Mentor Monday: Meet Todd

Meet Bold Idea volunteer Todd James: a Bank of America business analyst on weekdays and a mentor for our east Dallas middle school coding team on Saturdays. 

Todd is passionate about increasing the diversity found on most IT development teams and enjoys supporting the diverse student teams at Bold Idea — "Anyone can code and everyone should have a chance to learn these skills which have real world applications."

Meet Todd...

What is something many people don’t know about you?
I was a foreign exchange student to Brazil in High School.  It was an amazing experience and has fueled my passion for travel as an adult.

How did you become interested in technology and programming?
I’ve always had a natural curiosity in technology.  As a kid, I used to take apart my electronic toys when I got bored with them.  When I was in 5th grade I burnt out an old hand me down computer by forcing an even older Atari game cartridge into the expansion slot, needless to say my parents weren't too happy.  I took a deeper interest in programming when I began a job performing application support at a telecom which paired me with development teams to troubleshoot and resolve a number of problems.  The satisfaction of resolving these issues has been a motivating force.

What did you study in college?
I got my Bachelor of Science in Aviation Technology in college.

What are you working on now?
My latest position is as a Business Analyst with Bank of America.

What have you gained from being a mentor?  What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
For me, mentoring has been a chance to shake things up a bit and give back to my community. It’s rewarding to watch students successfully tackle problems with the tools and advice we’ve taught them.  My favorite part of the program is watching students perform their demos at the end of the semester.

Is there anything you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
I would have changed my major in college.

What is it about Bold Idea’s mission that really connects with you?
I love the diversity in these Bold Idea classes and they do not match the typical IT development departments I’ve worked in.  Anyone can code and everyone should have a chance to learn these skills which have real world applications.

Mentor Monday: Meet Sukhmani

Sukhmani Sandhu has mentored Bold Idea students as young as 6 and as old at 14. The UT Dallas senior discovered coding in college and is passionate about encouraging young students to give it a try.  

Meet Sukhmani...

What is something many people don't know about you?
I love to draw and paint. Many people are surprised that I am interested in math and science as well as more artistic subjects. I believe that it is important for the students to know that art and math (or science) are not mutually exclusive, but actually interact in very interesting ways.

How did you become interested in tech and programming?
I was always interested in building things and taking things apart. I would always ask for Legos and other building toys for my birthdays. I joined the robotics club in middle school and was able to learn more about technology and engineering. As I got older, I was able to combine this with my interest in medicine, through biomedical engineering.

What are you studying in college?
I am a senior (woot woot!) at UT Dallas, studying Biomedical Engineering.

What have you gained from being a mentor? What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
While mentoring, I have realized that I really enjoy teaching. I am now open to career paths that I had previously not considered.

My most memorable moment while mentoring happened a few semesters ago, when a student came in on the first day, acting as if she was quite uninterested in coding. The other mentors and I had to persuade her to participate in first activity of the session. But at the end of the day this same student seemed genuinely sad that the session was over and was eager to continue her project. Being a part of this development on the very first day, and throughout the rest of the semester, was incredibly fulfilling and memorable.

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
I wasn't exposed to coding until I started college. Based on how much I loved it as soon as I started, I would tell my younger self to try it out, even if none of my friends are doing it.

What is it about Bold Idea's mission that really connects with you?
All students should have access to resources and skills that help them develop the ideas and create the projects that they are interested in. They should not have to limit their creativity because of a lack of knowledge of their own potential. Through the programs at Bold Idea, more students are exposed  to new technical and professional skills that will help them in future endeavors. 

Help Us Celebrate Our Birthday

On August 20, 2015, Bold Idea became an official public charity with 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. Since then (and even earlier), our organization has helped 400 students create their bold ideas as a team through the power of technology. 

In fact, the birthday cake above was coded in Javascript by Hope Ehlers, a Bold Idea student for the past two years. 

Give $20 on the 20th

Twenty dollars. What does that mean to you? Dinner and a movie? A few lattes? The latest bestseller?

But when hundreds of people put $20 into a charitable fund, just imagine the possibilities!

When you donate $20 on the 20th of each month (or whenever you can) to Bold Idea, you can help us mentor more young coders like Hope. Indeed, it can provide the resources a coding team needs to be successful: laptops, resource books, web hosting, training for volunteer mentors, and a Demo Day stage to share their projects.

So, please, this month, skip a few lattes. Donate $20 on the 20th!

Your support really means a lot.

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"I've enjoyed Bold Idea because I like programming, and I made a lot of new friends. Programming needs a lot of creativity in order to actually program. And it makes me more of a better student, because I can take what I learned, like making a cake, and code a birthday present." 

- Hope Ehlers, 7th grade

> See Hope's birthday cake come alive!

A Year of Going Bold

An introduction to the Bold Idea fiscal year 2017 annual report.

Dear Bold Idea Friends,

Bold Idea strives to be a forward-thinking organization that prepares students in the Dallas community for 21st century success — and the progress we have made in fiscal year 2017 is helping us reach that goal.

With cooperation from parents and principal Rachel Moon, Bold Idea piloted the ideaSpark and CS First programs at Rosemont School in Dallas ISD - our first school partnership. Bold Idea served 32 students across 24 weeks at the elementary school in north Oak Cliff.

Support from new partners Microsoft, Pivotal Labs and Alliance Data enabled us to greatly expand Demo Demo — giving students a larger stage and screen. Student teams presented 43 creative projects, including mobile apps and websites.

