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

1. Hack
the
Hood:
Transforming
Youth
&
Local
Small
Business
through
Project-­‐Based
Tech
Learning
Susan
Mernit,
CEO
Hack
the
Hood
ISlI,
August
2014

2. 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.
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2014

3. Youth
and
mentor,
Summer
2014
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4. 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?
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5. 2013
cohort
visiYng
Ask.com
engineering
team
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6. 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
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7. 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
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8. Youth
graduate
with
experience,
insight,
relaYonships,
skills,
plan.
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9. 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
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10. 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.
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11. 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.
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12. 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
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13. 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
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14. 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)
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15. 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
• :
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16. 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.
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17. 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.
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18. Hands
on
experience
as
pracYYoners
builds
a
bridge
of
confidence
when
youth
meet
tech
professionals
and
visit
tech
companies
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19. 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
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20. 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
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21. 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
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22. 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
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23. 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
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24. 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?
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25. Let’s
discuss!
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26. 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
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27. Stay
in
touch!
Susan
Mernit,
CEO
Hack
the
Hood
susan@hackthehood.org
@susanmernit
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