Summary of the club

Understanding technology and learning to code are valuable skills for any kid growing up in our society today.  This club seeks to create a fun and interactive environment where kids can come to learn with a professional.  Once a week, we welcome children to bring their laptop or chromebook to the community center for a little over an hour.  

We chat. We code. We learn. 

Each session begins with story about something related to coding and technology which can anchor the theme of the evening.  Kids then go off on their own to code whatever project inspires them - under the guidance of our instructor.  The idea is to let kids lead the speed and direction of their learning.  

It's not necessary for all the children to be using the same platform, or connect on similar projects. Likely, there will be a diversity of skill levels and interest among the children - and that's just fine with us.  The block-coding platform Scratch.mit.edu is a great place for younger or novice coders to start learning.  Sessions will be flexible and adaptable as kids seem to learn best when allowed to "roam" with guidance rather than follow a prescribed lesson plan. 

Technology Topics

While the club is centered around coding skills, we will discuss various topics and try to work them into the coding projects where possible.  Topics will include:

• Safety and privacy online

• Understanding technology terms (What's an "algorithm"? What's "cloud computing"?)

• Risks and potential of Artificial Intelligence

• How does the internet work

• History of computers

• Building websites (HTML, CSS, and other magics)

• Social Media

• *any topic the children (or parents) are interested in - we're very open to suggestions

To summarize, we will have a expert available with a fun story and a willingness to support kids explore coding.  The kids will direct how fast they learn and what projects to take on.