After six months of hard work, 8th graders Shelby and Meredith presented their website ‘Service Match’ to 500+ Microsoft employees. The website connects nonprofits to student groups in need of service projects, built entirely by the two young coders.

In January, we introduced a curriculum for our youngest students in grades 3 – 5. The CS First program is designed by Google to introduce core computer science concepts for students with varied interests, like sports, art and games. Coinciding with the program launch was our new partnership with the Wesley-Rankin Community Center in west Dallas, where Bold Idea served 16 Hispanic students meeting at the Center after school.

Together, We Create

In a world dependent on computing, Bold Idea is giving students real-world experience creating their bold ideas as a team through technology — supported by professional engineers and creatives.

Today, most kids are going online to play video games. They download apps and connect with friends on their mobile devices. Bold Idea students are creating their own games and apps, using problem solving skills, creativity and computer programming skills. Through a highly-crafted curriculum and dedicated mentors, we teach students to create rather than just consume technology, and turn their device time into valuable teaching time.

#GoBold

At this time last year, we challenged our students and community to Go Bold — our theme in 2017. Together, we stepped up to the challenge.

• Our students went bold. Teams of young coders created over 650 computing projects.
• Our volunteer mentors went bold. Students received 3,948 hours of mentoring total, from a team of 67 mentors.
• Our donors went bold. Generous corporations, foundations and individuals gave over $66,000 in monetary and in-kind gifts to Bold Idea.

Growing our organization to meet the needs of 21st century students requires tireless dedication, leadership, vision and significant investment. Thank you for joining us on this journey — and for supporting Bold Idea.

On behalf of the Bold Idea Board of Directors and staff, it is my honor to present our 2017 Annual Report.

With gratitude,
Robyn Brown
Co-Founder and CEO

Mentor Monday: Meet Joey

In our opinion and the opinion of his 3rd–5th grade team, Joey Glover is a great mentor. "I like Joey, because he is funny!" 8-year old Alai'a told us. A skilled teacher, Joey has a unique ability to explain the most challenging computer science concepts to any age. For the past year, he has worked with our CS First elementary-age team meeting at UT Dallas' ATEC building and has succeeded in making coding approachable for his students. 

"He pushes them to make sure they understand the concepts presented in the CS First videos, and to go further, if they want," said his fellow mentor Stella Lin.

Meet Joey...

How did you become interested in tech and programming?
I feel like I have always been interested in technology and programming, but I think one of my greatest inspirations was playing the old game Roller Coaster Tycoon. It was just so magical to build cool rides and incredible to see all the people interacting together in the park, and it was all done through a really clever program, so it got me very interested.

What did you study in college?
Electrical Engineering

What are you working on now?
I work as a software engineer at Raytheon in the Identity Services department.  I am currently working on updating our development processes to the 21st century and coding various back end services to help other internal businesses interact with LDAP.

What have you gained from being a mentor? What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
I really love to teach, so I've gained a place to be able to teach others, and to teach something I am passionate about.  My most memorable moment was when we were creating a platforming game and one of the students was spamming the screen with one of the sprites.  It was pretty hilarious, but kinda you had to be there. 

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?  
Don't be content with speculating about something that could easily be researched.  In relation to coding, this means if some piece of software does something interesting, don't just speculate about how it might be done in code, but instead look and search and read about how it was done. 

Is there anything about our mission that really connects with you?  
The thing that connects with me the most is the idea that all students deserve the opportunity to learn computer science.  I believe the more freely we exchange ideas and information the more quickly society will get better.  We are not the owners of any information, and the more we spread the information the more refined it will become over time.

Mentor Monday: Meet Quang

Quang Tran is a lead software engineer at Flywheel Building Intelligence in Dallas. During the spring semester, he volunteered as a mentor with 3rd–5th grade students at the Wesley-Rankin Community Center.

Meet Quang...

How did you become interested in tech and programming?
I started learning programming back in my high school in Vietnam. I didn’t really like programming back then because students mainly studied to compete. We had to remember boring algorithms and always programmed in Pascal. Fast forward to college, I decided to give programming another chance and it worked out beautifully. I enjoyed creating programs that actually help people. Understanding the magic that makes the computer work and overcoming programming challenges were also fun.

What did you study in college?
I earned my bachelor degree in Computer Science from UT Dallas. I majored in Biochemistry but after the first semester, it was clear that I am not interested in theoretical work. I wanted a career track with more hands-on experience and quicker iteration cycle. That’s why I switched to Computer Science (partly because of my high school background) and stick with it ever since.

What are you working on now?
I am a software engineer for Flywheel Building Intelligence Inc. We are building a cloud-based platform that offers real-time people, energy, and building management service.

What have you gained from being a mentor? What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
Being a mentor confirms my interest in teaching, especially teaching programming to kids. Funny enough, my most memorable moment doesn’t come while mentoring. It was when Robyn and Ben brought in the programmable robots. The kids were so excited and immediately started to play with the robots on their own. That’s when I understand how important it is to gamify and brainstorm interesting activities in order to attract the kids.

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
Being able to code something does not mean you should do it. You should always think about the big picture and align your work with the ultimate goal of the project. Your work must bring value to the product and your team.

Is there anything about our mission that really connects with you?
I always believe children are the future. Vietnam is a developing country. In order to reach its full potential, education and children must be the #1 investment. Bold Idea’s focus on developing and empowering young minds, especially through computer science - something related to my background, really resonates with my belief and personal interest.

