77 Quotes from Girls who learned how to code with Small Basic

This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: Small Basic Blog articles.

UPDATED 4/18/19: Added the link to Small Basic and the list of unique features.

 

Microsoft has partnered with IGNITE Worldwide to teach over 1,000 girls how to code each year, at workshops at Microsoft campuses and at schools. We seek to systematically work through every school and teach every girl how to code. No girl left behind.

 

Coding.jpg

 

IGNITE Worldwide exists to equip and encourage girls to go into STEM fields. They are an international organization, with a presence in Rwanda, Nigeria, Uganda, and Uruguay. They seek to impact girls and change lives around the entire globe!

 

But does this work? Are girls learning how to code? Yes! We’ve taught over 1K girls how to code, each year. They all enjoy it, and almost all go on to learn more coding. (Some teachers were shocked to see how well it works.) As you can expect (from a Small Basic blog), we use Small Basic to teach the girls. It's the only text-based language and IDE built for this purpose. See http://aka.ms/Unique for all the details. And get started with Small Basic here:

 

 

Before participating in these workshops, schools have 5-20% girls in their CS classes (when applicable). After participating in these workshops for a year, those schools grow to become 60% girls in their CS classes! The girls become the majority.

 

The best way to understand the impact these events have on the girls is to listen to the girls. We’ve taught over 3K girls using these methods.

 

Here are their words:

 

