Summer 2018 Archives

Philly CoderDojo Summer Newsletter

A big big thank you to our PCD Volunteer Tech Mentors!

We are infinitely appreciative of the volunteer efforts of the teachers and volunteer technical and non-technical mentors who have dedicated their countless personal hours to teach coding to youth at Philly CoderDojo. (PCD). Thank you!

Joshua: Ninja Summer Internship
My name is Joshua and I am 16 years old. I have the great opportunity of working as a paid intern at PECO, in the IT department for the summer of 2018. During my Sophomore year I had two great opportunities I believe have prepared me for my internship. I was a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) preparer during the tax season. I assisted with preparing taxes for clients, face to face and drop offs, filed completed returns, and assisted clients with basic tax questions. I also participated with the coding club Philly CoderDojo. With the help of Philly CoderDojo’s expertise in languages such as HTML5, Python, Scratch, and many more, I believe this will be valuable in my new opportunity. I was glad to be in the presence of such amazing mentors that helped me learn these languages to make games and further expand my knowledge on coding.
The Dojo is a place that challenged and convinced me to expand my imagination to make original pieces of code in my own image. It is also a place where age was nothing but a number, my 6-year-old sister even knows how to do a thing or two, I wish I knew how to make my own games at that age. The Dojo provides an atmosphere of inspiration that shows that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible and you can follow your dreams.

In the future, I wish to graduate with a major in Computer Science at MIT. I plan to make this goal attainable by taking AP Computer Science classes in my Junior and Senior years in high school. I also plan to have my own gaming company, that will vary from all sorts of genres of gaming such as: RPG’s, Action, Adventure, Horror etc. Philly CoderDojo added fuel to my technological flame and therefore allowed me to set these goals and I look forward to achieving them.

End of Year – Dr Ethel Allen: Mrs. Jalloh is a 3rd grade teacher at Dr Ethel Allen Elementary School where we hold monthly dojos afterschool after a shortened girls scout meeting on 2nd Tuesdays of the month. She is the Girl Scouts troop leader. She is invested in her young students mostly ladies learning about STEM careers and developing coding skills. She recently bought a group of girls scouts to a Philly CoderDojo field trip to the Philadelphia Science Festival and last week gladly awarded a few of her troop member their tech badges for participation in Philly CoderDojo. Mrs. Jalloh is becoming a tech mentor along with Ms. Thomas and Ms. Williams who both teach 6th grade. Mrs. Jalloh says that our ninjas learn a lot skills like coding while creating animated Scratch projects with movement. It improves their concentration she says. They’re really excited about the coding program because they can’t wait for the next new month for it to take place. They learn how to code and help each other find their places where they left off in coding. I think they have a great time and we can’t wait until next year to start again. Those that are leaving us we hope they get into a school that has a coding program like ours or continue with coding if they have their own computers.

Ninjas: Should you choose to accept your summer Coding Mission: We learned Scratch at Bethune & Dr Ethel Allen Elementary Schools as well as Bright Hope & Bethlehem Baptist Churches. Click on the links below to create your own projects and/ or refresh your memory – CoderDojo Beginner Scratch Sushi Card , Feline Fighters Scratch Feline Fighters, Cat/Mouse Cat and mouse & Crazy Cat Claw Crazy Cat Claws; CodeClub Scratch Rockband; Scracth.mit.edu Dance Party Mix 2

Looking Forward to Fall 2018: after brushing up on scratch projects from last term’s dojos, start developing your new skills in Beginner HTML/ CSS

Click Philly CoderDojo for fall dates to attend. Have a Safe & Wonderful Summer!