#teachtheweb

Zach Minster & I started the SPARK! Hackathon as a way to share the enthusiasm we have found in students who discover computer science & coding with the thriving tech community in Charlottesville. What we discovered during the planning and running of the event the first time is that students are eager for opportunities to collaborate with others and work on meaningful projects while the tech community is eager to hear their ideas and help them create. 

What we’ve learned now that we’ve run the 2nd annual SPARK! Hackathon, is that this is an experience worth repeating and sharing. Toward that end, we were very fortunate to have Mozilla partner with us this year. They helped us ground our focus in the principles of openness, accessibility, diversity and community. They also brought some awesome mentors along from Austin, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles and Waynesboro to give us support while taking away ideas. Here are some of the insights that they have shared about their SPARK! Hackathon experience:

Hackathons: always be learning (Link Clark, Coding4TX)

Lessons learned at SPARK 2017 (Chad Sansing, Mozilla)

Performing the Net… of Things (Robert Friedman, Mozilla Hive Austin)

We do a lot of planning and prep work to make the hackathon happen, but once it starts, we do everything in our power to hand it over to the participants. Our first year, that was a very scary prospect. What if the kids didn’t get it or they bailed or chaos ensued? None of that happened, well maybe a little chaos, but that’s what it’s like to give up control. That’s why I believe that this hackathon is student-driven learning at it’s best. We set up a framework with workshops for learning new skills and problem statements to solve, but its the students who make the decisions about what to learn, how to solve the problem and who to work with. To expand student-ownership of the event this year, we recruited some past participants to work with workshop leaders, provide mentoring to participants and to staff the new SPARK Central (an area where participants could ask questions and find/request materials), plus they also picked out the snacks:)

The SPARK! Hackathon experience reminds me that our future relies on the youth of today wielding the power of tech for good. As Mozilla hackathon mentor Link Clark reflected, experiences like these "give us the chance to lay the foundation for students to build a more just and inclusive society while generating awesome ideas and writing code." There’s really no better way to spend the weekend!

We would love to see more events like this and are thinking of starting some fringe events throughout the year that can reach even more students in our region. If you would like to start a hackathon experience for the youth in your community, we’ve shared some resources and we’d love to hear from you:

Problem Statement Guidelines

Workshop Guidelines

Mentor Guidelines​

Consent & Release Form

Sample Schedule

Planning Guide

I’ve been meaning to write a blog post about all the techness in my life the past few months, but my presentation, Women + Web = <STRONG>, from the Global Education Conference pretty much covers it all - CBIC Tech Tour, Girls Geek Days, Charlottesville Women in Tech, Computer Science Meets the Classroom, MozFest, Women & Web, oh my!

Session Description

We’ve got serious challenges facing our world and the way we engage with technology can be part of the problem or part of the solution. It’s on us as educators, as schools and as communities to engage our learners with these problems and empower them to address issues through digital literacy on a web that is open and inclusive.

I recently participated in MozFest, the world’s leading festival for the open internet movement. My first stop was Mozilla’s Women and Web Convening. It was an opportunity to connect in real life with women from around the world including the USA, South Africa, Kenya, India, Mexico & Canada.

During our time together, we identified issues related to women and the web, then explored solutions. What we discovered is that many root causes and symptoms are common throughout the world and involve education, but the solutions to address these issues most often need to be context-specific.

The goal of this session is to keep the dialog and action going, especially as it relates to primary and secondary education. Participants will share their story of where they see needs/gaps related to an inclusive and open web for women and girls. Then together we will brainstorm solutions and begin to identify targets, allies and opposition.

Session resources:

Slidedeck

Mozilla’s Women & Web Literacy

Mozilla's Web Literacy Map

Journey to MozFest

Padlet for Brainstorming

Você já conhece o Rio Mozilla Club? É um projeto social da Mozilla que busca ensinar novas habilidades digitais e letramento web no Rio de Janeiro.

Each month we spotlight a woman or girl in tech who inspires us. This month we are highlighting Amira Dhalla. Amira works at the Mozilla Foundation as the Lead for Women and Web Literacy. Like many others, she loves the Internet and the power it gives to individual people. And like Mozilla, she wants the Internet to remain an open and innovative place that is accessible to all people. Amira has worked for many years building communities and movements among nonprofits, startups, social enterprises and technology-focused organizations.

