Katie Coders

Changing futures,
one line of code at a time.


  • Katie Coder Home Page
  • Learn
    • Super Mario Bros
    • Arduino Kit Components
    • Voltage, Resistance & Current
    • Vocabulary
    • Arduino Lesson 8. Analog Inputs
    • LED Control
    • Pulse Sensor Guide

12/11/2018

Spring 2019

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Register Here

Learn JavaScript!

In this interactive class, we will use Javascript to create animations, memes, slideshows, video filters and more. This class is for beginners who have little or no experience and are interested in learning how to use code to express their creativity and solve problems. Everything that we create in this 5-week class will be saved to vidcode.com so that participants will be able to share their creations with their families after class.
Cost: $150. Full-scholarship and reduced cost options are available.
Monday nights 630-830pm, from January 7 - February 14, 2019
St Catherine University, Mendel Hall, Room 214
Additional information will be sent prior to the start of the class.
If you are eligible for free and reduced price lunches, or need to request a discount in order to participate, please email Siri Anderson ssandreson2@stkate.edu prior to completing this online registration form.
Register Here

Share

0 Comments

1/21/2018

Katie Coders Spring 2018 REGISTER NOW!

Read Now
 

Register Now!

Katie Coders is back this Spring, and better than ever! This year we have two really exciting courses planned.  We have a course for new Katie Coders about Computational Thinking and Coding. We also have a course for returning Katie Coders (or new participants with previous coding experience) in Wearable Tech. You can check out the course descriptions below.

Katie Coders is a program designed specifically for girls age 11-17 to promote the participation of girls and women in the technology world. Girls will be taught and mentored by other women who share a passion for technology.  Katie Coders is also sponsored by St. Catherine University, an institution that has supported the education and advancement of women for 114 years!

This year, we will be charging a fee for the Katie Coders program in order to ensure continued fabulous programming.  We recognize that the fee may make participation cost prohibitive for some, so we have provided different options for reduced pricing and scholarships. Please do not let cost be your only obstacle to participation.  Contact us with any questions or concerns related to cost.

Due to the highly interactive style of the courses, class sizes are limited.  Please be sure to register early to ensure your spot in the course!

We also love (and need) volunteers!! if you or someone you know would like to be a part of the Katie Coders, please contact Kathy Lopac at kmlopac@stkate.edu or visit our volunteer sign-up form. No prior technology experience is required, but we certainly love it if you do have it! Volunteers will be assigned to tasks that are fitting of their skill set. Preference will be given to those who can attend all or most of the sessions.

If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to ask.  Contact Kathy Lopac at kmlopac@stkate.edu with any questions not answered in this communication.

We can’t wait to see you in February!
Sincerely,
The Katie Coders Team


Important Details:
Cost:
The price of the program this year will be $300 for 10, 2-hour sessions.  The Wearable Tech course will have an additional required materials fee of $100 for the kit the participants get to take home ($150 if you choose to purchase the bonus sensors kit).

At check-out you will be provided with four options for payment:  
  • The first option will be $400 (plus tech-fee, if applicable), which is the full price of the program plus providing scholarship money for other participants.  
  • The second option will be $300 (plus tech-fee, if applicable) which we ask is the price for anyone making over the MN median household income of $58,476.  
  • The third option will be $150 (plus tech-fee, if applicable) for any household at or under the MN median household income, no documentation is required.
  • The fourth option will be $0, full scholarship. Limited availability for these seats and reserved for those eligible for full financial support for school meals.
The payment interface can be a little confusing.  Complete all the pages and your payment amount will be chosen near the end.

Meeting Time:
Tuesdays, 6-8pm

Meeting Dates:
February 13th-April 17th (10 meetings)

Meeting Location:
Mendel Hall

To register, choose a class:
Computational Thinking: http://bit.ly/2DslgLi
Wearable Tech: http://bit.ly/2F2rZbp



Tuesdays, 6-8pm 
February 13th-April 17th 
St. Catherine University St. Paul, MN
To register, choose a class
Computational thinking Girls 11-14
Wearable Tech Girls 14-17
Course Descriptions:

Computational Thinking and Coding (Ages 11-14)
Code is everywhere! In our homes, in our hands, and even in our clothes! Understanding the basics of how computers work their “magic” has become as relevant as being able to read, write, and do math!  
Inspired by some of the mini-golfing antics at CanCan Wonderland in St. Paul, girls in this class will work individually and in teams to create a table top “mini golf” course that will include the use of logic problems, Little Bits, and coding with the Arduino microprocessor. The program will culminate with a big party for participants and invited guests. This Katie Coders program will provide a basic introduction to coding, but also to the thinking skills important to being a coder known as “computational thinking” or CT.

