Today, with the help of the AIM Institute, nearly 1,000 students at Woodrow Wilson Junior High School in Council Bluffs learned the fundamentals of computer programming as part of the international Hour of Code initiative.
Principal Mike Naughton expressed his excitement over every student getting a firsthand experience with coding during their science classes.
“Anytime you can get kids interested in technology, it’s a great accomplishment,” Naughton said.
In 8th grade science teacher Preston Vorthmann’s room, students huddled over screens and completed a series of games involving blocks of code. This easy-to-learn coding language, called Scratch, introduces the operational concepts of programming in a kid-friendly format. Rather than typing out daunting strings of variables and if-then statements, students create algorithms by assembling code blocks logically, as if fitting puzzle pieces together.
Those algorithms control the behavior of onscreen characters. As students build functional code, they progress through game levels. Students that made it all the way through received an official AIM Institute Hour of Code Certificate on fancy parchment paper, signed in cursive by Mr. Vorthmann.
This was the fourth year that the AIM Institute has partnered with Wilson JHS to host Hour of Code, a one-hour, entry-level introduction to computer science designed to demystify code and interest people in technology, no matter their level of education. Hour of Code has served over 835 million people in 180 countries, according to code.org. The majority of participants come from underrepresented communities, and nearly 50 percent of participants identify as female.
While not everyone who participates in Hour of Code will feel the urge to become a programmer, Vorthmann said some students have become particularly excited about technology after trying it out for themselves.
“There was a kid earlier in the class who went in and actually looked at the lines of code,” he said. Rather than dragging the code blocks together with a mouse, the student typed out the algorithms.
This is great news for the AIM Institute, a not-for-profit organization that grows, connects and inspires the tech talent community through education and career development. The organization’s mission is to close the tech talent gap facing businesses in the Silicon Prairie, to introduce people to technology who might not otherwise have the chance to experience, and to help people become programmers through AIM Code School, the area’s only federally accredited nonprofit code school.
“We’ve found that if you don’t get children interested in technology by middle school, they’ll probably never develop that interest,” said Jonathan Holland, Senior Director of Educational Programs for the AIM Institute.
As technology introduces new modes of communication, entertainment, and industry (and renders some obsolete) a lack of tech literacy limits a student’s ability to participate in the world. It also cuts them off from pursuing careers in tech, which tend to pay significantly higher wages than non-tech jobs.
That is why the AIM Institute works so hard to reach youth, implementing tech education in 16 schools across the metro area. The organization has helped thousands of students develop tech skills over the years, and is continuing to expand its reach. To help support the AIM Institute’s Youth-in-Tech Expansion initiative, the organization encourages you to make a donation before the end of the year.
Amanda Crone (above, center) is fiercely talented. She can code. She can take apart computers and put them back together again. She can manage her time well. And she can stand in front of 500 strangers and deliver an acceptance speech for an award that distinguishes her from thousands of students in the metro area.
That’s exactly what the Thomas Jefferson High School senior did at the 2019 AIM Tech Celebration awards ceremony last November. Amanda won Tech Student of the Year, one of several recognitions the AIM Institute gives out to spotlight the amazing contributions and innovations of the local tech community.
Amanda was nervous, having never given a speech of that magnitude before.
“Trying to figure out what to say and how much to say, but also to make it meaningful, was probably the hardest part,” she said.
She didn’t even know she’d been nominated until after she won the award. Sitting in class earlier this month, somebody texted her to check her email. When she did, she saw that she’d won the prestigious award—and that she and her family would get to attend Tech Celebration for her acceptance speech to the technology community.
“I think it’s really cool,” she said. “I was super excited.”
Amanda first got interested in technology when she joined the AIM Upward Bound program at Thomas Jefferson. Upward Bound is a federal TRIO program that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in their precollege performance. AIM coordinates Upward Bound programs and provides free technology education at five area high schools.
She joined the robotics club, then took some computer science classes. She can code HTML, CSS, and Java—so far.
“I want to learn more. I’m taking a C++ class later this year,” she said.
This past summer, she not only attended AIM’s Cybersleuth Camp—a weeklong cybersecurity camp for girls that seeks to raise interest in cybersecurity careers—she helped design the curriculum. Clearly, Amanda has already got a head start on the career she aspires to: a cybersecurity engineer, possibly for the FBI.
In her spare time, Amanda loves to read, particularly fantasy and sci-fi novels. Her favorite authors are Rick Riordan and Marissa Mayer. She loves to learn new things, and she volunteers at Dreamland Park. On her own initiative, she also teaches younger students how to code at both Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln high schools.
Next year, she plans to enter the cybersecurity program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, for reasons that many readers might find familiar. “UNO is close, but not too close. It has a really good computer science program.”
