Much like reading, improving your child’s coding and tech skills need to be supported as part of everyday education and learning. The best position to be in is where your child has the motivation and excitement to work on projects independently, but how do we reach this point? In this blog post, we break down […]
Category: Guides
Informative and detailed articles on online learning, education, and future tech topics.
We are always finding new and inventive ways to encourage our children to learn, and we know they learn better when they are given the opportunities to engage in hands-on activities. Through play, our children can explore concepts and lessons in a way that they can understand. Continue reading to find out what play-based learning […]
As we continue to live in a tech-advanced world, it means that children and adults alike are all spending more time using devices and rely on these devices with screens. Whilst we are so lucky that technology is enabling us all to keep working, socialising and learning right now, it is more important than ever […]
Got a Roblox-obsessed child? With over 64 million monthly players worldwide, we’re not surprised that Roblox has evolved into one of the most popular gaming platforms of all time. As parents, we can’t help but question what it is and how our kids are spending countless hours on the platform. So what is Roblox, and […]
For young people, playing Minecraft with friends is, by far, one of the best ways to connect while having loads of fun. Someone to watch your back while you dangerously chop wood through the night on day one, someone to help you farm and sow the wheat, and even someone to watch the sunrise with, […]
Have you ever heard your Roblox-obsessed child saying words like “obby, brick battle, robux” and you’re clueless as to what they’re talking about? You’re not alone. Of course, with millions of users of Roblox across the world, the young community of gamers and creatives have developed their own Roblox-specific slang. As a guide for parents, […]
If your child has recently completed a Fire Tech online course, then this is the perfect opportunity to take full advantage of what your child has learned, and help them continue to reap the benefits long after the course has ended. We think it is really important for them to continue creating and learning, so […]
The exciting world of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning isn’t just for computer scientists; it’s a world which our kids can begin to explore right now. In fact, we think it’s absolutely vital. This technology is going to shape the future – and we’re not talking lightyears away, it’s already happening. More than we realise, […]
Currently, we are all spending more time online than usual due to the pandemic situation – and we are so grateful that the internet gives us all the opportunity to stay connected, continue with education, work and entertain ourselves during these complicated times. We are all working hard to keep each other safe off-line, but […]
As technology continues to shape our futures, learning a computer programming language has become increasingly important for adults and kids alike. Just as there are thousands of languages and dialects spoken globally, there are many different programming languages, each with its own unique rules and applications. So what coding language should my child start learning […]
Many countries around the world are facing a tough winter, with restrictions in place and for those in the UK a third national lockdown. This brings the continued challenge of kids learning remotely, more of us working from home, and the disruption to usual routines. What’s true is that families are taking on much more […]
Have you heard of Python coding or ever wondered what language is most useful for your child or teen to learn? Either at school or even to set them up for their future, be it at university or later on in their career – or even as a hobby? Python is one of the most […]
Minecraft, sound familiar? I am sure many of you have heard of Minecraft, a popular block-building game that has taken the internet by storm since it first released in 2009. Minecraft is very much like digital LEGO whereby children can create absolutely anything using digital building blocks and then learn how to navigate their Minecraft […]
As the world has become more reliant on remote settings, new technologies, and virtual worlds, video games have become more popular than ever. Video games enchant us with curiosity and exploration. They can transport us to different worlds without the typical limits of physical movement. With the video game industries growing popularity, the demand for […]
I never signed up to be a homeschooler. I’ve secretly admired the creativity and the devotion of those parents who could do it, but I couldn’t possibly do it myself. I had work, and I didn’t have the patience, and I honestly felt like professional teachers would have a better impact on my kids than […]
Fire Tech has delivered 50,000 learning experiences to young people around the globe. Whilst we love our face-to-face camps, our online courses give us the opportunity to reach kids who may not otherwise get to experience our camps. The online courses connect our world-class curriculum, brilliant tutors, and project-based learning style directly to kids in […]
Looking to engage and educate your child with the exciting future of technology? In our latest E-book: A Young Person’s Guide To The Future of Tech learn all about 5G, Influencers, Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and everything in between! Hear first-hand from AI industry expert Prof. Michael Luck, start up co-founder Olga Kravchenko, world expert on […]
