#TechTuesday: Best Drones for Kids

UAV's (unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones) are all the rage! If you have kids, they're probably already asking for one, or will be soon. But drones come in so many different shapes, sizes, colors and options that determining the best (and safest) drone for children can be a task all on its own. To help with this, our friends at We Talk UAV, a drone review site, have compiled a list of some drones worth considering for your tech-inspired children.

Cheerson CX Mini - one of the smallest drones out there, it fits in the palm of your hand. This means it can't overcome the wind, so it's a good way to keep kids occupied indoors. This is the perfect starter drone; super lightweight so there's no damage when it inevitably flies into objects (or people). The Cheerson offers 8 minutes of flying time and adjustable speeds.

Syma X5C - a solid starter drone for children interested in aerial photography. Kids will have a blast filming from all new perspectives they can later show off on Youtube. The drone is medium-sized with a wingspan just over 12 inches and the built-in camera features a great 720p resolution. The 2.4 Ghz radio controller reaches a respectable 50 meters, but the camera drains a bit more power, giving the X5C a flight time of only 6 minutes.

Parrot Mini Spider - comparable to the X5C, the Spider also has a camera. But the Mini Spider's camera doesn't record in HD, which means a slightly longer fly time of 8 minutes. Unlike the X5C, the Mini Spider has a unique set of large wheels on either side, creating a sort of cage. The wheels also allow the drone to roll across the floor, wall, even the ceiling! The drone itself is controlled from your mobile device over Bluetooth, which limits the range. Overall, the Mini Spider is great for kids who can't seem to get the hand of flying and find themselves crashing a lot.

DBPower UDI U845 UFO Drone - speaking of unique, the DBPowers UFO is one of the strangest out there. Unlike the previous three drones which have four propellers, this one has six. This is known as a hexacopter design, which adds more stability and a completely different look. The UFO design and LED lights are a sure-fire attention grabber, but this drone also offers an onboard HD camera that can live-stream over WiFi to a mobile device, up to 30 meters. This doesn't hamper flight time as the DBPowers UFO offers 9 minutes in the air, making this drone for the more curious, intentional and perhaps slightly older child.

Hopefully this has given you a better understanding of what to look for in a drone. Kids will love any drone you give them off this list, but there are lots more out there so feel free to continue your research. Happy flying!

Yunhong Liu is the founder of We Talk UAV, a new drone community and news site launching later this year.

Broad Ripple Kiwanis Club Supports STEM!

Broad Ripple Kiwanis Club (BRKC) is a local division of Kiwanis, an international initiative that serves some of the most vulnerable constituents in communities, with a target population that includes children and the disabled. In our community, BRKC's volunteer work revolves around tutoring at IPS schools, donating books to local youth organizations, supporting the Salvation Army, and providing grants to worthy causes within the midtown area. TPF4Y has been the lucky recipient of several grants from BRKC, in support of computer science and robotics for girls.

Last spring, a generous donation from BRKC funded the purchase of 10 laptops to support the US2020-managed CoderDojo coding club that operates out of the Speak Easy, just south of Broad Ripple at 53rd and Winthrop Avenue. CoderDojo is a free program, but at community-based locations, students must bring their own technology in order to participate, creating a significant barrier for low-income students. Thanks to BRKC's donation, ten spots are now available every month for students who are not able to bring their own laptops, ensuring that anyone and everyone is able to attend the Speak Easy Dojo. (Want to sign your child up to participate in the Speak Easy CoderDojo? Click here!)

"The Broad Ripple Kiwanis Club made a commitment to our midtown community to help improve our local public schools," said Marianne Beck, member of the BRKC Board of Directors. "We felt that CoderDojo was a great way to extend the work we do with IPS. To us, better schools mean better communities and we have enjoyed partnering with TechPoint Foundation for Youth to help make that happen!

The BRKC-sponsored laptops served double duty over the summer at a US2020 coding program at Horizons at St. Richard's, where students completed Hour of Code activities and spent six weeks working on Code.org and other fun curriculum. BRKC also sponsored the All Girls FLL Challenge, put on by TPF4Y and several other partners, which impacted almost 50 girls from 9 robotics teams during a day-long, off-season tournament.

Because we are so grateful for their continuing support of TPF4Y programs as well as the work they do in the Broad Ripple community, we can't wait to join them on Friday, October 7th for their fifth annual Pints for Half Pints fundraiser benefitting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programs in midtown IPS schools. There will be live music, food trucks, raffle prizes, and games, plus you'll receive a souvenir pint glass! To purchase tickets, click here. 

We hope to see you at this fun event and look forward to continuing our partnership with BRKC!

US2020 Year 3 Kickoff Party!

The event was hosted at Angie's List, one of our US2020 corporate partners.

Two weeks ago, we celebrated the start of a new US2020 school year with our annual Kick-Off Party. We can't believe it's already our third year participating in this national initiative, but we're excited about the successes we've seen and the progress we're looking to make during the upcoming school year. 

While the majority of the event was dedicated to networking over appetizers and drinks, we had a few remarks to recognize the successes of one of our partners as well as several volunteers. Ahmed Young, Director of the Mayor's Office of Education Innovation, kicked off the remarks by announcing the renewed support of the US2020 initiative by the City of Indianapolis under Mayor Hogsett, a partnership we value greatly and are excited to continue.

Next, since the event was attended by so many wonderful volunteers, it was only right that we recognized some of our best and brightest, who were nominated by their peers for their US2020 involvement.

This year's US2020 Mentors of the Year were:

Kim Smith

Kim works at First Internet Bank, where she is instrumental in helping to recruit and organize volunteers for the US2020 initiative. In addition to supporting volunteerism in the office, she has volunteered with the Math Pentathlon program at Indian Creek Elementary School for two years, where her enthusiasm for mentorship is evident.
 

