We were so pleased with our first run of the CS First – Game Design activities during our Spring 2015 after-school Computer Club for students in third and fourth grade at Jackson-Via ES.
We discovered Google’s CS First midway in our Scratch Club schedule this spring, and thus we ran out of meetings before we were able to finish all of the activities. Our students were happy to see that they could continue on with the lessons on their own after the club ended. Next fall we are planning for a more-complete set of activities and will offer a Storytelling club in addition to the Game Design club.
We have been happy that the students who signed up for the club this year included a number of girls and ESL students, and we noticed that ALL of the students were very engaged in the CS First activities. Thanks, Google and CS First – but thanks most of all to the friendly CS First folks who are helping us get started!
One of the resources Google has created in its effort to increase diversity is a program aimed at women and minorities between the ages of 9 and 14 that hopes to entice them to the computer science universe. Called CS First, the program provides “free, easy-to-use computer science enrichment materials that target and engage a diverse student population.”
via Google search: Inclusion of minorities, women becomes priority in tech industry | Fox News Latino.
Live & Learn! 