12/07/2020
Milwaukee, WI
The MKE Tech Hub Coalition is inviting area companies, nonprofit organizations and schools to demonstrate a commitment to local talent development by spending an hour mentoring students on the future of work in a digital economy and/or to do a tech related activity during Computer Science Week: December 7–13, 2020.
Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week and is a global campaign to celebrate and expand STEM learning opportunities for students.
As part of the MKE Tech Hub Coalition’s commitment to advancing Milwaukee as a region for technology, business and talent development, we are proud to partner with the local business, education and non-profit communities on MKE Hour of Code. The MKE Tech Hub Coalition wants students to understand the opportunities available in our city and see themselves as a valuable part of the #MKETech ecosystem. Tech is embedded in all of our key industries and has become a foundational skill set to stay competitive in the future of work.
The MKE Tech Hub Coalition is a member of CSforAll. CSforALL’s mission is to make high-quality computer science an integral part of the educational experience of all K-12 students and teachers and to support student pathways to college and career success.
While there are state guidelines for access to computing and related disciplines as part of any high quality STEM education program, there is currently no overarching state strategy or dedicated funding to ensure that this occurs. Consequently, many students will never experience computing or understand it’s value in relation to the future of work.
By joining the MKE Tech Hub Coalition’s regional MKE Hour of Code initiative, you help spread the message to students that there is a community invested in their development and a place for them in our region.
As part of Code.org’s global Hour of Code initiative, our mission is to serve STEM awareness and education opportunities to as many K-12 students in the Greater Milwaukee Area as possible. Our goal is to sustain a minimum of 5000 Hours of Code despite the COVID-19 pandemic with the active support of Coalition members and the greater MKE community at large.
We understand that there is a lot of uncertainty due to COVID-19. Please don’t let it impact your plans to participate. We are providing guidelines on how to run activities virtually. In our pursuit of tech equity in the region, we must come together to ensure all students feel supported by their community.
Any Day or Time
Tuesday, December 8
Thursday, December 10
Did you miss this session or want to watch it again? Click here to watch a recording of the live event.
The Milwaukee region’s tech community is vibrant and growing! Watch MKE Tech’s Building your Tech Career in Milwaukee video:
Saturday, December 12
88Nine Radio Milwaukee & Milwaukee Public Library
In 2018, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Public Library co-hosted an event at the Mitchell Street Library. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett stopped by to talk about the importance of computer science education. Volunteers from the organizations were on hand to help students with their coding activities.
Betty Brinn Children's Museum
Betty Brinn Children’s Museum’s Be a Maker space offered hands-on coding activities – tech and low/no tech – highlighting data collection and visualization, computer science terminology, quick puzzles and games in 2018 & 2019.
Northwestern Mutual and Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)
In 2019, the STEM teams at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and Northwestern Mutual co-hosted a Girls + AI event, in honor of Computer Science Education Week, with the goal of encouraging young women to pursue careers in tech, and specifically, Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students participated in hands-on, visual and engaging, AI activities.
Gearbox Labs
In 2019, a 2-hour free workshop facilitated by Gearbox Labs introduced coding using a microcontroller. Attendees coded a series of LEDs and introduced variables, control settings, loops, and more.
Discovery World
Discovery World hosted a Family Weekend Hour of Code Workshop, which was open to the public and included with the price of admission.
SHARP Literacy
In 2018, SHARP Literacy used Code.org lessons to teach Loops (with Rey & BB-8 from Star Wars) and combined it with the work of Milwaukee-based animation/graphic design studio Blackbox Visual. Animation was the perfect example of using loops!
They also taught debugging algorithms, how the phrase was coined by Grace Hopper and looked at the artwork of Madison-based visual artist Jennifer Angus who used *ACTUAL BUGS* in her installation art.
Stellar Elementary
Bright Stars at Stellar Elementary gained confidence in coding by solving different challenges in Minecraft.
Business/Corporate
• 88Nine Radio Milwaukee
• Accenture
• American Family Insurance
• Ascension
• Badger Mutual Insurance Company
• Baird
• Brown Dog Gadgets
• CESA1
• Codeworks
• Concurrency
• Entrision
• Ever-Green Energy
• Foresight Studios
• GE Healthcare
• gener8tor
• Godfrey & Kahn S.C.