Michael Horn

Michael is a graduate student at IUPUI, currently working on a master's degree in biomedical engineering. For the past two years, he has dedicated his time to the FIRST LEGO League Junior program at IPS 14, inspiring young students in the robotics program with his passion for learning and helping others.

Shenyo'a Nubuya

Shenyo'a works for T2 Systems and has volunteered for numerous CoderDojos throughout Indianapolis. Students at Launch Fishers, Horizons at St. Richard's, and Indian Creek Elementary School have all benefitted from having her as a mentor, as she is passionate in her belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to learn and better themselves.

Ahmed Young from the Mayor's office poses with Kim Smith, Shenyo'a Nubuya, and Maggie Cline, US2020 Program Director.

We are so grateful for the commitment of our volunteers, without which US2020 wouldn't be a success. While our students are the biggest beneficiaries of our volunteers' continued dedication to our STEM programs, they tell us it's a two-way street and that they gain just as much from their interactions with the students.

"For me, the best part of being a CoderDojo volunteer is watching a student complete their first coding program on their own," said Shenyo'a Nubuya. "The reaction is priceless!"

Maggie Cline poses with Mathew Palakal and Vicki Daugherty of IUPUI, as well as with Ahmed Young from the Mayor's office.

During the Year 3 Kick-Off Party, we also took the opportunity to recognize a local finalist in the category of Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships for US2020's national STEM Mentoring Awards that were presented in Washington D.C. at the beginning of August. Since our local partners couldn't be at the White House for the awards ceremony, we wanted to publicly congratulate the Indiana University School of Informatics & Computing at IUPUI. Their Informatics Diversity-Enhanced Workforce (iDEW) initiative was recognized for its work to deliver a diverse and knowledgeable workforce to the IT sector via a partnership between the School of Informatics & Computing and local high schools, industry, and community organizations. 

We're so grateful to every partner, volunteer, and funder that commits to supporting the US2020 initiative. Each school, company, and individual volunteer helps us make a lasting impact on Indianapolis' underrepresented youth!

STEM-tastic Summer Learning!

Shanna Martin, Executive Director of Horizons at St. Richard's, was fielding calls from parents wondering why their children wanted to be picked up late on Wednesdays this past summer. The answer? CoderDojo, a US2020- run coding club being facilitated by volunteers during Horizons' aftercare program.

Horizons at SRES is a six-week summer program aimed at decreasing the learning loss that low income students experience during the summer months, a time during which their higher income counterparts are continuing to learn and grow because of their access to educational summer programming. Horizons offers students high quality academics as well as cultural-enrichment and confidence-building activities such as swimming, arts, and sports. 

"CoderDojo has been a great extension of the Horizons program because it's learning that is fun," Martin said. "The children are learning how to organize their thinking and express ideas using technology. It's such a valuable enrichment activity that I'm hoping we can continue to offer it to students in the future."

This past summer, three volunteers from Sharpen and T2 Systems worked with a group of 10 second and third grade students for an hour each Wednesday of the summer program, facilitating their understanding of computer science through coding games. And while it is enlightening for students to learn the basics of coding, it's just as fun for volunteers.

"I'd say the most rewarding aspect of the experience was the excitement and level of engagement demonstrated by the students each week," said one volunteer. "I've always enjoyed working with kids, and though it can sometimes be trying, the joy on their faces whenever they solved a challenge, or grasped a new concept, was contagious. It reaffirmed my love of coding!"

US2020 also facilitated summer volunteer opportunities at the Lilly and Wheeler-Dowe units of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis, bringing in 24 volunteers from 4 companies to expose students to exciting STEM programs like Math Pentathlon and CoderDojo. The addition of summer programming is new for US2020, which facilitates mostly after-school programs during the school year, but with such great feedback from students and volunteers alike, is definitely something that will be repeated next summer!

Meet the US2020 VISTA!

After searching far and wide to fill the available VISTA positions in the US2020 initiative, we chose a new team member, Connor Karns, to fill the role of Program & Evaluation Coordinator.

AmeriCorps VISTA is a federal initiative where volunteers elect to live at the local level of poverty and serve their community, usually by working with a nonprofit. Think Peace Corps, but domestic. Our VISTAs work to maintain and grow the sustainability and capacity of US2020. 

Meet this year's VISTA below:

Connor Karns
US2020 Program & Evaluation Coordinator

Connor leads evaluation procedures for the US2020 Initiative in Indianapolis. He will work to maintain pre-existing evaluation methods, including surveys, manage database input and reporting, and work to ensure student and volunteer engagement.

Fun Fact: Connor is a collector of Hawaiian shirts! He frequents local Goodwills to find more. 

We're really excited to start Year 3 of the US2020 initiative both with returning and new members of our team. We'd love it if you walked along with us this year!

Blast from the Past: Damon Richards

In the first installment of our "Blast from the Past" blog series, we're catching up with former TPF4Y board member Damon Richards, who was on the selection committee to hire our Executive Director Laura Dodds when she came on board back in March of 2008. 

Graduating in 1984 with a degree in electrical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Damon co-founded and led Port-to-Port Consulting for 21 years before it merged with Desktop Resources to create Spectrum Technology in January of 2013. He then retired in September of that year and has since done some consulting work on IT related issues, enjoyed a lot of bicycle riding, and focused on "maintaining a passing grade in Retirement 101."

Damon poses in front of his alma mater on day 35 of a cross-country bike trek from Santa Monica, CA, to Washington, D.C.

