Month: October 2013

This Robot Can Teach Programming to Your 5-Year-Old

BY DANI FANKHAUSER

A friend of mine, well into his thirties, remembers going to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Penn., while growing up. There, he and his brothers would play a type of real-life video game — instead of playing with controllers and screens, they had to program robots to navigate through a course to win. Some 30 years later, this kind of technology is no longer reserved for institutions — soon, youll be able to take it home.

Play-i launched a crowdfunding campaign on Monday. The company will make two robots, Bo and Yana, which can be used individually or together (both have Bluetooth 4.0). Along with an iPad app, kids as young as 5 years old can learn programming concepts while playing with the robots

 

via This Robot Can Teach Programming to Your 5-Year-Old.

Calico – IPRE Wiki

The Calico Project is a framework for learning, doing, and playing with computation. At its core is an integrated editor, interactive console, and social interaction framework for exploring computer science through modern, dynamic languages. It is designed to be a simple, yet powerful, integrated development environment (IDE) for students, teachers, researchers—and regular humans, too! It runs on most any operating system, including Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. All sources for the Calico Project are open and free—freely available and you are free to use them in various ways.

via Calico – IPRE Wiki.

Forget Foreign Languages and Music. Teach Our Kids to Code | Wired Opinion | Wired.com

J. Paul Gibson began to teach programming classes for teens out of frustration. A computer scientist at the National University of Ireland, he had by 1998 become shocked at the ineptness of his students. “I was seeing 18- and 19-year-olds having trouble with basic programming concepts that I myself had learned when I was 12,” recalls Gibson, who taught himself to code on a Sinclair ZX81. “I realized they hadn’t seen any programming in school at all up to that point. So I thought maybe one of the problems we were having is that they were coming to it too late.” As word of Gibson’s classes spread, primary schools in the Dublin area sought his services too.

continue reading: Forget Foreign Languages and Music. Teach Our Kids to Code | Wired Opinion | Wired.com.

DevTech Research Group at Tufts University

CHERP (Creative Hybrid Environment for Robotic Programming) is a hybrid tangible/graphical computer language designed to provide an engaging introduction to computer programming for young children in both formal and informal educational settings. With CHERP you can create programs for robots like the LEGO Mindstorms RCX and Lego WeDo, as well as the KIWI research prototype. CHERP was developed with funding from the National Science Foundation ( NSF grant # DRL-0735657 ) by the Developmental Technologies Group at Tufts University

via DevTech Research Group at Tufts University.

6 Tips To Get Your Kids Excited About Coding — THE Journal

By Jen Mozen 10/23/13

Teaching kids how to code is top of mind for many people these days. With all the discussions about bolstering STEM education in the United States (not to mention STEM+ and STEAM) and with all the changes to the economy that have pushed technology companies to the forefront, it’s clear that large-scale change is in our future, and coding could someday very well become as integral a part of early education as reading, writing, and math.

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for “someday” to get your school coding. Here are six tips to help you spark and sustain a child’s interest in programming inside and outside the classroom.

via 6 Tips To Get Your Kids Excited About Coding — THE Journal.

Why Are Girls Not Pursuing Computer Science Degrees? – Edudemic – Edudemic

We know that there is what is called a ‘gender divide’ (or gender gap) in STEM. In short, there are more men than women in STEM careers. More young men pursue STEM fields in college than young women. So why don’t more girls pursue technology careers, become scientists, or become computer scientists? Girls get the same education in K-12 that boys do. So do they simply dislike computer science? Are they not good enough at it to pursue it as a career?

The handy infographic below takes a look at some statistics from a few different sources to show that  it is mainly girls’ perceptions that prevent them from pursuing careers in computer science. Basically, girls are just as good at computer science as boys are, but they begin to perform differently once they begin to think that boys are better at it. Interesting, right? Keep reading to learn more.

via Why Are Girls Not Pursuing Computer Science Degrees? – Edudemic – Edudemic.

A Day to Remember the First Computer Programmer Was a Woman – NYTimes.com

In 1842, Ada Lovelace, known as the “enchantress of numbers,” wrote the first computer program.

A Day to Remember the First Computer Programmer Was a Woman - NYTimes.com

Fast-forward 171 years to today (which happens to be Ada Lovelace Day, for highlighting women in science, technology, engineering and math), and computer programming is dominated by men.

Women software developers earn 80 percent of what men with the same jobs earn. Just 18 percent of computer science degrees are awarded to women, down from 37 percent in 1985. Fewer than 5 percent of venture-backed tech start-ups are founded by women.

via A Day to Remember the First Computer Programmer Was a Woman – NYTimes.com.

#hack4good | Geeklist International hackathon series

The Geeklist #Hack4good series run and power hackathon events around the world to present problems, form teams and solve the problems using each of our individual strengths in technology. We are comprised of software engineers and hackers, ui/ux designers, product developers and founders, leaders, thinkers and civic minded organizations. We give products built at our hackathons perpetual life and help move them live on and progress beyond the event. Participants completing the event also become immediate members of our Geeklist Corps of Developers. “Hack a better world with us.”

via #hack4good | Geeklist International hackathon series.

About Technovation Challenge « Iridescent

Technovation Challenge is the largest and longest-running global technology competition exclusively for girls to inspire the pursuit of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

In Technovation, girls work in teams to develop innovative mobile apps that solve problems in their local communities. Girls are supported by an advisor at their school or community site, as well as women mentors from the technology industry who teach them the basics of coding, user-interface design, market research and entrepreneurship. The program culminates in a World Pitch event each spring, where regional finalists compete to win $10,000 in funding for their app.

via About Technovation Challenge « Iridescent.