PVP Coders

This was my first day teaching in 2024 at the Girls Higher Secondary School.  I taught at the All-Girls School first for one day and a total of 8 hours. This time when I came I brought a total of 20 laptops and 45 Micro: Bits. This was in partnership with my Girl Scout Gold Award Project where I collected a donation of 20 laptops from Medhost and 45 Micro: Bits from people who read about the cause of this project. The purpose of collecting laptops was when I taught there last time there was the issue of electricity. Since Pattiveeranpatti is a very small village, the power cuts off a lot and if you are working on a code the code will not save. So, I collected laptops so that work could be done even if the power went out. The Micro: Bits was so that the students would learn Python more easily and be interested. Micro: Bits have a small LED board where you can program using Python to display images. They also have a microphone, touch sensors, and many buttons that you can program which allow it to be multi-functional. Using this allows students to see the result of what they are coding and makes it easier for them to understand and piques their interest. When I taught them, I saw a massive improvement with them. They understood each step which allowed them to grasp the concept better. I also provided each of them with a curriculum as well as Python projects that they could use on their own time. They were able to program a rock, paper, scissors game by the end of the day and were much more excited about coding than before. I know this because I asked them who is interested in going into coding as a career path last time and only 3 students raised their hands and this time 3/4 of the class raised their hands! I am grateful that I was able to see and teach them again. This time I truly felt closer to them and their tremendous growth was a sight to see. I truly look forward to seeing them next year!