Mentor Monday: Meet Stella

Editor's note: Stella Lin volunteers with Bold Idea's youngest students in our CS First program, which uses Google curriculum and the MIT Scratch platform. When she's not mentoring Bold Idea students, Stella is a program and project manager at Sprint. Read her journey below from the daughter of programmers to building macros in Excel and now Bold Idea.

Meet Stella...

By Stella Lin

Both of my parents were programmers. I remember playing with "punch cards" at my mom's office when I was growing up. She later tried to interest me in books on object-oriented programming in C, but I studied Economics in college. I didn't get the programming "bug" myself until I started working as a Financial Analyst and started to write my own "macros" to automate my reporting.

I decided to go back to school full-time to pursue a M.S. in M.I.S., but I found a job soon after through a consulting firm who offered to train me in the mainframe programming languages (like the ones my parents had worked with) that were in demand again during Y2K.  

I joined Sprint as a full-time employee after my contract ended, and was excited to use new middleware, which I later helped to rewrite in JAVA, to open up some of our mainframe programs to be accessed over the internet in my first development project after Y2K.

Fast forward a few years later, when my "Enterprise Web Solutions" team at Sprint was outsourced to IBM.  Instead of applying to be "rebadged" to IBM, I chose to stay at Sprint to work with my former "customers" on the business side and as an SME resource for the new IBM team.  

In many ways, I feel that this experience helped prepare me to be a CS First mentor because Google's curriculum has given the kids all the tools they need to complete the programs on their own, but they may sometimes need an "SME" to help point them in the right direction.

I really love seeing the kids' satisfaction when they are able to complete and run their programs in Scratch.  It reminds me of my first experiences building "macros" in Excel and Access, as opposed to reading about object-oriented programming concepts.

Open Positions on Bold Idea Board of Directors

Founded in 2015, Bold Idea is an education nonprofit based in Dallas that combines computer science, mentoring, and team-based learning to empower a diverse student population in Dallas and Collin Counties. Premised on the belief that computer science is foundational knowledge that ALL students need, Bold Idea's mission is to develop and empower young minds to execute their bold ideas as a team through the power of technology. Program participants learn computer science and 21st century skills through hands-on computing projects with support from trained, technical-skilled mentors.

Bold Idea's core educational programs, ideaSpark and CS First, serve boys and girls ages 8–16 of all demographics and socio-economic backgrounds. Delivered through both open-enrollment sessions and collaborations with schools and community centers, students learn and apply computer science skills via project-based learning. At the end of these after-school programs, students also develop skills in critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and perseverance.

Board of Directors Recruitment

Bold Idea is a public charity with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Bold Idea’s immediate governing and fund development responsibilities rely on the support of a separate Board of Directors. The Board supports the work of Bold Idea and provides mission-based leadership and strategic governance. While day-to-day operations are led by Bold Idea’s president, the Board-President relationship is a partnership, and the appropriate involvement of the Board is both critical and expected.

Specific Board Member responsibilities

Leadership, governance and oversight

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President as s/he develops and implements Bold Idea’s strategic plan
• Approve Bold Idea’s annual budget, audit/progress reports and material business decisions; being informed of, and meeting all, legal and fiduciary responsibilities
• Represent Bold Idea to stakeholders; acting as an ambassador for the organization
• Ensure Bold Idea’s commitment to a diverse board and staff that reflects the communities Bold Idea serves
• Determine which programs are consistent with the organization’s mission and monitor their effectiveness
• Contribute to an annual performance evaluation of the President
• Assist the President and Board Chair in identifying and recruiting other Board Members
• Partner with the Board Chair and other Board Members to ensure that board resolutions are carried out
• Serve on committees or task forces and taking on special assignments

Fundraising

Board members will consider Bold Idea a philanthropic priority and make annual gifts that reflect that priority. So that Bold Idea can credibly solicit contributions from foundations, organizations and individuals, Bold Idea requires that 100 percent of members make an annual contribution that is commensurate with their capacity, but no less than $2,500.

Board terms/participation

Bold Idea’s Board Members serve a two-year term to be eligible for reappointment for one additional term. Board meetings are held bi-monthly and committee meetings will be held in coordination with full board meetings. Board Members are also expected to attend at least one program event during the year.

Qualifications

This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual who is passionate about Bold Idea’s mission. Selected Board Members will have achieved leadership stature in business, philanthropy, education or the nonprofit sector. His/her accomplishments will allow him/her to attract other well-qualified, high-performing Board Members.

At this time, Bold Idea is seeking Board Members with specific experience in at least one of the following areas:

• fund development
• education
• strategic planning
• communications
• marketing
• budgeting
• finance

Ideal candidates will have the following qualifications:

• Extensive professional experience with significant executive leadership accomplishments in business, education, philanthropy or the nonprofit sector
• A commitment to and understanding of Bold Idea’s beneficiaries, preferably based on experience
• Savvy diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships and persuading, convening, facilitating and building consensus among diverse individuals
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility and a passion for improving the lives of Bold Idea’s beneficiaries

Service on Bold Idea’s Board of Directors is without remuneration, except for administrative support, travel and accommodation costs in relation to Board Members’ duties.

Nomination Process

Submit your resume and one-page cover letter outlining interest and qualifications to Robyn Brown, robyn@boldidea.org.

Sponsor Spotlight: Alliance Data

We are proud to announce our Powered By sponsor for Demo Day Spring 2017: Alliance Data! 