Dear Parent Community, We understand this is a busy time for you, we are confined to our homes, schools are closed and kids are demanding your full attention. We have put together some useful tips for you to ease the pressure of being the parent and teacher all in one. Stay positive: The Happy News […]
Coding is part of the discipline of Computer Science which itself is defined by the term ‘Computational Thinking’. Seymor Papert, the renowned mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, wrote in his seminal book Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas (1980) that computational thinking is a ‘mode of thought’. It is a thinking discipline which, Papert claimed, […]
It’s the unique mix of technical and creative which makes game design and development such a popular career choice for young people. With a starting salary in the high twenties, it is a great career path for those with a passion for programming, software, gameplay, narrative and graphics. The industry has two main specialisms: game […]
Artificial Intelligence (AI) defines an area of computing where intelligent machines think, work and react like humans. Machine learning is a subset of AI and defines intelligent machines which also learn. In machine learning, human programmers create and control the context and parameters of an initial algorithm which is designed to recognise patterns from huge […]
Science, technology, engineering and maths. There’s a good chance you know what STEM stands for. But not everyone knows what STEM means. Just how important STEM subjects are. How exciting studying them can be. The big-picture questions they empower you to answer. And the broad skills and qualities – not just limited to technical knowledge […]
In the past, eager parents wanted their children to become accountants, doctors and lawyers. Today, you are just as likely to hear parents talking about their kids becoming software developers, computer scientists and technology entrepreneurs. Here are our top eight reasons for encouraging your child to learn to code. Develops Confidence and Independence One of […]
Congratulations on completing a Fire Tech camp 🤖📸👩💻🦄. Here are a few suggestions for how to reinforce your child’s learning, offscreen (mostly), and spend some quality time together over the holidays, to boot. Explore Your Area For STEM Activities In addition to having a look at other Fire Tech courses, it’s worth investigating local STEM […]
There has been a lot of discussion over the past week about young people and technology. Specifically, on the back of Matt Hancock’s suggestion the headteachers ban the use of phones in school, we were called on by the BBC and Channel 5 news (watch here) to talk about kids and technology. We believe that […]
– 50% of young people think they are addicted to their devices. – 57% of adults feel that their teens spend too much time connected to their screens. – And 1/3 of families argue daily about screen time. Does this sound familiar? Maybe… But even if not, ‘Screenagers’ will inform you about the impact of […]
It is easy to think that the benefit of learning STEM subjects are quasi-vocational; if you do maths you become an engineer, if you study biology you become a vet, and so on. This is a ‘“vertical’’ view of the landscape; a perception of the direct correlation between learning and outcome. There is also the […]
We’ve been having quite a few discussions internally and externally lately about how to be sure young people are ready for life after the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It has probably come into focus because it’s been a hot topic at the World Economic Fora in Davos these last few years. The term itself was coined […]
The internet is a marvellous resource! It brings so many advantages like cloud-based storage, or real-time communication with a friend 1000 miles away. But this amazing tool can also be cause for concern. The ‘World Wide Web’ is a planet of its own and has existed – in a formal sense – for under 30 […]
Despite many of the wonderfully bright and persevering women doing great things in STEM, getting young girls interested in, and sticking with, STEM subjects at an early age is still proving difficult. Especially at a time when the UK is trying to get more and more of the population focused on technology and innovation. The […]
Many parents will be all too familiar with Minecraft, the computer game that has taken the world by storm. For the uninitiated, looking in on the clunky, pixellated graphics from the outside, it can be hard to understand the appeal of a game where players have to achieve, erm, nothing in particular. But the very […]
With the first ever World Arduino Day this weekend and our new Teen Hardware Course coming up this Easter, we thought we’d tell the uninitiated what this mysterious-sounding tech is all about, and share some of the most exciting Arduino projects around at the moment.
Digital Technology can be hugely creative and rewarding. Whether you keep your fingers busy coding, soldering or gaming, it’s easy to lose yourself for hours in cyberspace. But for all the fun and adventure, there is no excuse for outdated stereotypes and bad manners. Here are some handy tips for going about computer tech the […]
There has never been a better time to get yourself coding. Here’s a list of resources and why you should start!