About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of coding as a fundamental literacy for students, akin to cursive writing, and explores how education needs to adapt to prepare children for a technology-driven future.

Today's kindergartners will retire in 2082, but are we preparing them for that world or ours? In this episode, Dr. Michael Conner sits down with Stewart Brown, Director of Partnerships at Code4Kids, to challenge the "21st century" trap that's already widening the gap for Generation Alpha and Beta. Stewart and Michael dig into why coding is becoming as essential as cursive, a fundamental literacy every student needs, not just a technical skill for future developers. They explore how cross-curricular computer science can bridge math, science, arts, and social studies, and why the education system urgently needs to move beyond outdated frameworks and embrace what Stewart calls 22nd-century thinking. The conversation unpacks why understanding technology matters far more than becoming a software engineer, and how Code for Kids is already reshaping what digital literacy looks like in practice, through connective, curriculum-integrated education that gives students real agency in a technology-saturated world. Stewart Brown is a multiple founder of international EdTech companies and a trusted voice in AI literacy in education. Code for Kids, launched in 2018, integrates coding, robotics…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Michael Conner

Guest: Stewart Brown

Topics covered

• coding education
• digital literacy
• 21st century skills
• cross-curricular learning
• future of education
• technology in classrooms

Keywords

• coding
• education
• digital literacy
• 21st century
• curriculum
• STEAM
• technology
• Generation Alpha
• cross-curricular
• AI literacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Code4Kids, Code for Kids

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