How do you work with technology today? I’m lucky enough to work at a technology company where I get to continuously expand my own skills while also developing programs and resources for those who want to teach the web. I help our communities and organizations around the world teach digital literacy and the importance of the web. In my role I get to work on programs that allow women to develop the ability to read, write and participate—equitably and safely—on the Internet through increasing Web Literacy, encouraging women in tech and developing inclusive practices. One of the programs we’re working on is Mozilla Clubs, which are on-going events that teach digital literacy in local communities. Since we launched in 2015, we have 220+ Mozilla Clubs in over 100 cities around the world. I also love to teach. In my spare time I like to mentor and teach HTML, CSS, Scratch, and other hands on making/learning activities to young girls who are interested in technology.

What drives your interest in technology? With technology, the opportunities to learn, grow and share are endless. That is what excites me. The fact that we can collaborate, innovate and teach with individuals around the world 24/7 is exhilarating. It means we can connect, share and create at a much greater and faster rate. And it means the possibility of what we build is endless.

What do you remember about your first coding experience? Many years ago I worked for a start-up called My City Lives. Since we were small there were only a handful of us on the team and we had limited resources. I was itching to create and didn’t have the skills, people or funds to do it so I started teaching myself how to design and code. I remember the excitement I felt when I would think of an idea, prototype it and share it with others. I felt empowered to do more and teach others how to build their own confidence online.

What was your pathway to working in technology? I wrote an article about this in the Metro! The backstory is that I used to work for some great companies where I managed popular brands including Unilever, P&G, Kraft and Disney and while I liked the products and programs that I worked on I felt like I didn’t have a voice or wasn’t creating the impact I desired. I remember the moment when I suggested the brand I worked on, Dove Body Wash, should get a Facebook page or start developing a mobile app and everyone brushed aside my idea. Little did they know how important technology and online platforms would be! I quickly jumped to small start-ups to work on mobile turnkey solutions and digital media platforms with social missions. Once there I knew I was in a place where I could continue to grow and build my skills, while creating products/programs I cared about.

Why is it important to get more girls and women interested in technology? Where do I start? Well, we make up 50% of the world’s population and yet we are not equal owners of resources, access and development. We need more women and girls in technology to ensure that more technology lands into the hands of women and that it is being built to support women. We’re seeing technology that was not always built for our needs and in turn pushes women further away from technology. When we have more knowledge and representation in technology we can innovate better and faster.

Who inspires you to pursue your passion? The global community of volunteers I work with at Mozilla are continuously surprising me with their dedication to breaking down barriers for access and equity in technology. And the many allies (there are too many to list!) I have in my work and life that are constantly encouraging me to push the boundaries on issues I care about hold on to my passion. Allies, mentors, role models; they are so important to have for continuous support and guidance.

What most excites you about the future of technology? As people become more empowered and have a greater sense of how to be producers (not just consumers) of technology, we will unlock the next wave of possibilities. If we can continue to advocate for digital literacy to be a core part of on-going education than everyone has the potential to be a technologist in the future and understand how to use technology to improve upon their ideas or enhance existing ones.

What advice would you give to your younger self? I really liked my younger self. She was eager and overly ambitious. I would tell her to hold on to that but to learn how to find her voice and understand how she can use it to have the biggest impact. To understand what are the issues she cared most about, that she was willing to not sleep for, and understand how she can bring change to those issues. I would remind her that failures happen, and it happens quite often but it’s not such a bad thing and while you’re so eager to make things don’t be afraid to break things along the way.

I was asked by Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC) to share what being a volunteer means to me. Most of the time, it means working behind-the-scenes for the greater good, to be part of something that is bigger than you that’s changing the world or at least your part of it. You don’t do it for the recognition, but because you are passionate about the work. So being recognized as the 2016 Volunteer of the Year was an honor and icing on the cake of my volunteer experience with CBIC.

I started volunteering soon after my son was born because I found myself pretty disillusioned with corporate culture’s attitude toward motherhood, but I still wanted to be productive and part of something. For me, it started in my church doing things I was already comfortable with like web design and tech support. It blossomed into more meaty roles that took me out of my comfort zone like Executive Board Member for IMPACT and Mozilla Super Mentor & Club Captain.

