hack the hood: transforming youth & local small business through project-based tech learning

Hack the Hood: Transforming Youth & Local Small Business through Project-‐Based Tech Learning

Susan Mernit, CEO Hack the Hood

ISlI, August 2014

What is Hack the Hood?

•  Non-‐profit program that addresses inclusion and employment issues through boot camp and weekend programs that teach tech skills to young people of color ages 16-‐21.

•  Youth build web sites for local small businesses, work with tech mentors, and learn about tech careers.

•  Started 2012 in Oakland, expanding in 2015.

2 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014

Teaching for Understanding QuesYons

• How is project-‐based, real-‐world learning a criYcal experience in empowering young people of color to be acYve parYcipants in (understanding and) designing their future?

• How can we include young people of color in a leadership pipeline that leads to good jobs and careers in tech?

• How does the program design of Hack the Hood create a virtuous circle for the benefit and esteem of Oakland's youth?


Program Structure

•  WHAT – 6 week program

–  Instructors train youth in tech/web skills & so^ professionals skills

– Youth create web sites for local businesses – Research tech careers & meet tech workers – Visit tech companies


Program Impact on youth

•  Young person moves from consumer to producer of technology

•  Hands-‐on, real-‐world learning—and real clients—build youth confidence

•  Youth meet and work with tech mentors, workers & learn about tech careers

•  Design career plans & build porcolio


Flexible frame for imparYng skills/awareness

•  Hard skills – Web site building with Weebly.com

– Photo sizing & posYng – Photo research – Search engine opYmizaYon

– Directory lisYngs: Google Business Pages

•  So^ skills –  Public speaking –  Project management –  Networking –  RelaYonship management –  Understanding

•  Lack of diversity in tech •  Cultural fit issues •  Types of jobs available •  EducaYon & training required


2014 parYcipant: Entered with no tech experience Learned web development, HTML, CSS basics Build 5 web sites for local businesses 4+ pages each. Internship placement For fall, plus classes.


2014 parYcipant: Entering 10th grade, will take coding classes, planning to be a web developer/engineer. Entered with no tech experience; now has career plan for tech industry & mentor. 11 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014

How do we build youth understanding?

•  Focused on student understanding of skills, outcomes & impact

•  Related immediate web dev work to bigger tech ecosystem, training, opportuniYes

•  Gave youth Strength-‐finder assessment & invited them to create their own job Ytles

•  Invited revision & amplificaYon during program


Approach: Hands-‐on/leadership focused

•  We did: – Link to meaningful immediate work

– Link to jobs & careers framework – Encourage student leadership & accountability – Teach collaboraYvely – Use Scrum, a agile development Silicon Valley workflow process that supports iteraYve development, teamwork, leadership, accountability


5 meeYngs weekly: quick check-‐ins

•  Scrum Process

– Planning meeYng – Daily scrum – Review meeYng

– RetrospecYve/EvaluaYon

•  3 roles: – Product owners (the business clients for the web sites

– Scrum Master – Team members (youth)


Using scrum for our workflow process meant

• Work divided into week-‐long Sprints

• Each youth reported on work daily

• Program Manager was • Scrum Master (assigned work)

• Instructors support youth projects • : 15 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014

How can we include young people of color in a leadership pipeline that leads to good jobs and careers in tech?

SCRUM approach promoted youth in leadership roles in daily meeYngs, supported teamwork and students teaching skills to one another.


Weebly as a problem solving tool • Youth are trained to work with organizations—merchants, non-profits, artists, etc. who need web services

• Youth talk with merchant and assess needs, then design a web site architecture and pages

• Youth work to collect assets from merchant and web to create a custom site

Teaching for understanding

Students listen and arYculate client needs , using their new skills

Students show mastery of skills and deepen learning through pracYce

PracYce makes them pracYYoners. 17 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014

Hands on experience as pracYYoners builds a bridge of confidence when youth meet tech professionals and visit tech companies


Youth work with common web dev tools—which also builds

community of pracYce with pros

Google drive: folders & collaboraYve file sharing Dropbox: large file sharing via the cloud Basecamp: CollaboraYve project management Facebook: Social media outreach 19 all rights reserved susanmernit 2014

Student, age 19 (on right) No previous web experience Built multi-page web site for Vamp Music Vampmusic.weebly.com

Offer to intern in 2015 with tech company—via his mentor


Teaching for understanding: How does the program design of Hack the Hood create a virtuous circle ?

•  Youth learn web/dev skills •  Apply skills in community with small

businesses •  Work with tech mentors on career

development •  Visit tech companies •  Build career plans & porcolios •  ConYnue to learn, work, build relaYonships


Teaching for Understanding: Lessons learned

• Be outcome/knowledge driven • Teach for understanding as a visible output and as a framework • Practice student accountability, leadership •  development and team work


How can you put this into pracYce in your tech program?

Shift framework to hands-on project based learning rather than isolated skills mastery

Provide contexts with real world relevance for student work

Emphasize deadlines, deliverables

Adapt Scrum for project sprints


AcYviYes

Identify a common activity in your classroom or program—take 5 minutes and make notes on how you might integrate some of these ideas.

What are advantages?

What are obstacles?


Resources and credits

Hack the Hood --Web site: Hackthehood.org --Twitter: @hackthehood --Facebook: facebook/hackthehood --Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/hackthehood2013

Other resources for Teaching for Understanding Teaching for Understanding with Technology by Martha Stone Wiske, 2004

Harvard University: Education with New Technologies: Networked Learning Community http://bit.ly/1ykmv14
