Monday (8/5) – Friday (8/16)
Given that this would be our first year holding the camp, the fact that there were roughly ten active participants each day made it a huge success. Web development, data and AI, cybersecurity, P5.js, Python, and Scratch were the topics that the students studied. The girls thoroughly enjoyed discovering new coding languages and broadening their knowledge of STEM. This curriculum was by an organization called Girls-who-Code, an international nonprofit organization that aims to support and increase the number of women in computer science.
Days 1 + 2
After plenty of technical difficulties and registration, the girls could begin coding! One of our Talon members, Charlotte, taught the first two days. Their first exposure to coding was with Scratch, a block based coding website. They each created a successful Wizards Wish Game by watching videos from the Girls-who-Code website. Though the day flew by, girls were eager for tomorrow after their first successful coding game!
Day two went by without any major technical hiccups, which was amazing! The ladies worked on The Never Refuse to Reuse Game, a somewhat more difficult coding game, on the last day of Scratch. During our Algorithmic Artist team-building activity, the girls had to collaborate in pairs to produce a drawing. Since scratch went so well, we moves onto P5.js and Python!
One of our students working on her final project in Scratch!
Days 3 + 4
Let the animating begin! Today was our first of two days of P5.js, led by the founder, Shruti. We started the day with a Tech Spotlight on Danielle Feinberg, a visual effects supervisor at Pixar Animation Studios. Afterwards, the girls worked on Intro to Animation and Lighting 3D Shapes using code such as “push” and “pop”.
On the fourth day, we had a longer day where the girls worked with Python. Using Python, they made a game called Poetry Remix using the Girls-who-Code curriculum. The girls also started working on their coding project in the last 30 minutes, which they will present on the last day. In addition, our final team-building exercise was a huge success!
Days 5 + 6
After a break from coding, the girls studied cyber-security under the lead of Vonnie, our Talon Business captain. During our Tech Spotlight, they discovered the story of Robin Maxkii, who began her career in computer science and technology by writing and blogging. After the video, the girls learned about topics like DNS, malware defense, and online privacy. They also played a coding game called The Missing Link: by Texas A&M University.
Cyphers composed day six, which was also a little bit lengthier. The girls worked with three different kinds of ciphers: columnar transposition, Caesar, and pigpen. After learning about these ciphers, students divided into two groups and each created a unique cipher that the other group had to decipher. This was a ton of fun for the girls!
Days 7 + 8
Day 7, we started learning about a new topic- Artificial Intelligence. We began by going over each other’s showcase project code. Then we learned about training AI. We trained Google’s TeachableMachine AI to recognize shapes and objects. Many girls taught the AI to differentiate between dogs and cats! They trained excellent AIs.
We kept learning about AI, and specifically AI art, on day eight! The girls studied artificial intelligence (AI) and modeled how generators and discriminators work together to create AI art. They were able to generate their images using a variety of prompts and styles. They produced some really amazing art! They afterwards considered the implications of AI art.
Our founder, Shruti helping one of the students with coding
Day 9
Today was packed with fun as we got ready for our showcase! We kicked things off with a lively Round Robin Testing session. Students paired up to give each other feedback on their projects, sharing what they liked (“glows”) and what could be improved (“grows”). The teachers jumped in to help with fixing bugs and brainstorming new ideas, making it a true team effort.
We also had a HTML lesson where the girls created their own websites. Many dedicated their pages to loved ones, with several students making heartfelt pages for their moms. It was touching to see their creativity and affection come to life. Audrey and Shruti divided the workload that day, with Audrey creating the curriculum and Shruti taking on the teaching responsibilities. By the end of the day, everyone was ready for a fantastic showcase the next day!
Day 10
Each girl has accomplished so much over the 10 days! On the last day, we hosted a coding presentation where the girls showcased their own original games, which were a hit among families! We celebrated with snacks and awarded certificates at the end of the camp. We are excited to host the next year of girls-who-code
All of our mentors, teachers and students on the final day of girls-who-code!
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