Page 23 - THE Journal, January/February 2018

in America and internationally to start coding clubs.
Latta points out that the willingness to solve problems and build applications through coding language ultimately costs nothing. With educational tools and inspiration from Hack Club, motivated students are successfully getting their peers involved in coding.
“One of the most important things about computer science is the idea of ‘computational thinking’ — using the same tools we use to reason about computers, like algorithms, to understand the world around us,” said Latta. “This doesn’t
have to be done through a traditional computer science classroom. Scratch, developed at MIT, is a free visual coding playground that can be used in all types of learning environments. CS Unplugged (csunplugged.org/) is a popular set of
resources to teach computational thinking without any computers.”
Hack Club (hackclub.com) works with high school students to start after-school coding clubs at no cost to the school. “We keep the program free because we believe that every student deserves the opportunity to experience the joys of coding without financial barriers,” said Latta. “To date, after having the program launched for 1.5 school years, students have brought Hack Club to 1 percent of U.S. high schools in 30 states and 10 countries.”
Schools looking to pitch private companies for help with funding have powerful data points on their side. “Technology is increasingly the backbone of the modern economy,” said the 20-year-old Latta, who was named one
of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 (Educational Category) in 2016. “Information
technology is by far the fastest growing sector in the U.S., increasing by 148 percent in the past 5 years. Over 600,000 jobs in technology are currently unfilled, and 250,000 new jobs are projected to be created by 2026,” according the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“An investment in coding programs
is an investment in your community’s future,” he said. “Beyond paving the
way for your future citizens to have
high impact and fulfilling careers
in technology, learning to code is a
deeply empowering and self-actualizing experience. Coding shows young people that they can be the change that they want to see in the world.”
Greg Thompson is a freelance writer based in Fort Collins, CO.
UPCOMING STEM AND STEAM GRANTS
American Honda Foundation STEM Grants Sponsor: American Honda Foundation
Award: $20,000 to $75,000
Number of Awards: Not specified
Application Deadline: Feb. 1 and Aug. 1 for new organizations; May 1 for returning organizations
TAF Project-Based Learning Grants
for Grades 6–12
Sponsor: Toshiba America Foundation
Award: Two categories: Up to $5,000 and more than $5,000 Number of Awards: Not specified
Application Deadline: Up to $5,000 awarded on
a rolling basis; Feb. 1 deadline for applications for more than $5,000
Innovative Practices in K–12 Education Sponsor: Braitmayer Foundation
Award: Two categories: Up to $35,000
Number of Awards: Not specified
Application Deadline: March 15 (grant opens April 1)
Academic Enrichment Grants
Sponsor: McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation Award: $30,000 maximum ($10,000 over three years) Number of Awards: Not specified (five awarded last year) Application Deadline: April 15 (submissions open Jan. 15)
Teacher Development Grants
Sponsor: McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation Award: $30,000 maximum ($10,000 over three years) Number of Awards: Not specified (two awarded last year) Application Deadline: April 15 (submissions open Jan. 15)
ESA Foundation STEM Grant
Sponsor: Entertainment Software Association Foundation Award: Not specified, but suggested upper limit for first-time applicants is $50,000
Number of Awards: Not specified
Application Deadline: Letters of inquiry due May 15 (submission period opens April 14)
SparkFun Community Partner Program
Sponsor: SparkFun
Award: STEM/STEAM-related prize packages, event and team sponsorships and other types of support
Number of Awards: Varies
Application Deadline: Ongoing: third Thursday of each month; awards announced on the last business day of each month
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