DOÑA KEATING
Management Consultant, Leadership
Strategist, Speaker & Author
  • Home
  • Where to Find Me
  • Nonprofit Hell Blog
  • Straight Talk Radio
  • When You Need Me

Why Every Community Needs CoderDojo

11/23/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
I recently collaborated with Rodika Tollefson on an article about West Sound CoderDojo, an initiative I co-founded with West Sound Technology Association in March 2015. The first dojo session launched that May and we've been going strong since then.

CoderDojo is an exciting global movement. Open source, free, inclusive...and where kids ages 7-18 learn code -- but also leadership, presentation skills, peer collaboration, computational thinking, and so much more. Parents attend and work alongside their kids in a self-paced, interactive, and problem-solving environment.

We're on the cusp of expanding the movement across our region. And hopefully some day, across our state and nation. Read the below article to learn why.

-Doña Keating



[November 22, 2016] - Like most of their peers across the country, the majority of Washington youth don’t have access to any computer programming in school — less than a quarter of high schools offer computer science classes. Faced with an estimated 45,000 unfilled STEM jobs in the state — a number that continues to grow — lawmakers are pushing for more computer science education.
​
But two West Sound leaders in the technology and business sector didn’t want to wait. Charles and Doña Keating also wanted to encourage the interest and involvement their daughter has had in coding since kindergarten.
​
“In a 21st century innovation economy, coding is a second language that everyone should speak,” Doña Keating explains. “We wanted to make coding more accessible to other kids, including underrepresented areas like West Sound.”
​
The result of the Keatings’ vision was West Sound CoderDojo (WSCD), a volunteer-led, community-based initiative that is part of an explosive worldwide movement. Since the launch of West Sound CoderDojo in May 2015, nearly 2,000 Kitsap and Olympic Peninsula youth and parents have learned programming through the free workshops.
​


Why Every Community Needs CoderDojo
​
The CoderDojo movement is not just about education, but learning. In a fun, interactive, and inclusive environment where kids are taught to be leaders and mentors. Where they can become creators of technology and not just consumers.
​
It’s also not just about technology or getting a degree and a job.
​
 “It's about our lives in this century and beyond,” Doña says. “It's how we think and solve problems, and how we'll be interacting with artificial intelligence.”
​
Unlike structured classroom instruction, CoderDojo sessions are self-directed and collaborative. Kids and parents learn together, and the young coders help each other. Volunteer mentors, usually parents or others within the community, are on standby to facilitate should students get stuck.
​
It’s this kind of interaction — collaborative problem solving and critical thinking — that inspired the Keatings to join the movement. And it’s what drives them now to grow it across the Kitsap region and even Washington State.
​
Some parents contact WSCD and say their kids are not interested in coding, are intimidated by it, or don’t want a career in computer science. It’s true that programming professions don’t appeal to everyone. But computational learning and language are used to improve and facilitate progress across all industries, including medicine, aviation, business, agriculture, energy, automotive, graphic design, architecture, and law. They’re also used in numerous applications, from smart homes and smart cities to video games and entertainment.
​
“Everything we do will require an understanding of code,” Keating says.
​
It’s not unusual, however, for a youngster first exposed to programming at a CoderDojo to become interested in a STEM career. Just ask Bill Bandrowski. His daughter, Rose, recently took an advanced placement computer science class, tapping into the DigiPen and CoderDojo experiences the Keatings brought to the region under WSTA's umbrella. “She has made the decision to head into STEM, most likely engineering,” Bandrowski says.
​
Washington state ranks as No. 1 in the country for STEM jobs. The state also has the second fastest-growing gap between available jobs and skilled workers to fill them. Why not use CoderDojo as a springboard to help fill that gap?
​
Lary Coppola, the executive director for Port of Allyn, says the results of efforts like this will take some time to come to fruition, but they’re a positive step toward economic development. Which is why the Port is co-hosting and co-sponsoring a coderdojo on Dec. 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
​
“Pragmatically, we understand that not every kid is going to go to college, so this can be viewed a lot like vocational-type training for the 21st century,” he says. “We also know that a certain portion of these kids will become tech entrepreneurs, creating good-paying jobs for others down the road.”
​
He says it’s important to attract these kids early and to get them interested in coding by making it fun.
​
“We will also be teaching them a 21st-century skill that will get them a good-paying job with unlimited potential by the time they’re ready to go to work,” he says.
​


Being Part of a Global Movement
​
When 18-year-old James Whelton — an Irish geek with exceptional talent — kept being asked by his school mates to teach them programming, he looked for a way to fill the void in computer science education. He approached venture capitalist Bill Liao with an idea, and within a year, CoderDojos had sprouted all over the world.
​
Five years later, the movement has spread to 65 countries, with more than 1,100 clubs formed by leaders like the Keatings. From kids of Hollywood celebrities to kids in Africa, CoderDojo has inspired a new generation of coders.
​
Each CoderDojo is led by a Champion and that community. While they can tap into resources such as registration platforms, tutorials, and more, it’s up to each dojo to coordinate volunteers, mentors, and outreach for its particular effort. In other words, each community owns the program — it’s not simply a matter of showing up or not.
​
As Liao likes to say, “CoderDojo is free. It is not a free ride!"
​
Read full article


