About
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Inspiring leaders!
Ally Watson co-founded Code like a Girl after experiencing first-hand the barriers women have in the male-dominated computer science and developer industry. Code like a Girl aims to change the playing field, with a strong focus on mentoring girls in coding and computational thinking in a creative environment that sparks a love of logic and leadership.
“We tell them, this what a programmer is, this is what it looks like and this is my story. So, these girls are heading home and getting inspired by the women who facilitate these sessions and they’re saying …Mum, Dad, I want to be a coder when I grow up!”
After chatting with Ally Watson, we also look at ways you can teach about robotics without having a robot or a computer plus we revisit a grab from a past episode in which Neil Bramsen talks about his approach to teaching primary students about logical reasoning.
Top 3 learnings
- Get involved! Coding is about getting your mind wrapped around creatively solving a logic challenge. There are plenty of opportunities to join a coding group, you just have to join the fun.
- It’s the story that matters. It’s just as important for kids to know why coding is important as it is to know how to program a given task.
- Coding is part of our future. Even if you know that you may not become a software developer, it is just as important to learn how these machines function as they are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society.
About Ally Watson
Ally Watson from Code like a Girl
The Sydney Morning Herald named Ally Watson as one of Australia’s nine most influential female entrepreneurs of 2017. She’s a developer, computer science graduate and co-founder of Melbourne’s highly acclaimed Code Like a Girl, an award-winning social enterprise that provides girls with the support, tools and knowledge to enter and flourish in the world of coding. After experiencing first hand the barriers women face in the male-dominated industry of tech she set out to spark change by inspiring a new generation of girls to acquire coding as a skill and to encourage more females to step into leadership roles.
More about Code like a Girl
Kids at a Code like a Girl event
Code Like a Girl is an Australian organisation that aims to inspire more females to pursue careers in coding and get involved in the creation and development of technology. They design and host tech-focused events and workshops bringing together girls and women, from various education and career backgrounds, who are curious or passionate about coding and technology to learn, connect and celebrate each other’s achievements.
Contact details
Education Tip
About the FizzicsEd Podcast
With interviews with leading science educators and STEM thought leaders, this science education podcast is about highlighting different ways of teaching kids within and beyond the classroom. It’s not just about educational practice & pedagogy, it’s about inspiring new ideas & challenging conventions of how students can learn about their world!
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