The 3rd and 4th grade girls were excited albeit a bit skeptical about starting CS First at their G_R_L Made coding club. A few of them had used Scratch in school so they thought they already knew everything and were not sure they needed more experience. Oh, the overconfidence of 8 and 9 year olds who think they know it all.  I told them that Scratch is robust and offers endless opportunity for creativity and taking on more complex and challenging projects. My words held no meaning, they needed to test it out for themselves.

Wendy, the leader, was calm and relaxed even though this was her first experience with Scratch. She is an artist and brings her creative spirit to everything she does. She did get a bit overwhelmed when she saw how much information there was- a timer to keep track of moving from one activity to the next, a script, and videos - then she took a breath and realized there was a lot of redundant material to make sure she was supported.

The one thing that needed to be done ahead of the class was that each girl needed to be added to the online roster so that she had a username and password to log into the group lessons. When the girls arrived they were given their CS First Passports and their username and passwords to write down and get started.​

​The first activity was to pair up an​​d create a Scratch project about 5 things the partners have in common. They were guided how to do this through video. The key here to support a strong community is to watch the videos as a group. If the girls just put on headphones they start to work alone and stop talking to each other and asking questions. In the group setting girls were looking at each other’s computers, laughing and sharing what they did.There are add-ons at the end of almost every CS First project. This is where personalization comes in to change costumes, add backgrounds and sound.  At this meeting each pair of girls added a different additional element to their projects.

The most challenging part of the workshop was getting girls to pause and share their projects because they were so engrossed in their work. Not a bad problem to have, but sharing is an essential part that is not to be missed. When the girls did finally watch each other’s projects they were able to see new ideas that got them thinking and talking again and re-energized to return to their projects to do more.

When the parents arrived for pickup there was groaning from the girls who did not want to leave and admiration from the parents who had never seen computer science done in this robust and animated setting.

Next time: Creating a game, It was magical.
Check out a sample project and a video from my daughter who finally admits that she loves working with Scratch.

The 3rd and 4th grade  girls came to the first G_R_L Made coding club meeting with excitement and nerves. Two of them had never done anything like this. Three of them were proud to get started because they saw their older sisters in a coding club and now it was their turn. Everyone was curious about what would happen.

Inviting people over to check something out for the first time is not so challenging; getting them to commit and return time and again is harder. Therefore the trick to the first session was to get everyone comfortable with each other. Doing something hands-on and interactive creates community and builds confidence.

Wendy, the club leader, and I discussed activities that the girls could do at the first meeting, since we did not expect the CS First kit to arrive in time (spoilers, it did, but we already had a plan). I had a bundle of supplies from previous teaching experiences to offer. We used Makey-Makey, an invention kit that turns everyday objects into touchpads and works with the internet. We used bananas, coins and playdo to play online instruments and Tetris. Within moments girls were laughing and trying out creative materials to see if they were conductive.

If buying new materials is cost prohibitive (Makey-Makey Go is $20) then try something like Coding with Cups where groups of students work together and become the programmers and robots to build pyramids of cups.

Next, the girls made Light up Name Tents and practiced first by testing out paper circuits using copper tape, coin cell battery and LED lights. This activity around names brought in creativity and gave everyone a quick success and something tangible to take home.

An added benefit to this activity was that girls were able to share creative ideas and also began to assist each other through technical difficulties. There is a lot of trial and error in coding and this activity was no exception. Not everyone finishes at the same time, but when there is teamwork everyone is still working and succeeding together.

The girls were having so much fun with the activities that there was just no more time to start CS First.  Not a bad problem to have. Next time: Introduction to CS First.

Resources found in Blog:
Coding with Cups - includes Lesson Plan in English and Spanish; video
Light up Name Tents Lesson plan - includes Lesson Plan, list of supplies and cost.

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This is the story about how a parent decided to start a girls coding club even though she had no prior experience.

