Making Your Own Snapchat Filters! Leandra Tejedor
Leandra Tejedor has certainly made the Crusaders proud. This 2009 Monroe-Woodbury High School graduate has just been named to "Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education."
Now residing in New York City, Tejedor is the o-founder of Vidcode, an online platform and curriculum that teaches middle school students JavaScript. Students learn to code by coding creative projects using their own media, like Snapchat filters, special effects, and video games.
Social media is an important aspect because it lets students make and customize things that Instagram and Snapchat have pre-packaged, so they can share it back to social media, increasing engagement.
Vidcode is avaiable as an app or as an online course.
Inspiration from many sourcesAfter studying design, interactive media, and literature at Ramapo College in New Jersey, Tejedor met her partners, Melissa Halfon and Alexandra Diracles, at a hackathon in 2014, where the idea was created and the initial prototype built later that weekend.
Leandra Tejedor is the co-founder of Vicode!
Inspired by her co-founders, as well as the teachers she works with, she was also inspired by the people at Girl Scouts of Greater New York, who are working to bring coding and community building to girls throughout New York City.
“Being a Girl Scout definitely impacted me, my Gold Award project was actually focused on creating spaces for education in virtual worlds, so I guess I've been doing this for a while,” Tejedor said.
During her days at Monroe-Woodbury High School, Tejedor was an art major, which also inspired her.
“It let me escape other classes and hide out in the art room," she said. "I assume that led to running away from a real job and working at a startup. Also I'm a designer now, so that's probably related to the art major thing too. I’ve always been passionate about access to education and the arts for all students.”
HumblingBeing named one of "Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education" has been an exciting experience for Tejedor.
“Some women I really respect have been on the list before me. It feels humbling and honoring to join them,” she said.
Throughout her journey, one of the key traits she learned is patience.
“I've learned that things always take longer than I initially expect them to,” she said. “Also vision. There's no one telling you how to reach, or even set, your goals, so (you're) figuring out how to build the road that you're walking on as the company grows.”
Empowering students with technologyOne reason Vidcode has been so successful is because it is important to teach teens about programming since it is no longer confined to just programming jobs. It will soon be part of most fields students decide to peruse when they grow up.
“It's also important that students become empowered to create with technology, especially as it gets easier and easier to just be consumers,” said Tejedor.
It is especially important to encourage teen girls to participate in this male-dominated field so women have a voice in a technology that is being used by virtually everyone, she said.
“Most learn-to-code programs and tools are created by white men, which creates a space where most things have been made with people like them in mind,” Tejedor said. “It's important that something is created by women with teen girls in mind, which is built around their hobbies and interests, and for them to see that programming is something that relates back to things they care about — that programming and technology culture includes them. If these spaces aren't created, everything will continue to be made by, and for, white men.”
Reaching a diverse audienceVidcode has reached more than 150,000 students in 113 countries, and has achieved high diversity rates by making sure to work with programs that will reach students from diverse communities, like Girl Scouts of Greater New York.
“We also partner with Snap Inc's diversity division to run workshops for students from diverse communities,” said Tejedor. “We make sure that we're always talking to students about what they want to make and what they're interested in, which makes a big difference in learning and engagement.”
The after-school course, Breaking the Code, teaches middle school girls JavaScript programming, as well as how to create technology in a mindful way to say something they believe, and create things that could help their communities.
There are free activities online for teens to do on their own, in addition to courses taught in schools, summer camps and after school programs.
For more about vidcode, go to www.vidcode.io.
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Now residing in New York City, Tejedor is the o-founder of Vidcode, an online platform and curriculum that teaches middle school students JavaScript. Students learn to code by coding creative projects using their own media, like Snapchat filters, special effects, and video games.
Social media is an important aspect because it lets students make and customize things that Instagram and Snapchat have pre-packaged, so they can share it back to social media, increasing engagement.
Vidcode is avaiable as an app or as an online course.
Inspiration from many sourcesAfter studying design, interactive media, and literature at Ramapo College in New Jersey, Tejedor met her partners, Melissa Halfon and Alexandra Diracles, at a hackathon in 2014, where the idea was created and the initial prototype built later that weekend.
Leandra Tejedor is the co-founder of Vicode!
Inspired by her co-founders, as well as the teachers she works with, she was also inspired by the people at Girl Scouts of Greater New York, who are working to bring coding and community building to girls throughout New York City.
“Being a Girl Scout definitely impacted me, my Gold Award project was actually focused on creating spaces for education in virtual worlds, so I guess I've been doing this for a while,” Tejedor said.
During her days at Monroe-Woodbury High School, Tejedor was an art major, which also inspired her.
“It let me escape other classes and hide out in the art room," she said. "I assume that led to running away from a real job and working at a startup. Also I'm a designer now, so that's probably related to the art major thing too. I’ve always been passionate about access to education and the arts for all students.”
HumblingBeing named one of "Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education" has been an exciting experience for Tejedor.
“Some women I really respect have been on the list before me. It feels humbling and honoring to join them,” she said.
Throughout her journey, one of the key traits she learned is patience.
“I've learned that things always take longer than I initially expect them to,” she said. “Also vision. There's no one telling you how to reach, or even set, your goals, so (you're) figuring out how to build the road that you're walking on as the company grows.”
Empowering students with technologyOne reason Vidcode has been so successful is because it is important to teach teens about programming since it is no longer confined to just programming jobs. It will soon be part of most fields students decide to peruse when they grow up.
“It's also important that students become empowered to create with technology, especially as it gets easier and easier to just be consumers,” said Tejedor.
It is especially important to encourage teen girls to participate in this male-dominated field so women have a voice in a technology that is being used by virtually everyone, she said.
“Most learn-to-code programs and tools are created by white men, which creates a space where most things have been made with people like them in mind,” Tejedor said. “It's important that something is created by women with teen girls in mind, which is built around their hobbies and interests, and for them to see that programming is something that relates back to things they care about — that programming and technology culture includes them. If these spaces aren't created, everything will continue to be made by, and for, white men.”
Reaching a diverse audienceVidcode has reached more than 150,000 students in 113 countries, and has achieved high diversity rates by making sure to work with programs that will reach students from diverse communities, like Girl Scouts of Greater New York.
“We also partner with Snap Inc's diversity division to run workshops for students from diverse communities,” said Tejedor. “We make sure that we're always talking to students about what they want to make and what they're interested in, which makes a big difference in learning and engagement.”
The after-school course, Breaking the Code, teaches middle school girls JavaScript programming, as well as how to create technology in a mindful way to say something they believe, and create things that could help their communities.
There are free activities online for teens to do on their own, in addition to courses taught in schools, summer camps and after school programs.
For more about vidcode, go to www.vidcode.io.
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