CodeMonkey on the Craig’n’Dave YouTube channel

The Craig’n’Dave Award-Winning YouTube channel offers students and educators ad-free video content that comprehensively covers the content outlined in the GCSE and A-level Computer Science specifications.

In a recent conversation with Dave and Craig, Angie, a Customer Success Manager from CodeMonkey, shared insights into CodeMonkey courses and features and how it’s changing the game for both students and teachers.

Host: Hello and welcome back, it’s another Craig and Dave unscripted. We’re enjoying getting back into this series. It’s been quite a gap, but we’ve got an exciting one for you today. Dave has tracked down and we’ve got a lovely lady called Angie from CodeMonkey, so we’re going to bring Angie in right away. Hi Angie.

Angie: Hello. Well, actually, we’re on opposite ends of the world, aren’t we? Andrew’s over in Arizona, and we’re in the UK. So, I think it’s 10 a.m for you at the moment?

Host: It is, yes. Yeah, it’s 6 p.m. for us. So, we found a good time when we’re not having to bother each other in the middle of the night. But yeah, let’s just get cracking straight in.

Host: So, for people who don’t know, this session is all about CodeMonkey, and Angie’s very kindly giving up her time. But yeah, who is CodeMonkey for? What is it?

Angie: Thank you for having me. First off, CodeMonkey is such an exciting product. I’ve been in edtech for almost 10 years now, and this has just been a product that I find very engaging, even for myself. But to answer your question, CodeMonkey was specifically created for teachers and students in schools to teach students how to code and support teachers in how to do that without having any coding experience of their own. It’s a common problem. We’ve made it very comfortable for them, and I think we do a great job of that.

Host: And I think I might say, because I’m quite out of the loop with this, I think I’m coming at this new, which is nice. It’s aimed at what we would call here the primary school market, so young children really getting into coding for the first time?

Angie: Yes, absolutely. We market it as kindergarten through eighth grade, which in the states would be anywhere from about 5 years of age to about 14 to 16 years of age. However, we do find that even though CodeMonkey is one of the very few platforms or resources in the states that provides resources for that younger group, K through three, we find that it’s used quite a bit in middle school and higher education to introduce skills where students have never had exposure to coding in the past.

Host: Yeah, referencing for our audience then, here in the UK when we talk about ninth grade in the US, we’re talking about year 10 in the UK. So, really, the product is aimed at what we would call infant school or preschool all the way through primary school and through to our Key Stage Three. But, as you say, there are also older learners that use it as well. So, that’s the context for people in the UK. This is primarily Junior School, Key Stage Two, Key Stage Three.

Angie: It’s really interesting you said starting at kindergarten age five because I wouldn’t expect you to be aware of this, but we had a big shift in Computer Science Education in the UK in the last decade, and they introduced the concept of being able to code as a fundamental thing from age five. The first time they come into school. This is interesting, seeing that reflected around the world. It’s one thing for a government to say this is important, but it’s another thing to have the tools for teachers to use, right?

Host: Good links, yeah, absolutely. So, if someone sees this and they’re super keen, and also, is this something schools in the UK could take advantage of, or is it purely geared towards the American education system? Could they benefit from it? What are the costs to CodeMonkey?

Angie: We have partners all over the world. Depending on the country you live in, you may go through our partner, you may go through us directly. Pricing outside of the US may be a little different, but in general, in the US, you’re looking at a classroom license for about $15 per student. If you were doing a site license for an entire building or school, those start at about $1,400 and then go up depending on how many students would need to be included at that site. And, of course, at a district level, the pricing, of course, you get discounts for quantity. So, typically, the more you need, the salesperson for your region would work with you to provide the quote. But on average, $15 per student. So, going on a quick currency conversion while you were talking, so at today’s exchange rates, that’s before discounts, about a thousand pounds for your school if you go for a site license approach. It’s typical of the kind of thing we might get here in the UK.

Angie: But, as you say, you can do it on a per-student license as well, if the whole school life thing isn’t viable.

Host: And can people get going for free? Can they try it before they buy it, as it were?

Angie: Absolutely. So, there’s a couple of things you can do to get started. We do have a free trial on our site. If you go to codemonkey.com, there is a trial page where you can request a 30-day free trial as a teacher. If you want to do a multi-teacher trial, I always encourage you or your viewers to reach out to us because we can set up a more custom trial or pilot if you want to call it that to get a whole site-wide experience. We definitely have the free trial online. Interestingly enough, we also have free trials and parent plans. So, if parents want to try it at home for their own children or have it available to them at home, we have plans for that as well.

Host: And it’s worth me saying before we move on to our viewers, I probably should have said this earlier and I forgot. This is not a paid promotion. So, Craig and Dave are not receiving any money from CodeMonkey for this video at all. This video is not monetized at all. So, there are no ads, no sponsors, we get nothing from this. The reason we do it is because we want to promote what we think are excellent educational tools. So, that’s why we’re doing this video. We probably should have said that right at the very beginning. This is not a paid promotion. That’s it. Yeah, we’re not being paid to say nice things. I’m saying nice things because it looks good. And if they do want to, can they use it on a Chromebook or an iPad, or do they need special hardware?