    1. The lessons at the beginning were Awesome. I love what we learned in small basic. I loved it so much that when I got home I downloaded this and did more coding. The lunch was amazing, and the gift bag was cool too. But I came for the coding. My favorite part was when we made the turtle move and make different shapes. The women on the panel were truly inspiring. Inesha was really cool. I loved her story and how she got into coding. Because of what Microsoft and IGNITE do I was able to go and this raised my interest in computer science and coding through the roof. I hope to come to more IGNITE events to learn more about coding. Also, the lady teaching the coding portion was really cool. - Grade 8 (the last quote on this page)
    2. What I enjoyed was the coding we did in the beginning and it made me think, what else can I do? - Grade 9 (it's the last quote here)
    3. I always thought coding was hard and for smart people only. But after this event I realized it was something I enjoyed and could do! - Grade 10 (here)
    4. To be honest, I have never had much experience in coding, and I didn’t plan on getting any, because I never assumed I was someone who was interested in technology and development. But this trip to Microsoft completely changed that. It’s not that I fell in love with technology, but it’s that I realized my capabilities in that I have no pre-dispositions to being someone who can’t be involved in technology as a high schooler and as a girl. I learned that if I want something, I have the capabilities of getting it. One of the things that stood out to me the most about the trip was that I got to meet and speak with the women in Microsoft as mentors and peers rather than people who were just trying to speak to us. They taught us an introduction to code and they told us about their stories as women in the work field, but they did this through having conversations with us. They showed us our potential as high schoolers, coders, and young women. They showed us kindness, compassion, and helpfulness, and reminded us to show this to others too; especially other women in our work field, and women in general. - HS Student (here)
    5. I learned that coding is easier than I thought. I was also inspired to study harder to attend college and continue my education. - Grade 3 (yeah, she's 8)
    6. I loved learning about coding. I want to go to college and study this. - Grade 6
    7. I learned how to code, and it was amazing! - Grade 6
    8. I loved learning how to code. I never knew what it was, and now I know it’s really an exciting job. - Grade 6
    9. The best thing was coding because there are some really fun ladies. The most interesting thing I heard was that the ladies had a hard time but they did get their education and someday I want to go to work here at terrific Microsoft. - Grade 6
    10. I really liked making a star kind of thing. The coding was very fun and very interesting. I also liked hearing the women tell their stories. - Grade 6
    11. I enjoyed making different shapes and things on the computer, with code. It inspired me to learn more about coding and to learn about what technology can do. Also, I enjoyed the stories from the women, and they inspired me to keep trying and keep reaching for my dreams. - Grade 6
    12. I loved learning how to code. I also really liked hearing the women’s stories about how they got to where they are today. - Grade 6
    13. I liked the coding we did today. I would see myself working here in the future. This event inspired me because I want to design. - Grade 6
    14. I liked the coding part and everything; I loved hearing about everyone’s job and careers. - Grade 6
    15. I loved the coding class cause it was fun. I really loved hearing about the women’s jobs and what they do. - Grade 6
    16. The event inspired me. I learned how to code and loved listening the women. - Grade 6
    17. When the women talked about their lives, it made me open my eyes and think more about my life. - Grade 6
    18. This event inspired me to go into technology for a career. - Grade 6
    19. I loved asking the women questions, and I learned so much. - Grade 6
    20. I had a really great time visiting Microsoft and learning about computer science!  Listening to all the women talk about their experiences in computer science was very inspiring. I never thought I could ever be a good coder because I am bad at math and coding in general. Before this, I didn’t have any interest in studying computer science in high school or college. Now I think it’s something I want to try! I really enjoyed using Small Basic and I would like to try to use it at home! TextWindow.WriteLine(“Thanks again!!!”) - Grade 7
    21. Before I went on this field trip, I wasn’t really interested in studying computer science. After listening to the panel and doing some coding, I realized that I might want to become an intern at Microsoft or Google. Working with the women who work at Microsoft was really fun. They were all very nice and very helpful. - Grade 7
    22. I never coded before, and I would say it was an awesome first experience. - Grade 7
    23. What I liked was where we got to experiment with code and see the turtle move in different ways. Also I liked where the ladies talked about how they came to be technical. I thought it was so interesting when Ashley talked about how you press f5 and you can see the code. - Grade 7
    24. In today’s event I liked it best when we were doing the coding activity. I liked it best because I got to learn more about coding facts I didn’t know before. I also learned that technology classes are hard but pay off once you become successful. - Grade 7
    25. I liked learning coding, and it made me want to work at Microsoft in the future. - Grade 7
    26. I liked the free time when we got to explore the site to code and we got to create a special design. I learned that I could press a special button (F5) to see the code on my computer when I use it. - Grade 7
    27. I never knew about coding, and now I do. I am so glad I learned how to code! - Grade 7
    28. I enjoyed the coding, and it inspired me to become an engineer. I also enjoyed how the women were honest with us. - Grade 7
    29. I liked getting to explore coding on the computer on my own. I also liked getting to hear the volunteers talk. I learned that computer science is one of the best-paid jobs. - Grade 7
    30. I liked when I was able to work on the computer and learn things on it. I really liked hearing the women talk about their careers and changes. - Grade 7
    31. The best part was hearing the adults' stories. I loved learning coding and making the turtle move. - Grade 7
    32. I liked Small Basic and the online resources because it was the best, and I learned a lot of new things. I heard so many new things today and it helped me a lot. - Grade 7
    33. What I liked best was learning how to code. It was really fun. And the most interesting thing I heard today was that everyone had a different and interesting story.- Grade 7
    34. I loved making code. And watching and listening to the women and their past and present. That is what I loved best about today. The most interesting thing I heard was about how Microsoft was created and how these women came to be so talented. Thank you guys so much. I hope to see you again. - Grade 7
    35. The coding inspired me. - Grade 7
    36. I liked the background stories. It motivated me, and I learned how much everyone is having fun. It’s worth staying in and studying because hard work pays off! - Grade 7 
    37. I think everyone was great. I enjoyed when the engineer answered our questions and told us about the coding. I got to connect with women engineers and I also like math and art! - Grade 7