Based in Plano, Texas, Alliance Data consists of three businesses that together employ more than 17,000 associates at approximately 100 locations worldwide. Though you might not know the name, you may have seen what the company does. Alliance Data is the engine behind loyalty and marketing campaigns for more than 1,000 consumer-facing companies worldwide across all industries: retail, travel, pharmaceutical, financial services, auto, and more.

The company's data-driven insight enables it to build dynamic and creative loyalty marketing programs and strengthen and deepen relationships between its clients and their customers. In today’s changing-by-the-minute digital landscape, that’s more crucial than ever.

Community impact
Alliance Data actively invests in the community to create a stronger, more engaged workforce and a vibrant, more sustainable society.

At Bold Idea, we are excited to kick off our collaboration with Alliance Data this month. The company's support of our third Demo Day event will have a huge impact on the students we serve in the ideaSpark program!

Mentor Monday: Meet Brian

Brian Nguyen is a senior at Plano East Senior High School and is already making plans to study computer science and statistics in college. 

Each week Brian mentors ideaSpark students meeting at the Frisco Athletic Center, and we're lucky to have him on the team.

Meet Brian...

How did you become interested in tech and programming?
I became interested in technology and programming when my father bought me a computer for my birthday. Through tinkering with my computer and sometimes breaking my computer, I became interested in the information technology space and have continued to follow innovations in computer hardware. My first programming experience was during my sophomore year when my Scientific Research and Design teacher wanted us to complete a Javascript sequence on Khan Academy for more classroom funds. I was amazed in how simple line of code in an online code editor can animate a picture or create games with complex interactions. 

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am a researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Golden. I am currently working on a system to reduce breast cancer misdiagnosis rates through machine learning algorithms. Hopefully, in the summer, I can publish my findings in a scientific journal. 

What have you gained from being a mentor? What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
As a mentor, I was able to learn new programming languages such as HTML and CSS alongside the children. Mentoring taught me to appreciate my computer science teachers, as teaching computer science concepts to young children is difficult, and I have never realized the difficulty before joining Bold Idea. My most memorable moment was when the children, during break time, played with their food with each other. As the children were playing with their food, I was reminded of my myself when I was young, and it taught me to embrace my inner child.

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
I should’ve learned coding when I was younger. I had thought that coding was only for really smart people. There are plenty of communities and organizations dedicated to teaching children coding. If I was able to change my past, I would participate in programs like Bold Idea.  

Is there anything about our mission that really connects with you?
The universal aspect of the mission resonates with me because I believe that everyone should take a computer science course. Furthermore, the collaborative aspect of the mission appeals to me because my best and most fun work was with other people. Collaboration is a mainstay of human innovation, and we should foster a collaborative environment to improve our world.   

Mentor Monday: Meet Matt

Matt Dorsey mentors ideaSpark students this semester at our UT Dallas location. Just like the Jr. High students in our program, he started learning web development in his early teen years, so he's able to relate to their curiosity and motivation. Working from the AT&T Foundry in Plano, Matt is an applications developer for AT&T Partner Solutions.

Meet Matt...

How did you become interested in tech and programming?
When I was 13 my Dad brought home a copy of Front Page (WYSIWYG editor), which I used to make several websites. After a short while, I began looking through my websites’ source code which eventually got me writing raw HTML, CSS, and Javascript. I’d show my websites to my friends and word got around to my neighbors and business owners in the community who then hired me to build their websites. So it was a combination of curiosity and financial pull.

What did you study in college?
I earned my undergraduate degree in economics from UNT and a master’s degree in technology commercialization from UT Austin.  My part-time job as developer in college turned into a full-time job after graduation.

What are you working on now?
I work for AT&T Partner Solutions on the tools and technology team where I develop applications to assist collaborative efforts between our agents, solution providers and wholesale customers.

What have you gained from being a mentor? What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
I discovered that I really enjoy teaching. My most memorable moment as a mentor (so far) was seeing one of the kids begin googling for developer knowledge that we hadn’t yet gone over as a class. He was really motivated.

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
I think it’s really important to work on a development team with experienced, senior level coders, the first couple of years into a programming career.  There are a lot of silo developer jobs out there that can make it difficult to become a better programmer because there’s no one around to critique your code or push you onto better technologies.  

Is there anything about our mission that really connects with you?
I really like Bold Idea’s emphasis on teamwork and collaboration.  The kids are able to create better quality projects faster and become better coders through these collaborative team efforts.

Mentor Monday: Meet Jay

A long-time Bold Idea supporter, Jarriel Henderson joined our mentoring team this semester and works with Jr. High students at our Bottle Rocket site. Jarriel (Jay to the students) brings a passion for technology development to his role and is constantly pursuing his own DIY projects. We are very lucky he is now part of the Bold Idea family!

Meet Jay...

How did you become interested in tech and programming?
My school installed computers when I was in the 1st grade and I really enjoyed our lab time. As I got older, most of my time was spent at the library studying and learning about computers. I would often focus on learning what career would be smart to invest in; everything pointed to computers and technology. I love the barrier to entry with technology - doesn’t matter your background, all you need is patience and determination to succeed.

What did you study in college?
I studied Architecture and Civil Engineering at first, and then decided to pursue Interactive Media.

What are you working on now?
I work with Roger Wilco, a digital marketing agency focused on film production and live broadcasting.
    
I am working on a smart city tourism app.  After working in video and interactive media for a number of years, I’d like to create a connected TV app that helps urban communities explore their world through engaging stories and events tailored to their interests.

What have you gained from being a mentor? What was your most memorable moment while mentoring.
The one thing that I have gained from being a mentor is the joy of building relationships with the kids. I think that their curiosity along with creativity is contagious, and I always let them know that within this realm determination and patience is key. My most fond memory is working with students on their creative projects and sharing with them the art of problem solving and creativity. I think their curiosity is what fuels my own passion to teach.

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
I would tell my younger self to invest more time into DIY/Maker initiatives and get hands on with electronics. Taking things apart to see how they functioned, as well as finding a solid mentor within the Technical field.

Is there anything about our mission that really connects with you?
I love connecting with our future leaders of tomorrow. I had excellent teachers in my life who helped shaped my outlook on life. Bold Idea is helping craft and prepare our children for a digital and innovative world! I am just fortunate and happy to take part in this great initiative.

Conditions: A Computational Way to Make Decisions

We often want to be able to do things in our programs “conditionally.” We want to be able to say “if this thing is true, then do X, but if this other thing is true, then do Y.”

The if-then statement allows the program to branch off and execute one of two different blocks of code. The if-statement starts by evaluating a Boolean clause. If this clause evaluates to be TRUE, the block of code conditioned on this if-statement is executed. If an else-statement is present, it can provide another block of code to be executed if the statement evaluated is FALSE. That’s Boolean logic in simple terms - a continual evaluation of TRUE and FALSE.

If you stop to think about it, then you’d see that we do things conditionally every day. It’s spring here in north Texas, and we have crazy and unpredictable weather. When I wake up in the morning, I must check the weather if I'm going to be prepared. If it’s raining outside, then I take an umbrella, else I wear sunglasses.

Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic · Photograph of the Penn State college campus in the rain

Asking questions like a computer

As humans, we often make decisions based on a complex set of conditions, including the circumstances, our own preferences, past experience and even how we feel. When we write a program, we need to represent our decisions in ways a computer will understand.

We know now that the computer evaluates some statement (also called an expression) that can only be TRUE or FALSE. There is no assessment of a condition that evaluates “Banana,” for example. The result will determine which block of code the program will evaluate next.

The types of statements that a computer can evaluate as either TRUE or FALSE is also limited by the fact that information is stored in the computer as binary. As a result, most TRUE and FALSE statements you will use in your programs are comparing two values in the computer’s memory.

A good way to check if an expression evaluates to a Boolean is to stick the word ‘is’ in front of it and ask it a question. If it sounds like a yes or no question, then you know it’s a Boolean expression. Here are the most common types of comparisons:

____ is equal to _____

____ is not equal to _____

____ is greater than ____

____ is less than _____

____ is greater than or equal to ____

____ is less than or equal to____

It can take a little practice to convert a question you might ask as a human into a binary statement evaluated by a computer. Here are some examples:

Human question:  Is it lunch time yet?
Computer question: Is it 12:00 p.m.?

Human question: Is she old enough to drive?
Computer question: Is her age equal to or greater than 16?

Human question: Should we see this movie?
Computer questions: Is the number of seats left in the theater equal to or greater than 12? Is the number of stars for the movie greater than two? Is the movie genre equal to comedy?

Want to give it a try?

You can do this! Write a program that answers our last question above: What movie should we see?

Photo credit: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Here’s the scenario: Our team, including our mentors, are going to the movies. We know what movies are showing, but how do we decide which movie to see? We want to see a movie we think everyone will enjoy, and we want to make sure there are enough seats available. We can make this decision easier if we answer some questions about each movie:

• How many stars did the critics give it? If the movie is less than 3 stars, we don’t want to see it
• What genre is it? Let’s pretend our favorite genre is super-hero movies. If the movie is our favorite genre, we’ll go see it no matter what the ratings are.
• How many seats are available in the theater? If there aren’t enough seats for all of us, we don’t want to see it.

With a partner, create a program that help us answer these questions using Boolean expressions.

Get started:

1. Visit http://boldidea.pencilcode.net/edit/which-movie, and copy the code into your own PencilCode account. To do this you click on the down-arrow next to “Save”, and click “Copy and Save As”.
2. In the code you see an object, the movies object, and it holds all the movies that are showing this week. You will learn about objects more later. Under the object, you see a for loop with a write.movie block, which will display all of the movies in the movies object.
3. To refer to the information in the objects, you only need to type the name of the object, period, and then the part inside the object. For example: If I want the name of the movie I type in movie.name or if I want the stars I type in movie.stars.
4. Remember to use conditional statements and relational operators in order to get the output you want. First you might want to write out what type of movies you are listing first, for example superhero movies.
5. Within the loop, add conditional if-statements to only write out the movies that match our criteria. You might need to nest one if statement inside another. You can also combine Boolean expressions into one line using “and”.

CHALLENGE: Try adding your own movies to the list. In text mode you can copy-and-paste a movie on a new line and change the variables.

Making decisions based upon information is an important part of what makes computers seem intelligent! With some practice, you can also get used to writing conditions that your programs can evaluate and execute.

Mentor Monday: Meet Avinash

Often Bold Idea's youngest mentors can be the most effective at inspiring and relating to our student teams. Avinash Damania, along with his friends and classmates at Plano Senior High School, Brian, Karthik and Rishabh, are already accomplished coders and technology innovators at their young age. Seriously - it's impressive! 

We are so lucky to have them work alongside our younger students each week. Avinash is a huge inspiration to them in determination, curiosity and passion. We also can't wait to see where his path takes him next.

Meet Avinash...