Wendy Nield, the CEO of Adwire and accomplished graphic designer and mother of 2 daughters, wanted to start a girls coding club for 3rd and 4th graders so her youngest daughter could get a positive hands on experience in computing as her older daughter did when I ran a similar club. Wendy knew that an encouraging experience like a coding club builds confidence and is one of the most influential factors in girls’ decisions to pursue computing education and careers as noted in NCWIT Girls in IT: The Facts.

Wendy was not afraid of taking a risk and leading the club on her own. She just wanted some advice about how to begin. I gave her a few ideas including Google’s CS First which I think is a robust option with the easiest execution. CS First uses Scratch, a free online programming environment that helps “young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically and work collaboratively” as they code interactive stories, games, and animations.​

I described the different theme options and showed her the free kit that comes with the online easy-to-follow curriculum. Wendy and her daughter did their research and decided that CS First Friends (Level of Difficulty: Moderate) would be the way to go and immediately sent out invites to 8 girls to come over a week later and get started. There was 100% interest. It was decided that since two of the older sisters had already been in a coding club that they would be the gurus in training — also known as assistants.

So now there is a regular club at Wendy’s house every other Sunday. The girls bring their school laptops — or borrow from parents. The coding club was originally two hours, but due to excitement it is now two and a half hours. The club has been branded G_R_L Made and it is awesome!

Start your own coding club or suggest one at your school: CS First
Find other ideas in NCWIT’s Enrich PK-8 Computing Education  to connect students to learning environments that emphasize hands-on experience with technology.

Next Blog: The First Meeting

About Leslie Aaronson: I am a former computer science teacher. I taught for 13 years in LAUSD and received the LAUSD Teacher of the Year award for 2011-2012. I started a Girls Coding Club at Foshay Learning Center in 2015 with high school students. This lead to the high school girls starting clubs for local middle school girls and for my daughter and her elementary school friends. These clubs lasted until 2017. I moved to become the Strategic Director for K12 Initiatives at the NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) and I am the project manager for Girls Build LA. With a full plate I don’t have time to manage my own clubs.

Smart Girls asked Leslie Aaronson, former LAUSD Teacher of the Year and Strategic Director of K12 Initiatives for NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) and the Teacher in Residence at LA Promise Fund where she manages Girls Build LA, why she is speaking at today’s March for Science LA.

Written for Smart Girls by Leslie Aaronson

STEM is the future and It MATTERS that girls be involved in building our future and I find that if we frame it that way — everyone wants in.

Technology increasingly permeates every aspect of society and provides the foundation for most modern innovation. Given this, when girls don’t participate in computing, there are serious consequences; not only for them, but also for the future of technical innovation.

In my work, inspiring and engaging the next generation of female leaders, I’ve discovered some lessons to make computing “sticky” using research-based practices that support diversity.

Grow an Inclusive community and actively invite girls to participate.Stereotypes often keep girls from wanting to get involved, which is what I experienced when I invited girls to join a coding club. Instead, I changed my tactic and invited the girls to an after-school event that included food. They all came, and we did hands-on computing activities. They loved it and admitted that they didn’t know what to expect but now that they did they were interested in the coding club.

It is important to make it matter for girls and allow space for student choice and to make connections to interdisciplinary fields. For example, Girls Build, an initiative run by the LA Promise Fund, has teams of young women from public middle and high schools choose an issue they care about and use STEM principles and 21st Century learning skills to effect social change.
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As noted in NCWIT Girls in IT: The Facts, research shows that encouragement builds confidence and is one of the most influential factors in girls’ decisions to pursue computing education and careers. Confidence and interest rise as students communicate their skills, and put them into action especially as they reap the benefits through internships, scholarships, and awards like National Center for Information Technology (NCWIT) Award for Aspirations in Computing

Published as a blog post for National Girls Collaborative Project

Diana’s secret for winning the National Center for Information Technology (NCWIT) Award for Aspirations in Computing was applying, even though at first she was not going to bother:  

“My teacher told me to apply, but I thought I was not as impressive compared to other candidates. However, the judges must have been impressed, since I won the Aspirations in Computing in Southern California. I just talked about my school work in my Tech Academy class - the programming projects we did, the challenges with the LEGO Mindstorm robots and I spoke about my interest in connecting business with computer science to help students grow and be exposed to technology.”

