Ally Watson co-founded Code like a Girl after experiencing first-hand the barriers women have in the male-dominated computer science and developer industry. Code like a Girl aims to change the playing field, with a strong focus on mentoring girls in coding and computational thinking in a creative environment that sparks a love of logic and leadership.

“We tell them, this what a programmer is, this is what it looks like and this is my story. So, these girls a heading home and getting inspired by the women who facilitate these sessions and they’re saying …Mum, Dad, I want to be a coder when I grow up!”

After chatting with Ally Watson, we also look at ways you can teach about robotics without having a robot or a computer plus we revisit a grab from a past episode in which Neil Bramsen talks about his approach for teaching primary students about logical reasoning.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

Top 3 learnings
Get involved! Coding is about getting your mind wrapped around creatively solving a logic challenge. There are plenty of opportunities to join a coding group, you just have to join the fun.
It’s the story that matters. It’s just as important for kids to know why coding is important as it is to know how to program a given task.
Coding is part of our future. Even if you know that you may not become a software developer, it is just as important to learn how these machines function as they are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society.

About Ally Watson

The Sydney Morning Herald named Ally Watson as one of Australia’s nine most influential female entrepreneurs of 2017. She’s a developer, computer science graduate and co-founder of Melbourne’s highly acclaimed Code Like a Girl, an award-winning social enterprise that provides girls with the support, tools and knowledge to enter and flourish in the world of coding. After experiencing first hand the barriers women face in the male-dominated industry of tech she set out to spark change by inspiring a new generation of girls to acquire coding as a skill and to encourage more females to step into leadership roles.

Contact details for Ally Watson

https://codelikeagirl.org

https://twitter.com/codelikeagirlAU

Education tip:

Teach coding without a robot or computer
https://goo.gl/aHmWPd

Contact Fizzics Education
Web: http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/
Phone: +612 9674 2191

STEM Teaching support resources

NEW Primary STEM teaching book! 
http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/be+amazing+book.html
>100 Free Science Experiments 
http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/Free+experiments.html
>100 Free Science Ideas and Tips
http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/Blog.html

Know an educator who'd love this episode? Share it!
If something grabbed your attention in this STEM podcast please leave your thoughts below.

Ally Watson co-founded Code like a Girl after experiencing first-hand the barriers women have in the male-dominated computer science and developer industry. Code like a Girl aims to change the playing field, with a strong focus on mentoring girls in coding and computational thinking in a creative environment that sparks a love of logic and leadership. &ldquo;We tell them, this what a programmer is, this is what it looks like and this is my story. So, these girls a heading home and getting inspired by the women who facilitate these sessions and they&rsquo;re saying &hellip;Mum, Dad, I want to be a coder when I grow up!&rdquo; After chatting with Ally Watson, we also look at ways you can teach about robotics without having a robot or a computer plus we revisit a grab from a past episode in which Neil Bramsen talks about his approach for teaching primary students about logical reasoning.
Hosted by Ben Newsome from <a href="http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/">Fizzics Education</a> Top 3 learnings
<ol>
<li>Get involved! Coding is about getting your mind wrapped around creatively solving a logic challenge. There are plenty of opportunities to join a coding group, you just have to join the fun.</li>
<li>It&rsquo;s the story that matters. It&rsquo;s just as important for kids to know why coding is important as it is to know how to program a given task.</li>
<li>Coding is part of our future. Even if you know that you may not become a software developer, it is just as important to learn how these machines function as they are becoming more and more prevalent in today&rsquo;s society.</li>
</ol>
About Ally Watson The Sydney Morning Herald named Ally Watson as one of Australia&rsquo;s nine most influential female entrepreneurs of 2017. She&rsquo;s a developer, computer science graduate and co-founder of Melbourne&rsquo;s highly acclaimed Code Like a Girl, an award-winning social enterprise that provides girls with the support, tools and knowledge to enter and flourish in the world of coding. After experiencing first hand the barriers women face in the male-dominated industry of tech she set out to spark change by inspiring a new generation of girls to acquire coding as a skill and to encourage more females to step into leadership roles.
Contact details for Ally Watson <a href="https://codelikeagirl.org">https://codelikeagirl.org</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/codelikeagirlAU">https://twitter.com/codelikeagirlAU</a>
Education tip: Teach coding without a robot or computer <a href="https://goo.gl/aHmWPd">https://goo.gl/aHmWPd</a> Contact Fizzics Education
<ul>
<li>Web:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/">http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/</a></li>
<li>Phone: <a href="tel://1300%20856%20828">+612 9674 2191</a></li>
</ul>
STEM Teaching support resources 
<ul>
<li>NEW Primary STEM teaching book!&nbsp; <a href="http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/be+amazing+book.html">http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/be+amazing+book.html</a></li>
<li>&gt;100 Free Science Experiments&nbsp; <a href="http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/Free+experiments.html">http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/Free+experiments.html</a></li>
<li>&gt;100 Free Science Ideas and Tips <a href="http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/Blog.html">http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/Blog.html</a></li>
</ul>
Know an educator who'd love this episode? Share it! If something grabbed your attention in this STEM podcast please leave your thoughts below.

For educators and teachers working to make STEM amazing... no matter whether you're teaching science in grade 1, running a high school lab or delivering science shows in a museum, this education show helps you teach science & technology the way kids want to learn. The FizzicsEd Podcast brings in educators from across Australia and around the world to talk about tips, tricks, lessons and learnings they've had whilst working with students in the classroom and beyond. Hosted by Ben Newsome, a science teacher, author and founder of the multi-award winning science outreach team at Fizzics Education.

The FizzicsEd Podcast

For educators wanting to make STEM awesome! No matter whether you're teaching science in grade 1, running a high school lab or delivering  science shows in a museum, this show helps you teach science & technology the way kids want to learn.

The FizzicsEd Podcast brings in educators from across Australia and around the world to talk about tips, tricks, lessons and learnings they've had whilst working with students in the classroom and beyond. Hosted by Ben Newsome, a science teacher, author and founder of the multi-award winning science outreach team at Fizzics Education.

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