How did you become interested in tech and programming?
I first coded robots in 5th grade PACE using the Lego Mindstorms series, and the competition we attended that year sparked my interest. Since then, I have learned Arduino and designed numerous machines and robots with that language.

Last summer, I interned in the Machine Programming and Electrical Assembly Department at Regal Research and Manufacturing, as part of the Plano Mayor's Summer Internship Program. We use the Mastercam CAD software to design and program G-code for the parts that will be fabricated by the machines.

This year, I learned how to program for the Raspberry Pi, enduring nonstop dad jokes from my father about it being an actual "raspberry pie" and that I should avoid eating it. Haha, thanks dad, very funny! Using the Raspberry Pi, I created a robot that utilizes self-camouflage, based on the technological principles of the Tower Infinity in South Korea. The robot learns to recognize and adapt to different terrains and lighting conditions over time by using machine learning algorithms.

What will you study college?
I’m a senior at Plano East in the IB Program, but I intend on majoring in Computer Science. I’m very lucky to have to choose between UT Austin, UC Berkeley, and Cornell University.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently doing research under Dr. Vincent Ng at UT Dallas in the areas of machine learning and computational linguistics. I won’t claim to understand anywhere near all of the stuff he works on, since most of it is extremely complex. However, I’ve been able to learn about neural networks and how they are used in Dr. Ng’s project on automated analysis of argument strength of student essays. (I hope he’s not evaluating this!)

What have you gained from being a mentor? What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
As a mentor, I’ve probably learned as much from them as they have from me and the rest of our fantastic mentor group. Not only do I get to revisit the basics of a variety of languages and technology, but the students question everything in a way that has made me change my own approach to learning.

What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
My most memorable moment this year illustrated that idea. Another mentor (Brian) and I were working with some of our students (Jack and Adam) on an ice cream shop website, and the code just wasn’t working. Eventually, Jack figured out what the error was, and I put my head down groaning while the kids laughed. I realized a student found an error that the mentor missed. It just serves to show that as a mentor, I have as much to learn from them as they do from us. That moment also epitomizes the collaborative nature of our Bold Idea programs as a whole.

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
I wish I could have told myself to start using the rubber duck method much earlier; it really does work wonders for me. If I can’t figure out what’s wrong with my program, I’ll pick up my rubber duck and walk it through my code, telling it out loud what each line is doing. Usually along the way I will realize my mistake and fix it right then and there. While I did play with rubber ducks in bubble baths as a kid, it could have doubled as my coding buddy, helping me catch my errors.

Is there anything about our mission that really connects with you?
I love how the mission statement includes the phrase "as a team." It suggests that no matter your age or skill, everyone contributes to the team effort, and the experience benefits everyone involved. The children certainly get to learn more about coding and feed their growing curiosities, but mentors and facilitators and the adults making this a reality all benefit as well.

A team endeavors together and reaps the rewards together, and I think that feeling of inclusion and achievement is paramount in someone's childhood. I’m honored and delighted to help spark the next generation of young minds who will further technology, while still working to do so myself. I know I was once in their shoes; I want to make sure I can show my gratitude to everyone who helped me learn how to code (my parents, friends, and teachers) by giving back and helping the students.

Binary: The language of machines

Have you ever wanted to communicate with a computer? Here is something you can start with:

01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111

That’s ‘Hello’ in binary, the language of machines. You will notice that the letters are represented using only ones and zeros. When computers represent information in only two ways, it’s called binary or Base 2. Everything that you see or hear on the computer — words, numbers, movies and even sound — is stored using just those two numbers!

But why do we represent digital information in just two values?

If you’ve ever looked inside a computer, you would have seen that there are wires, hard drives, the motherboard and various ports. Wires carry information through the machine in the form of electricity. The two options that a computer uses with respect to this electrical information are "off" and "on” where "on" is a 1 and "off" is a zero. Often times the 1 is a "high" voltage, while the 0 is a "low" voltage or ground.  So, letters and numbers can be simply represented as a string of electrically pulsed ons and offs. 

Image source: Wikimedia Creative Commons

That theme of two options doesn't stop when the information gets to its destination. Computers also store information using binary, and binary isn't always off and on. Hard Disk Drives store information using magnetic positive and magnetic negative. DVDs store information as either reflective or non-reflective. Boolean logic (which we will review in a later post) uses true and false. Really any form of opposites can be used.

How do you suppose we can convert the things we store in a computer into binary?

Try It Yourself

Here are two hands-on activities that we use to teach numbers and letters written at binary. These activities will teach you how to send secret messages to your friends using exactly the same method as a computer.

Binary numbers

For this activity, you will need a set of five cards, as shown below, with dots on one side and nothing on the other. We used one-fourth of a poster board and drew on purple dots. The cards should be in the following order:

What do you notice about the number of dots on the cards? If you noticed that each card has twice as many dots as the card on the right, then you are correct!

How many dots would the next card have if we carried on to the left? That’s right - 32!

We can use these cards to make numbers by turning some of them face down and adding up the dots that are showing. When a binary number is not showing, it is represented by a zero. When it is showing, it is represented by a one. This is the binary number system.
Here is an example of 01001 or 9. What would 17 be in binary?
 

Fun facts: 

• A grouping of four bits is called a nibble. 
• A grouping of eight bits is called a byte.
• A grouping of 1,024 bites is a called a kilobyte.
• A grouping of 1,048,576 bytes is called a megabyte.

After trying this several times with the cards, you may see a pattern in how the cards flip. Each card flips half as often as the one to its right.