Diana is a Dreamer and currently enrolled at University of California, Irvine. She was a new student at her school and was not confident in her skills as compared to other students in her technology class. However, she was one of only two senior girls that applied that year and they both received the award.

It takes self-confidence and a leap of faith to go for something new and unfamiliar. It is important to remember that not all students are spurred by self-motivation. Students don’t automatically connect the value of education to their own development, skills and personal interest. Many need to feel encouraged before they take a risk and try. This goes beyond announcing an opportunity in front of the class one time. This means being a constant cheerleader for the students and believing in them while they develop the confidence to believe in themselves. Even when we put opportunities in front of students it can be daunting for them to sit down and make it happen. 

Google recently released Encouraging Students Toward Computer Science Learning; a report about the interest in and confidence to learn computer science (CS) among 7th to 12th-grade students from underrepresented groups — girls, Black students and Hispanic students — as well as the level of encouragement these groups receive from key influencers such as parents and teachers to learn CS.

The research resulted in the findings that “helping girls see their potential in the CS field and the many ways CS can connect to their potential dream jobs may help encourage more girls to pursue CS.”
Furthermore, as noted in NCWIT Girls in IT: The Facts, encouragement, by way of award recognition, for example, goes a long way. Research shows that encouragement is one of the most influential factors in girls’ decisions to pursue computing education and careers, even more important than self-assessments of ability. Never underestimate the power of this simple effort.

Validation outside of the classroom forces students to see how their skills and class projects make them a competitive applicant and future employee. The accolades and positive feedback from outside the classroom builds up confidence and actively combats an internal struggle with self-doubt.

Encouraging students means also providing a time and space to get started. While I was a high school computer science teacher in south Los Angeles, I provided class time to expose students to careers and mentors in computer science and taught them how to build up their personal networking circles to communicate their skills and interests. We had pep talks about the benefits to applying versus the guaranteed no when you don’t even try. We discussed what it meant to be prepared for when an opportunity comes their way and recognizing that the application process is not a waste of time. Writing samples essays and saving drafts of all applications makes it so much easier to apply for the next chance. Students should always have versions of resumes, cover letters, essay answers and more in a digital folder so they are never lost.

For example, I used to hold an afterschool session for girls to come together and brainstorm their Award for Aspirations in Computing application from NCWIT. This award recognizes U.S. high school women for their outstanding aptitude and interest in computing, proven leadership ability, and academic performance. 

We hosted an application workshop with eleven girls to get them started on creating their online account and thinking through short answer responses as a group think. In the end, nine completed and turned in the application on time. Five of those girls were awarded, including a national winner. The next year we doubled those numbers using the same strategy and having the winners motivate others by telling them the secret of applying. Providing the time and space to get girls talking to each other and to get started overcame one of the biggest hurdles of staring at a blank page and dealing with self-doubt.

To get students to apply for internships, I worked with an English teacher. Students would update their resumes and write cover letters and short essays - a meaningful activity in itself - but with a deadline and actual application at hand it provided real world meaning. Doing this as a group and providing a format that made them collect the work digitally set them up for success when it was time to apply for future opportunities like personal statements for college applications, scholarships and other job openings.
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The hardest part to putting yourself out there and taking a chance is getting started and believing in yourself. Encouraging students to take that first leap and supplying the time and safe space to get started sets students up for countless future opportunities. Even if they don’t succeed the first time, they are left with materials and resources to make the next chance that much easier and more accessible.

