Baba Jahi Awakoaiye
Director & Technology Guru

Growing up in East Oakland I never touched a computer until I was in college; several years later I found myself designing the micro- processors that served as their brains and crafting the language that the processors understood.

What I couldn't understand however, is why I almost never saw any other Black programmers; so with that lingering question, I left stock options on the table and decided to not just teach programming and technology, but share the passion I was fortunate to find. Read more...


Student work from a graphics design course

Computer Technology Runs Through our Core

Ile Omode has been at the forefront of computer technology instruction. As one of the first schools to implement a 1:1 mobile computing program, the school sought to embed computer programming, not simply computer literacy, into its core curriculum.

Beginning with a 3D programming/ animation program, which was the basis for the director's thesis on teaching elementary students to teach, the curriculum now encompasses programming, web development, graphic design, advanced office applications, with foundational instruction in computer hardware and electricty. Of course, as a leader in mathematics instruction, the development and extension of math application runs through many lessons.

Our Technology Partners
 
A Moment of Instruction at Ile Omode

  • Summer Camp
  • Curriculum
  • Projects
  • Support
  • Summer Technology and Math Camp

    Ile Omode's summer program provides an introduction to computer coding through game creation, while developing an appreciation for the underlying math that drives games, and programming in general.

    This summer, two camps are offered.

    1. Jun 19-22 and Jun 26-29
    2. July 3-7 and July 10-13

    Each camp runs from 10:00-3:30 from Monday through Thursday (or Friday in the event of a holiday). Extended camp options are available for students who need to arrive before 10:00 and stay beyond the end time. See the summer schedule, for full details.

    Curriculum

    Ile Omode's curriculum goals are driven by the development of several foundational skill sets, leading to deeper exploration in 4 key areas in the field of technology.

    Elementary

    From 3rd through 5th grade, students are introduced to the foundational skills, which include:

    • Learning to care and handle computing devices
    • Keyboarding
    • Working with and managing email
    • The use of office applications (word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software)

    Middle School

    In middle school, the foundational skills become the backdrop for student work across all classes, notably in language courses, social studies, and science. Middle school students then begin a 3 year exploration into the 4 key areas (beyond foundational development). Nearly every activity in technology is encompassed in these four areas or is an extension. As young people continue along courses of study (through high school and college) and eventually job and career choices, we want them to have received exposure to these four branches of study. This will better help them determine their area(s) of interest and allow them to see the connections between each. The four fields of study include: graphic design, 3D & gaming (which includes multimedia), computer programming ("coding"), and fundamentals (including advanced office applications).

    Projects

    During the spring and summer of 2018 Ile Omode, in conjunction with the Brotherhood of Elders Network, plans to sponsor teacher training workshops designed to provide a larger pool of qualified instructors in computer technology. The intended audience is current teachers with an interest in adding technology modules in their existing curriculum or persons interested in creating whole programs within an existing framework.

    Support

    At Ile Omode we work tirelessly to ensure our students have access to the resources they need to be successful. But this is only possible with generous donations and sponsorship from individuals, organizations and companies. Want to help us continue to grow? Contributions and support in the following areas are always needed:

    1. Sponsor a child for a 2 week summer coding camp - $600 per student; 25 students per session
    2. Provide a classroom donations of laptops (PC or Macs) - 25 machines at a minimum. We unfortunately can not accept donations less than 25, due to higher maintenance and support costs associated with supporting a mix environment. PCs must be able to support Windows 7, and Macs must support MacOS 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or higher
    3. Donations to provide software site licenses; including Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator
    4. Capital support to improve our instructional support and infrastructure

    Summer Technology and Math Camp

    Ile Omode's summer program provides an introduction to computer coding through game creation, while developing an appreciation for the underlying math that drives games, and programming in general.

    This summer, two camps are offered.

    1. Jun 27-30 and July 5-8
    2. July 18-21 and July 25-28

    Each camp runs from 10:30-2:30 from Monday through Thursday. Extended camp options are available for students who need to arrive before 10:30 and stay beyond the end time. See the summer schedule, for full details.