• Johnson Controls
• Kohl’s
• Landmark Credit Union
• MacGregor Partners
• Mars Solutions Group
• Molson Coors
• NEWaukee
• Northwestern Mutual
• Nvisia
• Reinvent Auctions
• Rising Tide Analytics
• Rockwell Automation
• Sabhya Technologies
• SoftwareONE
• Talimer
• West Bend Mutual Insurance
Non-Profit
• Beyond STEM
• COA Youth and Family Centers
• Discovery World
• Foresight Studios
• Gearbox Labs, Inc.
• Girls Who Code
• HPGM
• Islands of Brilliance
• Latinos in Tech
• Microsoft TEALS
• MKE Tech Hub Coalition
• NCWIT-WI
• PEARLS for Teen Girls
• Plymouth Public Library
• PUMP-CS
• SHARP Literacy
• STEM Forward
• Wisconsin FIRST LEGO League
Higher Education
• Carroll University
• College of Engineering University of Wisconsin – Madison
• Marquette University Opus College of Engineering
• Milwaukee School of Engineering
• Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute
K-12
• Bader Hillel Academy
• Carmen Schools (Stellar Elementary, Carmen High School)
• Cedarburg School District (Thorson Elementary School)
• Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee
• Elkhorn Area School District (Career and College Academy, Elkhorn Area Middle School)
• Elmbrook Schools (Burleigh Elementary School)
• Greendale Schools (College Park Elementary)
• Holy Apostles School
• Kenosha Unified School District (KTEC – Kenosha School of Technology Enhanced Curriculum)
• Madison Metropolitan School District (East High School)
• Milwaukee Academy of Science
• Milwaukee Public Schools (Bruce-Guadalupe Community School, Escuela Verde, Forest Home Avenue School, Golda Meir, Hamilton High School, NOVA High School, Washington High School of Information Technology)
• New Berlin School District
• Notre Dame School of Milwaukee
• Oconomowoc Area School District (Oconomowoc High School)
• Shorewood School District (Shorewood High School)
• St. Francis School District (Deer Creek Intermediate, St. Francis High School)
• Waukesha School District
• Whitefish Bay School District (Cumberland Elementary School, Richards Elementary School, Whitefish Bay High School)
The MKE Hour of Code serves as a spark but we are not done there! We want all participants to consider what’s next and reach out with ideas for how the MKE Tech Hub Coalition and our partners can help you take the next step.
Didn’t find what you were looking for? Send your suggestions to Mhaeger@stemforward.org (STEM Forward Content) or contact@mketech.org (MKE Tech Hub Coalition) and we’ll find the right way to incorporate it.
To download our 2019 Media Kit, click here. To see our 2019 results, read our press release here.
Yes, absolutely! Code.org and Code with Google have many self-guided, turnkey tutorials that you can use right off-the-shelf. They also have how-to guides to help you practice teaching the activities. All you have to do is pick one and pick your time to volunteer. There are options for all ages and experience levels. For younger students, check out this Code.org program, which has a fun basketball activity called “Make a Basket”. Watch this SHARP Literacy and Marquette Golden Eagles Video, and then perform the activity together!
The primary goal of the MKE Tech Hub Coalition is to double the tech workforce in southeastern Wisconsin by 2025. This will enable us to fulfill the tech talent requirements of employers as well as drive economic success and innovation in the region.
To achieve this bold milestone, we’re harnessing the power of companies, entrepreneurs, educators, community organizations and other area stakeholders to join forces around our key initiatives. This includes K-20 strategies that reflect a value for the future role of our existing student population in the #MKETech ecosystem. www.mketech.org
For the third year, NEWaukee is proud to power Milwaukee’s Hour of Code.
NEWaukee is an engagement agency that works with organizations to design & build new, transformational experiences. Learn more at newaukee.com.
Code.org is a 501c3 public non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. Its vision is that every student in every school has the opportunity to learn computer programming. After launching in 2013, Code.org organized the Hour of Code campaign – which has introduced over 100 million students to computer science to date – and partnered with 70 public school districts nationwide to expand computer science programs. Code.org is supported by philanthropic donations from corporations, foundations and generous individuals, including Microsoft, Facebook, Infosys Foundation USA, Amazon, and others. For more information, please visit: code.org.