Tag Archives: Google CS Engagement

Majoring in CS and mentoring along the way

Posted by Natalie Ang, Student, California State University, Fullerton

Editor's note: Natalie Ang is a student at California State University, Fullerton, majoring in Computer Science. She started a Google igniteCS mentorship program with her ACM-W chapter, and led the effort to introduce younger girls in her community to the world of programming.

My journey in computer science began in a computer systems class I took my freshman year of high school. Due to the many times I had to compile my program just to receive an error warning, I soon learned that programming takes much patience and effort. I found myself ready to throw the school computer out of the window, but the hours of frustration melted away the instant my program worked smoothly. That moment would become the reason I chose computer science as my major.

During my college orientation, I was told that girls make up 15% of the engineering field. The truth behind that shocking statistic became a reality when I experienced my first programming class where only 6 girls enrolled out of 40. Rather than be discouraged, it made me excited to represent the potential of women in engineering and lead me to join the Association for Computing Machinery Committee on Women (ACM-W) club. Like me, their goal is to increase the number of girls in engineering.

After becoming president of ACM-W, my club came across a program called Google igniteCS where groups can receive funding for their mentorship program. I knew that this opportunity would expand the club’s collaboration with the Girl Scouts of Orange County, so my team quickly applied with high hopes. When we found out that our club received funding, all of us were overjoyed and ready to put this money toward exposing young girls to the world of programming. For the next few months, the ACM-W hosted five events, each of them focused on teaching young girls scouts the countless possibilities involved with programming and where it can lead.

It wasn't easy creating the lesson plans from scratch or keeping everyone in the club organized, but we did it. Google not only gave us funds, but also the tools and suggestions to make our events successful. I'm fortunate to be a part of igniteCS and having the opportunity to share my passion for programming with other girls. Whenever I see their eyes light up from completing a task by themselves, I know that I am working towards the first step in increasing passion for engineering.
Another mentor and I set up Google Cardboard to use during a Google igniteCS session

Two of our mentees enjoying their Cardboard experience
igniteCS has allowed me to spread my passion for computer science and make a difference in the lives of girls in my own community. Through working with Google and the igniteCS team, I had the resources and support I needed to create a mentorship program that had the most impact. I am glad that I applied to igniteCS, and you should too!

igniteCS is accepting applications August 22nd - September 18th, 2016. To learn more, please visit our website at g.co/igniteCS. For more information about the application process, participate in our Hangout on Air on August 17th.

#CS4All starts with our teachers

Posted by Dylah Werbner, Education Program Manager

President Obama's Computer Science for All (#CSforAll) announcement in early 2016 emphasized that “we live in a time of extraordinary change.” Computer science (CS) education is being recognized at the federal level as a catalyst for future success. Last month, we joined an open letter to Congress, a request for national funding that would give every student across the U.S the opportunity to learn computer science. The movement to provide quality CS programs is gaining momentum, and Google is proud to be part of the community working toward that goal.

We believe that it’s not only important for our students to be creators of new technology, but for our teachers to also have the opportunity to be innovators and out-of-the-box thinkers. A global study conducted by McKinsey found that one of the main drivers of excellence in the best performing schools worldwide are tools and programs provided for teacher professional development. These opportunities give educators access to share best practices and create improved resources for the curriculum and pedagogy of any particular subject. At Google, we are committed to supporting the professional development of teachers though CS4HS, an annual funding program for global CS teacher professional development opportunities at the high school level.

CS4HS awards bring professional development opportunities to high school teachers who often lack the support and resources to teach computational thinking and computer science in their classrooms. Research institutions or professional development organizations partner with communities of local high school teachers to help them build knowledge, skills, and confidence in teaching computer science and computational thinking through ongoing professional development opportunities.
2015 CS4HS Buffalo State University workshop
Almost every state in the U.S. is grappling with a need for more CS courses and professional development opportunities for teachers. In Nebraska, for example, only nine out of 144 schools (63 high schools and 81 middle schools) offer an IT-related course. Through CS4HS funding and a PD program created by the University of Nebraska at Kearney, teachers will be able to participate in workshops, near-peer mentoring, and a community of practice that helps them integrate CS/IT teaching methodologies into their classrooms, and inspire a new generation of young people in rural Nebraska to become creators of technology.

Programs like the one at the University of Nebraska at Kearney are growing on a global scale. Since the launch of CS4HS in 2009, over 20,000 teachers have been trained through CS4HS professional development opportunities, and over one million students have benefited from these trainings. Funding is awarded to applicants that demonstrate a sound pedagogical approach to CS and a foundation of an ongoing community of practice around CS professional development. This coming school year, Google is increasing its investment in professional development by funding 34 institutions in the US and many others programs worldwide. Check out the CS4HS site for more information, or to learn about the 2017 funding cycle.

Perhaps the most significant emphasis of the McKinsey study is that the “the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.” The solution lies in a community of advocates that extends beyond our teachers, and builds a culture of dialogue through administrators, parents, policy makers, and companies. By providing funding for CS professional development programs, Google is working to ensure that our teachers are best prepared to serve the next generation of creators, embracing this time of innovation and extraordinary change.

Computer Science Education for All Students

Posted by Maggie Johnson, Director of Education and University Relations

Computer science education is a pathway to innovation, to creativity, and to exciting career prospects. No longer considered an optional skill, CS is quickly becoming a “new basic”, foundational for learning. In order for our students to be equipped for the world of tomorrow, we need to provide them with access to computer science education today.

At Google, we believe that all students deserve these opportunities. Today we join some of America’s leading companies, governors, and educators to support an open letter to Congress, asking for funding to provide every student in every school the opportunity to learn computer science. Google has long been committed to developing programs, resources, tools and community partnerships that make computer science engaging and accessible for all students.

We are strengthening that commitment today by announcing an additional investment of $10 million towards computer science education for 2017, along with the $23.5 million that we have allocated for 2016. This funding will allow us to build more resources, scale our programs, and provide additional support to our partners, with a goal of reaching an additional 5 million students.

With Congress’ help, we can ensure that every child has access to computer science education. Please join us by signing our online petition at www.change.org/computerscience.

#CSforAll: expanding computer science to all students

Posted by Mo Fong, Director K-12 Education Outreach

We believe it's important that all students have the opportunity to be creators—not just consumers—of technology. The study of computer science (CS) develops critical thinking skills, the kind that help solve complex problems and drive innovation, and opens doors for a variety of careers that integrate technology. That’s why we’re thrilled to be part of President Obama’s announcement this morning to expand CS to all students, especially those from underrepresented communities.

Today, alongside the President’s announcement, Google is committing to an additional investment of $23.5 million in 2016 to support K-12 CS education, with the aim to reach an additional 5 million students through our programs.

Our research shows that 9 in 10 parents want their child to learn CS but unfortunately schools face many barriers to offering CS in the classroom. Principals and superintendents say that they don’t have have enough time in the school day to have a dedicated CS class, and many schools aren’t able to find trained CS teachers. We applaud the White House, and the growing number of advocates, educators and companies across the country working to address these and other barriers.
We know we have to work together to overcome these challenges and we invite you to learn more about our programs and even more importantly, to join our efforts! Bring CS First to your school, encourage high school girls to try coding with Made with Code, or simply be part of the conversation about expanding access to CS in your community. Read more about some of our 2016 initiatives below that are part of today’s White House announcement, and roll up your sleeves, we’re right there with you!

  • CS First gives students ages 9-14 a chance to express themselves with code through projects focused on interest areas like sports, fashion, music, and more. No tech experience is needed to facilitate the program and materials are free. Over 250,000 students have experienced programming through CS First, and more are joining every day!
  • Made with Code inspires millions of girls to learn to code and to see computer science as a means to pursue their dream careers through introductory coding projects, profiles of women mentors using coding in diverse job paths, and a community of partners and nonprofits helping to sustain girls’ interest along their coding journey.
  • Google Summer of Code is a global online program offering student developers ages 18+ stipends & mentorship for open source coding projects. 
  • For computer science teachers, CS4HS is an annual program that improves the CS educational ecosystem by providing funding for the design and delivery of professional development. CS4HS supports teachers to learn and master new technical content and teach in more innovative and engaging ways.
  • We support non-profit organizations such as Code.org, through Google.org, Google Fiber, and our RISE Awards which are grants for organizations working to inspire the next generation of computer scientists, especially those that reach girls, underrepresented minorities, and students who face socio-economic barriers.
  • To dispel stereotypes, we’re working with Hollywood studios, writers and advocacy groups to showcase positive portrayals of girls, women, and underrepresented minorities in tech. 

Mindy Kaling at our kickoff Made with Code event in New York, June 2014
And while important work is getting done on the ground, we’re also helping to inform the field about the barriers to access CS education in our formal education system. Our computer science education research with Gallup helped us gain a deeper understanding of how administrators, teachers, parents and students perceive CS and the main challenges that high schools face in providing CS courses. This research will continue as a three year study so we can see how we are progressing over time. We’re excited that President Obama is elevating CS education as a vital, national issue and look forward to building on the momentum of #CS4All to bring CS learning opportunities to all students.

My coding journey

Posted by Hania Guiagoussou, Dublin High School, Dublin, California

Editor's note: Hania Guiagoussou is a junior attending Dublin High School in Dublin, California. Born in Montreal with parents from Chad, Hania is a tri-citizen Canadian / Chadian / American. Hania, when not coding, is also a long distance runner with Dublin High’s Track & Field team. She joins us today to share her perspective on how she became a coder. We celebrate CS Education so students like Hania can keep changing the world through apps like Hania’s WaterSaver.

