Software is so prevalent in today’s world that it affects everything we do from our work to our play in ways we couldn’t have imagined even 10-20 years ago. In this world, being at least exposed to understanding computer programming isn’t so much a luxury as a new necessity. And yet what are our middle schools doing about exposing kids to this new skillset? Surprisingly little, it turns out 🙁
In this episode, we chat with Jessica Ellis about her efforts (and those of others!) to bridge this important gap and work to expose both boys and girls to computer programming at a time when they are receptive to learning new skills. We discuss efforts around introducing kids to computer programming, ways to overcome some of the societal pressures preventing candidates from expressing interest in STEM professions, and explore ready-made freely-available tools, curricula, and training to help you get started to help scale out efforts in your own community to help kids acquire these valuable and necessary skills!
Show Notes
Jessica is a lifelong lover of mathematics and statistics but she didn’t come to the world of computer programming until her sons began showing an interest in creating their own computer programs. She started attending classes and soon was setting them up and then teaching them herself. She is now the Program Manager for the non-profit – Teaching Kids Programming. Her skills with cooking and kids lead to her connection with the San Dieguito Boys & Girls Club’s Center for a Healthy Lifestyle. She is now the Director and has just completed the building of a new tech room directly across from the commercial teaching kitchen. It is the combination of these two that was the inspiration for the sold-out summer camp “BarBCode”.