Angie: Great question. CodeMonkey is a web-based platform, so you don’t need to install any special software on a device, which is nice. And we do have a mobile app for CodeMonkey, so if you’re on a tablet device, the app is available on Android and iOS. Now, we do recommend a device with a keyboard for best experience, but it’s not necessary. You can absolutely use it with a tablet. And that’s what you’re seeing there, that’s the primary dashboard for the students to access the coding content.

Host: So, they don’t need a fancy computer? It’s something they could just use a simple, affordable Chromebook or a tablet?

Angie: Yes, absolutely. In fact, we know we have a lot of teachers that use it in their classroom, and it’s been very helpful, especially when they’ve had to teach online due to the pandemic and didn’t have the best resources available. So, we had a lot of teachers turn to using CodeMonkey on devices that were just readily available in their classrooms, which typically would be Chromebooks or tablets.

Host: You mentioned about teaching online and getting through the pandemic. Is this something that would work in a blended or remote learning situation?

Angie: Yes. I mean, the timing was good and bad for CodeMonkey when the pandemic hit. We have always been an online platform. So, while many other providers were struggling to go from offline to online, we didn’t have that same challenge. That’s how our whole platform is built. We were able to pivot really easily with the pandemic, which was fortunate for us, but unfortunate that we had a pandemic.

Host: It’s a mixed blessing, I think.

Host: You mentioned about teacher’s lack of experience with coding, so what kind of background does a teacher need to be able to use it?

Angie: Well, they don’t need any background at all. You don’t need to know how to code, you don’t need to know how to teach coding. Our platform is very user-friendly. As you can see, there’s a dashboard for teachers, there’s a dashboard for students. We have a lot of support articles, training materials, and professional development opportunities for teachers. They can either be free or they can be purchased. We also offer virtual lessons with our educators, where they can help guide you through the process. So, if you need to learn a little bit more, they can do that with you. In general, there’s no coding experience required to start with our platform.

Host: It’s nice to hear. And, so I’m guessing then, that this isn’t just one of those situations where you’re learning how to use a language, you’re learning how to use a computer. This is a good foundational thing for programming, right? This is a solid start?

Angie: It’s more than learning how to use a computer. And you’re not really learning a programming language. I mean, you are, but you don’t even realize it because it’s very much a visual coding language. So, they’re learning how to build a computer program, but it’s not necessarily preparing them to be able to type out code in text-based language. But it is a fantastic way to start learning the foundational skills of logic and problem-solving that are the same whether you’re coding or building something with LEGO or even in everyday life.

Host: Great. I’m just going to answer, sorry. So, someone’s asked if the app is available on the Amazon Fire. Sorry, I can’t do this. Is it available on the Amazon Fire tablet?

Angie: That’s a good question. I’m not sure if it is. I know for sure it’s available on Android and iOS. I’ll have to check for you and get back to you.

Host: Perfect, yeah, and they’re asking about Linux. I know it works on Linux, but I’m guessing, does it? Because it’s web-based, it’s not necessarily…

Angie: Yes, because it’s web-based. So, as long as you have access to a web browser, it doesn’t matter what operating system you’re using.

Host: So, you’re good to go. Great.

Host: So, I guess we’ve got a question we normally ask at this point, so how do we get people into this? Do they sign up and download a game, or do they watch a tutorial video? How do they get started? What’s the process?

Angie: There are a few ways to get started. As I mentioned, we do have the 30-day trial for teachers. It’s just a matter of going to the website and filling out the form, and you’re going to get your credentials within 24 hours. You can also go ahead and just buy a license for your classroom. Typically, what we find is that it’s a district-wide decision. So, you have someone that’s typically in your tech department or your curriculum department at your school district that’s making the decision to purchase it. But typically, you would either get a free trial or purchase a license. If you want more information and you want to see it firsthand, we have an implementation team that works with teachers all over the world. You can schedule a demo or a virtual call with our team to learn more.

Host: That’s great. So, you don’t have to buy it to try it. You can give it a go for free for a month. That’s good.

Angie: Absolutely.

Host: Fantastic.

Host: And I’m guessing the place to start is codemonkey.com.

Angie: Yes, codemonkey.com.

Host: If you’re watching this on replay, we will put a link in the video description. And if you’re watching this live, we’ll put a link in the live chat in a minute. Or you can just search “CodeMonkey” on Google, I’m guessing.

Angie: Absolutely, you can.

Host: Right, then.

Angie: And you can reach out to us through the website as well. We’re always here to help, we’re very available.

Host: That’s fantastic. Thank you, Angie. Thanks for your time.

Angie: Thank you.

Host: And thank you to CodeMonkey as well. If you’re watching this live or on the replay, let us know in the comments what you think of this, if it’s something you’re interested in. If you have any questions, we can either answer them or we can get back in touch with CodeMonkey. If you want to see more of these videos, then subscribe to Craig and Dave on YouTube, or find us on Facebook. But until the next time, we’ll catch you later.

Angie: Thanks, Dave. Thanks, Craig.

Host: Bye.