What’s the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the term “coding”? Is it “geek”, “weird”, “boring”, or “complex”? If you came up with anything similar, chances are you are just like me before I started programming. My dad is a computer engineer and was constantly trying to get me into coding. I was more interested in enhancing my talent in art and drawing. I resisted, and just like most people my age, thought coding was a complicated foreign language. Nothing seemed cool or fun about it.

All of my opinions about programming changed, however, once I attended a Java programming workshop for kids. I was skeptical and honestly wasn’t excited about going at first. Once I arrived we started playing around with an animation tool called Alice. After a few hours we were taught the basics of the tool, and were left alone to experiment and develop our own programs. I ended up getting hooked and spent hours creating my first animation. I was actually having fun and forgot that I was programming. I still felt like an artist, applying my imagination to a screen instead of paper. After the workshop I fell in love with coding and began to program animations for school projects and for fun.

Using my newly acquired coding skills, I went on to develop projects with social impact. My first project was WaterSaver, which opened doors to countless opportunities and even fame! WaterSaver is a Java-based system built on the Raspberry Pi platform that intelligently controls water sources. The project was inspired by California’s severe drought and Lake Chad’s progressive disappearance (my parents are originally from Chad). The idea came about when I noticed that despite the severe drought, many households in my neighborhood weren't controlling their water usage. To solve this problem I programmed a system that adapts to changes in weather and soil conditions, and that gives users the ability to monitor and control water sources from anywhere. After completing my project I realized that my coding skills were like superpowers that I could use to innovate, help others, and change the world!
Hania hard at work on her Rasberry Pi / Java-based WaterSaver project
I submitted WaterSaver to a Pan-African competition in Chad. There I competed against many highly skilled competitors a lot older than me. The experience was nerve-racking, but I believed in my project and knew that it had the potential to help others. I ended up winning 3rd place in Africa and 1st place in Chad. The prize was quite grand, $10,000 in my pocket! After the award ceremony, kids were running up and trying to take pictures with me; they were just amazed by what I had accomplished. I also had the media dying to schedule newspaper, radio, and TV interviews with me. Keep in mind that 24 hours prior, I was just an ordinary, unknown teen.

My favorite part of the experience was that I inspired so many children in Chad. During my trip I had the chance to sit down with other girls and exchange details of our everyday lives. I discovered that these girls were a lot like me -- they were connected to social media, watched TV, and went to school. The striking difference, however, is that many young girls in Chad (and in many other countries in Africa) are forced to get married before the age of 18 despite restriction regarding underage marriage in their countries. This fact shocked me and helped me realize how lucky American girls are to have the opportunity to finish school.

A year after my trip to Africa, I was given another amazing opportunity, a Keynote speech at Javaone for Kids. During my talk I had the chance to inspire hundreds of kids to pursue coding and follow their dreams. A week later I was selected among 9 million Java developers from around the world to become the youngest recipient of Oracle’s Duke’s Choice Award, which recognizes and honors outstanding innovation using Java technology. This award was not just a win for me, but for all teenage girls. I want other girls to see what I have accomplished and have the opportunity, and the will, to do the same.
Hania receiving the Oracle Duke's Choice Award (Hania is with her dad Mahamat and an Oracle rep)
I used to be a typical teenage girl who thought coding was boring and odd. I never really saw myself as programmer and just thought it wasn't for me. But little did I know that attending one workshop would completely change my perception. I came to realize that programming is like art: you use creativity, imagination, and critical thinking to create a functioning piece of code.

Women are highly underrepresented in the tech field. Statistics from The Huffington Post indicate that In 2013, just 26 percent of computing jobs in the U.S. were held by women. I don't have to check statistics to figure that out. At my school, every engineering class has an uneven male to female ratio. I remember one of my friends asking me “what class are you going to” and I responded “computer programming”. She cringed with a disgusted look!

My friend’s reaction opened my eyes. I see my old self in every single girl who believes that she isn’t smart enough, strong enough, or determined enough to engage in the tech field. That is why I have made it my mission to get young girls around the world to embrace and see the potential of programming, to discover their hidden talents, and to believe that all you need to code is the determination and passion to learn.

The movies you love are Made with Code

Posted by Kate Parker, Google's Made with Code initiative

Editor's note: Building on the last post about the importance of perceptions of CS—and computer scientists—in the media, here we're sharing more about the new initiative from Made with Code and Disney•Pixar to show the power of code this CSEdWeek. 

If you’ve seen Disney•Pixar’s latest hit Inside Out, a film about 11 year old Riley as she journeys through life with the help of her Emotions, you know it’s a movie with the power to capture students’ imaginations, engage their creativity and tap into their emotions.