I recently got to hear one of my tech heroes, Anita Jones, drop of some words of wisdom on young women attending the Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing. I loved what she had to say about volunteering: its an opportunity where unforeseen doors may open and new skills can grow, but that "you always need to do the hard work, even when you are volunteering."

When I started volunteering with CBIC, I really dove into the deep end by taking on the Tech Tour chair responsibilities. I couldn’t have been successful without the awesome group of volunteers that have made up the Tech Tour Committee - Chris Engel, Jeff Faust, Jamie Foreman, DJ Hill, Michael Lake, Lianne Landers, Maria Lewis, Mike McPherson, Jason Ness, Michele Prysby, Andrew Renshaw, Jerry Reynolds, Miriam Rushfinn, Susan Stimart, and Jasmine Xiao!

While volunteering is about giving, it’s also about receiving. From my time with IMPACT, I gained my voice to speak out about the injustices I see in the world and my community like gender inequality. From my experiences with Mozilla, I’ve made global connections online and in person and been able to use my voice to advocate for web literacy for all. From my CBIC experience, I’ve gotten connected to the amazing tech community in Charlottesville who have in turn been critical to the founding and flourishing of Tech-Girl and Charlottesville Women in Tech (CWIT).

Since I first began volunteering regularly, I have transitioned from working gigs to full-time employment, but my love of volunteering has not diminished. As Adrian Felts writes in his blog post, The Intangible ROI of Community Involvement, volunteering is important to the well-being of employers, employees and the community.

Here are a few of the tech-related volunteer opportunities in our community and the people to contact if you'd like to learn more:

CBIC - Tracey Greene, [email protected]

CWIT - Kim Wilkens, [email protected]

Computers4Kids - Kelly Flynn, [email protected]

dia 5 de Junho realizamos um evento na KauMath LAN House que já estávamos tentando executar faz tempo, um dia voltado para edição de vídeo.

O nosso foco foi a criação de mashups que são os famosos GIF animados que misturam vários filmes como que podemos ver abaixo:

Nós primeiro aprendemos sobre esses remix de filmes e então seguimos com a criação dos nossos próprio remixes.

Aprendemos como utilizar o VideoPad para editar videos e o Yout para baixar pedaços de filmes do YouTube.

Grab your ticket to our carnival of learning! All who enter will gain the most important skills of our age: the ability to read, write and participate in our digital world. Mozilla Learning invites teachers and learners of all ages to join our funhouse of web literacy. Embrace the unknown! Experience the thrills! Imagine and share the full potential of the web with everyone!

We’re looking for proposals that share fun, interactive ways to teach and learn the web in diverse, inclusive spaces; proposals designed for creative collisions; proposals that inspire people to engage in an openly networked world.

What is this space thing all about?

Spaces at MozFest are physical and thematic learning hubs based around a broad topic, like Web Literacy. For many people, teaching web literacy, or teaching anything at all, can be an intimidating or scary experience. We want to create a space at MozFest that encourages people to embrace and overcome their fears, to get excited by the thrill that is teaching and learning and to feel invited and welcome, despite any reservations they may have. Or as André Garzia put it, we want to see:

“people laughing in awe when they are around our activities”

We are drawing inspiration from haunted houses, roller coaster parks, and funhouses: places where people excitedly line up to confront their fears! The first experience inside our space is a hall-of-mirrors style interaction that invites participants to reflect on their “web presence” via Mozilla’s main issues of web literacy (#weblit), privacy and security (#privacy), digital inclusion (#web4all), walled gardens (#open), and hackability (#hackable). Once through the entryway, participants enter into an open learning space connected to a variety of session spaces:

Open Learning Space This is a space for creative collisions! It’s open for session leaders, participants, staff, community members, youth to connect with each other, demo a tool, or find some space to collaborate on impromptu ideas and projects. Did a session go really well and people don’t want to leave? Great, take it to the open learning circle! Did you make a friend in the last session and want to work on something? Great, sit down and get going.

