For this project, my students are members of my Girls Who Code club. This is an after school club that meets to build sisterhood, grow coding skills, and inspire girls and non-binary students to pursue their passions in computer science. The Girls Who Code members represent a diverse set of learners who are motivated to make a difference. We have received some donations of various maker supplies and kits, and the girls are eager to get started with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and other coding kits. In order to effectively use these kits, they really need a dedicated laptop that will allow the girls to download the necessary software and interface with the physical elements.
This laptop will be used by current and future club members.
There are several projects my students can work on immediately. We have a makeblock that allows students to write programs that can be run on a mini console. The laptop allows them access to software needed to write the programs and load them onto the makeblock. Without the laptop all they can do is run pre-loaded software. Our club has also been able to acquire a handful of Raspberry Pi boards, Arduino kits, and all the necessary wire, bulbs, and sensors to begin making cool projects. However, without a laptop, we are missing a place to write the code that runs the project as well as a way to upload those projects to the boards themselves.
Not only will members from our club benefit from the experience, but they will be able to share their projects with younger students at some of our outreach events. The laptop will allow us a mobile lab where we can allow others to interact with out projects. This will help us engage more girls in the excitement of computing and combat the wide gender disparity in the field.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Hamilton and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