With such a passion for biking (he's completed a solo ride around lake Michigan as well as another all the way across the USA), he began volunteering with Freewheelin' Community Bikes in December 2014. As he became more involved, Damon wanted to inspire the kids to keep riding, so he added a riding requirement to the Earn-A-Bike program in the summer of 2015 and suggested training the kids to ride a century (a 100 mile bike ride) earlier this year.

"I'm expecting to take ten kids to the Rollfast Gran Fondo on September 18th in Carmel, where they will complete their first 100 mile ride," Damon said. "But the most exciting part is that the kids will be on new road bicycles that they earned through their riding efforts."

While Freewheelin' has already secured financial support from the CIBA Foundation, Rollfast, and Clif Bar & Company, the group is still in need of funding to cover expenses for their training and the event itself. If you'd like to support Damon and the students as they look forward to their first century ride, click here to make a donation.

Damon is excited to continue his involvement with Freewheelin', which now includes serving on their board as well as expanding the Century Club and developing a touring program for next year where the final activity will be a multi-day ride that includes camping. He also participates in morning runs with Back on My Feet Indianapolis and serves as a fourth grade tour leader at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May of each year.

Once they became empty nesters, Damon and his wife Susie moved downtown to the Old Northside, where they discovered their love of downtown living. They've been urbanites for four years.

Repurposed Corporate Computers Grow Indiana's Future Tech Workforce

INDIANAPOLIS, July 11, 2016 – With the help of companies like Interactive Intelligence, out-of-warranty technology is being repurposed by start-up Multiply Technology, and issued back to the Indiana community through small-scale businesses, nonprofits and other organizations in need of low-cost tech solutions.

“When a computer goes out-of-warranty or reaches its end-of-life, our choices for what to do are limited,” said Todd Pedersen, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Interactive Intelligence. “We’re thrilled with the idea that our equipment can be repurposed by Multiply Technology and used to make an impact in the community through programs like CoderDojo.”

Multiply’s mission is to be the conduit that connects companies and their out-of-warranty gear with nonprofits and other organizations that are doing good around the world. Multiply meets all regulatory and compliance standards; securely erasing and preparing out-of-warranty equipment for reuse by the community at a fraction of the cost of new equipment.

“We’re fortunate that Indy’s biggest and best companies care so much about directing resources to multiply the good,” said Aaron Padgett, Multiply co-founder. Doug Booth, Multiply’s other co-founder, added: “We’re really privileged to be the ones who can facilitate the use of these resources in a secure and sustainable way.”

Recently, CoderDojo Indiana, a TechPoint Foundation for Youth program, purchased laptops from Multiply Technology to support CoderDojos at Launch Fishers and The Speak Easy in Broad Ripple.

CoderDojo is a global movement of free, volunteer-led computer coding clubs for students between seven and 17 years old. CoderDojo Indiana, in partnership with Eleven Fifty Academy and CoderDojo Foundation, will launch 20 Dojos in Indiana over the next year, some of which will be outfitted with technology purchased from Multiply Technology.

Students at Horizons at St. Richard's Episcopal School participate in Hour of Code using TechPoint Foundation's Multiply laptops.

“Often Dojos require students to bring their own technology to the free program,” said Laura Dodds, executive director of TechPoint Foundation for Youth. “As you can imagine, this presents a significant obstacle for low-income families. Working with Multiply Technology, we’ve already purchased laptop sets for use at new Dojos making these programs accessible to any student wishing to participate.”

At the 2016 Mira Awards Gala hosted by TechPoint, the event’s presenting sponsors, Interactive Intelligence, Angie’s List and Salesforce, made a financial commitment to CoderDojo Indiana. Through audience donations matched by the three sponsors, more than $60,000 was raised that night to support the 20 CoderDojos that will start in Indiana in partnership with the Eleven Fifty Academy’s Cool Coding Awareness Week.

“Like many of our friends in the software industry, we struggle to find the talent needed to meet our needs,” Pedersen said. “Supporting programs like CoderDojo Indiana that gets kids excited about computer science allows us to build a talent pool right here in our own backyard. Knowing that many of those kids are learning the tricks of the trade on our repurposed equipment is especially exciting for us."

About Interactive Intelligence:

Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ) is a global leader of cloud services for customer engagement, communications and collaboration designed to help businesses worldwide improve service, increase productivity and reduce costs. Backed by a 20-plus year history of industry firsts, 150-plus pending patent applications, and more than 6,000 global customer deployments, Interactive offers customers fast return on investment, along with robust reliability, scalability and security. It’s also the only company recognized by the top global industry analyst firm as a leader in both the cloud and on-premises customer engagement markets. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and has more than 2,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit www.inin.com.

Interactive Intelligence is the owner of, and holds certain registrations for, the marks INTERACTIVE INTELLIGENCE, its associated LOGO, PURECLOUD and numerous other trademarks and service marks in the United States and various other jurisdictions around the world. All third-party trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Contact: Christine Holley, Sr. Director, Market Communications, Interactive Intelligence, 317-715-8220

About TechPoint Foundation for Youth:

As the leader in technology education efforts for the state of Indiana since 2001, TechPoint Foundation for Youth is committed to providing our state’s K-12 students, especially those typically underrepresented in STEM industry, with equal opportunities to explore the hands-on learning opportunities that inspire the pursuit of in demand STEM careers. In 2016, in partnership with Eleven Fifty Academy and CoderDojo Foundation, TechPoint Foundation for Youth launched the first of its kind statewide CoderDojo coalition known as CoderDojo Indiana. Over the next year, 20 Dojos will be formed across the state and outfitted with the technology needed to provide interested students access to these free community-based coding clubs. For more information on TechPoint Foundation for Youth & CoderDojo Indiana visitwww.techpointyouth.org.

Contact: Laura Dodds, Executive Director, TechPoint Foundation for Youth

About Multiply Technology:

Multiply Technology is an innovative startup revolutionizing the IT asset disposition industry. Multiply is focused on collecting and repurposing end-of-life machines, eliminating company data liability, minimizing waste, and most importantly making an impact on the community using that technology as a vehicle to do so. Multiply’s motto is to “Multiply the Good,” which has been the foundation of the company culture and the why behind their business.  For more information, visitwww.multiplytechnology.com.

Contact: Doug Booth, Co-founder, Multiply Technology, 317-689-0585

US2020 Volunteer Spotlight: Paula Deemer

First Internet Bank is a valued US2020 founding partner and their employees are nothing short of stellar volunteers. One mentor in particular, Paula Deemer, has shined brightly as an active volunteer with the Math Pentathlon program at Thomas D. Gregg IPS School 15.

Through the efforts of Paula and her fellow First Internet Bank volunteers, a popular after-school program has emerged. Math Pentathlon is a K-7th grade program of engaging and interactive problem-solving games that teach students how to learn, live and love math. This program strengthens basic math concepts and skills, and stimulates creative thinking while developing problem-solving skills. 

When asked about why she volunteers, Paula answered, “I choose to volunteer because it’s a win-win-win experience (notice the extra “win”). It provides the opportunity for a unique interaction with another that is not linear, but circular. I have found the person volunteering in the role as a mentor often ends up being enriched as much or more from the experience and learning as many things as they are teaching. It’s very rewarding to see my efforts impact the lives of others.” 

Paula’s passion for giving back is evident to her coworkers as well. Kim Smith, Chief Compliance Officer at First Internet Bank, said, “Paula is always the first one to volunteer and offer her time in the service of our community. She is enthusiastic and passionate. As a member of FirstIB’s philanthropy committee she is always looking for new ways the Bank can reach underserved communities.” 

Enthusiastic volunteers like Paula are the backbone of US2020. Thank you Paula, for your service!

All Girls FLL Challenge!

Almost 50 girls from 9 FLL teams came to the School of Informatics & Computing at IUPUI on Saturday, May 21st, to participate in the first annual All Girls FLL Challenge, an off-season robotics event for girls only. 

Funded by the National Girls Collaborative Project and the Broad Ripple Kiwanis Club, the event was hosted by a planning committee comprised of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, IndianaFIRST, the Learning Curve at Central Library, the School of Informatics & Computing (SOIC), and the TechPoint Foundation for Youth.

The following 9 teams participated in the event:

1. Chemical Latinas - Indianapolis, IN
2. Gamer Girlz - Indianapolis, IN 
3. Huntington Ladies - Huntington, IN
4. Lady-Bots - Griffith, IN
5. Robow Squirrels - Bedford, IN
6. Silver Streak - Carmel, IN
7. TransformHERS - Indianapolis, IN
8. Waverly Legends of LEGOs - Martinsville, IN
9. Wild - Indianapolis, IN

The day started with an opening ceremony followed by three, hour-long sessions that the teams rotated through. Groups of teams took a tour of the SOIC building and experienced cool technology like the virtual reality and media labs, spent time on the practice fields to prepare their robots for competition, and participated in a sisterhood activity that had them inventing a holder for 8 water bottles that was safe for both animals and the environment. After lunch, the robot matches began, interspersed with time slots to present their "Harmless Holder" inventions to the judges.

One of the unique aspects of this event was the pairing of female high school robotics team members with each FLL team. These high school volunteers were from 5 different FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams and were a great resource for the FLL-ers, allowing them to interact with older girls who love robotics just as much as they do!

Of the 34 volunteers who helped make this event a success, 33 of them were female, including an all-women planning committee, referees, and judges, who came with a very impressive combined resume. We would like to thank our esteemed judges for their help:
 

Adrienne Wright
VP, Technology
Emmis Communications

Carlotta Berry
Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Christina Dunbar
Senior UX Researcher
Angie's List

Jane Richardson
Director of IT Strategy
Cummins

Tiffany Trusty
Director of Apprenticeship
Eleven Fifty Academy

Six total awards were presented to the most deserving teams for the following accomplishments:

Champion: Robow Squirrels
The Champion Award is presented to the team with the highest score during the robot competition.

Runner Up: Lady-Bots
The Runner Up Award is presented to the team with the second highest score during the robot competition.

Robot Design Award: Waverly Legends of LEGOs
For the Robot Design Award, judges look for a team whose design work stands out. They evaluate mechanical design, innovation, programming effectiveness, and team strategies for solving missions to assess overall design quality. Judges also take into account how well the robot performs on the competition field

Sisterhood Award: Robow Squirrels
For the Sisterhood Award, judges base their decision on the teamwork and core values exhibited during the sisterhood activity time, as well as the team's presentation of their finished invention. They look for a team that invented a clever product, but did so while displaying enthusiasm and support for the ideas of their fellow teammates.

Creativity Award: Silver Streak
For the Creativity Award, judges look for a team whose effort and performance is unique from every other team. They base their decision on conversations and observations made throughout the day while they look for a team that displays creativity in every aspect of their work, from the design of their robot, to the presentation of their team, to the way they work together.

Phoenix Award: WILD
The Phoenix Award is given to a team that displays a can-do attitude throughout the event, even when presented with disappointing challenges or problems. The judges look for a team that does not give up easily and is determined to persevere despite difficulties.

Congratulations to all our teams for a fabulous day of STEM learning and thank you to our sponsors and volunteers for helping to make this event possible!

May the 4th Be With You!

Not so long ago in a galaxy pretty close to home...

