Earlier this year, I decided to start a coding club at my school to provide an opportunity for students to explore computer science. I had looked into Google CS First and decided it was the easiest way to start a club, seeing as it offered free curriculum, training, and materials, and required no experience whatsoever. It was perfect! I also loved that it uses block-based coding via Scratch and offered a variety of themes. I decided to go with the Music & Sound theme and opened it up to grade 8 students only for the first session. I had about 20 students sign up and their overall feedback was great. Some of their projects were really impressive, especially given the time constraint of 45 minute blocks during lunch hour. While I would recommend at least an hour block, I was just so happy to see an interest among students who had never before coded a program. Not to mention having some girls show up to coding club!

As a TCDSB 21C innovator, I prepared a presentation to share my experience hosting a Google CS First Coding Club with my colleagues. Below you will find a copy of my slideshow in which I cover the following: