This April, we’re welcoming responsive design and mobile expert Brad Frost to Chattanooga. He’ll be discussing the mass amount of data on the web and how that leads to information overload and constant distraction. Jill Pala of Girls Preparatory School will be kicking off the night with her thoughts on the state of computer science education and whether everyone should know how to code.
More information exists now than ever before. 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Facebook users upload 350 million photos every day, and over 10% of all photos ever taken were taken just last year.
Along with the rise of all this information comes the amount of bullshit we’re exposed to. We’re all struggling to capture just a few precious seconds of people’s attention, leading some creators to exploit dirty tricks and dark patterns to get things done.
It’s our role as creators in this information-soaked age to create things that are genuinely valuable and respect people’s time.
Brad Frost is a web designer, speaker, writer, and consultant located in beautiful Pittsburgh, PA. He’s passionate about creating Web experiences that look and function beautifully on the never-ending stream of connected devices, and is constantly tweeting, writing and speaking about it. He’s also created some tools and resources for web designers, including This Is Responsive, Pattern Lab, Mobile Web Best Practices, and WTF Mobile Web.
There has been a lot of hype about Computer Science Education over the past year in both the local and national media. Is it warranted? Does everyone need to know how to code? (Disclaimer: Jill believes the answer to both is Yes!) In this talk she’ll explore some of the reasoning behind the push for CS Education, some creative ways CS Ed is being implemented around town, and how you can help the growing effort to bring Computer Science Education to all students.
After earning her BS in Computer Science at Xavier University in 2001, Jill worked as a programmer in Chattanooga for four years before making the switch to education.
Jill has been teaching Computer Science at Girls Preparatory School since 2006 and is now the Computer Science Department Chair. She has been a Reader (grader) of the AP Computer Science exam since 2011. In 2012 she was awarded the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award for inspiring girls to pursue careers in computing.
Named a Google Trailblazer Fellow in 2013, Jill is a founding member of CodeXX, Chattanooga’s coding group for women, and actively advocates for CS education and outreach opportunities in the Chattanooga area.
Code & Creativity is a social talk series created to connect us with each other and our larger community. Every other month, we’ll gather at the Camp House for a few hours to listen to one local and one visiting designer/developer as they share their passions, wisdom, and war stories. We'll ask questions, talk shop, and maybe even make some new friends. Of course no gathering would be complete without something yummy in your tummy, so snacks and a tasty beverage (coffee, soft drink, or beer) are on us!