Cyber Square’s Habitat School Breaking Records!

We are all dreamers, aren’t we? There would not be a single person who would not have fantasized about giving an award acceptance speech at least once during their daydreaming session. Achieving something grandiose is the dream of many, but how many of us really go about making the dream actually come to reality? Well, apparently Habitat Schools group seems to be the master of this exact same craft, during a short span of time they were able to break not one, but two Guinness world records. The first being the one for being the largest distributor of saplings in 2019, to now holding the record for web development video hangout with the most number of users anywhere in the world!

In a session that lasted for over four hours, the students from grades 4 to 12 from three Habitat Schools (International Indian School, Ajman, Habitat School, Al Jurf and Habitat School, Al Tallah) orchestrated the record attempt online on January 10 in a video meeting, where the students shared evidence of websites they coded and created on their own under the Hallmarks of Habitat School. The celebrated coding event consisted of 2,803 students from the UAE as well as other parts of the world. Children were able to exceed the previous records set in Jamaica by WiPay Jamaica with 542 users on May 16, 2021, thanks to a collaborative effort by Habitat Schools and Cyber Square. This vision and execution that has been ushered from Habitat schools and Cyber Square have been seen never before in any other coding sector in India or in the Middle East, making it truly one of a kind.

Significance of the World Record

Apart from signaling the long term vision of the school and the level of commitment that is put forward by the children, the record foreshadows the future of education and the importance of CS education for children. When you think about it, the entire world record was made possible because of the advancement in technology. It is through technology that almost three thousand participants were able to connect and contribute to making the world record possible, the seeds of which were planted by Cyber Square in the school years ago. Habitat Schools were the first to implement the Cyber Square academic scheme and curriculum, the effective curriculum designed by top tier engineers and academicians was found to be so effective that it was implemented in 17 schools across different countries later.

Role Of Cyber Square In The Achievement Of The Great Feat

This world record which can be considered as an important leap for computer science-based education in schools has put forward a message that the future of education should solely be based on the needs of the future. A good academic syllabus should not be aimed at helping children prepare for jobs, rather should be aimed at helping children equip themselves to face whatever challenges they might face in the future. After the implementation of Cyber Square academic curriculum in the school, there had been drastic changes in the way children perceived computer science. Children were taught the necessary STEM skills through a state of the art curriculum as well as assisted guidance. The introduction of programming to children through games caused them to break free from the monotony of learning through textbooks and actually learn to enjoy what they have learnt through hands-on learning and experimenting.

People and adults alike, learn better through play. This is one of the fundamentals that Cyber Square pushed forward while delivering its academic curriculum consisting of computer science topics. Through the gamified learning method, children were made more in touch with what they are supposed to be learning and become actively involved in the process. Further, through the hosting of digital fests and helping students become involved with the working professionals in computer sciences, they were able to understand more in-depth about what they are learning and develop a long term vision as well.

Cyber Square’s Contribution to the Vision

The world record set forward by the students sits well with the vision that was put forward by Dubai in favour of creating more coders in the emirate. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in his tweet mentioned the commencement of the Dubai Digital Authority on July 10. The initiative's investments have also been increased from 1.5 billion Dh to 4 billion Dh. We are now in the midst of an automation revolution as the digital era creeps more and closer. Programmers are likewise in high demand. In order to maximize their chances of success in the future, encourage your youngster to begin studying computer programmes at an early age. Instead of looking for people who can do the bare minimum, corporations want to recruit people who can design systems that make their tasks simpler. Almost anything is possible in this situation.

So, every corporation worth its salt is eager to get its hands on it. Because of machine learning's efficiency and accessibility, businesses are able to stay mobile. A programmer is required for the implementation of these companies' ideas. Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being used in all major industries, including health care, business, and education, in an effort to enhance services while still retaining a healthy profit margin.

Big data is another factor that might have a large impact on businesses in the future. Basically, Big Data is a large collection of customer data gathered through their mobile devices. Among other things, this includes your YouTube and Netflix viewing history, as well as your Amazon or Google search history. As a result of this knowledge, businesses may better serve their consumers and personalise their goods to their individual demands. Ads for things you've previously searched for on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are instances of commercial use of big data. Google's "tailored advertising" business reaps the benefits of Big Data.

In unrelated businesses, big data is also used to study customer behaviour and predict sales opportunities. Programmers' employment opportunities are expected to grow significantly as a result of this. Programmers create Hadoop applications and write the code that makes them possible.

Ending Notes

“Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers, can be transformational” - George Couros

As the world shifts its phase, it is important that we too keep up with it. When Cyber Square introduced its first academic curriculum to the first Habitat School, it was for its time, one of a kind. The syllabus did not consist of notes to learn by heart, it did not ask for children to name the objects, but rather it made the children dive deep into what it means to learn computer science and how it can be applied to their immediate surroundings. Now, 17 schools later, Cyber Square is still bringing about a revolution in the academic perception of computer sciences and how it can be used to teach children innovative ways to learn.