REFLECTION
Where we started
We were really excited to get the support of Girls Build LA to continue to work with girls and computer science engagement and mentorship. On March 10, we had our first parent meeting in our library at the high school and we were ready to get started. We answered lots of questions, signed up more than 25 new elementary girls, distributed our material. Three days later, schools were closed and our original plans were disrupted. The La Cañada USD distributed Chromebooks and hotspots to those who needed.
We held a meeting our first Zoom meeting and quickly pivoted to an online platform. We gained the support of our administrators at both the high school and elementary. We also gained the support of the community We wanted to engage more girls than we did last year and this was an excellent way. We posted on the La Cañada Parent's Facebook page. There were participants from three elementary schools and word of mouth help spread the camp's popularity.
Google Classroom & Scratch
During the planning meetings, the senior girls on the Girls Who Code team rewrote all of the curriculum and rethought our original plans. We set up a Google Classroom for the girls since most of them use Google Classroom. We delivered our lessons, communications, Zoom login's and instruction on how to use Scratch. This was a great place for the girls to engage with each other as well. We decided to use Scratch because it was open source and most of the high school Girls Who Code were familiar with it. We thought Scratch was the best introduction to programming, a request that we got from the girls who were returning.
Our first introduction was to have the girls post some fun fact s and information about themselves.
Zoom meetings
We were aware of the security issues and Ms. G used her Zoom pro account. We found our engagement online comfortable for girls. We had some challenges with connectivity at times, but for the most part we were able to stay online. We met as a team 30 minutes before each meeting and stayed 30-60 minutes after to reflect on what happened and plan our next interaction. We have 43 girls consistently meeting us twice a week.
We started every meeting with the elementary girls with a bonding exercise that was also an introduction to problem solving. We experimented with breakout rooms and found that it modeled what we had experienced when we had in person interactions. We discussed machine language, how to code with Scratch and the effects of Covid 19 on their lives.
We found that the Zoom meetings became more comfortable as time went on. The elementary girls were so excited they would park in the waiting room sometimes 30 minutes before class. They continued to work on the Scratch challenges and work toward the Hackathon.
Hackathon
Our school closure affected our start day and we had to adjust our time to the mid-April. Therefore, our Hackathon has been delayed to May 23rd.
We were really excited to get the support of Girls Build LA to continue to work with girls and computer science engagement and mentorship. On March 10, we had our first parent meeting in our library at the high school and we were ready to get started. We answered lots of questions, signed up more than 25 new elementary girls, distributed our material. Three days later, schools were closed and our original plans were disrupted. The La Cañada USD distributed Chromebooks and hotspots to those who needed.
We held a meeting our first Zoom meeting and quickly pivoted to an online platform. We gained the support of our administrators at both the high school and elementary. We also gained the support of the community We wanted to engage more girls than we did last year and this was an excellent way. We posted on the La Cañada Parent's Facebook page. There were participants from three elementary schools and word of mouth help spread the camp's popularity.
Google Classroom & Scratch
During the planning meetings, the senior girls on the Girls Who Code team rewrote all of the curriculum and rethought our original plans. We set up a Google Classroom for the girls since most of them use Google Classroom. We delivered our lessons, communications, Zoom login's and instruction on how to use Scratch. This was a great place for the girls to engage with each other as well. We decided to use Scratch because it was open source and most of the high school Girls Who Code were familiar with it. We thought Scratch was the best introduction to programming, a request that we got from the girls who were returning.
Our first introduction was to have the girls post some fun fact s and information about themselves.
Zoom meetings
We were aware of the security issues and Ms. G used her Zoom pro account. We found our engagement online comfortable for girls. We had some challenges with connectivity at times, but for the most part we were able to stay online. We met as a team 30 minutes before each meeting and stayed 30-60 minutes after to reflect on what happened and plan our next interaction. We have 43 girls consistently meeting us twice a week.
We started every meeting with the elementary girls with a bonding exercise that was also an introduction to problem solving. We experimented with breakout rooms and found that it modeled what we had experienced when we had in person interactions. We discussed machine language, how to code with Scratch and the effects of Covid 19 on their lives.
We found that the Zoom meetings became more comfortable as time went on. The elementary girls were so excited they would park in the waiting room sometimes 30 minutes before class. They continued to work on the Scratch challenges and work toward the Hackathon.
Hackathon
Our school closure affected our start day and we had to adjust our time to the mid-April. Therefore, our Hackathon has been delayed to May 23rd.