Thank you Capital One for sponsoring this post. It's Computer Science Education Week and I'm pleased to partner with Capital One to share some of their related efforts. Computer Science Education Week Designed to overlap with Admiral Grace Murray Hopper's December 9 birthday, CSEdWeek is an annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take interest in computer science. Give me a second to brag about this STEM girl: recently, on ... [ Read More ]
Eight Tips to Inspire Girls to Code
Earlier this year The Maker Mom partnered with Tamasin Ford of Power Up Tech Academy, to host a mother-daughter coding program, Apps and Snacks. The coding workshop was designed to introduce girls and their mothers (or older supportive woman) to programming in a relaxed environment. To do a girls-only program is one thing, but my experience tells me that including moms and other female role models is important, especially if those women grew up ... [ Read More ]
DIY Gamer Kit Review
Lucas the Maker Kid is back. This time, he's sharing a DIY Gamer Kit review based on the product from the British Company, Technology Will Save Us. It's an item I was offered for review and sent along to him for the kids-eye view. DIY Gamer Kit Review Last year, I bought the DIY Gamer Kit by Technology Will Save Us from the Exploratorium store in San Francisco. My kit did not come pre-soldered, meaning I would have to solder all the parts ... [ Read More ]
Computer Science Education Week
And now we turn our attention away from holiday shopping (but not these great STEM giveaways!) and focus on acquiring knowledge instead of things. That said, I know Maker Mom readers are prone to acquire things that help their kids acquire knowledge. My point is, it's Computer Science Education Week! CS Ed Week runs from Dec. 7-13, 2015, but is best known as time for the Hour of Code. Whether you want to bring Hour of Code into your classroom, ... [ Read More ]
Eye on the Prize: A DIY Learn-to-Code Game with Post-it Products
Last week I mentioned that I had a STEM project in the works with the Post-it® Brand. Today I get to introduce it to you! Behold Eye on the Prize, an analog computer programming game. In addition to introducing kids to programming logic, it’s a good introduction to pair programming because you need two people to play. In pair programming, two programmers work together at a single computer. One writes the code while the other reviews each line ... [ Read More ]
Introducing Sphero SPRK
It's exciting to try new technology shortly after it's released, but it's even better seeing the products evolve and improve over time. My boys have enjoyed Sphero and Ollie, but it's time to welcome the Sphero SPRK Edition, the latest edition to the Sphero family. The Sphero SPRK Edition has all the playfulness and durability of the original Sphero but is clearly designed with learning in mind. Its outer shell is transparent! Sphero SPRK SPRK ... [ Read More ]
My Kid Won the Verizon App Challenge and Yours Can Too
When I say that my son, Isaac Moldofsky, won the Verizon Innovative App Challenge, I don't mean it in the traditional sense. Indeed, the Verizon folks only know him as some kid whose name appeared on an entry form back in 2013. I'll explain below how he won. But first, read about the 2016 Challenge. Verizon App Challenge This competition is all about the ideas. The challenge is open to middle school (grades 6-8) and high school students (grades ... [ Read More ]