TPF4Y partnered with 17 Indianapolis companies to bring you a celebration of all things Star Wars: May the 4th Be With You, also known as Star Wars Day! For our inaugural year, we asked employees of those companies to wear their favorite Star Wars gear, anything from a t-shirt to a full-on Wookiee costume was encouraged. Then, we invited everyone to an afterwork party with plenty of fun activities including light saber training, character photo opportunities, a vintage Star Wars video game, a BB8 obstacle course, coloring contest, giveaway drawing, and, of course, plenty of food and drinks. A huge thank you to our presenting sponsor, NextGear Capital, for helping to make it all happen!

The Angie's List team in their Star Wars gear.

We gave away several awards, the most coveted of which was the Jedi Master Traveling Trophy, awarded to the company with the most creative and comprehensive character representations. We also recognized individuals for the best costumes from the Dark Side and the Light Side. Congrats to our winners:

• Angie's List for taking home the Jedi Master Traveling Trophy
   
• Emmanuel Greene from Bloomerang for taking home the Best Costume: Light Side trophy for his impressive impersonation of Rey
   
• Ryan Hartman from Angie's List for taking home Best Costume: Dark Side for his outstanding representation of Kylo Ren.

A real highlight of the evening was the live chalk art performance by Ben Glenn, the Chalk Guy, where he completed an intricate Star Wars landscape on a 6 foot by 8 foot canvas in just over 20 minutes! It was not only some awesome entertainment, but also found a new home at Angie's List thanks to a generous donation that allowed them to take it home!

Thanks for all those who participated this year - we're excited to have you back (with friends!) next year! Until then, may the Force be with you...

$60,000 Raised at the Mira Awards to Launch CoderDojo Indiana

Over $30,000 in individual donations were raised for TechPoint Foundation for Youth to bring computer programming clubs for kids called “CoderDojos” to Indiana during the 17th annual TechPoint Mira Awards gala. Mira Awards presenting sponsors Angie’s List, Interactive Intelligence, and Salesforce matched those donations, resulting in a grand total of $60,000 in support.

Laura Dodds, executive director of the TechPoint Foundation for Youth, and John Qualls, president of Eleven Fifty Academy, announced the launch of CoderDojo Indiana, making Indiana the first state in the country to commit to providing all students access to computer programming clubs.

This statewide, regional partnership with CoderDojo is the first of its kind supporting the growth of the youth computer programming movement and TechPoint Foundation for Youth has already hired the staff to make it happen, which is also a nationwide first!

Uploaded by TechPoint on 2016-04-24.

Eleven Fifty Academy, in response to the growing technology skills gap in Indiana, has partnered with TechPoint Foundation for Youth to educate schools and communities throughout the state about computer programming. Bringing their interactive, weeklong program, Cool Coding Awareness Week, into 20 cities, Eleven Fifty aims to foster students’ coding knowledge and to continue growing their coding interests.

To launch 20 CoderDojos, and outfit each of them, plus the ones already happening in our communities, with a set of loaner laptops to keep this program accessible to all Indiana students, TechPoint Foundation for Youth needed to raise $140,000. Prior to the Mira Awards, over half of that amount was raised, and thanks to the generosity of the Mira Awards presenting sponsors and the attendees, the program is now fully funded.

A special thanks goes to Indianapolis mobile technology company BidPal for providing the text-to-give donation platform.
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Croft is content strategy and PR manager at TechPoint. She writes about Indiana tech companies, jobs, people and events. Reach out to Sara @saraelysecroft.

Mayor Ballard Recognized at VEX Worlds

The VEX Robotics World Championship took place in Louisville, Kentucky, April 20th - 23rd, with over 16,000 participants representing 37 different nations, all under one roof at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Interestingly enough, a Guinness World Records title was achieved at the 2016 VEX Worlds for the largest student-led robotics competition!

Three members of our TPF4Y team were able to volunteer during the event, giving us the opportunity to bring our experiences back to Indiana to implement as we expand the State Robotics Initiative. 

There were several highlights of the event, including the parade of nations during the opening ceremony that showcased each of the countries participating in VEX Worlds. The robot competition matches themselves are always exciting and VEX Robotics and the REC Foundation also unveiled the brand new VEX and VEX IQ challenges and game pieces.

For our Indiana contingency, the real highlight was the induction of former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard into the STEM Hall of Fame, where he was recognized on stage for his commitment to robotics education for students through the City of Indianapolis VEX Robotics Championship (IndyVRC). This was followed by the announcement of the Indiana State Robotics Initiative, which will scale Mayor Ballard's vision statewide through seed funding from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development with support from the Governor's office.

One of our Indiana teams, 323S Skyhawks from the Cornerstone Robotics Club in Indianapolis, took the middle school VEX IQ World Championship title! The team was paired with 10543C Bestic C from Shanghai, China, and the duo accomplished a perfect score of 173 during their final match, edging out their nearest competitor by 2 points. Check out their story in the news here. 

Overall, we had a great trip and are already looking forward to returning next year!

US2020 Volunteer Spotlight: Shawn Plew

Most of us spend our Tuesday afternoons hurrying to meetings, working on various tasks, and watching the clock slowly tick forward to 5 o’clock. However, Shawn Plew of MOBI has been spending his Tuesdays a little differently. For the past five months, Shawn has contributed countless hours to leading a new CoderDojo coding club as a US2020 volunteer at Central Elementary School.

When asked about his motivation to volunteer, Shawn didn’t need much time to come up with a response. “Growing up in 1980's rural Indiana, I was given the opportunity to have state-of-the-art technology in my home because of a philanthropic partnership between my school and IBM,” he shared with us. “It was this early introduction to computing that gave me a love for programming. I believe that TechPoint Foundation for Youth's efforts to introduce STEM-related fields to Indiana's underserved students will ignite this same fire in children across our state.”

