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At CGA we encourage students to develop their interests outside the classroom by offering a variety of extracurricular activities. Through Crimson Community students can connect with others who have similar interests. But what if you wanted to take your passion for one of these interests to the next level? What if you could develop your own websites that could be later monetized? If those are your interests then the Web Development Club is for you.
What is the Web Development Club?
The Web Development Club is a school-led ECL at CGA that allows students with an interest in website design and coding to further learn how to develop their own websites and if they want to publish the finished product.
We started the club because we thought as a modern-day skill any student should be able to develop a website, says the club’s leader Dr Andrew Daniel.
Club members learn HTML, CSS, and Javascript (the three most common languages used to build sophisticated websites). Students learn to build unique websites designed for any platform (mobile, tablet, PC, laptop), pages that can run embedded games, as well as website security.
The club also allows students from different parts of the globe to come together and discuss their passions and ideas. The collaborative approach helps students develop better products through the course of the club. Websites created by students in the club are an impressive addition to their college application portfolios.
Check out CGA student Caitlin’s first project here. She used the languages HTML, CSS and Javascript, to create a website for her own business in South Africa.
Who leads the club?
The club is led by Dr. Andrew Daniel, CGA’s associate principal and mathematics teacher based in the UK. Across his career Dr. Daniel has taught in five different schools, in the UK and overseas, and also been involved in areas such as university preparation and extra-curricular programmes. At CGA he teaches International GCSE and AS Level Mathematics. A good number of Dr. Daniel’s former students are now studying at Oxford or Cambridge, or the Ivy League universities in the US.
Dr. Daniel has a Master’s degree in education, and a PGCE in Mathematics. His particular area of interest is technology and IT in education and early in his career he was shortlisted as a finalist for the National Teaching Awards to recognize his work in technology. He was involved in some of the original projects in the UK to trial interactive whiteboards for classroom teaching, and has been working to develop software to support mathematics teaching. More recently, he has been involved in training with American universities in areas such as the mathematics of 3D computer game design, and artificial intelligence. He brings all this knowledge to the game development club.
“My role in the club is to explain some of the maths, and then the students take that as a building block to take it where they wish,” says Dr. Daniel.
Club members learn the basics of game building and then work on their own projects.
Learn more about club leader, Dr. Andrew Daniel here.
What are the key learnings?
Through the web development club students will take a deep-dive into the following:
- Webpage design:
- How are webpages created and styled to look good?
- How are webpages designed for any platform? Mobile, tablet, PC, laptop?
- How can we run games in webpages?
- How can we build unhackable webpages?
- How to build, discuss and improve your own webpage using the HTML, CSS and Javascript languages, the three languages most commonly used to create sophisticated webpages. Javascript is often ranked as the single most important computer language to learn for future careers.
How is the course structured?
Which subjects and courses is it good for?
Web development is a key skill for most career paths these days.
We think at CGA that it is very important for us to give these coding skills to our students for the future, says Dr Daniel.
CGA wants to make sure that students can successfully demonstrate their coding skills in their university applications. A well-developed website will be a great addition to a student’s admission portfolio to pursue a variety of educational paths in university. If you are interested in graphic design or digital marketing, this club is perfect for you.
Why will web development help students?
According to an analysis of 26 million job postings by job market analytics firm Burning Glass, about half of the jobs paying $57,000 or more per year are in occupations that commonly require applicants to have at least some computer coding knowledge. This means that coding is a skill that is necessary for most career tracks. The coding languages taught in the club are essential skills for high-paying jobs in data science, information technology, engineering and scientific research. Even jobs in arts and design require some level of coding knowledge these days.
Various school curricula now introduce basic coding by age 5 or 6 and there are tons of coding classes for younger children. The web development club is a natural extension of these coding classes but with a focus on coding languages.
Web development will help students construct interesting and secure websites. This is a great addition to any university application portfolio. Additionally students will be able to learn basic coding skills that can be helpful in a variety of college courses as well as careers.
Some of our students have learned a lot and achieved some phenomenal results, says Dr Daniel. I think some are to the extent that they could do it professionally.
Here are some careers that you can pursue with web development skills:
Do I need to be an expert to join?
No prerequisite knowledge is required to join the club. You’ll need to install a personal copy of a text editor such as Atom (open source and free to install) on your computer and instructions will be given. You’ll also need an internet browser on your computer and Google Chrome is recommended.
How do I enroll?
All you have to do is fill out a form and you will be on your way to coding. The class meets once in a week and based on your time zone you can join one of two options.