Wearable Tech (Ages 13-17)
This Katie Coders program will introduce the fundamentals of computational thinking and programming in C++.  Integrating Arduino-based digital sensors into applications, we will transform our bodies into interactive canvases that we can use to both “know” and “create” in the world.  We will design and fashion Wearables--but not just for bling-- around our breath, movement, temperature and position to learn more about our physical selves and the digital tools that increasingly shape our experiences. 
Participants will learn hands-on C++ coding lessons in a scaffolded manner across the classes. By the end of the program, they will be able to imagine, debug, and build ways for Arduino-powered sensors to respond to and support human interests or needs. This course requires the purchase of an Arduino Adafruit ARDX kit and some additional components, which participants will keep so they can continue building after the course ends. This Wearable Tech course is appropriate for previous Katie Coders who have completed at least two seasons of classes. This class is also open to interested girls who have confidence in using Scratch to run a multiple variable program or have taken an Intro to Computer Science course.  
Materials Fee: $100 for required kit or $150 for required kit + bonus sensors kit

Share

4/19/2016

Summer Coding Camps at the Science Museum of Minnesota

Read Now
 
The Science Museum of Minnesota teamed up with St. Catherine University and Metropolitan State University and received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The project is called LinCT (Linking Educators, Youth, and Learners in Computational Thinking). The Science Museum has hired Two female Education Students from St. Kate’s and Three female Education Students from Metro State. Those students will be teamed up with some high schoolers and teach the technology camps during the summer to students between 6-13 years old. There are still some spots open for these technology classes which can be located at https://www.smm.org/classes 
Some of these classes are:
Design a Computer Game: (9-12)
LNDSG0627
Build your own interactive game or story using programming software from the MIT Media Lab called Scratch. Select a theme, write a story, build an environment, create characters, and add puzzles and sound effects.
Design a Smart Boat House:(9-12)
LNDSH0627
Create a high-tech dream houseboat of the future. Using handheld computers and recycled materials, build and design a mini houseboat that responds to the world around it. Add sound and motor power, and take your boat sailing before you bring it home
Super Scratch: (6-8)
LXSUS0620
Create your own simple interactive animations, learn the basics of computer programming, and design a simple computer game using newly developed Scratch Junior. Create your own board game as you discover basic programming principles.
Scratch Game Masters: (9-12)
LNSGM0725
​
Advance your Scratch 2.0 computer game making skills as you power up, make your own blocks, and use the camera to control the game with your body. Great as a follow up to our popular Design a Computer Game class. Access your game online and play later. *Prior Scratch experience is recommended.


Share

4/5/2016

PreSTEM Assessment

0 Comments

Read Now
 

Take Part!

Data is our friend, it helps us learn. Data can show us where we need to focus our attention, and where we are super cool already. 

You can help us improve the Katie Coders, and our understanding of the best ways to teach Computational Thinking and Coding/STEM  by taking this assessment before and after you learn with us. 

​Link here!

Share

0 Comments

10/5/2015

St. Kate Partners on Middle School Coding Research

0 Comments

Read Now
 

Sci Girls Code Receives 1.2 Million for 3 year middle school coding project

​From http://lt.umn.edu/news/tptscigirlsnsf/
Scharber, TPT, and NGCP Receive NSF award for SciGirls Code Project
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Twin Cities PBS’s (TPT) National Productions Department a $1.2 million grant for a two-year media, educational outreach and research project, SciGirls Code: A National Connected Learning Model to Integrate Computing in STEM Learning with Middle School Girls.
This project is a collaborative effort between TPT, the National Girls Collaborative (NGCP), and the LT Media Lab. Dr. Cassandra Scharber, a Co-PI, will lead the research efforts for this project. Joan Freese, from TPT, is the PI, and Karen Peterson, from the National Girls Collaborative, is a Co-PI.
From the press release:“SciGirls Code will use principles of connected learning, a learner-focused approach that harnesses the advances and innovations of our connected age to serve learning, with 16-committed STEM (science, technology engineering & math) outreach partners to provide 160 girls and their 32 leaders with computational thinking and coding skills. The pilot program will develop and implement a nine-month curriculum centering on three tracks—e-textiles, robotics, and mobile geospatial technologies; role model training for female technology professionals; professional development for STEM educators; and a research component that investigates the ways in which computational learning experiences impact the development of computational thinking as well as interest and attitudes toward computer science.”