Shawn has worked alongside his colleagues Jolene Kernick, Eric Sendelbach, and Adam Fernung to plan activities, lead program sessions, and serve as a mentor for several fifth grade students at Central.

“Having the privilege to introduce computer programming to young people, knowing the future opportunities and self-confidence this will give them, makes me proud to call myself a volunteer with Techpoint Foundation For Youth," he said.

Central Elementary is one of several schools in the area that has received support from US2020 volunteers to implement STEM afterschool programming and the importance of these programs cannot be overstated. DaJuan Major, Vice Principal of Central Elementary is a staunch supporter of these programs in his school. “STEM Programs are essential for the development of children for many reasons,” he says. “They reinforce what students are learning in the classrooms, enhance positive communication between students, and allow for all students regardless of background to be provided with a leveled platform to exhibit their individual knowledge and expertise.”

Shawn and volunteers like him are the reason TechPoint Foundation for Youth’s programs succeed. Thank you for your service, Shawn!

We're Taking Coding Statewide!

TPF4Y is excited to announce a partnership with Eleven Fifty Academy that will inspire students in 20 communities around Indiana to learn more about computer programming! 

TPF4Y focuses on underrepresented student populations, or those students least likely to make their way into a STEM career: girls, minorities, and kids from low-income backgrounds. These students report that they don’t know anyone who works in those fields, and they don’t understand what people in STEM careers do. Even Google reports less than 17% of their leadership team is female, and less than 5% of their overall workforce is made up of black and Hispanic employees. 

That's why TPF4Y is committed to offering equal access opportunities that target these student populations. And with the help of Eleven Fifty, we're going to be offering coding throughout the state.

It starts with Eleven Fifty bringing their new, interactive weeklong program, Cool Coding Week, into 20 communities across Indiana, fostering students’ coding knowledge and growing their coding interests. There will be five programs in each community targeting students in grades K-12 with developmentally appropriate coding curriculum as well as a free two day Intro to Coding class for ages 16+.

This is where TPF4Y comes in. We don't want to lose momentum after the excitement of Cool Coding Week, so we're working to establish CoderDojo coding clubs in each community, creating a sustainable way for students to continue engaging with computer programming.

CoderDojo is a global movement of free coding clubs for young people who want to learn how to code, develop websites, create games and explore technology in a creative environment with help from a variety of mentors. Originally started in Ireland, this movement has spread around the world as young people between the ages of 7 and 17 are looking to meet like-minded people and to be exposed to the creativity and possibilities of technology. 

The addition of these new CoderDojos, plus the 10 Dojos TPF4Y has already started in Indianapolis through the US2020 initiative, will make Indiana the state with the most Dojos in the U.S. It will also make TPF4Y the largest provider of afterschool coding clubs in Indiana.

We're excited about getting this initiative up and running and are looking forward to a successful partnership bringing coding to the whole state! #GoCode

4th Annual IndyVRC!

The 4th annual City of Indianapolis VEX Robotics Championship (IndyVRC) was held at the Indiana Convention Center on January 23rd and 24th and hosted over 160 robotics teams from across Indianapolis. Students competed for the coveted 5 foot Excellence Award trophy along with 22 other awards and honors during the two-day event, which is the largest city robotics competition in the nation. Historically held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the IndyVRC moved to the Convention Center this year to accommodate the sheer size of participation and attendance. Over 5,000 people attended during the course of the weekend.

Each year, a VEX and VEX IQ challenge is presented to students in the form of a robotics game. Indianapolis students, with guidance from their teachers and mentors, use the VEX Robotics Design System to build innovative robots designed to score the most points possible in qualification matches, elimination matches, and skills challenges. In addition to having a great time and building amazing robots, through their participation in the VEX Robotics Competition and their work within their team, students will learn many academic and life skills.

The IndyVRC also hosted the 3rd annual STEM Fair, which showcases hands-on activities brought in by corporate, program, and community partners. This year, students participated in a game of BINGO that involved receiving stickers from visited booths to put on their BINGO cards. Those students who completed their BINGO cards were entered into a raffle for cool STEM prizes. Booth activities ranged from coding games on laptops to Math Pentathlon board games, 3D printing demos, and a robot that could sort Skittles by color. Roche Diagnostics, the presenting sponsor of the IndyVRC since its inception, brought a semi-truck outfitted with real, working machines used by the companies employees all over the world.

On Sunday January 24th,  Irvington Preparatory Academy won the Excellence Award, the highest honor awarded at the Indianapolis VEX Robotics Championship. As part of the Excellence Award, students who meet admission requirements on the Irvington Preparatory Academy team will be awarded $10,000 scholarships to Rose-Hulman. The team also is awarded one qualifying spot to the Indiana State Championship.

Congratulations to all the teams, students, coaches, and volunteers who participated in the event!

VRC Division Awards

• Excellence Award (State Championship Qualifying Spot + $10,000 scholarships to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology)
  • 8123 Irvington Prep
• Tournament Champions (3 State Championship Qualifying Spots + internships with the Information Services Agency from the City of Indianapolis for 2 students from each team)
  • 5690B Bishop Chatard High School
  • 6210 Heritage Christian School
  • 6210X Heritage Christian School
• Design Award – 5870 Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory Academy
• Energy Award – 7282D Franklin Central High School
• Innovate Award – 317A Horizon Christian
• Judges Award – 7368W Covenant Christian
• Programming Skills Champion – 6210X Heritage Christian School
• Robot Skills Champion – 8123 Irvington Preparatory Academy
• Sportsmanship Award – 8246 Perry Meridian High School

