IsnÕt this just a
class?
No. The collaborative community model of education places the learner at the center, and the teacher as guide. In the first session the mentors will help you choose self-paced activities to develop basic skills while you design a project concept. You may work by yourself, but we will encourage you to work with a partner or in small teams. Our philosophy when someone has a problem or question is Òask yourself, then ask your neighbor, then ask a mentorÓ.
Will there be
homework?
Yes. The mentors are responsible for helping you identify both what you will do during the session and what work to take home with you. We have a work-flow procedure that was developed as part of a Microsoft Research grant for college students, and re-configured for Middle School Students through a National Science Foundation grant. There is no grading, just gentle support to keep everyone accountable and mutually supportive. The learning objective is to come away with a project that demonstrates new competencies.
What happens if you
donÕt do the homework?
You wonÕt finish your project, and it won't be posted on this website.
How many sessions do I have to attend to complete a project?
We recommend five sessions to complete a small project when learning something new. Of course we hope you will stay with us and keep on learning.
Why are you charging
for this?
Because we take mentorship seriously, and respect our mentor's expertise. We've learned that volunteers often drop out, they are not adequately trained as either teachers or technologies, and they often burn out. Our pricing pays for mentors, a manager and rent. We also know that a fee motivates people to take the activity seriously to continue to attend. We do however understand emergencies. And yes, we are looking for grant funding to support scholarships. Can you help with that?
Can parents and their
children sign up for the same session?
Yes. But you need to assure us that this is really OK with the kids, and the kids get to determine whether the parent can be on their team. (We have kids. We know.)
Is there childcare?
No. We are quite serious that children younger than 10 are not developmentally ready for our approach. While everyone has fun, this is neither a guided activity nor a class. We may be able to schedule minimal childcare supervision for children out of diapers to age 10. They will be expected to be able to play independently. This is a great time for them to get in their video game time. We will not supply toys or other materials.
Will there be
materials and resources?
Yes. These will be available on a closed website, and are based on 30 years of coding examples developed in part through National Science Foundation and Microsoft funded projects.
Are food and drink
allowed?
No to food. Yes to your own reusable water
bottle. The Unitarian Universalist
Congregation(UUCM) is
a Green Sanctuary. Please make every effort to renew, reuse, recycle. If you need a snack, please finish it before joining us. The UUCM is providing the space at very low rent with the stipulation that we will clean up after ourselves. We cannot afford a janitorial fee.
If you are teaching
Web Design, why is this website so simple?
We are teaching the foundations, and this site reflects that.
Who is starting the
community – how do we know this is real?
This project is being initiated by RiverSound Solutions. Ursula Wolz, PhD is a founder and the CEO. For 20 years she was a computer science educator at The College of New Jersey. She left TCNJ four years ago to found RiverSound Solutions, a software development and consulting company dedicated to providing tools through which people are creators with, rather than consumers of computing technology. Her first experience in a coding community was in 1976, in the Logo Lab at MIT where she was an undergraduate researcher and assistant teacher. Logo is the progenitor of Scratch, App Inventor and influenced Processing. The Logo Lab was the place where Ôconstructionist educationÕ was initially defined. She has been building coding communities ever since for enthusiastic coders ages 5 – to adult. Most recently she volunteered at Mount Hebron Middle School in Montclair to develop in-school and after-school opportunities for students that have grown into programs throughout Montclair School District. Ursula was a also a consulting technology teacher at the Montclair Cooperative School, has taught at numerous universities as a visiting professor, and contracts with various educational computing companies on artificial intelligence for education and curriculum development. She takes most pride in having taught Big Bird how to use a computer during the opening of Sesame Place where she was part of the team that created the original Sesame Place Computer Gallery.
What if I have other
questions?
Email us at codecommunitymontclair AT gmail.com (just change the ' AT ' to the 'at' symbol. We can't yet afford all the necessary security bells and whistles. Soon. Coming soon!