Are YOU less tech savvy than a 5-year-old? Take this quiz to see if you're among the 25% of adults who would struggle with the new computer curriculum

Home »Are YOU less tech savvy than a 5-year-old? Take this quiz to see if you're among the 25% of adults who would struggle with the new computer curriculum

Are YOU less tech savvy than a 5-year-old? Take this quiz to see if you're among the 25% of adults who would struggle with the new computer curriculum

Posted by sciencetech-blog on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 Label:

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It's not only the start of the new school term this week, it's also the first year in which children as young as five will be taught the new computing curriculum.

The updated curriculum has been designed to put a stronger emphasis on 'essay writing, problem-solving, mathematical modelling and computer programming' - and primary school children will be taught how to code.

Network operator O2 has created an interactive quiz to test your computing skills, and see if you could handle the latest education changes.

Test your knowledge below with the interactive quiz

WHAT DOES THE CURRICULUM INVOLVE?

Computing will teach pupils how to write code. This is compulsory for the first time.

Pupils aged five to seven (Key Stage One) will be expected to 'understand what algorithms are' and to 'create and debug simple programs'.

By secondary school, children will have to 'design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems'.

In secondary school, they will learn coding languages, which is hoped will better equip them for future jobs.

But while the children themselves might be apprehensive, parents have voiced their concerns about not be able to help out with homework.

A survey has revealed a quarter of parents would struggle to complete tasks expected of five-year-olds under the new curriculum.

This term, children as young as five will be taught to write and test basic computer programmes, while secondary school pupils will learn computer coding languages.

As primary and secondary school teachers prepare to teach the new curriculum from this week, an investigation by O2 has revealed that many parents don't feel informed or prepared for the changes.

Of the 2,000 parents polled by O2, almost two thirds didn't know about the radical changes to the computing curriculum and one third admitted they are worried they won't be able to adequately support their children with their computing homework.

When tested against the new computing curriculum, a significant number of parents admitted they didn't think they could complete tasks expected of five year-olds.

The curriculum has been designed to equip children as young as five with essential skills to success in the digital age in the hope that Britain will produce more tech entrepreneurs in the future.

School children might be putting on their same old uniform, but it's all change in the classroom, as pupils will learn an ambitious new computing curriculum (illustrated). Parents are apprehensive as many think they do not have the knowledge to help children with their homework

This term, children as young as five will be taught to write and test basic computer programmes, while secondary school pupils will learn computer coding languages, such as Javascript (illustrated)

BUT KIDS ARE KEEN TO LEARN

Another study by Ocado Research – the firm behind the online shopping company – claims that half of five to 11-year-olds are aware of the computing challenges that lie ahead.

And just over a quarter of the 1,000 children surveyed say they already have some coding skills.

However, despite their enthusiasm, most children would rather be actors or footballers than computer programmers.

Six in ten girls would rather take to the stage compared with 20 per cent who would rather sit in front of a computer as adults.

Almost half of boys would rather play football professionally, while just over a third have set their sights on becoming programmers.

The company has teamed up with 14-year-old game designer Amy Mather to produce coding tools for teachers called Rapid Router to teach children the basic principles of programming.

The survey found that three quarters of parents are keen to learn to code and said they wish they had learned the skill at school because it would have given them better career prospects.

'Teaching children to program is not just about nurturing the next generation of software engineers; being able to write code is a transformative and disruptive meta-skill that needs to be seen as being of huge potential value whatever your future holds,' said Paul Clarke, Director of Technology at Ocado.

Almost two thirds of parents admitted they don't understand what an algorithm is, and a third say they can't use technology to create, share or store digital content.

However, the survey did find that three quarters of parents polled said they want to boost their own digital skills so they can help their children.

More...

'A new computing curriculum fit for the 21st century is a step in the right direction for young people. Much is already being done across the UK to nurture young talent, but a greater emphasis must be applied to the support network to allow them to put their digital expertise to practical use,' said Ronan Dunne, CEO at O2.

'Simply put, more needs to be done to help parents get to grips with the fast-changing world of digital technology. What's clear from the research is that many parents are crying out for a helping hand.'

O2 is gradually launching digital workshops called Guru Bytes across 100 of its stores to give people advice on making the most of new technology.

They will cover key topics included in the computer curriculum, such as staying safe online and using the internet effectively.

Claire Lilley, Head of Online Safety at the NSPCC, said: 'For children and young people, the Internet is part of everyday life, rather than being a separate online world. It is crucial that parents are involved right from the start of their children's digital journey and feel confident about guiding and protecting them as their online footprint grows into their teenage years.

'We know some parents would like and need help getting to grips with the latest technology and digital environment, and we're proud to have helped O2 to develop their Guru Bytes workshops launching in communities across the UK from this September.'

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