Middle School VEX IQ Awards

• Excellence Award (State Championship Qualifying Spot)
  • 6210A Heritage Christian
• Teamwork Champions (2 State Championship Qualifying Spots)
  • 6210M Heritage Christian
  • 6210A Heritage Christian
• Teamwork Finalists
  • 10364 Franklin Township West
  • 10778 Stonybrook Middle School
• Design Award – 20048 Franklin Township East
• Energy Award – 10364 Franklin Township West
• Judges Award – 48466 Guion Creek Middle School
• Robot Skills Champion – 6210A Heritage Christian School
• Programming Skills Champion – 6210A Heritage Christian School
• Sportsmanship Award – 1024F Fall Creek Valley Middle School

Elementary School VEX IQ Awards

• Excellence Award (State Championship Qualifying Spot)
  • 10675 St. Thomas Aquinas
• Teamwork Champions (2 State Championship Qualifying Spots)
  • 10990 Sycamore School
  • 11121 Lowell Elementary School
• Design Award – 10477 Paramount School of Excellence
• Judges Award – 11065 Thomas D. Gregg IPS 15
• Sportsmanship Award – 10270E Riverside IPS 44

Join Our Team as an AmeriCorps VISTA!

Since the kick-off of our US2020 initiative in August of 2014, TPF4Y has hosted 5 VISTA members who have dedicated their time to the growth and sustainability of this program. Our VISTAs continue to be an invaluable asset to the work we do in support of US2020 and so many of the initiative's successes, as well as the improvements and changes we continue to implement, are a direct result of the work accomplished by our VISTA members. As our second group of VISTAs finish up their one-year service terms, we are in the process of interviewing their potential successors.

AmeriCorps VISTA members live and serve in some of our nation's poorest urban and rural areas. With passion, commitment, and hard work, they create or expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. Want to learn more about becoming a VISTA? Visit the AmeriCorps VISTA FAQ page. 

TPF4Y is looking for three new VISTAs to start in July with a focus on continuing the progress we've made with the US2020 initiative here in Indianapolis.

US2020 Volunteer Coordinator (click here to learn more & apply!)

This VISTA member will be in charge of volunteer recruitment efforts with the support of the US2020 Program Director. He or she will focus on managing partnerships with community-minded companies, facilitating volunteer recognition efforts, and coordinating social media outreach. An outgoing, talkative individual with great people skills and the ability to speak to groups will excel in this role.

US2020 School Coordinator (click here to learn more & apply!)

This VISTA member will serve as the liaison between volunteers and the school and community center sites where they are volunteering. He or she will attend program sessions, respond to questions and concerns, coordinate the distribution and collection of evaluation materials, and facilitate the onboarding of new schools and community center sites. An organized person who enjoys working with both adults and students and who is patient and excels in email and in-person communication would be a good fit for this role.

US2020 Program & Evaluation Coordinator (click here to learn more & apply!)

This VISTA member will serve as the lead in evaluation procedures for the US2020 initiative in Indianapolis. He or she will facilitate the maintenance of existing surveys and evaluation methods, manage database input and reporting, and work with program-providing partners to ensure student and volunteer engagement. A detail-oriented person with exceptional organizational skills and the ability to multitask while working within a team environment will excel in this role.

We are looking forward to welcoming three outstanding new VISTAs to our team in July - please share this opportunity with any talented individuals you feel would fit the bill!

Hour of Code Reaches 375 Students!

Ilya Rehktor, CEO and Co-Founder of DoubleMap and TPF4Y board member, looks on while students learn the basics of coding.

Last Wednesday, students from IPS Sidener Academy had an opportunity to participate in Computer Science Education Week for the second year in a row thanks to the efforts of some dedicated TPF4Y volunteers! CS Ed Week is a worldwide grassroots campaign to encourage as many K-12 students as possible (with over 165 million served so far!) to participate in an Hour of Code activity. Students around the globe are encouraged to try their hand at coding by completing one of Code.org’s introductory activities:

• Star Wars: Building a Galaxy with Code
• Minecraft Hour of Code
• Code with Anna & Elsa

Nate Canada, Engagement Manager at DeveloperTown, helps a student with a question.

TPF4Y joined forces with 34 volunteers to take over Sidener Academy during the last period of the day for an hour of Star Wars and Minecraft coding for all 375 students at the school. Volunteers helped troubleshoot and answer questions as students programmed BB8 and R2D2 from Star Wars, learning the basics of coding while playing these fun games.

Hour of Code wouldn't work without the dedicated volunteers who come in to help the kids discover coding, something most of them have never considered despite the technology surrounding them in their day-to-day lives. The "behind the scenes" aspect of how their favorite video game works often seems out of reach.

"Suddenly writing code isn't quite as scary when you're directing R2D2 or helping an Angry Bird squash pigs," said Nate Canada, a DeveloperTown employee. "That's why I love volunteering for Hour of Code - it introduces the often 'scary world' of software engineering in a safe, fun way that allows kids to see the new worlds they can create with code."

Chris Vaulter, User Experience Researcher at Salesforce and incoming TPF4Y board member, engages with students.

While CS Ed Week is over for this year, there are still plenty of kids who are excited to try their hand at coding and need dedicated volunteers to do it.

"When children get to meet people working in different areas of the tech industry, they can start seeing themselves on that career path," says Chris Vaulter, User Experience Researcher at Salesforce and incoming TPF4Y board member. "You you don't need to be an expert to inspire them - just come with a passion for helping them learn and the program will do the rest."

TPF4Y's current US2020 Initiative has helped to start eight CoderDojo clubs around Indianapolis in the past year, but there are still lots of schools and community centers that want to get started. If you are interested in volunteering to help facilitate a CoderDojo for underserved kids, please contact us at Volunteer@TechPointYouth.org. We need your help to inspire kids to become the next generation of STEM professionals.

