A student working on a computer.
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua–Youth participants recently completed the International Game Technology (IGT) Camp Rock Coding and Robotics Level 2 Intermediate Course and anticipation is high for the incoming Level 1 Starter Course students within a few weeks.
IGT created the regional Virtual Learning Camp in 2021, with an introductory offering through its After School Advantage (ASA) centers in Barbados, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago.
For 2022, this number increased to include Antigua as the newest participating country. IGT Regional Director for the Caribbean Brendan Hames said the project had grown tremendously since its inception. “We are delighted to renew this vital exercise and see many of the new participants from the initial cohort move on to new areas of digital knowledge and skills,” he said. “We’re sure the new cohort starting the entry-level course in August will leave with an even greater appetite for the next level of the course.”
Acting Executive Director of the Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI) at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Dr. Ava Maxam said the institute was positive that the second-level secondary training had helped to instil in young people an appreciation of the potential for them to embark on careers in the fields of coding and robotics.
“We have been able to provide students with a strong sense of the opportunities that are now available given the evolution of technology,” she commented. “And we know this will be an inspiration to them.”
Education specialist Nalini Ramsawak-Jodha from UWI, St. Augustine campus, who provided curriculum development guidance to the MGI team, noted that the right mix of fun and learning was incorporated into the curriculum design to engage students in discussion and action related to Regional Growth and Sustainability in line with the camp’s theme, “Youth Coding for a Sustainable Caribbean”.
“This year’s course design was carefully structured to meet the program objective and cater for all participants with different learning styles and interests. The topic of regional sustainability related to coding and robotics is a very broad one. We had to ensure that the lessons were of a friendly size that would make the students eager to learn and actively engaged in all aspects of the training,” she said.
While it included the HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and JavaScript tools of the first-level course, the second-level course, offered in two modules, took students to more complex functions of web development and design, and also provided them with an introduction to artificial intelligence (AI), including a brief history of the technology and moving into some of the most prevalent current applications, including voice, speech recognition and autonomous vehicles. Students were required to complete a written exam and a practical assessment for each of the modules. Among the areas of testing were basic terms in AI; real-world applications of AI; and applications of AI in the electronics industry.
In the practical assessment, students were asked to create a website; to introduce themselves and/or their area of interest on the site; to break down the different sections of the website and create a website for one or more of each of the categories in the previously created page. A group project focused on the development of intercultural sites (historical sites, sports facilities, etc.) as well as a CSS-centered exercise was also assigned and evaluated.
IGT, through its ASA program, has consistently played a leading role in increasing access to technology and Internet connectivity for youth in underserved communities. Since 2011, IGT and its subsidiaries have opened approximately 39 ASA computer labs throughout the English-speaking Caribbean. Through this and other initiatives, IGT aims to continuously raise the technological awareness of students and thereby prepare them to contribute to the social and infrastructural development of the Caribbean. ~ Antigua Newsroom ~
