Rohan MathawanTechnology revolutionises our lives and Shared Bansal is revolutionising technology for kids. An IITian himself he co-founded Tinkerly to empower kids at a young age by teaching them coding that empowers logical, quantitative and creative skills. He sat with us and elaborately explained to us how the platform is a perfect fit for kids of this generation.
1. What is the inspiration behind tinkerly?
Over the years, technology has revolutionized our world and the way we live our lives. Modern technology has paved the way for multi-functional and more power pact devices. Computers are increasingly faster, more portable, and higher-powered than ever before. With all of these revolutions in technology there is no doubt that we are moving towards a more and more technically advanced world. As technology is constantly changing it is leading to job changes as well. According to a McKinsey & Company Global report 800 million jobs will be replaced by robotic automations.
Tinkerly’s vision is to empower kids to Create the Future by teaching them Coding courses on #AI, #IoT, #Robotics and Game development in a fun and engaging manner. Tinkerly offers affordable courses where the outcome of studying coding can be easily seen through our hands-on learning approach. Through our courses not only will they be ready for the ever evolving future but it will also enhance their logical thinking, critical thinking and creative skills.
2. How is its approach different from other market competitors?
Unlike other market competitors, we offer the following:
1. Takes the Learning Beyond the Screens – Coding blended with Kits
At Tinkerly, We teach children how to code, but not just to code. We teach them how to build things with code. Tinkerly’s coding courses take the learning beyond the screen with a blend of STEM toys in Live Classes enabling kids to design, build and deploy their code to make cool real life tech projects
2. Made For the Masses, Affordable and Vernacular
At Tinkerly we provide a variety of class offerings to students giving them flexibility to learn in their budget and in their native language. Their classes start from Rs. 500 per month and they are the first company in the world to launch coding courses in hindi language.
3. Best in class pedagogy with Superior Technology
Our learning platform Let’s Tinker has been built upon our years of experience of teaching STEM programs to 150,000+ kids. In addition to Live classes, Unique features like Self pace learning by revision videos, Guaranteed learning with its quizzes and assignments, Peer learning via its community and Practical learning using kits ensure an immersive learning experience for kids.
4. What are the programs that you offer on your platform?
We offer age-wise live 1-to-1 (1 teacher 1 student) and 1-to-5 (1 teacher 5 students) coding classes for kids age 6-16 that are based on AI, Robotics, IoT, and Game Development.
We offer three class packages –
Explorer: It has 4 Live Classes + 2 Self Learning
Duration: 2 Weeks
Learner: It has 8 live classes + 4 Self-learning classes
Duration: 1 Month
Achiever: It has 48 Live Classes+ 24 Self-learning classes + Educational Kit
Duration:6 Months
All courses are available in both English and Hindi languages
For more information, you can check out our website at https://code.tinker.ly/
4. How do you think learning coding at such a young age affects the child’s skillset?
“Elon Musk created a video game and sold it for $500 when he was just 12 year old”
“Lakeside School was one of the first high schools in the world that have a computer, Bill Gates went to the same school and later co-founded Microsoft” 1 thing common about both these examples is the exposure to technology in early years.
A NASA study shows kids have highest levels of creativity when they are 6 year old, this is the right age to get exposed to the world of logical and creative skills. We suggest this not because it can make them the next billionaire or get a 8 figure salary, but because they can pursue it as a hobby and find their passion in creating the future.
Some other advantages of starting early include,
- Enhance Cognitive Skills
- 2X Improvement in Analytical and Problem Solving Skills
- STEM Skills – Toolkit to All Career
- Not just Consume, But Create Tech
- Open Doors of Ivy League
5. Can you tell us something about your unique curriculum?
Tinkerly has devised a framework for a complete learning solution that ensures 3x better learning outcomes for learners during online classes. The main objective of Live Coding classes blended with STEM toys is to cultivate future innovators by teaching them concepts of AI, IoT, and Robotics from an early age. It also allows students to bring their innovative ideas to life and make the world a better place
Their Achiever course is a 6 month long course that starts with fundamentals of computational thinking using virtual games and animation, then Programming on Scratch or similar tool, followed by virtual simulation of electronics/robotics on Tinkercad and then real practical projects using Tinkerly Kits. By the time the child completes the course he/she has already created 8-10 projects using respective technology. The curriculum has been developed with our “Complete Learning” promise ensuring over 75% retention (3x higher than an average live online class)
6. Tell us about your different products?
We offer a unique initiative of mixing the fun and hands-on learning experience to kids through our STEM learning & Coding courses. We add the fun element in the monotonous Online coding classes by incorporating STEM educational kits as a part of our play-based curriculum. The kits help kids to have live practical experience of the project development and it enhances their cognitive skills.
Considering the present and future requirements of advanced technologies like IoT, AI, etc. We have developed in-house learning kits based on these advanced technologies.
These kits include variations like Tinkerly Robotics IoT Kit, Tinkerly Watertronics IoT Kit, Tinkerly Elementary IoT Kit designed focusing on the IoT, Tinkerly’s Troot Kit is based upon the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Apart from Coding courses & Educational STEM Learning kits we also provide a wide range of Science DIY Kits. These Science DIY kits help kids to learn scientific concepts with the help of practically performing the experimentation. These kits include Tinkerly Science DIY kits like Water Boiling in Syringe, Density Column, Where is the glass, and many more.
Through these STEM Learning & Educational Kits, Tinkerly is bringing the technology to the kids which helps them in improving their analytical & problem-solving skills. Kids are not only consuming the technology but they are creating it too.
For the students who want to check, evaluate their tinkering skills, Tinkerly provides another learning platform in the form of an application known as the Let’s Tinker App. Since launch, students have spent 300k+ learning hours on this Let’s Tinker app which has 50K+ downloads on the play store.
Tinkerly also helps Private and Government schools to set up STEM and Tinkering Labs along with coding curriculum as per NEP guidelines. The company is a registered vendor on ‘Govt. E-Marketplace(GeM)’ to set up Atal Tinkering Labs sponsored by NITI Aayog.
7. How has the response been to your platform?
Our courses have benefitted over 150 thousand students across India, the Middle East, and North America. Our monthly revenues have grown 8X in the past three months since the launch of the new version of our STEAM learning platform Let’s Tinker in April of this year. Our platform has 50,000+ online learners who have consumed over 300,000 hours of learning. We have an existing reach in 6,000+ schools and 100+ learning centers that allow us to acquire 60 percent of our users from organic channels at near-zero CAC.
8. How would you like to expand? Tell us about your future plans?
The future plan of Tinkerly is to focus on product development, increase consumer awareness, and expanding in new geographies with vernacular content, to create a strong global (global with localized enhancements) brand.