This article is also found on Medium

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Attention students, educators and computer science aficionados (no CS experience necessary)
Technolochica Ana Hernandez volunteering as a role model at 9 Dots in Los AngelesCS Ed week is an opportunity to push past your zone of comfort and take on a challenge to become a change leader, a role model and expand your own CS skills!
CS Ed Week can be so much more than an opportunity to experience an Hour of Code. It is a time to remind yourself and others about the importance of computer science and the need for equity and access as this field becomes a driving force in almost every industry. Computer Science Education teaches marketable skills, it also teaches communication, collaboration, perseverance and the beauty of multiple solutions. To quote former CTO of the Obama White House, Megan Smith, computer science offers the opportunity to “build your creative confidence.”
As a teacher, I have used computer science week as an opportunity for my students to build their confidence and leadership skills by becoming coaches to parents and middle school students experiencing coding for the first time. We also explored new coding languages which led to a discovery of new avenues and curriculum in our advanced programming course. We used CS Ed week as a community activity that brought educators, students, business partners and government officials together to discuss computer science and showcase student work and voice.
Here are some action steps for you to take this CS Ed Week Challenge:
Be a Change Leader — increase your skills and leadership experience.
How: Work with your local elementary school, library, or community center to organize a CS Ed Week activity
Suggested Activities:

• Lead A Family Code Night
• Free kit that includes all the materials and resources including invitations, follow up tips, event checklist and timeline, and a presenter script.
• Host a CS Tech Jam community event — See Event Kit
• Organize a school assembly or Recruit your entire school district
• Recruit a public official to promote CS
• Start a Coding Club — CS First is free, easy and ready to go.

CS First Club lead by high school students for 5th grade girlsBecome a Role Model and Inspire Others
As the saying goes, “We can’t be what we can’t see. So be seen! No one knows your story unless you make it available. Everyone struggles and everyone must start someplace. Share your journey about how you got started in computer science.
How to Start: Write a blog or shoot a vlog to share your experience. Post it on your digital portfolio, share it via social media, send it to your schools. Don’t wait to be asked.
Suggested places to sign up:

• Become a Fab Fem
• Become a Technolochica Ambassador
• Sign up to volunteer with CS Ed Week.

Expand your CS skills
Go to the CS Ed Week activities and try something you have not done before. This is not a test, but rather a chance to expand your creative confidence and your skills.
Bonus, when you create something new such as an image using Processing, a video card using Java Script, a new Google logo, save these projects and post them on your digital portfolio. This is an opportunity not only to try something new but also a chance to build out your portfolio of work samples and experience.
Continue after CS Ed Week:
Even though CS Ed Week is only one week in December, it is always a good time to be a change leader, a role model and to expand your skills. All of the activities suggested here can take place anytime. They can also lead to other initiatives. Look for hackathons, events, and contests to participate in and grow your skills and network.
Suggested Follow up Ideas:
Aspirations in Computing
Find local events on the Connectory
Get Started with Careers with Code

Originally Posted on Medium, May 2017
The school year is almost over, and testing and finals are done. However, school treks on even if it may seem directionless. So let’s talk about what you can do to make the last few days meaningful to the students. Here are 5 ideas (mostly using technology) to prepare your students for life outside of school and assist them on their personal academic and professional journey. Ideas include coding, building resumes, portfolios and college planning. These activities allow students to see what they have accomplished in a larger context outside the classroom and provide support so they can make long term decisions and create experience to get jobs, internships and scholarships.
1. Experience CodingCS Ed Week is officially in December, but anytime is the perfect time to enhance your coding skills. The CS ED Week website (https://csedweek.org/learn) offers amazing tutorials and gives access to programs that are out there for people to learn on their own. Even if your students have already tried one of the tutorials, there are still so many more to check out. Have your students considered a career in Computer Science/ STEM? Could it be because they have not had much exposure to even give it a thought?
How to Get Started:

• Go to: https://csedweek.org/learn and use the filtering on the left to find the perfect option for you or your class. Not everyone needs to do the same tutorial. There are also some unplugged activities if devices and wifi are not available.
• The final coding outcomes are perfect material for a student to add to their digital portfolio so think about saving images or embedding the code if it is available.

Suggested activities:

• Made With Code (https://www.madewithcode.com) — downloadable images and tons of creativity
• VidCode — cool tutorials to make videos, greeting cards and more
• CS First — Start a project in Scratch under your own account and return to the projects on your own time.

