The Story of CodeEasy
Today I want to share a heartfelt story that revolves around passion, challenges, and the vision to transform high school programming education. I want to dive into my journey with CodeEasy, from its humble beginnings as a hobby project then to “a learn to code” platform and currently a programming platform for high schools to assist teachers to teach programming and finally reaching to our vision of building an ambitious platform to enable personalized learning and teaching in programming based on AI for schools.
The Spark of Curiosity
CodeEasy's story starts with co-founder Dmytro, who comes from a family of programming and math educators. Recognizing the lack of engaging and beginner-friendly programming resources, he embarked on a mission to bridge the gap. As his wife expressed her desire to switch careers and become a software developer, Dmytro observed that existing online courses, even at the beginner level, were difficult to follow and lacked inspiration.
With a decade of experience as a software developer and working in profound companies like Tobii as a software developer and then software architect, Dymtro decided to create codeEasy as a hobby project to address these challenges head-on. Teaching came naturally to him as he was born and brought up in a family of teachers. So he combines these skills quite effectively.
The Power of Partnership
Recognizing the need for complementary skills, Dmytro realized the need for a co-founder with a sales and business background. And then he met me, Sakina. We met during our time at the Antler Cohort in 2019. Having shared knowledge and experiences from the same industry, we developed a mutual understanding and decided to join forces.
My background in education, coupled with my own personal experiences in Sri Lanka, where education came at a high cost, added depth and purpose to CodeEasy. I understand the financial barriers that hindered access to quality education and saw programming as a subject that could unlock opportunities for many. With my involvement, CodeEasy's vision evolved.
A Shift in Focus
Through extensive research and conversations with over 70 stakeholders in the education sector, Me and Dmytro identified a crucial need for a programming platform tailored specifically for teachers. Many users of CodeEasy were either groups of high school students using the platform or teachers themselves utilizing it to teach programming in their classrooms.
When we zoomed in more we found out that there are plenty of platforms to learn to code for kids but nothing for high schools, vocational education and bootcamps till students enroll to a university. Furthermore, the shortage of qualified programming teachers meant that math teachers often filled in the gap, making a platform like CodeEasy even more critical. This realization led to a pivotal decision: CodeEasy would shift its focus to assisting teachers in teaching programming that is also fun.
Personalized Teaching Made Easy
With a clear objective in mind, CodeEasy was transformed into a programming platform for teachers to assist them to teach programming effectively in their classroom. It aims to save time and resources for educators while providing a unique and engaging story based programming education experience for students. CodeEasy achieved this by employing strategies such as a story based programming education, fully automated platform, intuitive user interfaces, and usage of cutting-edge technologies like AI.
Our vision is to build an innovative and inclusive platform designed to enhance the teaching and learning of programming in schools. We have tailored our solution to address diversity and inclusion while promoting SDG 4 on the agenda 2030.
Building CodeEasy isn't a walk in the park. We face numerous challenges along the way. From technical hurdles to financial constraints, we encountered obstacles that tested our patience. But every setback only fueled our determination to push forward. We ask guidance from experienced mentors, support from our family and friends, and learn from our mistakes. With each hurdle overcome, our vision grows clearer, and our passion burns brighter.
That brings us to the end of my story—well, at least for now. CodeEasy continues to evolve, driven by the passion that inspired us from the very beginning. We invite you to join our growing community, embark on our programming journey with us.
To try CodeEasy, you can register here.