Following the news of self-isolation due to the ‘Virus That Shall Not Be Named’, the She Codes team had to adapt our upcoming courses to be completely virtual, for the first time ever! While it was an exciting leap towards the digital realm, we were on a mission to ensure the human connection was not lost. So, the week started out with everyone’s mail boxes looking a little bit like this:
Inside, were all the bits and pieces each participant and mentor needed to get coding throughout the week, as well as some She Codes essentials, hello cupcakes and glitter!
Thanks to the support of New Industries WA and Spacecubed, and some hard work from the team here at She Codes (if we do say so ourselves!), we were delighted to bring our Flash program into the digital world, teaching the fundamentals of HTML/CSS, Python, frameworks with Flask, Data and Algorithms, and hacking hardware with MicroPython all via a handy video chat.
Below, check out some of the highlights of the program:
The web pages created
The week kicked off with Amy Kapernick teaching fundamentals of HTML and CSS, with the task of creating a simple website to display the week of Flash and what participants learnt across the week. In just a few short hours, the cohort created websites from scratch with a home page, a blog page, a contact page and an about me page.
Building custom animations with Micro:bits
To close out the week She Coders were given Micro:bit kits to learn how to use MicroPython to manipulate different features on the hardware device. “It was a really interesting blend of art and science” Kate Kirwin said. “We watched a video of robotics engineers who have created a robotic stand for a houseplant to make it autonomously move to find sunlight when it requires it, and the optimum amount of water, using technology very similar to what we are playing with with the micro:bits. Using hardware we can see the practical applications of the software we are creating, and think about how it affects the real world around us” she continued.
Below are some of the animations created by the She Codes Flash cohort – if you are interested in learning more about micro:bits you can find out more here.
The little wins
Progress is made up of hundreds of small milestones and little wins. Some of the wins from Flash #virtual include:
- The feeling of becoming a developer
- Learning HTML and CSS, learning the pretty side of code was really cool!
- It was a great program. Now, at this point I have at least some idea about how to make a website, a blog and represent data into figures. Also, about amazing micro.bit.
- It was a great feeling when I finally got my contact and update forms centered and working correctly so that I could receive the messages and update the main page!
- Coding a website from scratch and then troubleshooting why the CSS changes weren’t being updated. Also, getting my ‘contact me’ page to work was a pretty #proud moment!
Pets
Since this program was 100% #virtual we had the pleasure of being joined by some furry friends. This cat even joined in the stretch breaks!
The cupcakes
Of course, it wouldn’t be a She Codes program without cupcakes! Because this program was 100% #virtual – our team posted out kits to students the week beforehand with everything they needed to make a perfect She Codes cupcake.
If you’re interested in kick-starting your learning in tech, the next Flash program is due to kick off in June. Pre-register your interest here!