2. Search Collegeboard for Careers and MajorsStudents often decide that they want to go to their local big school without considering majors, cost, or admission requirements. Explore Big Future on the Collegeboard website for major and career matching as well as a look into the requirements to get into specific schools. Remind students that the best school to attend is not the most prestigious school out there but a school that meets the needs of an individual student. This may be the first time students really look at what it takes to get into college and if you are doing this with 8th, 9th, and 10th graders it can make a real difference because admission requirements and cost are no joke.
How To Get Started:

• Go to Big Future on Collegeboard > Explore Careers > Career and Major Search (https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/majors-careers)
• Students can start in either career or major column — clicking on a career will lead to links for possible college majors and clicking on majors will lead to an explanation of possible careers.
• Once students have a major in mind they can search colleges with that major and then narrow down selections based on cost, test scores, location, diversity, housing and more.
• If a student has no idea where to start check out the road map from Roadtrip Nation (https://roadtripnation.com/roadmap). Students can create their own roadmap and then listen to interviews of people who followed a similar path (This is a great whole class exercise as well).
• The need for computer science skills is growing (estimted 1million jobs more than CS students in 2020). Check out this one sheet about computing majors.
• Students can use this worksheet to track what they find on college board.

3. Create Digital PortfoliosDigital portfolios are a proactive way to document learning and creates a digital footprint to archive student achievement. Digital portfolios are easy to edit, update, and versatile enough to carry meaning outside of school and into the world. Students can use the portfolio as a device to help get internships, scholarships, jobs and more. Students add resumes, letters of recommendation and work samples of embedded projects and images along with a reflection so it captures the student experience and explains transferable skills for future work.
How to Get Started:

• Possible free sites to use include wix.com, weebly,com and pathbrite.com. They are drag and drop with easy customizable pages and themes to adapt and change to fit personality and professional audience.
• Check out portfolio examples, blog to create portfolio in Weebly and critical tips for building a better portfolio
• Pages to include: About Me, Resume, Work Samples — use sub pages to navigate projects. Projects can be classwork, presentations or anything that showcases you in the best possible light. Each sample should include image and/or link, a title, brief description, and a reflection about what you have learned or challenges you faced.
• Other pages to include: Community service, media, expertise, contact

4. Create/Update ResumesResumes are deceptively difficult documents to create. They are succinct and have to be clearly formatted and easy to understand. This takes time, experience, and iterations of updates and redesign. Take the time in class to get students started on their resume as a group activity so students can learn from each other and create something meaningful that they can use outside of school. Most of your students may not have much beyond what they have accomplished in school to add to the resume. The worst time to work on your resume is just before you are trying to get a job or snag an interview so this is the perfect time to get students started on a professional resume now, while they are in class and then the school can continue to remind them to update it next year.
How to Get Started:

• Go to Google Docs (docs.google.com) to find templates — creating the resume in the cloud makes it easy to find and update at a moment’s notice.
• Rename the document FirstNameLastNameResume — if you are mailing a resume to others it is always helpful to have your name attached
• The template will lay out what to include. Remember resumes are short, concise and not written in complete sentences.
• Add the resume to the digital portfolio!

For added support:

• Resume Checklist for Effective Resumes
• Sample High School Resumes
• Resume Checklist for student peer review

5. Watch Hidden Figures with your class and use this discussion curriculum.Of course watching a movie the last week of school is an old standby but we can raise it up a notch with this inspiring movie. Students who have seen this movie have written letters to say “now I know I can do anything I put my mind to with hard work.”

• Step 1: Get the movie for free if you act fast! Educators may register at Fox Connect (https://www.foxconnect.com/hiddenfiguresdvd) for complimentary copies of the film in May 2017.
• Hidden Figures can be purchased on DVD and Digital HD through Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play.
• Step 2: Download free curriculum guide to lead a dynamic discussion and reflection following the movie.

A few other ideas include: Learn to fill out a job application, Financial Literacy lessons, or write letters of recommendations. What ideas do you have to make the most of the end of the school year?