The CS Sparks Game Design camp combined two pre-existing programs, MIT’s Scratch environment and Microsoft’s Kodu environment, to inspire young girls interested in games to learn computer science skills. We used Google’s CS First curriculum to teach Scratch. CS First introduced girls to coding concepts and practices, while continuing their enthusiasm for gaming. Kodu took their coding experience a step farther with a more advanced environment. Through exposure to CS First and Kodu, girls became creators of games, gained confidence, and increased interest in pursuing Computer Science.

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