Tag Archives: html

In a recent blog post here on SelfAssemblySites, Training vs Learning: Computer Science in Schools, we looked at the growing movement in Britain to bring computer science into the secondary school curriculum. Here in Ireland right under our very noses an organic, non-profit organisation was doing something very similar off their own bat.

Coder Dojo is a volunteer lead group orientated around running coding clubs for 9-16 yr olds, usually on Saturdays outside of schools, for example the Highlane Gallery in Drogheda, the Science Gallery and Google’s Montevetro building in Dublin. The kids learn how to code, developing websites, apps, games and other technology.

In early 2011 James Whelton won some publicity by hacking the iPod Nano. This stirred the interest of some of his PBC Cork school pupils and so he started to teach them html and css.  A meeting with the philanthropist and entrepreneur Bill Liao proved a catalyst to Whelton’s brain wave. It was June 2011 when the first Coder Dojo was launched in Cork’s National Software Centre to great success.  Rapid expansion followed with Coder Dojo now boasting 40 dojos in Ireland and further afield, as far as London, St Petersburg, Florence and 10 across the United States.

The attitude of the guys and clubs shines through with great positivity in their one rule: (more…)