THANK YOU!!!
We've reached 100% of our goal with a week left to go! With this achieved, we can guarantee delivery of Vidcode to girls and schools next year. We're so excited to see what we can accomplish in the time remaining. $25K is the minimum we required to get our software ready for classrooms, but that's just the beginning. We've still got tons more we want to build to make Vidcode even more awesome. Take a look at what can be done if we reach our STRETCH GOALS!
We've received tons of requests from programmers who want to give back and share their skills with teens. If we reach this goal, we can build a project portal where advanced users can submit sketches and lessons for others to learn. This way, we can further embrace Vidcode's social element so our users are coding and learning with each other.
We'll bring in a talented team of iOS and Android developers to build a mobile version of Vidcode. Creating a mobile experience will allow our users to keep creating and learning on the go. It's the most popular vehicle of communication for teens and we want to give them tools to share code anytime, anywhere.
Help us make the best version of Vidcode possible!
A Coding App Created with Girls in Mind
We’ve introduced and tested Vidcode across the country and one thing is clear: girls love it.
When girls code effects for their videos with Vidcode, they’re excited to see that they, too, can be computer programmers. It opens up a whole world of possibilities for them in creative technology.
This is why we’re reaching out to you and the Kickstarter community, so we can continue to develop Vidcode and reach girls coast-to-coast. Our Kickstarter funds will be used to develop more content for our app users and to deliver our first product to schools.
The Vidcode Story
As women professionals in computer science, we discovered a shared passion for working in technology, but felt a mutual chagrin that the tech world is still heavily male-dominated. We wanted to find a way to teach girls that coding and working in tech is creative and fun. So we spoke with girls. We learned how disconnected they feel from computer science classes (we knew how that felt), and the misperceptions, i.e., tech is boring. Soon after, we created Vidcode, a video coding app that is not only self-expressive, but paired with a hobby girls love – creating and sharing videos.
What is Vidcode?
Vidcode is a online interactive software that
brings the power of hacking videos with
code to teens.
Users can upload Instagram videos, learn to program video effects, and share
the final creation with their friends.
See it in action:
Try it out: app.vidcode.io
Target age range: 11-18
How does Vidcode teach its users computer programming?
Vidcode teaches the fundamentals of JavaScript by customizing and editing video filters. Teens work with and learn the building blocks of object-oriented programming. They play with real JavaScript libraries and HTML5 code to control the appearance of their videos. A user-friendly interface makes working with code accessible. No coding experience required! As they advance, users begin to animate their video effects and further master JavaScript techniques.
Vidcode can be paired with existing high school web development curricula and also works as a stand alone platform to learn JavaScript.
What can girls create using Vidcode?
Videos to share with friends
Music videos
Stop motion animations
Video installations
Content for talent shows
Results: The Vidcode Effect
Our hearts light up over and over again when we watch girls work with Vidcode. We see the change in their perceptions of what programming is and what they can create with it. Girls have ideas for installations, group projects and stories they want to create after using Vidcode. The most important thing is this: Girls have increased confidence after using Vidcode. They can see themselves pursuing a career in technology.
Featured in:
TESTIMONIALS FROM THE GIRLS:
“I now know that I can actually use code for something that I’m interested in."
— Lily, 13 years old
“At my school there is a class for coding filled with guys. After using Vidcode, I’m realizing something may seem complicated but also girls can do it. "
— Sarah, 16 years old
“[Before Vidcode] programming used to be a jumble. But now that I see the vocabulary, and how it works, it’s a lot more simple and I feel confident to continue coding."
— Emma, 14 years old
FROM EDUCATION LEADERS:
"Vidcode leverages kids obsessions with social media and specifically sharing photos to teach them about the basics of coding. Such a smart idea!"
-Sam Levine, Amplify Access
"Vidcode is really creative right out of the gate. It gets kids excited about code and keeps them coming back"
-Maurya Couvares, ScriptEd
Vidcode is Designed for Girls - Used by All
We’ve intentionally chosen not to “pinkify” our software. We’ve designed it to be approachable for girls and boys of all ages. Vidcode introduces a novel way of learning programming that can be enjoyed by anyone who wants to create their own videos using new, interactive technologies.
Teenagers love how easy Vidcode is to use and how they can pursue it in their free time with friends.
Why We Need Your Support
We've invented a creative, impactful, and shareable coding platform to help close the gap of girls’ participation in computer science. Still, we want to deliver so much more content to our users and schools, so Vidcode’s positive impact can grow. We can reach more students and make a much bigger difference with your help! We have classroom orders to fill to meet the critical mass. With your help, we can:
1. Develop extended curriculum
2. Ship more advanced features to our users so they can continue learning JavaScript. The full curriculum release will include:
- frame-sequencing features
- video and photo collages
- speed controls and stop-motion animation
3. Place Vidcode in at least 10 classrooms by the end of the 2015 school year. The teacher's kit includes 9 weeks of written curriculum to pair with the software tools, student profiles, and a teacher's guide.
Let's get Vidcode out there as an new entry point for more kids to find a joy, love and passion to create with code.
Making Vidcode a reality
Vidcode has come a long way. We've taken it from a back-of-napkin idea to a classroom prototype to a live site in eight months. After we won first place at the Startup Weekend EDU competition this January, we knew we were on to something that teens, parents, and educators wanted to have available.
Our Vidcode Introductory Workshops
This year, we partnered with the New York City Department of Education to test Vidcode with hundreds of students in public high schools. We spent the summer at the 4.0 Schools accelerator in New Orleans optimizing our product with a team of leaders in the education field. Over 220 students have used the software in high schools and universities, as well as thousands of teens online. We've had repeated requests to provide curriculum and teaching kits to schools and afterschool programs.
In August, we launched Vidcode. Visit the app prototype: http://app.vidcode.io/lesson/1
We’re
Grateful to Our Technology Mentors
Our team had an advantage to begin Vidcode as a thesis at NYU Interactive
Telecommunications Program (ITP). For this reason our initial design and build
stages last spring were under the tutelage of some of the best and brightest in
the future of technology today.
We've studied leaders in the arena of getting girls to code, such as the great Maria Klawe of Harvey Mudd College. We learned from Klawe to focus on three components when making computer programming more accessible to girls: make it less intimidating, make it fun, and focused on how it's framed.
We are also indebted to:
Girl Scouts of America
Girls who code
Codecademy
New York City Department of Education
Software Engineering Pilot Program
Hopscotch
Amplify
ScriptEd
Code.org
A big thank you to Liz Cole for our amazing video!
CREATORS BACKGROUNDS
Alexandra is a creative technologist who specializes in product management, social innovation, and computer programming. She has founded three companies in the film and software space and has seven years experience teaching high school students photography & more recently software engineering. She completed her masters degree from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) in May and holds a BFA in Photography & Imaging.
Melissa has a degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Michigan. She started her career as a budget analyst for the U.S. Army automotive command. Most recently, she was a software developer in the financial industry where she built trading algorithms for a equity trading desk.
Alexandra and Melissa have worked together on Vidcode since January 2014. They have complimentary skill sets and a shared passion for the difference they are making in teen girls lives.
Risks and challenges
Because we are building a unique software product to be used in schools by Spring 2015, our biggest risk and challenge is making sure we stay on schedule within the allotted budget. We are devoted to shipping the software as fast as we can. That being said, sometimes these projects take longer than expected. If we go overtime or over-budget, we may need to cut features. However, our core design will never be compromised nor will the user experience.
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Funding period
- (30 days)