Enjoy these testimonials from mentors and students and check out our TechU.me Gallery for results!
“My biggest surprise was the amount that the kids got done. They were producing applications at a level that I would expect in first or second year university students, not 15 year olds.” Mentor, Tod Creasey, Rational Team Concert Development and Legal IBM Ottawa Lab
“I went on to do Grade 11 Computer Science. I definitely would not have continued in this field if it weren’t for this technology program / course. So my message to students… take advantage of this opportunity! You will never forget this experience. I know that I never will.
” Samira, student
“When I was in university, this would have been a 2nd year course… I was impressed with how fast the students grasped programming constructs, software design, user experience, debugging, and project planning all while learning the basics of Java. Well done guys!” Mentor, Adam Boyle, Product Manager, Agile Communications Environment, Avaya
“There is no reward more satisfying than watching a child enjoy a game created by you.” Dipesh, student
“It’s amazing how capable students are of solving complex problems when given a little push. Near the end of a class, I explained the concept of recursion to a student who was facing a classic dynamic programming problem, but didn’t have time to help him work out a solution. The next time I saw him, he had taken my general explanation and successfully applied it to his specific problem. I was very impressed!” Mentor, Dan Menard, Software Developer, Macadamian
“The course has been really enlightening for me. It has opened my eyes to a career in technology. Through the course, I found that I enjoy programming. All the places we’ve been have been really interesting and informing. All the mentors and partners added onto the ~outstanding~ experience I had. It was a great privilege to be able to participate in this amazing program. It feels awesome to know how much we are helping others!” Warda, student
The Grade 10 students were face-to-face with real customers with real demands. Arguably, those little kids wanted “everything,” but isn’t that the reality of a consumer driven product? The Grade 10 students did not yet appreciate the incredible learning experience they were embarking upon. Neither did the Grade 3 students for that matter. Even more critically, neither did either of their teachers. … Problems encountered were challenges to be “cracked” open. You cannot beat this learning experience. Perseverance, hard work, teamwork and sheer determination combined for success. This is a life lesson. from Canadian Teacher, Sept. 2011, by Cathy Vachon, a Grade 3 Teacher at St. Luke Elementary School, Ottawa, and Patrick Coxall, a Grade 10 Teacher at Mother Teresa High School, Ottawa.
As an avid novice app developer, a career in the technology sector has always been one of my main choices. However, I had thought that a career as a software developer would be dull and repetitive for the majority of the time. This experience proved me wrong. From what I observed, you are always working on new projects and challenges. Many of which might also be games, which can be fun to play and debug. There are also special events when working in a company like bitHeads. For instance, towards the end of my employment, they announced a bitHeads version of the Summer Olympics with simple games and sports. Aly, 2012 AppJam Winner & summer student at bitHeads