Information Technology Education

Buster the dog, a disco room, and a talking, chopping fruit ninja?  What do these all have in common?  They were all made by middle school students using Hummingbird robotics.  It was amazing to witness the journey.  First, seeing them all learn the basics of programming, then seeing teams of students collaborate to sketch out their robot designs.  This was followed by the process and journey of selecting and using a variety of materials to create their team's unique robot. Throughout the process, they kept an engineering-design journal with entries that focused on what they accomplished, challenges they faced and how they plan to overcome their challenges.  They also used their phones to document their robot-building captured in photos and videos. Here is a reflection from a team member: " If you have an imagination, a computer, and a HummingBird robotics set, you can make anything you want to  make. HummingBird Robotics is a series of wires, lights, ...

This was a tremendous week for girls and computer science.  It kicked off with one of my former students winning a Visionary Girl award for her work with robotics, creating an award-winning app and technology leadership.  Visionary Girls are recognized for innovation in the community, "create new ways of engaging with the world around them, or have a unique vision that will make a difference now and in the future." It continued with the release of the preview of Codegirl, a documentary about teams of girls who participated in the global Technovation challenge.  I decided to hold screenings of excerpts of it in my middle school classroom during lunchtime.  It was great to be able to show them these stories of teens who are changing the world with their innovative apps.  After the viewing, I arranged a call via telepresence with a college student who had graduated a few years earlier from my district and asked her to share about her journey and how she decided to ...

This has been a tremendous week.  A preview of CODEGIRL was made available on Youtube Nov. 1-5 before its theatrical debut.  Here is the official trailer: It is all about teams of girls from around the world who participated in the Technovation Challenge to create apps to solve a problem in their community.  What do they do?  They persevere as they solve problems by creating, building and becoming entrepreneurs. It was so incredibly inspiring to see these teams of girls who were not only coding, but ideating, creating, iterating, and researching to make their dreams of a better future a reality.  From an app to swap items to one that mobilizes and coordinates volunteerism to one that locates sources of water, these girls have thought of ways to improve life and society with unique perspectives.  The ideals embodied in the Technovation Challenge is what I strive to bring into the classroom everyday.  Starting with ideating where they do a needs analysis...