A small challenge

[graybeard]

I would like to see more children involved with electronics and computer programming.To that end, I am challenging you to start something in your region or area schools. I challenge you to start children on either Scratch (from banned) or Alice (from Carnegie Mellon). To develop electronic skills I suggest soft circuits as shown by Eduwear (University of Bremen Germany). Further, the Boy Scouts have an electronics merit badge and a computer merit badge. Can you get scouts in your area a place to develop these skills? Finally, I have been unable to find any computer or electronic skills in the Girl Scouts. Come n Limor and Leah and you others. Provide some role modeling for the girls. Graybeard

[adafruit]

hiya!

have you see the new educators section with the skill badges we are working on?

http://www.adafruit.com/educators

as far as a role model, limor works with schools, parents, workshops, holds weekly videos, publishes tutorials and she was recently on the cover of WIRED. at least once a day a kid or a parent emails and says "thanks for provided a great role model for my: daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter....".

we are actively trying to convince the girl scouts to adopt our electronic skills badge idea (you can search our blog about this):
http://www.adafruit.com/blog?s=girlscouts

we have a lot of work to do, what efforts could you assist us with? what other things can we do?

thanks!
adafruit (phil)

[graybeard]

I meant no insult to you. I was sure that there was plenty of involvement. My goal is the expansion of technological materials and ideas. My real challenge is to the many who aren't doing anything to enhance learning. Graybeard

[graybeard]

Some ideas to expand technological contact for many include the following:

Give a gift subscription of a technical magazine to a local library. This expands their holdings beyond Pop Science and Pop Mechanics - examples Make or Nuts and Volts or Wired

Contact your local institutions that offer summer programs for kids to get them to include some of the materials I mentioned in my first note. ( colleges, museums, local schools, scouts, YMCA, YWCA, JCA, etc.)

Contact the groups that offer basic computer skills to older adults. I have suggested programs to that end which include kids and grandparents so they can learn programming together.

I'm sure that there are many other ideas out there.

Graybeard