This 2-3 hour workshop designed for middle and high school students ignites curiosity and empowers students to solve technology problems with visual creativity and human understanding.
In an effort to broaden the landscape of available hands-on experiences for young students beyond hard coding, Cheryl developed this course in 2012 and has refined it over the course several years. Each time the course is taught, it results in strong positive feedback from students and, in many cases, longer-term engagement in STEM fields.
During this workshop, we walk through some very basic visual design and cognitive psychology principles, and apply them to a software design problem chosen by the class. The class brainstorms features for the selected product and breaks out to sketch those ideas, followed by “testing” them with their peers. If technology and time allows, a longer version of the workshop allows students to play with some prototyping technology.
The slides are now available for any and all to use – but if you are interested in hiring Ideaplatz to teach it, please reach out. In addition to hired engagements, we will consider a limited number of pro bono workshops per year (non-profit organizations only, please).
Delivery Options
This workshop is typically presented at STEM summer camps or extracurricular events, for groups of 20-50 students. It can also be adapted if desired for older students or others curious about the field.
Slides available on SlideShare
As Seen At
- Girls Who Code, Amazon (2015)
- Microsoft’s DigiGirlz Camp 2012, 2013, 2014
- GeekGirlCon 2013