As classrooms around the world empty under the coronavirus threat, one committed Silicon Valley EdTech company shows how education can carry on -- even if every school in the world gets shuttered.
This month, pupils at an advanced school in Ningbo, China -- just hours from the center of the coronavirus outbreak -- are locked out of the classroom.
But thanks to the vital Certified Schools online curriculum provided by Silicon Valley’s Digital Media Academy, they and their teachers can still absorb the first principles of coding in the demanding Python programming language.
Watch DMA CEO Andre Nudelman discuss STEM education vs the virus.
"For students at this age, these extended breaks can be bad news for retention… We’re proud and happy we could deploy our suite of online technology education tools to keep students in China and around the world - and their teachers - on their learning path.
When the outbreak is contained and things get back to normal, there’s at least one group of students who will be that much further ahead. We are looking at ways to provide similar services in other areas affected by these types of emergencies.”
DMA’s Director of Marketing, Kemp Edmonds, confirmed the company has 27 schools in validation/pilot phase since the outbreak. They’re building remote-tech “classrooms” right now in Bahrain, UAE, China, Luxembourg, the US, Jordan, Italy, and Bulgaria -- and offering their curriculum free to "any school globally that wants to use it during this trying time.”
COVID-19’s impact on the education world is bound to be severe - but smart companies, like smart students and teachers, can mitigate a lot of the damage now, and position themselves well for the return to normalcy. What's crucial, especially in online-friendly STEM curricula, is to ensure learners don't miss a step.