This year, in celebration of Computer Science Education Week, Google’s Made with Code initiative is tapping into that spirit by teaming up with Disney•Pixar to launch a new Inside Out coding project—inspiring students to explore how computer programming plays a role in animated films like Inside Out.
The new coding project invites students to navigate Riley through three different movie scenes using a visual programming language, and introduces coding principles, such as sequencing, if / then statements and looping, along the way. After each completed level, students unlock scenes from the film, and when students need to try again, the lovable Emotions from Inside Out cheer on.
In addition, to help change perceptions of coding, the initiative also features profiles of the women who use computer science to bring Inside Out and Disney•Pixar animated films to life, including Danielle Feinberg who uses code to create the lighting for animated films, and Fran Kalal who uses programming to design and simulate characters’ outfits.

This project builds on Made with Code’s effort to engage more teen girls in computer science and to help them see coding as a means to pursue their dream careers. Since its launch in 2014, millions of teen girls have participated in introductory Made with Code projects, ranging from coding holiday trees outside of the White House to programming 3D printed wearables, and even making the lights and patterns of an LED dress that went down the runway of NY Fashion Week.

As students across the U.S. participate in this year’s Hour of Code we hope students and teachers alike will enjoy the new Disney•Pixar and Made with Code project online, as well as the supporting videos, this week and all year long

CS in media: we are what we see

Posted by Julie Ann Crommett, CS Education in Media Program Manager

Editor's note: Positive perceptions of Computer Scientists make CS Education more inclusive, accessible and identifiable to all students. If you’re ready to start your first Hour of Code during CSEdWeek 2015, check out Google’s High Seas and Inside Out introductory Hour of Code activities.

My TV hero growing up had red hair, wore awesome outfits, and taught science to a diverse group of students. You guessed it, she’s Ms. Frizzle aka The Frizz from PBS’s The Magic School Bus! Her mantra was “Take chances, make mistakes and get messy. It’s the only way you learn.” That mantra is particularly relevant in the world of technology and computer science (CS), and here at Google we are continually trying new, sometimes crazy ideas, and learning from our successes and from our failures. But, what if Ms. Frizzle had never existed?

Close your eyes. Think of your favorite TV show or movie. Is there a scientist, a hacker or, more specifically, a computer scientist in it? What do they look like? Chances are, they are male, white or Asian, wear glasses, and are portrayed as nerdy and anti-social. Based on analysis from the Geena Davis Institute (GDI), only 11% of family films, 19% of children’s shows and 22% of prime-time programs feature women and men equally in speaking parts. Combine these staggering statistics with an overall dearth of CS characters on-screen (see chart below), and it’s no wonder we all think of the same stereotypical image for a programmer.
Why is this a problem? As Google’s Women Who Choose CS--What Really Matters study and the recently published Google-Gallup report, Images of Computer Science: Perceptions Among Students, Parents and Educators in the U.S. found, perceptions of careers in computer science really matter. On-screen stereotypes of those who engage in CS persist as do students’, parents’, and educators’ personal perceptions leading to particularly girls and underrepresented boys not seeing themselves in the field- or in other words, if you can’t see it you can’t be it.

At Google we believe we have a role to play in bridging this gap, which is why we’ve assembled a team that is focused on making CS more appealing to a wider audience, by dispelling stereotypes and showcasing positive portrayals of underrepresented minorities in tech. We are working hand-in-hand with writers, producers, networks, studios, and our own YouTube team to create new and diverse storylines about the limitless creative opportunities computer science provides. This is an opportunity to lift back the curtain on tech and feature stories that all too often go untold.

We’ve partnered with writers and producers of a variety of shows, including ABC Family’s The Fosters, Disney Jr’s Miles from Tomorrowland, FOX’s Empire and HBO’s Silicon Valley to bring the voices of real-life diverse software engineers to the screen. We also premiered award-winning director Lesley Chilcott’s newest film, CodeGirl, on YouTube for free for five days garnering almost 1M views. Great partners like Geena Davis Institute, Paley Center for Media, Campus Movie Fest and others are raising awareness of these issues and helping to move the needle on diversity in Hollywood.

We’re excited to join YouTube Kids in celebrating Computer Science Education Week with a curated playlist (on the YouTube Kids app) of Google engineers’ favorite CS content, including a special piece celebrating Ada Lovelace’s 200th birthday (Today, Dec. 10th). We hope Ada will inspire budding programmers everywhere so over on YouTube Kids we’re bringing her story to life with a little help from Presley at Act Out Games and Inklings Creative. Who is Ada Lovelace, you might ask? Well, you’ll have to watch the short film to find out!
Celebrate Ada’s contributions to CS by sharing the short with friends and family and join us in changing the face of CS one image at a time.

Ideally, one day all students will have an inspiring role model that they can relate to and that encourages them to “take chances, make mistakes and get messy!” It really is the only way to learn.