Share

0 Comments

9/7/2015

Science Museum of MN and St. Kate's PartnerĀ 

0 Comments

Read Now
 

LinCT: Linking Educators, Youth, and Learners in Computational Thinking

SUMMARY
National Science Foundation Award Number #1513009
3,000 suburban learners ages 6-13 will engage in technology-based learning experiences across both informal & formal educational settings. Programs will be led by female pre/in-service teachers & youth from demographics that are underrepresented in STEM.

DESCRIPTION
This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by producing empirical findings and/or research tools that contribute to knowledge about which models and interventions with K-12 students and teachers are most likely to increase capacity in the STEM and STEM cognate intensive workforce of the future.
The LinCT (Linking Educators, Youth, and Learners in Computational Thinking) project at the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) will engage female teachers-in-training and youth from underrepresented demographics in immersive technology experiences and STEM education. LinCT will guide teachers to develop their understanding and use of technology in the classroom, as well as prepare youth for a future where technology plays a key role in a wide range of professional opportunities. The project aims to inspire teachers and youth to see the possibilities of technological competencies, as well as why the incorporation of technology can build meaningful learning experiences and opportunities for all learners. The LinCT program model offers learning and application experiences for participating teachers and youth and provides an introduction of technological tools used in SMM educational programs and professional development on approaches for engaging all learners in STEM. Both groups will provide instruction in SMM technology-based Summer Camps, reaching 1,000 young people every year. In each following school year, project educators will develop and deliver technology-based programs to nearly 1,000 under-served and underrepresented elementary students. The project will allow teachers and youth to deliver exciting and engaging technology-based programs to nearly 4,000 diverse young learners. As a result, all participants in this project will be better equipped to incorporate technology in their future careers.
The LinCT project will investigate effective approaches for broadening the participation of underrepresented populations by providing female pre-service teachers and female youth with opportunities to lead programming at the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM). Over three years, the LinCT project will employ 8-12 female teachers-in-training [Teacher Tech Cadres (TTC)] and 12-24 female youth [Youth Teaching Tech Crews (Y-TTC)] from demographics that are underrepresented in STEM fields. The integration of these groups will result in relationships fostered within an educational program, where all participants are learners and teachers, mentors and mentees. The results of this unique program model will be assessed through the experiences of this focused professional learning and teaching community. The LinCT research study will focus on three aspects of the project. First, it will seek to understand how the teachers-in-training and youth experience the project model's varied learning environments. Next, the study will explore how the TTC's and the Y-TTC's motivation, confidence, and self-efficacy with integrating technology across educational settings change because of the program. Finally, the study will seek to understand the lasting aspects of culture, training, and community building on SMM's internal teams and LinCT partner institutions (University of St. Catherine's National Center for STEM Elementary Education and Metropolitan State University's School of Urban Education).

Share

0 Comments
<<Previous
Details

    The National Center for STEM Elementary Education (NCSEE) has offered coding opportunities to girls since 2014. NCSEE has introduced over 500 girls to coding activities such as Scratch, App Inventor, and Code.org.

    ​Interim Director Dr. Siri Anderson serves as co-PI on a National Science Foundation grant with Twin Cities Public Television Sci Girls, the National Girls Collaborative Project, XSci and many others. Their research around gender equitable teaching strategies in technical and STEM fields informs this new iteration of the Katie Coder experience. Rather than the open-ended individual experimentation experience indicative of the Coder Dojo, this learning experience will engage participants in an ongoing project requiring creativity, collaboration, authentic applications of computer science and engineering design processes, facilitate opportunities for girls to receive meaningful and encouraging feedback on their progress, connect participants to role models and foster an expanded sense of STEM identity.

    Example Lightblue Bean Projects: ​http://legacy.punchthrough.com/bean/examples/

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Katie Coder Home Page
  • Learn
    • Super Mario Bros
    • Arduino Kit Components
    • Voltage, Resistance & Current
    • Vocabulary
    • Arduino Lesson 8. Analog Inputs
    • LED Control
    • Pulse Sensor Guide