0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    10 Tips For Building Resilience In Children And Teens
    $1 A Day
    2012 Presidential Election
    9-1/2 Weeks
    Adam Croft
    Amazon
    American Idol
    American Psychological Association
    Asking Questions
    Balance
    Berkeley Commencement
    Beyonce
    Bill Liao
    Bullfighting
    Business Process Efficiency
    Business Reviews
    Business Strategy
    Busyness
    Captain Charles Wilkes Elementary
    Carefree
    Carly Rose Sonenclar
    Change Agents
    Charles Keating
    Choosing
    Chris Brogan
    Christine Stephenson
    Clif Mckenzie
    Code.org
    Coderdojo
    Coding
    Collaboration
    Commitment
    Computer Programming
    Computer Science Education Coalition
    Constructive Criticism
    Consulting
    Consulting On The Cusp Of Disruption
    Corporate Leadership
    Croman Family
    CSEC
    Ct Killings
    Cuppa Bella Bagelry & Espresso Cafe
    Dancing Between The Raindrops
    Dan Wensley
    Dave Seibert
    Defriending
    Dirty Food
    Disruptive Innovation
    Disruptive Technology
    Dnschanger
    DojoCon Dun Laoghaire
    Dona Keating
    Doña Keating
    Doña Keating
    Drew Hansen
    Drive-up Economy
    Dr. Travis Bradberry
    Ed Brodow
    Edible Dirt
    Effective Communication
    Effective Consulting
    Emotional Intelligence
    Facebook
    Fallacious Reasoning
    False Reviews
    Farmers Market
    Farm To Table
    Fbi
    Fear
    Finding Your Voice
    Flowing
    Founders Syndrome
    Gangnam Style
    Get Shit Done
    Gizmag
    Global Perspective
    Google
    Gratitude
    Growing Pains
    Happiness
    Harry Brelsford
    Harvard Business Review
    Haute Cuisine
    Have Fun
    Healthy Boundaries
    How To Avoid The Pitfalls Of Nonprofit Hell
    Human Dignity
    Human Spirit
    Hyberbole
    Inc Magazine
    Inspiration
    Integrity
    Internet Marketing
    Iphone
    James Whelton
    Jannel Garcia
    Jeff Weiner
    John Maxwell
    John Pavlovitz
    Josh Peterson
    Karl Palachuk
    Know Thyself
    Kseniya Simonova
    Lake Tahoe Marina
    Lary Coppola
    Law Of The Hammer
    Law Of The Instrument
    Leadership
    Leadership In The Digital Age
    Licensed Regional Group
    Life Changes
    Linda Blair
    LinkedIn
    Listening Skills
    Listening Tips
    Making The Leap
    Malware
    Manaegment Consulting
    Maslow's Hammer
    Master Of Communication In Digital Media
    Matador
    Meaningful Engagement
    Meetings
    Melanie Amaro
    Michelle Ragusa
    Microsoft
    Neuro-engineering
    New Book
    New Directions
    Newtown
    Nina Simone
    Nonprofit Hell
    Oisín Grogan
    Opportunities For Growth
    Oregon State University
    Parenting
    Partisanship
    Peaceful Choices
    Perseverance
    Political Correctness
    Political Discourse
    Popularity Contests
    Port Of Allyn
    Problem Solvers In Action
    Pro Bono
    Productive Meetings
    Professional Associations
    Professional Options
    Quality Over Quantity
    Resentment
    Resilience
    Resilience Guide For Parents And Teachers
    Rodika Tollefson
    Sabotage
    Sand Art
    Sandy Hook Elementary School
    Saying Thank You
    Science
    Searchwrite
    Seattle 24x7
    Secret To Success
    Self Awareness
    Self-publishing
    Seo Marketing
    Sheryl Sandberg
    Smb 150
    Smb Nation
    Smbtn
    Social Media
    STEM
    Steve Tobak
    Strategic Advice
    Strategic Consulting
    Strength
    Sue Grafton
    Sweet & Sara
    Taking Chances
    TalentSmart
    Tech Innovation
    Technology
    The Art Of Listening
    The Call Of Leadership
    The Floating Feather
    The Golden Rule
    The Guardian
    The Voice
    Time Management
    Tips For Asking Questions
    Tone Deaf
    Top 150 Smb Influencers
    Tough As Nails
    Trader Joe's
    Twitter
    Ukraine Got Talent
    Uncomplicated Life
    University Of Washington
    Unprofessionalism
    Value Of Life
    Valuing Your Time
    Vision
    Watson Furniture
    Western On The Peninsulas
    Western Washington University
    West Sound CoderDojo
    West Sound Technology Association
    What If?
    Whole Foods
    Wikes Science Fair 2013
    Win-Win
    Women In Technology
    Work And The Will To Lead
    WSCD
    WSTA
    X-Factor
    Yacht Sinks
    Yahoo
    Youtube

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.