State of Our Schools: 'codeSpark' online education tool helping students learn remotely

The creator of an online education tool is helping students learn remotely.

News 12 Staff

Nov 26, 2020, 1:55 AM

Updated 1,474 days ago

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The creator of an online education tool is helping students learn remotely.
Grant Hosford is the CEO and the co-founder of codeSpark. It is an educational software that teaches children ages 5 to 9 about computer science and coding.
Hosford says a good internet connection and device are the first steps to making sure a child gets the most out of remote learning. Now, he also recommends that parents allow children to get through as much of their work on their own.
"What we're seeing is that if kids take responsibility for being online on time, for getting their work done etc. that's generally working better than if the parent is overly involved,” says Hosford.
The program is part of the New York City Department of Education’s Curriculum for Younger Children.
Its mission is to make computer science education more accessible to students--and in the process making them more comfortable with technology.
"It's valuable for them to look at a smartphone or a tablet and think of it as a tool for problem-solving,” said Hosford.
During the pandemic, the company is allowing teachers to let kids log onto the program at home for free.
He says the activities on codeSpark can be helpful in other subjects such as math and reading as students try to get the most education from their computer screens.