When I was a child, I loved reading fairy tales, adventure stories, and mystery books. I still remember how I was 5 years old, sitting in my parents’ bedroom, trying to combine all these new and weird-looking symbols to read my first words and sentences. Since then, reading has opened a door to a new world of exploration and discoveries.
In the same way, I remember the most meaningful line I have ever written. It happened many years later when I was in my twenties, and it looked like this: print (“Hello stranger!”). This was my first line in the Python programming language. It showed a few words on the computer screen and truly mesmerized me. It felt like I had gained superpowers, as suddenly I could give orders to computers, the smartest machines we know! I dug deeper, learned new weird symbols, and discovered a world of modern creativity and playfulness.
In the 21st century, I feel everyone should have a chance to discover the magic of coding and become designers of our digital world. Children can apply tech skills to express themselves, become digital artists, create interactive performances, and solve daily issues, ultimately becoming the creators of their own digital space. Nevertheless, I saw that Latvia’s youngest generation was turning into passive users of technology rather than creators, using it only to play games, watch YouTube, or communicate with each other on social media. I became afraid that these youngsters will grow up in a new digital world built by big IT corporations and dictated by their rules. Deep down, I felt responsible to help ensure that students can learn how to build creative technological projects and express themselves in new digital ways. I must do something, for I am a lifelong learner and education enthusiast!
Therefore, in 2014 I co-founded Learn IT, the first coding school for primary school children in Latvia, where students build animations, games, mobile apps, and websites that are meaningful and fun to them. We started as a small club of 15 children and have since trained more than 1,000 students and around 100 teachers. This school continues to create fun and memorable stories for each child.
For example, here’s a story about a creative use of technology. A child interested in 3D modeling saved some money, bought a 3D printer, and started drawing and printing various small 3D figures. His mother, a psychologist, really liked the figures, so she showed them to her colleagues. They loved them and started ordering figures from the child. The psychologists have been using his figures in their sessions to help patients become aware of their emotions and connect to their feelings.
Here’s another example, this time about coding. One day, this girl came to class very sleepy as she could not get proper rest the night before because her father was snoring quite loudly. In class, she started to tackle this problem with the help of code. Using simple materials, she created the snoring sensor (which might be the first such invention in the world). It senses the loudness of noise (snoring) at the house. Once the loudness has reached a certain level, a very loud alarm goes off, wakes up the snoring person, and thus, the problem is solved! She can now focus on her two favorite things—cats and sound sleep.
I believe that with curious students and open-minded teachers, we can create a world where every student has access to modern technology- based education. In this world, instead of problem seekers, children turn into modern problem solvers. Instead of complaining, they learn to take action and use technology to improve the world around them. Imagine all the innovation and ideas these children could contribute! I want to be part of creating that world.
Looking at the world’s scale, Latvia is a very small piece of the puzzle. There are millions of students at risk of being left behind, as they are not provided with the right skills and knowledge for the evolving global
economy. We need to educate our children and youth to prepare them for a digital future and develop them into leaders. That’s why we started to build an online tool for educators to help teachers worldwide bring coding to their classroom, help students gain new tech skills, and develop creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. We have partnered with the Ministry of Education of Latvia to train Latvian teachers on how to teach computing and coding in their schools. We will achieve our big dreams while leaving a wide-reaching impact on society.
As adults, parents, and educators, sending children on adventures to discover the joys of reading and writing is one of our biggest jobs. And in our modern age, coding has become a new type of reading and writing. I want children to use their creativity to express themselves and live with as much joy as possible.