Events New and Old
Video Game Making and Circuitry
May 15, 2018 at 4:00pm
Building games is a great way to experience game play from the perspective of the creator. In this creative computing workshop, kids will learn how to program a computer to build their own games and build their own game controllers. Kids will learn basic coding and circuitry concepts in a fun beginner friendly environment. Using Scratch, a visual programming environment, kids will be exposed to an international community of coders making a wide range of games. This workshop is for kids as young as 8 with no prior experience with Scratch required. Registration is required.
Thinking About Design - Creative Strategies
May 8, 2018 at 7:00pm
Design Thinking is being used by large innovative companies to create exceptional products and experiences (think Google Glass, AirBnB, your arrival experience with major airlines, and, of course, toilet paper). It can also be applied at much smaller scales - in education, to find solutions for sustainability challenges, and of course in tech companies of any size. Join Anne Stieger for an introduction to this powerful toolbox, process and mindset for user-centered design.
Animating Stories - Interactive Stories with Scratch
May 8, 2018 at 4:00pm
Animating is a great way to bring a story to life. In this Creative Computing workshop, kids will learn how to program a computer to create animations for their own stories. Kids will learn basic coding concepts in a fun beginner friendly environment. Using Scratch, a visual programming environment, kids will be exposed to an international community of coders making a wide range of animation based projects. This intro workshop is for kids as young as 8 with no prior experience with Scratch required. Registration is required.
Art Making with Your Computer!
May 1, 2018 at 4:00pm
Art is made with a variety of media - even computers! In this Creative Computing workshop, kids will learn how to program a computer to make interactive artwork. Kids will learn basic coding concepts in a fun beginner friendly environment. Using Scratch, a visual programming environment, kids will be exposed to an international community of coders making a wide range of interactive art projects. This intro workshop is for kids as young as 8 with no prior experience with Scratch required. Registration is required.
Bring your Visual Art Alive with Computers - Intro to Processing
April 21, 2018 at 12:30pm
Do you enjoy painting or drawing? In this Hoist workshop, teens will learn how to program a computer to build generative art. We will learn how how simple math equations can be used to create beautiful and engaging outcomes. No coding experience? No worries. This fun introductory workshop is meant for the beginner coder with a visual arts interest. Using OpenProcessing, participants will be exposed to an international community of coder-artists making a wide range of digital creations.
Where Did All The Women Go? Retaining Women in Computer Science
April 10, 2018 at 7:00pm
Over the last 30 years, the number of women entering Computer Science university programs has dropped from 50% to around 10%. Once in the program, women have a higher drop out rate than men. And women graduating with Computer Science degrees often leave the field and pursue alternate careers. Dr Randy Newman and Cindy Trudel have been actively researching this phenomenon over the last few years. In this Refresh Annapolis Valley talk, Randy and Cindy will discuss the problem, the programs that Acadia has in place, and the needs for the future.
Creative Computing Course 2018
April 5, 2018 at 6:00pm
Creative Computing is a course developed by an international network of educators passionate about exposing kids to the computer sciences. Broken up into 7 units, this course uses the popular Scratch programming environment to aid young people (aged 8 to 13) in learning the basics of software development. Scratch is used over the world by students to easily create interactive artwork, interactive stories, and video games while acting as a stepping stone to the more advanced world of computer science.
Refreshing Marketing
March 20, 2018 at 7:00pm
Marketing is forever changing. What works one week does not necessarily work the next. Join Duncan Ebata , Evan Hill , and Ashley Greene for a marketing insiders discussion on how to stay on the curve. They will explore why and how empathizing and understanding customers can be game changing; how to “growth hack” your marketing to double your results at half the cost; and time saving and low cost tools for marketing.
Revved Up!
March 17, 2018 at 2:00pm
March 23 to 24th is launchbox’s Start It Up! - a weekend business ideation competition with 10K in prizes to be won. If you are interested in playing with new business ideas, this event is for you. While an University event, we have had youth teams (and winning youth teams!) at several Start It Up! competitions. This year is no different.
If you are interested in learning more about this business ideation event, come to this information session and beef up on your skills to help you compete. We’ll discuss the event format, review tools, and hear from a profesional public speaker on how to nail a presentation.
State of Computer Science Education
February 13, 2018 at 7:00pm
With an estimated 218,000 new skilled ICT workers needed in Canada by 2020 to meet the short term demands of our digital economy, focus on our educational system to address this challenge is paramount. The profound lack of diversity within the digital tech economy further complicates the response required. With changes in our provincial educational pipeline well under way, we are still early on in deploying a comprehensive response.
Join our panel discussion focused on defining challenges and solutions for Computer Science education today.