Each spot where you can have a binary option is called a “binary digit” - or “bit” for short. If we want to represent data with greater values - like 33 or 3,000, we just add more bits. 

*This activity and additional materials are from Computer Science Unplugged. 
 

Binary Bracelets (or keychains)

Our original binary example - Hello or 01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 - uses letters in the English alphabet. In fact, every keystroke on your keyboard is represented in binary. 

In this activity, you will represent the letters in your first name - or your initials - in binary using any two colors of beads. We like to use Perler beads but any will do. You will also need some stretchy cord, scissors and a split ring if you plan to make a keychain. 

Steps:

1. Decide which color will represent 1 and which color will represent 0.
2. Find the first letter of your first name in the binary alphabet below. 
3. Add the beads to a length of your stretchy cord that match the pattern of the squares next to the letter that you selected. (You'll want to tie off an overhand knot at the end of your cord to keep the beads on the bracelet).
4. Repeat the last step for the remaining letters of your name.
5. Tie off a final knot on your cord after the last bead. Wear it around your wrist as a bracelet or tie it onto a split ring to make a keychain. 
6. Share your bracelet with your classmates to see if they can figure out your letters!

talkSTEM PiDay 2017

We had a lot of fun meeting young students (and adults!) at talkSTEM’s Pi Day 2017 in the Dallas Arts District and encouraging them to try some binary.

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Mentor Monday: Meet Jane

What can we say about Jane Santa Cruz that will truly convey how much she's made an impact on Bold Idea? 

Though not a coder herself, Jane has contributed invaluable experience from her time with youth development programs. Much of our program content that focuses on building students' collaboration skills has come from Jane, including teambuilding activities. Her insight in the Question Formulation Technique has strengthened their critical thinking skill development and inspired their creative project planning. 

Whether it's mentoring at our Bottle Rocket site, training mentors or contributing to program design, we are truly grateful to have Jane on the Bold Idea team. Meet Jane...

How did you become interested in tech or programming?
I served with an AmeriCorps program called City Year as a full-time tutor and mentor with middle school students.  Our students needed extra support in reading and math but they likewise needed more opportunities to expand their knowledge base, including understanding more about technology.  

Because technology is such a fundamental part of our personal and professional lives now, our students should not only feel comfortable using it but likewise have a familiarly of how code is written, how apps are developed, and how to navigate different types of technology.  In this way, providing learning opportunities around coding and computer science are meaningful ways to close the achievement gap and ensure that students are building useful skills, learning how to collaborate effectively with others, and becoming more confident in themselves.

What did you study in college?
I majored in History and Spanish at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.

What have you gained from being a mentor? What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
It’s always fun to see students grow over the course of a semester and become more confident in themselves and their coding skills.  It’s important for students to expand their problem-solving abilities while staying motivated and driven to address new challenges.  I appreciate how resilient our kids are and that they’re willing to explore, try things out, and even fail sometimes (which is good!).

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
Don’t be afraid to try new things!  Coding can be intimidating- you must learn a new language, new skills, and be willing to fail along the way.  It’s always ok ask questions and get help when you need it.  I still have a lot to learn about coding and app development but it’s been a fun process so far and I’m excited to continue learning. 

Is there anything about our mission that really connects with you?
I think that the teamwork aspect of Bold Idea’s mission resonates most closely with me.  I grew up playing lots of team sports in high school but teamwork extends far beyond just sports. Understanding how to work well with others, building positive relationships, learning how to ask for help, and appreciating the diversity of the people you’re working with are all crucial skills for living a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life.  

Mentor Monday: Meet Ruben

Start-up founder Ruben Izmailyan knows the power of technology to solve problems. His app, Budgit,  helps people make better spending decisions and save for what they care about.

For two semesters, Ruben has mentored with our CS First program at Rosemont Elementary in Dallas.

Meet Ruben...

How did you become interested in tech and programming?
I have been playing with computers and technology since I was about nine, but didn’t take my first programming class until high school. While I enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of coding, at the time I did not see myself pursuing a career in technology and switched to a humanities track when I went to college.

What did you study in college?
In college I majored in International Relations and Slavic Studies.  

What are you working on now?
I am working on a personal finance start-up.  After about seven years working for financial data companies serving businesses, I decided to start my own – one focused on helping people make better spending decisions and save for what they care about.  

What have you gained from being a mentor? What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
Mentoring has been a great way to remember that at the end of the day, coding is solving puzzles – and that everyone can get better at it, especially if they’re having fun.  My most memorable moment mentoring was when a couple of my students first realized that changing a few characters of code made their website dramatically change colors.  They were amazed by that they could do something so visually impactful with a single keystroke.  I think they spent then next five minutes playing with color.  

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
Though I do not regret pursuing a humanities track in college, I often think about how much better of a developer I’d be if I had stuck with it, even as a hobby.  Fortunately, it’s never too late for anyone to get into (or return to) coding.  

Is there anything about our mission that really connects with you?
The best part of Bold Idea is that it gets people to leave their work bubbles and share their knowledge and, more importantly, enthusiasm for technology with young coders.  There’s something quite magical about seeing kids change their perceptions of computers from entertainment devices to creation machines.

