Favorite Parts Of Working In The EdTech Industry As A Senior Curriculum Manager
Amy, a Sr. Curriculum Development Manager at Code.org, thrives on the "Open Seas" nature of computer science education, finding immense fulfillment in creating impactful learning materials used by millions globally. A powerful example, a photo of Syrian girls coding amidst a bombed-out school using Code.org's tutorials, showcases the far-reaching, life-changing impact of their work; this inspires Amy and underscores the worth of inserting "a moment of Hope and a moment of joy" into students' lives.
Curriculum Development, Educational Technology, Global Impact, Entrepreneurship, Inspirational
Advizer Information
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Amy Berkhoudt Woodman
Sr. Curriculum Development Manager
Code.org
Point Loma Nazarene University - 2009
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - MA in Education Policy & Leadership
Creative Writing, Journalism
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Student Athlete, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Amy enjoys the entrepreneurial aspect of her work in computer science education, where she can be a leader in shaping the field and impacting millions of children globally.
2. She finds inspiration in the global reach of her work, citing stories of children in developing countries using Code.org's resources to learn coding in challenging circumstances.
3. Amy's work provides a sense of purpose, offering hope and joy to students worldwide through educational opportunities that can be life-changing, especially in underserved communities.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your industry?
I alluded to this a little bit before, just having kind of the open seas idea of computer science education. There's not really a "right way" to do it yet. I'm highly entrepreneurial in general, so having that space to really be the leader in this area, to create something that will go out to literally millions of kids all around the world.
We'll get people writing in. I'm going to share this image: there's a picture that somebody shared of two girls in Syria learning one of the coding tutorials we put out for the "Hour of Code." This is a campaign where we believe every student should have at least one hour of code per year.
At the end of the year, we send out some of our best stuff. These two girls were sitting in front of a bombed-out school, learning how to code on their computers. It was one of the tutorials that we made.
I was so moved by that. You know you're building something kids will use, but you don't really understand the context until you see something like that. That's just one of hundreds of stories we get from people all around the world.
They say, "We don't even have working lights, but we are learning how to code." It's a life-changing moment for so many students, especially those in developing countries. They're going through who knows what. If we can even insert a moment of hope and joy into their lives, it's worth it.
Working within this industry, specifically in an online educational platform, is truly inspiring for me personally and hopefully for others as well.