Education/Classroom Space Young learners spend most of their time in a classroom. Chances are, you’ve spent a lot of time in one yourself. How does Web Literacy show up in a traditional classroom space? How might we guide classroom teachers to evolve, transform, or transcend their classroom to engage with Web Literacy? What is the classroom of the future?

Cultural/Environmental Space Museums, Zoos, Libraries, Community Centers, Video Game Arcades: these are unique spaces for learning that curate environment, culture or history to make it easily visible and accessible to learners. We imagine reproducing some of the feel and potential of these spaces to put cultural experience at the forefront of learning.

Maker Space The Maker Movement is having a transformative impact on education and we want to provide a maker space that is filled with spontaneous learning opportunities along with specific sessions that will help participants take new ideas and skills back to their own spaces. We are looking for sessions and materials that encourage learners and teachers to experiment, connect, share and solve real world problems.

Virtual Space There is so much happening at MozFest that it’s bursting at the seams with people and possibilities. Help us find ways we can connect the learning and community building happening at MozFest with the wider world.

Create Your Own Space Do our spaces feel constricting? Let us know what’s missing. In your proposal to Demystify the Web, clearly connect your learning experience to the space where they might happen and we’ll help shape that space to match. Or make your whole proposal about a learning space!

Who comes to MozFest?

Last year, MozFest was host to over 1,700 attendees from more than 50 countries. The festival is a time and place where passionate technologists, educators and creators unite to share their ideas and collaboratively create solutions for the Web’s most pressing issues.

When and where is MozFest?

The MozFest Call for Proposals is open now through August 1. MozFest 2016 happens October 28 thru 30 in Ravensbourne, London.

We can’t wait to see what you submit!

[Teachers] Please define paradox, find examples of paradox Be ready to show - share what you know About this concept of paradox

[Students] Ugh! Drat! Paradox! Literally beyond belief! Yuck! Please! Paradox! Figuratively hard to see! I won’t share, when I don’t know. I won’t dare, let my ignorance show. Full Circle lyrics by James J. Cromer

I got to spend the most amazing week in Berlin - some as a tourist and some as a MozRetreat participant. I found that both the Berlin and the MozRetreat experiences were about embracing paradox. This paradoxical feeling first came into focus when visiting the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, a new church built on the ruins of the old church. We were there to listen to the Berlin Chamber Orchestra perform the classics. I did expect the age of the concert goers to be of the graying variety. What I didn’t expect was that the musicians would be so young and passionate about this old music enabling me to appreciate it in a new way.

At the retreat, I felt tension between hurrying up to get things done and slowing down to fully appreciate the experience; finding opportunities to collaborate and finding time to be alone; taking in new ideas and standing firm on my ideals; wanting to share my ideas with the group and not daring to let my ignorance show. The result was that out of my comfort zone feeling that is both scary and exhilarating, daunting and awesome. 

When I got back to school, it was another musical experience that helped me make sense of this paradoxical feeling and why I want to see it reflected at MozFest. The middle school students performed an opera created just for them called “Full Circle”. The lyrics quoted are from the song “Paradox (Book Definition)”:

Paradox--a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities. From the Greek paradoxos, meaning unbelievable, contrary to common opinion; literally, beyond belief.

[Students] Hey! Wait! Paradox! Now we get it, now we see! Learning - it’s a paradox. Eureka! What a relief! Full Circle lyrics by James J. Cromer

Learning is indeed a paradox. I think this is especially true when we are talking about learning tech. Anyone in tech knows there is no keeping up with all the changes and yet, we’ve got to continue learning in order to keep creating it. As a teacher of technology, I know that when I introduce a new tool or concept, I will not have all the answers to the questions and problems the students will encounter. In fact, the more tech I teach students, the more I become a learner alongside them. 

I am excited to see how the space we are creating at MozFest reflects this paradox of learning and invites teachers and learners in to embrace it. Here’s a sneak peek at our space description:

Demystify the Web! Grab your ticket to our carnival of learning! All who enter will gain the most important skills of our age: the ability to read, write and participate in our digital world. Mozilla Learning invites teachers and learners of all ages to join our funhouse of web literacy. Embrace the unknown! Experience the thrills! Imagine and share the full potential of the web with everyone!