#teaching resources

twaeioush:

ciralism:

After a week of prep and on-campus set-up, today I finally got to meet my class of Girls Who Code! Last week I wanted to tell you that they were all inspirational, tenacious, enthusiastic learners and that Day 1 went off without a hitch, but the delightfully flawed truth of our first day makes me even more hopeful for an amazing summer with this perfectly imperfect group.

20 determined, resilient, capable young women joined my class today, and it is my job and my privilege to guide them to channel that passion into coding. I’m no expert in CS, but as an undergraduate student, I like to think I am earning my expert badge in the art of learning computer science. 

I loved my APCS teacher and learned a ton in that class, and I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to be introduced to CS as a high school student. However, because of the pace and breadth of the AP curriculum and the introductory nature of the class, my teacher was always quick to swoop in with guidance and explanations. When he wouldn’t answer my questions, typically my (brilliant) best friend could. And so I went to college with only that background in computer science - the subconscious assumption that when I struggled, someone would be there to explain, correct, and walk me through the “right” thought process.

I have spent my entire freshman year fighting and rewiring that instinct to reach for assistance when I cannot immediately solve the problem myself. I have spent this year learning to learn on my own, to seek out answers individually, to design and plan and build larger programs thoughtfully, and to solve problems not by having a TA walk me through them, but by bouncing ideas off my equally confused peers. 

This is what I hope to offer my girls this summer. A space and an opportunity to learn how to learn computer science; an introduction to the world of tech coupled with the affirmation that they belong there; and a love of learning, exploring, playing, failing, innovating, and creating that they can carry forward to whatever careers await them.

I saw school as an obligation until I got to college. Now, I choose to be here, and I study things I love. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be a university student, to take several years just to focus on my education and personal growth, and to explore my passions. My girls are taking their summer to dedicate time to their education and personal growth and pursue their passions, and it doesn’t matter if they take time to get comfortable in class, or if we have to remind them to put their phones away, or even if they don’t always want to keep trying: they choose to be here, learning, and for that, they are amazing. Part of me hoped for a classroom full of eager, bright-eyed, obedient students who would follow every instruction and pursue every project at 110%. The class I met today was so, so much better: they were excited, grateful, rambunctious, tenacious, sleepy, nervous, silly, and brilliant. They were interested in things I love, and in things I know nothing about. I can’t wait to see what they can do.

If you’re a girl/woman in tech or interested in CS, reach out to me! I would love to use this platform to help the next generation of young women discover CS. Girls Who Code’s summer program is phenomenal, but the truth is, you don’t need to be part of a 7 week intensive in order to get started in CS, or become a girl who codes. You just need a lot of determination, a bit of willingness to fail, and a little silliness, to make something great.

I would really love to be involved in this. It’s sad that they only have this program in the United States ㅠㅠ

It’s an amazing program and something I’m thrilled to be a part of, but this is a really intense way to expose yourself to CS – no matter where you live, there are SO many things you can do to start learning. And I would even say that starting to code is barely half of what you can do. Yes, definitely try codeacademyandgoogle’s developer training and play with the hundreds of thousands of resources available online, and you will see progress. 

But to really try to replicate the experience that GWC students are having this summer, I would really recommend that you immerse yourself in the tech world as much as possible! Learn about different tech careers – research the possibilities in design, product, engineering, data science, marketing, etc. – join facebook groupsandonline communities to network and learn from current women in tech. They have so much to offer, and they are almost always very willing to help!

If you want to learn more about getting started on your own in web development (I self-taught for a couple of years before I ever took a CS class) or about studying CS in college, please reach out to me, I would love to be a resource for other women in technology. And finally, take advantage of the technology that you do have available. Tweet at people whose work inspires you. Read books and articles, and then read some more. Work through tricky problems (like these common interview questions), and use the resources that you do have to understand and grow as a programmer. Starting out in CS, you are very, very unlikely to encounter a problem or bug no one has ever seen before: if you’re struggling with it, chances are, someone on stack overflow has already answered it. 

Good luck and happy coding!