Emily Richards and Pat Adams, TPF4Y committee volunteers thanks to a partnership with the Orr Fellowship, enjoy their time with students during the Hour of Code at Sidener Academy.

US2020 City Network Convenes in Tulsa

Fab Lab Tulsa

The #US2020CityNetwork is a group of nine city-based coalitions, including Indianapolis, born from US2020's 2014 City Competition. As a Network, we come together approximately twice a year to accelerate each other's work during what we call Convenings, which are 2-3 day gatherings where representatives from each city are able to meet in person to brainstorm ideas and challenges, receive updates from national partners, and recharge our momentum around increasing STEM mentoring.

We gathered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from December 8th through the 10th for our fourth convening as a group. Hosted by the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance, we started our first day with a brief US2020 State of the Network address and a discussion around our work as we look ahead to the 2016-2017 fiscal year, before moving on to the Fab Lab Tulsa for dinner and a hands-on STEM activity!

Convening 4 attendees at the Fab Lab Tulsa proudly showing off their work as "digital fabricators!"

Fab Lab Tulsa is one of over 300 MIT-chartered Fab Labs in more than 50 countries and provides community access to advanced manufacturing and digital fabrication tools for learning skills, developing inventions, creating businesses, and producing personalized products. Nathan Pritchett, Executive Director of the Fab Lab Tulsa, turned us into digital fabricators for the night as we worked on laser-etching designs into "living hinge" notebooks. Our group's trip to the Fab Lab was even featured on the local news that night!

US2020 staff Megan and Oscar with TPF4Y Program Director Maggie Cline. 

Day two featured paired discussions among city representatives regarding "blueprints" for how best to organize and present comparable information pertaining to each city, a question that many of our local coalitions have been asking about. We also had a conversation with the Schusterman Family Foundation around foundation giving, a diversity in action session to discuss diversity within our networks, and a deep dive on evaluation procedures, both from a national and local perspective. We ended the night with a team dinner at a local pub, where we were able to spend quality time catching up with friends we only see twice a year!

Mayor Bartlett and representatives from the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance with their STEM Community award.

Our final day of the convening, we discussed co-funding opportunities, our continued work with AmeriCorps VISTA members, and the upcoming launch of the redesigned US2020 mentor matching platform. We also heard from Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett, Jr., after which he and representatives from the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance celebrated Tulsa's status as the first STEM Community in Oklahoma, as announced by Governor Mary Fallin. We closed over lunch with a presentation by Stephen McKeever, Oklahoma's Secretary of Science & Technology, regarding some alarming statistics about the extremely leaky STEM pipeline.

As always, the convening was a productive time of invigorating discussions that left us with a renewed energy around the STEM mentoring movement!

3rd Annual FLL Robotics Tournament!

On Saturday, December 5th, over 200 robotics students ranging in age from 1st - 8th grade swarmed the Learning Curve at the Central Library for the 3rd Annual FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Qualifying Tournament! Hosted jointly by the Learning Curve and TPF4Y since 2013, the event was created to offer a robotics tournament location that is accessible to inner city FLL teams.

The day began with opening ceremonies that led right into judging sessions for the 14 FLL teams in attendance. Teams present to groups of judges in each of three categories:

• Core Values - Teams are interviewed and observed to assess how well they have adhered to the Core Values, which are the cornerstones of the FLL program. By embracing the Core Values, FLL students learn that friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals, and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork.
• Project - Teams present the solution they came up with for this year's challenge, as well as the research they did in order to formulate their solution.  Teams may perform a skit, a PowerPoint presentation, songs, or choose another creative way to share their project solution.
• Robot Design - Robot design judging can be compared to an engineering design review in the real world. Teams work toward having the robot that best meets the requirement of completing programmed robot "missions." While the competition is a good way of assessing the best robots, points are also based on how well a team can explain their design and all the things they considered while developing it.

The tournament also housed a Junior FIRST LEGO League (Jr.FLL) Expo, where teams of younger students can show off their LEGO models and present their ideas to reviewers. The Expo took place during the morning, with the High Five Ceremony for the 14 teams wrapping up around noon.

The afternoon was filled with the actual robot competition for this year's FLL challenge, Trash Trek, which asks teams to explore the hidden but fascinating world of trash, from collection, to sorting, to smart production, and reuse. 

Eight awards were given out during the closing ceremonies, two of which were presented by Mayor Ballard, who has generously supported the event with his attendance since the first year. Every student at the tournament also received a LEGO kit, donated by Ben Glenn, founder of The Chalk Guy Christmas LEGO Drive, which he coordinates with his young daughters. 

A huge thank you to the 50 volunteers who came out to help run the event - we couldn't have done it without you! And congrats to all the teams on a great day of robotics fun!

#GivingTuesday Cheers & Beers!

May your heart always be full and my your glass never be empty.

TPF4Y kicked off our 2nd annual #GivingTuesday event on December 1st at Bent Rail Brewery with lots of appetizers, free samples of Bent Rail's Winter Ale (brewed especially for us!), and plenty of holiday cheer! A big thanks to RSM US LLP for sponsoring the event!

Thanks to generous donors like you, we were able to raise $4,000 to support access to high-impact STEM programming for minority and low income students! 

Also, with over 50 of our friends in attendance, we kicked off our Giving(Circle)Tuesday concept and are excited to invite 125 professionals working for, or doing business with, STEM-focused companies to join for $500, ensuring underserved students get the opportunity to experience cool programs like coding, robotics, math pentathlon, and more. To learn more about the TPF4Y Giving Circle, please visit our webpage.

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Observed on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. 

#GivingTuesday harnesses the collective power of a group of individuals within the community to encourage and amplify small acts of kindness.