Where to find us this spring

If you didn’t catch us at talkSTEM’s Pi Day 2017 in the Dallas Arts District, have no fear. Bold Idea is participating in more community events this spring — plus, offering a few of our own. Here is what we have planned so far:

With community partners

City of Frisco 25th Annual Easter Eggstravaganza

Ages 12 and under, and their families, are invited to a bring their Easter baskets to this 25th Annual event on the fields at Toyota Soccer Center, located behind Toyota Stadium on Main Street. There will be more than 80,000 Easter eggs up for grabs. Enjoy bounce houses, face painting and photos with the Easter bunny. Bold Idea will join other youth organizations and offer some hands-on activities for young students. We’ll be making binary bracelets and learning how to encode numbers in binary. Our team will also be available to share info on the next semester of CS First and ideaSpark.

• When: Saturday, April 8; 1–4pm
• Where: Toyota Soccer Center, 9200 World Cup Way, Frisco (Fields 10-14)
• Cost: FREE

Learn more at Frisco Fun's website.

Microsoft YouthSpark Live

A special day-long event where more than 1,500 students in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area will get to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields — and have fun doing it. The event includes technical training, educational sessions, empowerment seminars, gaming sessions, music and entertainment, and giveaways. Bold Idea is leading the coding breakout classes in the afternoon. Learn more here.

• When: Saturday, April 15; 9am–4pm
• Where: Morton Meyerson Symphony, 2301 Flora St, Dallas
• Cost: Free

Bold Idea events

Volunteer Social Hour

Bold Idea volunteers — and anyone interested in volunteering — are invited to our first Social Hour. If that’s you, come by to meet the rest of the team, share ideas from your program site, network about opportunities and grow your social circle.

• When: Thursday, March 23; 7–10pm
• Where: Eastwood’s, 3407 McKinney Ave, Dallas
• Cost: Happy hour prices for drinks and food all night

ideaSpark Demo Day

While gaining valuable public speaking experience, our students have an opportunity to share their creative technology projects with family and the community. It's a showcase of the incredible talent and hard work these young coders have put in across 14 weeks with their mentors and teams.

• When: Saturday, May 13; 12–3pm
• Where: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Richardson Heights Village, 100 S Central Expy, Richardson
• Learn more: https://boldidea.org/demo-day

Algorithms: What is the fastest way to sort 1,280 books?

Algorithms are a list of steps you follow to solve a problem. They are the processes and formulas that turn our questions into answers. One easy problem-solving technique is divide and conquer, tackling smaller sub-problems rather than the entire problem at once. Divide and conquer is especially useful in sorting (or ordering) algorithms super efficiently.

Computers sort information all the time. If everything is in order, whether descending or ascending, then it is easier to find something. Think of your email application sorting messages by date or a search engine sorting websites to give you the best results. Computer scientists have devised many algorithms, from simple to complex, for sorting an array (or list) of values.

Three common sorting algorithms include:

• Bubble Sort - Compares two adjacent items and swaps them if they are out of order. Smaller or larger elements then "bubble" to the top of the list, giving the algorithm its name. Although it’s simple, bubble sort is too slow and impractical for most problems.
• Insertion Sort - Create a subarray from the items already analyzed. Then, loop through the subarray with each new item and insert it in the right order. On average, Insertion Sort requires only half as many comparisons as Bubble Sort.
• Quicksort - A more advanced sort that uses the divide-and-conquer method (or recursion).

The relative efficiency of each sorting method becomes more obvious when a larger number of items are being sorted. Think of efficiency as how many steps or how much time it will require to solve the problem. In practice, strategies that focus on solving subproblems efficiently using the divide-and-conquer method are the fastest and most commonly used, like Quicksort.

This Ted-Ed video offers a fun way to see each of these sorting algorithms in action. In the video, you are asked to imagine yourself as a university librarian. A shipment of 1,280 books has just arrived, and it’s your job to sort them in the most efficient amount of time.

Mentor Monday: Meet Maddy

For a second semester, Maddy Butzbach is mentoring our ideaSpark team at the UT Dallas Arts & Technology building. 

A recent Cornell grad, Maddy is originally from California and is currently a Technical Account Manager at Microsoft.

Meet Maddy...

How did you become interested in tech and programming?
My first exposure to programming was through a required class for all engineering students my freshman year at Cornell. I decided on my college major after discovering how much I enjoyed it and have been passionate about technology ever since.

What did you study in college?
I got my Bachelors in Information Science, Systems, and Technology, and my Masters in Technology Management.

What are you working on now?
I'm a Technical Account Manager at Microsoft.

What have you gained from being a mentor? 
Mentoring has allowed me to improve my teaching skills and has given me great experience working with kids. I have also gained great respect for the students and am constantly impressed by how quickly they pick things up and how creative they are.

What was your most memorable moment while mentoring?
Every day mentoring has brought countless fun and hilarious moments, but the most memorable was when I was most proud of the kids. Usually it's difficult to keep them focused through the entire session, but when we started their first web development project, they became entirely engrossed in working on it, to the point where they asked for more working time and less time for breaks and games. They came up with so many ideas outside the "curriculum" and would work on their projects at home, talk to their parents about their work, and come back excited to teach others what they had learned on their own. I was so inspired by their excitement, and I can tell that all of them are going to go on to do incredible things. 

Is there anything that you wish you could tell your younger self about coding?
I think everyone wishes that they had started coding earlier! I would have loved to have been involved in a program like Bold Idea at a young age. 

Is there anything about our mission that really connects with you?
I find the mission statement very powerful. Empowering others to execute bold ideas is admirable in itself, and something that I hope to do throughout my own career. The fact that Bold Idea is centered around kids and fostering a passion around technology so early makes me inspired for the future and excited to see what today's young kids grow up to accomplish.