and the bullet fast M1 chip. The M1 is faster than any other laptop chip, rivalling the most high-powered desktop chips, while being very power-efficient. 8GB of RAM and 256GB of flash storage also helps add to the computer’s speed. The 720p webcam is a little disappointing when compared to the laptops overall quality, but isn’t the end of the world. It’s also very light, weighing only 1.29kg - which is a lot of power packed into a slim machine.

The battery life is also exceptional, with up to 16 hours of working time without needing a charge - meaning you can code away to your heart’s content! Although the laptop is certainly not cheap, you are paying for quality, and quality is certainly what you will get.

The Academy of Code merges with Cocoon Education

PRESS RELEASE - 25 AUGUST 2021

Olus Education chief product officer Gavin Molloy and CEO Diarmuid Ó Muirgheasa.

The Academy of Code and Cocoon Education have merged to teach Irish school children the digital skills they will need to know for the future.

The digital learning sector now has a new innovator, with the launch today of Irish firm Olus Education. The technology training solution is aimed at children, teens and schools and combines up-to-the minute content, online platforms, in-depth digital learning and coding for all - in school or at home.

Olus Education’s blended learning portal means schools will be equipped to provide essential digital skills in the classroom and at home, while parents can also register their children directly for Olus’ extracurricular courses, covering everything from basic tech skills right up to masterclass level. Schools who sign up to Olus Education will be able to provide essential digital learning in all lessons - using tools such as Google Workspace, creative media, coding and digital wellbeing. It’s the first time a platform has offered technology training on this broad a spectrum to students in Ireland and the UK.

Olus Education has been formed via the merger of two existing market leaders in digital learning - The Academy of Code and Cocoon Education. The new entity will benefit from the teams’ combined experience and expertise at a point of rapid evolution in online learning. CEO of Olus Education, Diarmuid Ó Muirgheasa says it’s an exciting time: “We’re thrilled to be able to share the news about Olus Education - we’ve crafted an amazing offering for students, parents and teachers which will help them make great strides at all levels of digital learning. Ireland’s young people are already leaders in this area and Olus Education wants to inspire them to reach their full potential”

Gavin Molloy is Olus Education’s Chief Product Officer. He believes the use of remote learning since 2020 has opened many people’s eyes: “This trend was growing before the pandemic but now, digital learning has been accepted as a vital part of a well-rounded education, preparing young people for future careers and a more tech-reliant society. Olus Education is set up to provide the best path from a basic understanding to professional proficiency”.

Irish business leader and founder of Openet Joe Hogan is among the investors in Olus Education - he believes the team is offering the right product at the right time: “Knowing the sector as I do, and the quality brought by the various parties to the Olus Education setup, I have every confidence this will be a fantastic addition to the education and tech landscape in Ireland. Every young person needs to be provided with world-class digital training and I believe Olus Education is the place to find it”.

Schools can choose from three product options that best suit their needs around teacher and student training for digital learning, including one which provides a designated mentor to work closely with them to build and maintain momentum on their progress. Olus Education is also continuing the successful ‘Pathway to Computer Science’ programme, established by Academy of Code, which provides a detailed learning framework for young people who want to develop their coding and technology skills on an extra-curricular basis.

A team of 30 educators and support staff are on board as Olus Education enters the market. The company is aiming for rapid growth, with a target of employing over 100 full-time staff by 2026, when the team also plans to have brought 250,000 students from Ireland, the UK and further afield on board its platform.

Olus Education is also participating in Google for Education’s upcoming ‘Back to School’ event for the Republic of Ireland. Taking place on 30th September, the event will feature education experts across topics of Addressing Digital Inequality, Driving Digital Wellbeing and Getting to know Google for Education partners in Ireland.

Full details of the event can be found here or http://bit.ly/ROIbacktoschool.

For more information on Olus Education visit www.olusedu.com.

Coding and other digital skills to support digital transformation.

We live in an age where linear thinking is encouraged from the moment we learn how to talk.  Our education systems teach us to act like sponges, absorbing as much information as  possible and regurgitating it when needed. This approach creates a 2-dimensional workforce  that can learn and remember countless pieces of information, but not necessarily understand  it. Why is this a problem though? It works, no? Well, it works for a society that encourages  people to operate on a reactionary basis, essentially stifling the ability to think effectively. A  more effective approach will teach people how to think rather than what to think.

Prior to the birth of the Digital Age in the early 1980s, we lived in a society where playing  catch-up and reacting to situations was often seen as the optimal solution to a problem  rather than identifying the problem’s root cause, understanding its systemic nature and  ultimately finding a sustainable solution. For example, if your toaster stops working, what do  you do? Do you immediately bring it back to the shop to see what's wrong? Maybe a better  solution would involve plugging in a different electrical item to see if the outlet itself is  working. If not, then examine the other outlets around the house to see if the same issue  applies. The next step may be to check the fuse box to see if anything looks out of place?  This logical approach requires systems thinking. Those who have internalised this kind of  logic would think it trivial to examine the system as a whole in this example but  fundamentally this problem-solving methodology is at the core of more complex  transformational issues as organisations seek to develop in a sustainable way. 

As the Digital Age gathers pace exponentially, our educational systems, unfortunately, don’t  place nearly enough emphasis on systems thinking. Whilst we have seen some piecemeal  progress here and there in recent times, systems thinking is still far from its rightful place at  the heart of our education and learning systems. Learning to code is a great way to fill this  gap.

Coding forces you to engage with structures and concepts to create a system that is many  times greater than the individual parts. But the benefit from learning to code isn’t confined to  the ability to code itself. The key benefit lies in the systems thinking mentality you gain as a  by-product of coding. Coding begins to demystify the digital world by breaking its  components down into bite-sized chunks, thereby revealing it as a system that is not  impossible to work with. The digital world is structured with different parts and rules that  almost anyone can learn to use in their daily lives. Nothing needs to feel hidden from you.  Comparing the digital world to a car, you don’t need to be able to build a car from scratch, or  even rebuild an engine. However, having a passing familiarity with the elements of a car that  gets you from A to B vastly improves the experience you have with your car especially if you  encounter a problem. Understanding the concept of engines, how to change a tyre, refuel or  check your oil can improve the experience you have with your car. This type of awareness of  a system and how it functions gives you the ability to better navigate the system, analysing  problems and creatively resolving minor issues or setbacks that may originate structurally  from that system. 

Systems thinking isn’t limited to personal benefits - a workforce trained in systems thinking benefits employers, the organisation and the economy at large as well. For example, an employee’s deeper understanding of social media will help to increase company engagement with service users. In addition, a deeper appreciation of search engines by employees will improve the organisation’s search engine rankings. Perhaps simply encouraging employees to access, explore and learn new digital skills online at a more rapid pace will improve their creativity, and improve the organisation’s productivity. As Pablo Picasso said, “Everything you can imagine is real”. The list goes on.

If basic systems thinking is allowed to seep into the culture of an organisation it will improve the long-term sustainability of that organisation and improve various aspects of its employee’s lives. The need to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul and people are one of the key ingredients for organisations to begin their process of Digital Transformation into a sustainable future.

Contributions from: Mahmed Ibrahm, Tom Maher, Diarmuid Ó Muirgheasa of The Academy of Code