When asked what she wants to be in the future, Amanda said she wants to be very successful. “I want to be the person that somebody goes to when they have a question about computer science. A thought leader.”
By all accounts, she’s on her way.
The AIM Institute exists to forge a stronger tech ecosystem in the Silicon Prairie, a region gaining considerable attention for its undersung role in tech innovation.
From the beginning, we’ve implemented programs to generate new tech talent, match existing talent with employers, and celebrate technology and the minds who make it.
Now, we are becoming the one-stop shop for tech. Recently, we launched a Tech Talent Ecosystem resource tool to help jumpstart your career in technology.
Drawing on our extensive, communitywide connections to all things tech, Tech Talent Ecosystem features an ever-growing list of resources that will help you no matter where you find yourself in your tech journey.
Here’s a quick overview of the tool.
Education – Our Education page aggregates information about tech programs at higher education institutions, as well as some helpful resources for educators themselves.
Youth in Tech – Our Youth in Tech page assembles several activities geared toward K-12 students, including after school programs and summer tech academies.
Community – Our Community page leverages a list of scholarships and funding opportunities to help you embark on a career in tech.
Internships – Our Internships page helps connect you to internship programs that give you valuable, on-the-job experience.
Professional Development – Our Professional Development page lists the conferences and events you won’t want to miss, whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned tech professional.
Workforce Development – Our Workforce Development page is especially helpful for those who want to attend code school, find a job or change careers.
Head over to our Tech Talent Ecosystem resource now, or share it with someone who wants to start or advance their career in technology.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and the AIM Institute will host the Halloween-themed tech event SpookTechular this Saturday at the AIM Brain Exchange. Kids and families will get to experience a variety of fun, tech-related activities like playing with the virtual reality headset Oculus Rift and piloting drones. The event runs from 9 am to 1 pm and is free and open to the public.
Kenzie Pavlik of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska said the event aligns with BCBS-NE’s core values.
“Blue Cross is always looking for opportunities to get involved with the community that we serve,” Pavlik said.
Dana Siek, Systems Analyst for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, added that STEM skills are vital to the company. Blue Cross is therefore committed to promoting access to technology experiences for youth. The company has partnered with AIM in the past to ensure such access.
Events like SpookTechular help spark an early curiosity toward tech and STEM. AIM has found that if kids fail to develop an interest in technology by middle school, they probably will never develop that interest.
Here is a list of activities youth will have the opportunity to enjoy at SpookTechular:
AIM hopes to see you at SpookTechular tomorrow. Make sure to register now!
Imagine, Jonah Lehrer’s 2012 book about creativity, explores the science of creativity as the confluence between talented individuals and prime social conditions. In our increasingly complex world, Lehrer argues, some problems can only be conquered through collective imagination–the singular mind is vital but not sufficient to breakthrough creativity. To stay ahead of the curve, companies need to foster group problem-solving that encourages the collision between diverse perspectives.
That’s why the AIM Institute seeks to grow, connect and inspire the local tech ecosystem through a variety of career development and education programs. AIM recognizes the importance of building connections between IT professionals, educators, students, community organizations, startups and larger enterprises. Every year, AIM Tech Celebration cultivates these connections.
Part awards ceremony, part networking event, Tech Celebration gives IT professionals the opportunity to meet new contacts, reconnect with old ones, share ideas and ideate collaboration, that inextricable element of creativity. Doug Durham, CEO of Don’t Panic Labs and co-founder of Nebraska Global, is on record with Silicon Prairie News lauding Tech Celebration for its ability to bring the community together.
Above all, Tech Celebration helps organize the local community around a shared vision of a thriving tech ecosystem, said Susan Courtney, Vice President of Operations, Business Process and Shared Services for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, in an interview Courtney conducted with AIM for a recent Strictly Business article.
“Tech Celebration helps to get folks that live in the tech world together to recognize accomplishments, get to know each other better, dialogue and harvest ideas,” Courtney said.
In 2012, Courtney received the Tech Leader award for her work at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and for her leadership in the wider community. She has been a Women in IT Initiative task force member for UNO’s College of Information Science & Technology and was recently honored by the Women’s Center for Advancement at the 2019 Tribute to Women luncheon.
Sponsored by Cox Business, the 2019 AIM Tech Celebration will be held Nov. 14, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Center for Advanced and Emerging Technology on the MCC Fort Omaha campus. Tickets are free and open to the public.
Additional sponsors include Valmont, Kiewit, FNTS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mutual of Omaha, Union Pacific, Wells Fargo, Team Software, Google, Predictive Technology, Buildertrend, Bellevue.edu and CRI.
