IT'S ALL CODE
ABOUT US
The Program: It's All Code is an after-school program for elementary school girls that teaches foundations of computer science. Allie Kench created the program in 2017. Our main goals are to show girls that computer science is not as "nerdy" or "weird" as people typically portray it as, to spark an early interest in coding so that we may fill the gender gap in computer science education and the workplace, and to connect computer science to other fields such as art and music so that the girls can explore how computer science rules the modern world.
The program is currently held at Esther Jackson Elementary in Roswell, GA. EJE is a Title I school, meaning they have high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families. Students at EJE may not have the same educational opportunities as students from other areas or backgrounds, so IAC (It's All Code) also aims to level the playing field.
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The Curriculum: Allie derived the curriculum from a variety of online educational resources. Her main sources are code.org and Google's Made With Code. A normal class begins with a 15-minute lecture to introduce the vocabulary and concepts for that class. Next, the girls spend about 45-minutes working through online coding puzzles to learn and master that day's subject matter. At the end of every class, the girls write in their journals for 15-minutes to reflect on the lesson, review what they've learned, and write about how they felt about the lesson that day (i.e. excited, frustrated, confident, strong).
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You can view a lesson plan here to learn more about class structure.
Meet Allie: Allie Kench is a senior at Cambridge High School in Milton, GA. She has been studying computer science for 3 years. Last year she was recognized as a top female computer science student in Georgia by the National Center for Women in IT. She loves the thrill of learning new computer languages and programs, and has a specific interest in iOS application development. She taught herself Swift, and has enjoyed building her own mobile apps! She believes computer science is important because it plays a major role in virtually every other industry, and gives developers the ability to enact widespread change. Her other interests include Lacrosse, Mock Trial, SkillsUSA, and National Charity League.
OUR LOCATIONS
Esther Jackson Elementary
Roswell, Georgia
Making music with Made With Code
A code puzzle in code.org
Allie with some of the girls!
Making music with Made With Code
