Speakers:
Leslie Evans - President of We Can Code IT
Mel McGee - Founder and CEO of We Can Code IT
Description
We Can Code IT, is a coding boot camp that allows people to learn how to become better coders. One of their missions is to bridge the gap for those who are underrepresented in the tech community (especially women). 80% of the students at We Can Code IT are women and people of color! At We Can Code IT, they provide experienced programmers to teach and provide training and career support to those who would like it. At We Can Code It, they strongly believe in one's motivation to learn, as opposed to what they already know. All of the learning done in the boot camp is hands on learning allowing the students to really engage in what they are learning. At the boot camp one is able to learn, Java script, Java, C#, Object Oriented Programming, SQL and many more.
If you want to learn more about We Can Code IT, feel free to visit the website:
https://wecancodeit.org/
About Mel McGee
Founder and CEO of We Can Code IT, Crain's Cleveland 2014 Woman of Note, and software engineer and architect with nearly 20 years of professional experience, Mel McGee has worked with clients like Tyco International, DeLorean Motor company, and hundreds of others to develop software. Her programming experience translated to the classroom nearly as soon as she began coding.
An experienced educator, she has taught computer science and engineering subjects to kids, teens, and adults at We Can Code IT, Colleges, and overseas. Mel's knowledge of over 20 programming languages allows her to adapt curriculum to students in a variety of ways. As a certified Scrum master and a Gestalt trained facilitator, Mel's interests in collaborative work are woven throughout We Can Code IT's culture and classroom experience.
Her love for sharing her creative computing techniques has not gone unnoticed. Her innovative early wearable computer was featured in Howard Rheingold's book Smart Mobs. Her web development expertise was featured in books like Curt Harler's Beyond the Browser. She has been featured on NPR, publications like Motor World, Crain's Cleveland Business, Cleveland's Plain Dealer, and many more. Her artificial intelligence bots, Zoe-bot and Skeletor-bot, have been entertaining the masses online and at community events since the early 2000s. She continues to enjoy innovating with artificial intelligence.
She’s married, has a daughter who is learning how to program, and two dogs who follow her everywhere they possibly can.
Mel began coding at the age of 10 years old!
Mel's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melmcgee?authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=yiX2
About Leslie Evans
We Can Code It looks to change the face of tech by teaching people how to code with a special emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Leslie fell in love with their mission and joined the We Can Code It team as a CGO back in December 2015.
Also a mother of three daughters, Leslie spent several years at an independent girl's school as the Director of Programs, launching innovative programs that engaged young women and girls in STEM.
Leslie is now in a position to place role models in tech, helping women and minorities overcome certain stereotype threats and other barriers as well. Working closely with foundations, employer and other partners, she is effectively leading We Can Code It's growth efforts in the market.
Leslie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslieboyerevans?authType=name&authToken=SXva&trk=Skyline_click_NBM&sl=NBM%3B562047609%3A1487800583625%3B0%3B43744451%3B
Presentation for Mel McGee - Founder and CEO of We Can Code IT (scribe: AT)
Focus on development training: SCRUM - Working as a team, single unit, you can be a developer, tester, ect.
Focused on delivering best results
Introduction of Mel McGee
Over 20 years IT dev, architect, certified scrum master, product owner,
We Can Code IT started as people coming up and asking her how to code, so she made that into a series of classes, teaching adults how to code and find jobs while being diversity-focused
Waterfall approach is effective but invites failure, could be replaced by SCRUM in some cases
Agile processes are flexible pending budget, the client developers have a say in agile, scrum master is middle man in the process of development, scrum is a philosophy, is adaptive, puts values and principles into practice.
Agile Manifesto - Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
working software over comprehensive documentation
customer collaboration over contract negotiation
responding to change
Video: iPad app to find best sunglasses for customer. Done in a week by a team of developers and intermediates between client and developers. They receive constant feedback from the client in real-time.
Inspect, interact, transparency play significant roles in the process
SCRUM process is for building new things without defined processes in place to reduce productivity or collaboration.
SCRUM Framework:
Vision roadmap —> Release Planning (what will be built, in order, by when) —> Defining “Done” —> Sprint Planning ->
Sprint Backlog -> 1-4 week Sprint, daily scrum 15 min -> potentially shippable product.
Iterative vs Incremental sprints (Mona Lisa) starting with a broad overview thats not highly detailed, encompasses all of
product owner's wants and needs for finished development effort.
Sprint Planning -> needs to be timeboxed, locked, Done -> Owner says what the consider to be finished.
Product Owner - > Visionary & Leader, figure out what they need, own and refine product, collaborate with developers,
-required at sprint planning meetings for communication, required at the end for the sprint review, accept
or reject, focus is a successful product.
Video shown about SCRUM master… servant leader, making sure things get done, emphasizing teamwork and completeness
checks in on the product owner, has stories broken down to an appropriate level. checks on team, has all information needed for development.
Information radiators, engineering practices.
development team must provide transparency, dedicated 100% to team
Exercise - answering questions about scrum processes - if people are not able to complete ask or are not 100% dedicated to project.
scrum ceremonies: sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint review, sprint retrospective