hack the hood: transforming youth & local small business through project-based tech learning
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Hack the Hood: Transforming Youth & Local Small Business through Project-Based Tech LearningTRANSCRIPT
Hack the Hood: Transforming Youth & Local Small Business through Project-‐Based Tech Learning
Susan Mernit, CEO Hack the Hood
ISlI, August 2014
What is Hack the Hood?
• Non-‐profit program that addresses inclusion and employment issues through boot camp and weekend programs that teach tech skills to young people of color ages 16-‐21.
• Youth build web sites for local small businesses, work with tech mentors, and learn about tech careers.
• Started 2012 in Oakland, expanding in 2015.
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Youth and mentor, Summer 2014 3 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014
Teaching for Understanding QuesYons
• How is project-‐based, real-‐world learning a criYcal experience in empowering young people of color to be acYve parYcipants in (understanding and) designing their future?
• How can we include young people of color in a leadership pipeline that leads to good jobs and careers in tech?
• How does the program design of Hack the Hood create a virtuous circle for the benefit and esteem of Oakland's youth?
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2013 cohort visiYng Ask.com engineering team 5 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014
Program Structure
• WHAT – 6 week program
– Instructors train youth in tech/web skills & so^ professionals skills
– Youth create web sites for local businesses – Research tech careers & meet tech workers – Visit tech companies
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Program Impact on youth
• Young person moves from consumer to producer of technology
• Hands-‐on, real-‐world learning—and real clients—build youth confidence
• Youth meet and work with tech mentors, workers & learn about tech careers
• Design career plans & build porcolio
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Youth graduate with experience, insight, relaYonships, skills, plan. 8 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014
Flexible frame for imparYng skills/awareness
• Hard skills – Web site building with Weebly.com
– Photo sizing & posYng – Photo research – Search engine opYmizaYon
– Directory lisYngs: Google Business Pages
• So^ skills – Public speaking – Project management – Networking – RelaYonship management – Understanding
• Lack of diversity in tech • Cultural fit issues • Types of jobs available • EducaYon & training required
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2014 parYcipant: Entered with no tech experience Learned web development, HTML, CSS basics Build 5 web sites for local businesses 4+ pages each. Internship placement For fall, plus classes.
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2014 parYcipant: Entering 10th grade, will take coding classes, planning to be a web developer/engineer. Entered with no tech experience; now has career plan for tech industry & mentor. 11 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014
How do we build youth understanding?
• Focused on student understanding of skills, outcomes & impact
• Related immediate web dev work to bigger tech ecosystem, training, opportuniYes
• Gave youth Strength-‐finder assessment & invited them to create their own job Ytles
• Invited revision & amplificaYon during program
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Approach: Hands-‐on/leadership focused
• We did: – Link to meaningful immediate work
– Link to jobs & careers framework – Encourage student leadership & accountability – Teach collaboraYvely – Use Scrum, a agile development Silicon Valley workflow process that supports iteraYve development, teamwork, leadership, accountability
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5 meeYngs weekly: quick check-‐ins
• Scrum Process
– Planning meeYng – Daily scrum – Review meeYng
– RetrospecYve/EvaluaYon
• 3 roles: – Product owners (the business clients for the web sites
– Scrum Master – Team members (youth)
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Using scrum for our workflow process meant
• Work divided into week-‐long Sprints
• Each youth reported on work daily
• Program Manager was • Scrum Master (assigned work)
• Instructors support youth projects • : 15 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014
How can we include young people of color in a leadership pipeline that leads to good jobs and careers in tech?
SCRUM approach promoted youth in leadership roles in daily meeYngs, supported teamwork and students teaching skills to one another.
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Weebly as a problem solving tool • Youth are trained to work with organizations—merchants, non-profits, artists, etc. who need web services
• Youth talk with merchant and assess needs, then design a web site architecture and pages
• Youth work to collect assets from merchant and web to create a custom site
Teaching for understanding
Students listen and arYculate client needs , using their new skills
Students show mastery of skills and deepen learning through pracYce
PracYce makes them pracYYoners. 17 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014
Hands on experience as pracYYoners builds a bridge of confidence when youth meet tech professionals and visit tech companies
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Youth work with common web dev tools—which also builds
community of pracYce with pros
Google drive: folders & collaboraYve file sharing Dropbox: large file sharing via the cloud Basecamp: CollaboraYve project management Facebook: Social media outreach 19 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014
Student, age 19 (on right) No previous web experience Built multi-page web site for Vamp Music Vampmusic.weebly.com
Offer to intern in 2015 with tech company—via his mentor
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Teaching for understanding: How does the program design of Hack the Hood create a virtuous circle ?
• Youth learn web/dev skills • Apply skills in community with small
businesses • Work with tech mentors on career
development • Visit tech companies • Build career plans & porcolios • ConYnue to learn, work, build relaYonships
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Teaching for Understanding: Lessons learned
• Be outcome/knowledge driven • Teach for understanding as a visible output and as a framework • Practice student accountability, leadership • development and team work
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How can you put this into pracYce in your tech program?
Shift framework to hands-on project based learning rather than isolated skills mastery
Provide contexts with real world relevance for student work
Emphasize deadlines, deliverables
Adapt Scrum for project sprints
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AcYviYes
Identify a common activity in your classroom or program—take 5 minutes and make notes on how you might integrate some of these ideas.
What are advantages?
What are obstacles?
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Let’s discuss! 25 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014
Resources and credits
Hack the Hood --Web site: Hackthehood.org --Twitter: @hackthehood --Facebook: facebook/hackthehood --Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/hackthehood2013
Other resources for Teaching for Understanding Teaching for Understanding with Technology by Martha Stone Wiske, 2004
Harvard University: Education with New Technologies: Networked Learning Community http://bit.ly/1ykmv14
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Stay in touch! Susan Mernit, CEO Hack the Hood [email protected] @susanmernit 27 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014