Abril Vela is the founder of the non-profit organization Chicago Girls in Computing, which aims to support high school girls in the Chicagoland area who are interested in technology. A FIRST robotics alum, Microsoft Youthspark Star, and a 2013 Awardee of the National Award for Aspirations in Computing from the National Center for Women & Information Technology, she will be attending the University of Michigan for Computer Engineering in the ... [ Read More ]
Lenovo A520 IdeaCentre Does What No Other Computer Does
Lenovo A520 IdeaCentre I recently joined the Lenovo Insider Team, a group of Lenovo fans who get the inside scoop on the company's developing tech--and there's a lot of it. Lenovo's current tagline is "For those who do," and hokey as it sounds, I'm trying to live up to that. I want to be one who does and makes. For many years I've used a Lenovo Thinkpad SL 510 as my primary computer. Thanks to a giveaway from Selfish Mom back in 2011, I ... [ Read More ]
Finch Robots Take Over the Chicago Library!
It was an exciting morning here at Code Phreaks-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stopped by to make an exciting announcement. Google Chicago has donated 500(!) Finch Robots to the Chicago Public Library system. Finch Robots Finch Robots were developed at Carnegie-Mellon University to provide a user-friendly introduction to programming. They are coded with a Scratch-like program called Snap. Indeed, the visual drag and drop interface makes it a snap ... [ Read More ]
Digital Kids to College Kids
I don't know if I shared this, but I'm continuing to write for the Sylvan Mom-Minded Blog. Last month I shared tips for raising digital kids, which goes beyond mere tips to provide useful resources via the links in the article. Check it out! about tip Looking to mix up a batch of slime or have science fun with dry ice? Check out my archived Sylvan posts here.I'm getting a little bit better at this Google+ Hangout On Air Thing. Give a ... [ Read More ]
Congressional STEM Competition: House App Challenge
The US House of Representative is sponsoring the first Congressional STEM Competition in the form of a Student App Challenge for high school students. Students 13 years and older from across the country may enter by creating and exhibiting an app for the device of their choice on the platform of their choice. Sound vague? Let's flip that around and call it open-ended. Think BIG! Apply to the Congressional STEM Competition Students must ... [ Read More ]
One Tablet Per Child
The old XO One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) has received a makeover and will be available this spring in tablet form. Two tablet forms, actually- the XO-2 ($149) and the XO-10 ($199). I was an early adopter of the XO and purchased one back in 2007 when the purchase price included a laptop for the buyer and another one for a child in a developing nation.I cleaned up my office over winter break and dusted off my defunct XO. I offered one of my boys a ... [ Read More ]
Teach Kids to Code with Tynker and a Giveaway!
Tynker is one of a slew of new programs to help kids learn to computer programming. Many of these new tools don't teach kids to code per se- they're not actually using Java or C++, however, they teach kids to think like coders. Tynker stands out from other programs, even ones we're fond of, like Scratch because of the tutorial that comes with the home version. More about that in a minute. Tynker is a browser-based program with a colorful, ... [ Read More ]