Last weekend we held the first Breakout Mentors Project Showcase event. It was a chance for all the Breakout Mentors students to come together, share what they have been working on, and draw inspiration from each others’ projects. I was blown away by the enthusiasm of the kids and the quality of their projects!
The event started with 6 students giving a three to five minute talk and demo of their creation. The pride each student had in their project was clearly evident, as well as the effort put into preparing for the short talk. The projects ranged from classic 2-D Java and Python games to an Android app and live website. The diversity of projects shows that there isn’t just one path to a computer programming education – the possibilities are limitless!
Following the demos was a chance to try out the different projects. Each student had a station with their laptop and a poster board, similar to a science fair. In addition to the 6 students that gave a live presentation, another 5 kids opted to participate in just the poster board segment.
The amount of mingling was perhaps the most gratifying aspect of the event. The kids were genuinely interested in trying the other projects and learning how they were done. The parents in attendance also viewed projects, which gave the students a lot of practice explaining their work and answering questions.
Huge thanks to Pejman and Mar Ventures for providing the excellent venue and helping to make the event run smoothly. We hope to have even greater participation next time!