    38. The speakers removed several layers of fear I had about being a girl from a diverse background and going into a STEM field. - Grade 8
    39. Programming gives you control! I can’t believe you can make a computer do anything for you! - Grade 8
    40. I really enjoyed all of the speaker’s stories on how they got to Microsoft. I enjoyed the Small Basic coding and thought it was fun. I have already done block coding before with another coding site, but thought this one is more realistic to how coders do it and would be glad to do it again. Working with the woman that work in Microsoft was also really cool when we were coding, and they were helpful while coding. - Grade 8
    41. I liked how we were able to figure out the code and mess around with coding. I learned that you can get paid a lot for doing things with technology. - Grade 8
    42. I am thankful for the ladies who spoke to us in the panel talk. I think it’s cool to listen to their journey of success, and it inspires me that I can do anything if I want it enough and work for it enough. - Grade 8
    43. I can’t wait to get an internship with Microsoft! - Grade 8
    44. I've learned a lot about coding and how it could be really fun and relate a lot to computer science. In the future I would like to attend more activities with coding or anything with computer science. I now want to learn more about what you can do with technology. I'm glad I attended this program because now I'm really into computer science. - Grade 8
    45. I enjoyed the speakers talking about their lives and what made them want to do what they do. Really, I only went for the food, but when I arrived at Microsoft and we started coding and people started talking about what they do it got interesting... When we were coding I started to get a little frustrated. I told myself to slow down and just enjoy my experience there. After, it got fun coding. I want to continue coding because right now it’s becoming interesting. Thank you for providing our lunch, it was delicious. I can’t wait to go back. - Grade 8
    46. I had a very fun time learning about the different types of jobs you could do there. Also coding was very fun and different, I never knew games were made from coding! I also want to thank you guys for offering us lunch, and also the panel talk was nice too because hearing the different experiences made me even more influenced than before. - Grade 8
    47. The panel talk was my favorite part of going. Pepsi was really inspiring to me during lunch. Pepsi said that if a girl from Compton, CA can do it then so can anyone. It really boosted my confidence that you can succeed if you try your best. All of them helped me understand that I have a lot of time to figure out what I want to be. I do not need to stick with something. For right now, I need to expand my options. Thank you so much for inviting Broadview Thomson girls to Microsoft. - Grade 8
    48. I had a really fun time and I loved hearing about all of your stories. They were really interesting about how you guys had struggled and your doing so amazing now.  All the things you guys talked about really got to me. My favorite part was when we coded turtles. I learned a lot about it. When we got water bottles for knowing the correct answer. I really enjoyed Pepsi talking. She talked about how when she was la little kid she did not get that many good grades. She struggled and I feel like I connected with her a lot. She made it seem like there were so many opportunities for females now a days. All of it was really fun. I would love to do it again. - Grade 8
    49. I had a really great time. My favorite part was lunch and not just because of the food. Some of the other girls and I got to talk to one of the women. She really inspired me to go into a tech field. Even more than I wanted to before. I also liked the panel. All the women that talked were very inspiring, especially Pepsi.  I remember her saying, “If a girl from Compton can work in tech, a girl from Seattle definitely can!” It gave me more confidence to work for a career in tech. She made me feel like I could do it and that even making bad choices when you are young doesn’t mean your whole life is ruined. Thank you all for giving me the chance to meet all these amazing women in the career I want to go into. - Grade 8 
    50. I loved the coding, making the building and adding the roof. I also really enjoyed listening to the volunteer panel. I think this event is great the way it is. - Grade 8
    51. I enjoyed doing Small Basic programming. It inspired me, knowing there are many options. - Grade 8
    52. Learning the new coding program, Small Basic, was a lot of fun, and listening to the women talk really inspired me. It thought this day was perfect. - Grade 8
    53. I learned from Liz that the laziest coders are the best coders!!! - Grade 8
    54. I enjoyed our coding and what we worked on. I really liked everything we did today. - Grade 8
    55. I really enjoyed the talk with the engineers. The coding was really fun. And I enjoyed the small group talks - Grade 8
    56. I enjoyed getting to design something with my mind and code it. - Grade 8
    57. My highlight was coding because it was fun and it inspired me. - Grade 8
    58. The highlights for me were the coding workshop, the food, and the small group talk with a Microsoft woman. - Grade 8
    59. I liked coding. It was fun and easy. - Grade 8
    60. Coding is super fun and a great experience for us! - Grade 8
    61. I enjoyed the Q & A with the Microsoft workers. I am excited about my future! - Grade 8
    62. I really liked when the ladies talked to us to inspire us more. I also liked the coding. This was all great. - Grade 8
    63. The highlights were coding, and learning about more opportunities.- Grade 8
    64. This event inspired me in a way I can't begin to describe. - Grade 8
    65. What inspired me were the people’s stories because it made me think anything is possible, even if you go through tough times. - Grade 8
    66. This event inspired me because if you want to be something you should go for it. - Grade 8
    67. I loved the coding and hearing the ladies talk. - Grade 8
    68. This event inspired me because I didn’t know there were so many fields and things you can do in engineering. - Grade 8
    69. It was pretty fun. We really liked that you could get FREE tampons and pads in the bathroom!! - Grade 8 (proof)
    70. The best part was PROGRAMMING! I learned how to program for the first time ever!!! - Grade 9
    71. I enjoyed actually doing the hands-on coding. This was a fun experience and inspired me to do more coding. - Grade 9
    72. I loved how to program the turtle and experimenting with code. I thought it was interesting that not a lot of people are going for these jobs even though they seem awesome! - Grade 9
    73. Some things that I enjoyed were the challenges and changing things. This event inspired me to work harder to understand and learn how to code and program. - Grade 9
    74. I LEARNED TO CODE! To DO something I live and enjoy. - Grade 9
    75. I loved learning how to make the turtle move with code. This event inspired me to not give up on my dreams. - Grade 9
    76. I really liked learning about coding and programming on the computer. The most interesting thing I heard was that majoring in computer engineering is a good choice because there are a lot of open space for jobs. And companies will fight for you. - Grade 9
    77. I learned that programmers are very lazy, which fits my personality the best! - Grade 9

 

There you go! You can find hundreds of these quotes in the event information blogs:

 

  

 

I hope you have a Small and Basic week!

 

  - Ninja Ed

 

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