Interdisciplinary experience at the HTW

*This experience report about the work in CoderDojo was written by a former member in March 2022 (editor’s note).

In the third semester of the Master’s degree course in Business Communication, I was able to encounter the development of the project and soon-to-be association CoderDojo Schöneweide at HTW Berlin. At the information event, I particularly liked the motivation and vision of confronting children of a young age with the world of programming in a playful way. I have no in-depth understanding of this myself, but wanted to support the young team with other knowledge and skills.

In addition to providing support in video production, I took over responsibility for the Happiness department in November 2022. Both areas led me to work with students from predominantly information technology and technical degree programs, some of whom transported other interesting approaches/ideas, e.g. on workshops and interests, into my world of thought.

Video production

During the situation analysis in October 2021, the video production team discovered that the YouTube channel had been used very little to date. A professional approach first had to be developed. Concept ideas, scripts, equipment and suitable filming locations were organized over time. Philipp, who was responsible for filming and editing, brought an optimal dynamic to the work team with his manner and drive. The workflow with Dustin was also a great experience. He was spontaneously willing to step in front of the camera as a tutor to give young people an introduction to Minecraft commands. What’s more, the HTW staff were a great source of advice for the visual and audio realization of the recordings. The green screen room in building C opens up great opportunities to realize film projects.

Happiness in the CoderDojo team

Through the integration of the programming-learning project as an AWE variant at the HTW Berlin, new members could be gained in the CoderDojo at short notice, who were able to realize fresh ideas, opinions and their own personality in various areas of work. In a fast-growing team, attention and care is needed for the individual members and their mood. A positive and motivating atmosphere is already present during the meetings and workshops. The participating children not only leave the CoderDojo sessions with more knowledge, but also with the feeling that they have met tutors who are happy to do their job. CoderDojo external events should help to get to know the CoderDojies from a different side and to find other topics of conversation away from ongoing projects. Physical activities such as couple dancing, JustDance on the Wii and board games could easily be carried out in small meetings. Meetings away from the HTW premises, for example at Christmas markets, also had a positive impact on the team culture and created more trust among each other. Despite the pandemic conditions, a fun time-out was always created for the CoderDojies. A subject-specific quiz round was played online with lovingly selected questions that surprised even professionals with humorous knowledge. The upcoming summer semester 2022 offers even more diverse opportunities to get to know each other among the CoderDojies and students.

My tasks and experiences with the CoderDojo team were not only entertaining, but also meaningful. This project already has active and ambitious members who will continue to create interesting workshops like Astro Pi (linking) in the future. I am sure that this AWE will be a versatile option for students to try out an area of the club in the future.