Our students working with 1-on-1 programming mentors have made some fun projects over the course of the year. In early June we had our second annual Student Showcase event, where they had the opportunity to share a project and see what other kids have made. Imagine a science fair with optional 3 minute presentations.
There were nearly 20 Breakout Mentors students in attendance and a wide array of projects. The students ranged from 8 to 15 years-old and from 2 months of coding experience to 4 years. The projects ranged from simple drag-and-drop games to college level Computer Science algorithms.
All the attendees came away thoroughly impressed, not just in the coding ability of the students, but also the creativity of the projects. No two were alike, and you could tell these projects weren’t the result of everyone going through a standard tutorial. The kids brainstormed feature ideas and fun graphics to create their unique projects.
It is a valuable experience for kids to share something they created of which they are proud. But equally as important, they were exposed to many different types of programming and saw first-hand where they can go if they keep learning to code. There is a daunting gap between where they currently are and Google, the Student Showcase was an opportunity to see their own peers with slightly more programming experience.
Here are a few photos from the event and video of some of the student’s project presentations.
