Lesson Planning: November/December

[mikefowler]

September 4th recap

In our last meeting we discussed two potential topics for the November/December sessions:

1. Continuing down the route of games with a text-based adventure or something in Unity 3D.
2. Diving into straight web development, teaching HTML and CSS and potentially working in learning how to use Git at the same time

In addition to these topics, we talked about the potential for some group or collaborative aspect to the sessions, allowing the kids to work together on a project.

@donjo was going to be looking into the feasibility of Unity, and @hunterbridges and @kneath both expressed interest in helping build the curriculum and/or teaching. We also pointed out that, given the time of year, the presence of any of the mentors at a given session might vary, so it will ideal for as many of us as possible be able and willing to step up and teach for a week.

Let's use this thread to start talking about lesson ideas.

[KartikTalwar]

Not sure if this still matters but installing nodejs on windows is extremely easy. If we want to use it, getting it working on each platform wont be hard

[hunterbridges]

Not sure which thread to post this in, but @jensechu is interested in being a mentor

[mikefowler]

:+1: If you're vouching for her, she's in!

[mikefowler]

@jonmagic, could you post up the notes you have from our previous meeting?

[mikefowler]

Unfortunately I'm not going to be around the first half of next week, but how do @CoderDojoSF/mentors feel about meeting early in the week for some more collaborative work on the lessons? By the end of next week we should try to have a solid idea of the topic for each session and have all of the sessions "assigned" to a mentor for building out the flow like @jonmagic has been doing for the first lesson.

Would Tuesday night work for folks?

[kneath]

I'll be out of town next week kind of unexpectedly unfortunately. I'll try and chime in online as I can and hopefully contribute to some of these lessons!

[jonmagic]

Notes from our last meeting:

Tell a story using the web

• Lesson 1: html (I volunteered to prepare and teach the lesson https://github.com/CoderDojoSF/webdev-lesson-1-html/pull/1)
• Lesson 2: css
• Lesson 3: css
• Lesson 4: responsive design, animations, and transitions
• Lesson 5: javascript

CoderDojo Web App

• It is all setup to import repositories with a lesson.json file (you can see the results here http://coderdojosf.herokuapp.com after I merged my lesson.json PR into my lesson https://github.com/CoderDojoSF/webdev-lesson-1-html/pull/2)
• It handles registration and all of the registration emailing stuff works.
• It allows the registration of 20 students before closing registration.
• Registration will open 7 days before the event.
• Parents can go to the event page http://coderdojosf.herokuapp.com/lessons/3 to sign up to be notified when registration opens.
• The app looks like poo and seriously needs a makeover. /cc @broccolini

[donjo]

Next Tuesday would work for me and I could also prepare and teach one of the CSS lessons. Have we posted the dates we agreed upon somewhere? I just want to make sure I'll be free on that weekend.

On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 11:46 AM, Mike Fowler notifications@github.comwrote:

Unfortunately I'm not going to be around the first half of next week, but how do @CoderDojoSF/mentors feel about meeting early in the week for some more collaborative work on the lessons? By the end of next week we should try to have a solid idea of the topic for each session and have all of the sessions "assigned" to a mentor for building out the flow like @jonmagichttps://github.com/jonmagic has been doing for the first lessonhttps://github.com/CoderDojoSF/webdev-lesson-1-html/pulls .

Would Tuesday night work for folks?

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/CoderDojoSF/Lesson-Plans/issues/16#issuecomment-25997369 .

[cameronmcefee]

Have you guys posted tickets to the mailing list yet? Since it's the holidays and we've been on holiday ourselves, it might be nice to give them a little extra time to prepare for the sessions.

[mikefowler]

We haven't posted tickets yet because we were waiting to see if the app would be ready for use. I think we'll just say hold off with app until next sessions and do Eventbrite (unless you feel differently, Hoyt). I'll take care of it this next week, either way.

On Friday, October 11, 2013, Cameron McEfee wrote:

Have you guys posted tickets to the mailing list yet? Since it's the holidays and we've been on holiday ourselves, it might be nice to give them a little extra time to prepare for the sessions.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/CoderDojoSF/Lesson-Plans/issues/16#issuecomment-26161267 .

[jonmagic]

:+1: Eventbrite, the app is ready when it's ready :)

[jonmagic]

I won't be able to make a meeting next week unless it is Thursday or Friday. Not sure you need me though, I can take feedback on my lesson via PR comments.

[dgbeck]

I could meet tomorrow for sure, thurs or fri might also work

[mikefowler]

@donjo & @CoderDojoSF/mentors, I created a wiki page to keep track of the session dates and who will be planning/teaching each. Please feel free to claim a session. If you haven't checked out the beginning of @jonmagic's lesson yet, please do so: https://github.com/CoderDojoSF/webdev-lesson-1-html/tree/first-draft

Session dates, topics and teachers: https://github.com/CoderDojoSF/Lesson-Plans/wiki/Intro-to-Web-Development-Sessions

It doesn't sound like many people are around tomorrow, but if @donjo and @dgbeck and whoever else wanted to meet to do some planning, feel free.

[donjo]

I think since it would only be a few of us I'll plan on collaborating online instead of meeting up tomorrow.

Also, I claimed the 11/23 slot on the wiki.

On Mon, Oct 14, 2013 at 2:37 PM, Mike Fowler notifications@github.comwrote:

@donjo https://github.com/donjo & @CoderDojoSF/mentors, I created a wiki page here to keep track of the session dates and who will be planning/teaching each. Please feel free to claim a session. If you haven't checked out the beginning of @jonmagic https://github.com/jonmagic's lesson yet, please do so: https://github.com/CoderDojoSF/webdev-lesson-1-html/tree/first-draft

Session dates, topics and teachers: https://github.com/CoderDojoSF/Lesson-Plans/wiki/Intro-to-Web-Development-Sessions

It doesn't sound like many people are around tomorrow, but if @donjohttps://github.com/donjoand @dgbeck https://github.com/dgbeck and whoever else wanted to meet to do some planning, feel free.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/CoderDojoSF/Lesson-Plans/issues/16#issuecomment-26290983 .

