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.

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!

​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.”

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).