CoderDojo Ninjas, applications for Web Summit 2015 is open!

Message from CoderDojo –

Hi there,

Irish CoderDojo youth members will once again have the opportunity to showcase their awesome projects at the Dublin Web Summit in the RDS from 3rd – 5th November! There will also be an opportunity for Ninjas to see talks from the speaker lineup during the day and experience Irelands largest tech event firsthand.

The deadline for applications for the Web Summit 2015 is approaching fast and there are limited spaces available! CoderDojo Ninjas have until 12 midnight (GMT) on October 20th to apply to showcase their projects at the event.

This is a fantastic opportunity for Ninjas and is not to be missed. If you have any questions please contact: info@coderdojo.com

Thank you very much!
Pete

Coolest Projects 2015 – 2 winners from Dun Laoghaire!

Well, everyone was a winner really, it was a fantastic day at the Coolest Projects in the RDS on 13th June, with about 650 ninjas showing off 500 projects!

We were especially pleased to have two winners from Dun Laoghaire, with Lexi Schoene receiving the RTE overall Design Award, and Fionan O Ceallaigh receiving an Openet Innovators Stage Award.

There are some great photos from the CoderDojo Foundation available by clicking here.

We particularly like this photo of CoderDojo Founder James Whelton with Fionan

and this one of Lexi being awarded her prize onstage 🙂

We have a lot of photos from the day and hope to get these uploaded as soon as we deal with a little technical issue!

Some press coverage:

Irish Times: Child designers crack the code at CoderDojo awards
Seven-year-old wins overall prize in design category at Coolest Projects Awards

Tech Central: CoderDojo Coolest Projects Awards brings out best in young programmers

Silicon Republic: CoderDojo’s Coolest Projects showcases young coders’ skills

 

 

 

Google Cardboard – virtual reality on your smartphone

We had great fun trying out Google Cardboard at our dojo session this evening and most people wanted to know how to get their own!  Well, here’s the information you need:

Google information on Cardboard

Experience virtual reality in a simple, fun, and inexpensive way.

How It Works

Get it, fold it and look inside to enter the world of Cardboard. It’s a VR experience starting with a simple viewer anyone can build or buy. Once you have it, you can explore a variety of apps that unfold all around you.

How to get Google Cardboard

Get a complete kit shipped directly to you from a manufacturer. Please note that the companies listed are not certified by Google.

You can also build it yourself from everyday items you can find at home, online, or at your local hardware shop. You need just a few things: cardboard, lenses, magnets, velcro and a rubber band. You can print off the template from Google, glue it on to cardboard and assemble it as per the instructions. Note – it’s probably cheaper to buy a kit online than to buy the lenses though!

Once you’ve got Cardboard – get Apps!

There are free and paid apps – the roller coaster app being  shown this evening is a free one 🙂

Do you want to be a Cardboard Developer?  Click here

 

This is the Cardboard box I brought along this evening.  It cost £11.99 plus £6.53 postage and packaging via Amazon – this works out at about €25.  My phone is a Galaxy Note 4 which is larger than a standard phone – standard size phones could use this Cardboard.

 

 

Coolest Projects now open for applications

The annual CoderDojo Coolest Projects 2015 Awards is all about recognising, encouraging and nurturing the creativity of the CoderDojo community of young coders attending Dojos across Ireland and Europe!

CoderDojo is proud to announce that the CoderDojo Coolest Projects 2015 Awards event will take place on the 13th of June at the Main Hall at the RDS, Dublin, the venue of the Web Summit)!

Last years Coolest Projects Awards saw over 250 project entries from CoderDojo Ninjas from Ireland and across the EU, with 2000 in attendance on the day! This is the competitions fourth year running and due to the phenomenal growth in the popularity of CoderDojo with young people in Ireland and across Europe, the event moves from it’s previous home of DCU to the RDS. This years event is set to be the biggest and most exciting CoderDojo event yet!

Register your idea / projects for Coolest Projects 2015

The CoderDojo Coolest Projects 2015 Awards is open to submissions from ALL CoderDojo Ninjas. This year we expect a huge number of applications, so we would advise that you apply as soon as possible.

REGISTER HERE

Some key information about submissions:

  • The Coolest Projects Awards is open to all young people (7-17) involved in a CoderDojo around the world! You must be involved in / attending a CoderDojo.
  • ALL skill levels, from N00B to wizard, are accepted!
  • Project participants studying at Third Level are NOT eligible to participate.
  • All applicants will have to attend the event at the RDS, Dublin in person for the judging process, online video presentations are NOT accepted.
  • No online, video or remote entries will be accepted
  • TEAMS: This year we are accepting applications from teams consisting of up to three CoderDojo Ninjas (max) to submit their project!
  • For group projects each member must be registered Remember only one project can be submitted per attendee / team so pick the most AWESOME project you’ve been hacking away on at your Dojo! We are aware that part of the creative process is changing your mind!
  • You can always update / edit your project idea after you’ve applied for the competition, just let the team know.
  • Projects created for other competitions can be entered.
  • Submitting an application does not fully guarantee entry,
  • If we receive more projects than the venue’s capacity, projects will be selected based on their initial application.

All entries must be submitted by 11:59pm GMT on Sunday, 10th May 2015!

 

Junior Spiders competition (enter by 11 March)

This year’s eircom Junior Spiders will take place in the Facebook HQ in Dublin on Monday April 20th. The awards are open to youth aged 4-19 years in Ireland & Northern Ireland. Through practical projects, the eircom Junior Spider Awards makes digital, fun and encourages thinking about the digital elements behind everyday tasks and objects.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE WEDNESDAY MARCH 11TH

Click here to enter