[broccolini]

Sorry I've been off the radar while in NY. Will catch up on the discussion tonight and will work on making the site content and design less poo this week :) /cc @jonmagic

[brntbeer]

Looking forward to being able to help out at some classes this "semester". The only class i can't make is the 23rd.

[mikefowler]

Alright, the event is booked up to 30 this month! We still have two sessions that need some curriculum planning love. @kneath, @brntbeer, @broccolini, @hunterbridges et al: anybody interested in planning/teaching? https://github.com/CoderDojoSF/Lesson-Plans/wiki/Intro-to-Web-Development-Sessions

I'd like to have one more meeting with as many of us as possible to make sure there will be some consistency between the five sessions, and then we'll have a few weeks to just work on building the class curriculum.

/cc @CoderDojoSF/mentors

[jonmagic]

After this week my schedule is wide open. I'm planning on finishing and polishing my lesson next weekend.

[broccolini]

We discussed doing a bit a on basic design principles, hierarchy, spacing, typography etc. which I am happy to do. Not sure that is a whole lesson really. Where do you guys think that fits in? Maybe part of the basic CSS lesson?

[mikefowler]

@broccolini Totally, I think that falls under basic CSS, as much of the "basic" CSS is essentially basic design principles. Any interest in planning that lesson out?

[broccolini]

okay yeah I can do that session.

[mikefowler]

Awesome.

[mikefowler]

Alright. One week until the sessions start! I'd like to meet one day after work this week to go over @jonmagic's session, and to make sure the rest of us are on a good track for finishing up our own classes in the next few weeks. Would Wednesday night work for most of you? 6:30/7pm?

Also, in case anybody who's reading this didn't see my note over in the mentor tickets repo, please reach out to your networks this week and see if anybody is interested in coming to a session or two as a mentor. We're teaching really basic material, so this could be just about anybody who knows code and would be a great mentor.

Thanks everybody!

/cc @CoderDojoSF/mentors

[jonmagic]

Wednesday night works for me. I've been working on my lesson for a few hours today and should have it wrapped up shortly.

[brntbeer]

won't be back in the country yet. =X

[donjo]

Wednesday doesn't work for me but if we meet then anyway I can just figure out what I'm going to teach for CSS week 2 either before or after our first session.

On Sat, Nov 2, 2013 at 2:42 PM, Brent Beer notifications@github.com wrote:

won't be back in the country yet. =X

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/CoderDojoSF/Lesson-Plans/issues/16#issuecomment-27633272 .

[mikefowler]

@donjo, does Thursday work any better for you? I think it would be most beneficial for @jonmagic, you and I to meet, since we're responsible for the first three sessions.

[donjo]

Yep, thursday works for me! Meeting at Github or elsewhere?

On Sun, Nov 3, 2013 at 3:41 PM, Mike Fowler notifications@github.comwrote:

@donjo https://github.com/donjo, does Thursday work any better for you? I think it would be most beneficial for @jonmagichttps://github.com/jonmagic, you and I to meet, since we're responsible for the first three sessions.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/CoderDojoSF/Lesson-Plans/issues/16#issuecomment-27658072 .

[broccolini]

I'm in Hood River til Thursday, I won't be back til later that night so I won't be able to make the meeting sorry.

[jonmagic]

Thursday works for me, we can meet at the GitHub office.

[hunterbridges]

thursday sounds good to me

On Nov 4, 2013, at 11:54 AM, Jonathan Hoyt notifications@github.com wrote:

Thursday works for me, we can meet at the GitHub office.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub.

[mikefowler]

Cool, Thursday it is. 6:30?

[donjo]

Fine by me

On Monday, November 4, 2013, Mike Fowler wrote:

Cool, Thursday it is. 6:30?

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/CoderDojoSF/Lesson-Plans/issues/16#issuecomment-27742864 .

[jonmagic]

Sounds good.

[mikefowler]

For tonight: @jonmagic could you let security know to expect @donjo, @hunterbridges and myself? I think that's all for attendance tonight (or chime in if you'll be coming).

[hunterbridges]

Also @jensechu is going to be there, she wants in on the mentorship

On Nov 7, 2013, at 9:52 AM, Mike Fowler notifications@github.com wrote:

For tonight: @jonmagic could you let security know to expect @donjo, @hunterbridges and myself? I think that's all for attendance tonight (or chime in if you'll be coming).

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub.

[jonmagic]

@mikefowler will do.

[skylar]

I've got something at 6:30 - when will you wrap up? i'll join late if you'll still be around at 8.

On Nov 7, 2013, at 11:31 AM, Jonathan Hoyt notifications@github.com wrote:

@mikefowler will do.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub.

[jonmagic]

Here are our notes from tonight.

5 weeks planned out

• added notes for first lesson to https://github.com/CoderDojoSF/webdev-lesson-1-html/pull/1
• @hunterbridges teaching week 2: for first css lesson start with paper and color pencils to do a mockup, then move into css to implement mockup. Teach tag, class, and hierarchy.
• @donjo teaching week 3: dig into box model. float & positioning, and start on basic transitions
• @mikefowler teaching week 4: animations, media queries, lead into javascript
• @hunterbridges teaching week 5: dive a little deeper into JS, students present their projects

Other notes

• @broccolini is wrapping up the design of the event app
• we should reach out to more folks about mentoring and try to increase involvement/raise up new leaders
• we should clean up old repos that aren't needed and come up with a naming convention for lesson plans