English Program – Technovation Ottawa

Technovation Ottawa

Over 4 months teams learn how to develop a concept for an application addressing an issue or need identified in their community, map out a business plan, and create a prototype app, all while learning the basics of marketing and programming.

Ideally, all girls on a team should either be in the same middle school or in the same high school. They should have a sponsoring teacher, who can facilitate organizing the team.

Le programme est disponible pour les élèves anglophones et francophones avec instruction et mentorat dans les deux langues. Cependant, la compétition sera en anglais. Programme Francais

Meetings

For the 2020/2021 season all meetings and workshops will be online. Volunteers from Ottawa University Carleton University and the technology industry deliver the curriculum, and guest speakers join to inspire the students on related topics. In addition, most teams meet on their own at school each week to work on their apps and businesses.

Mentorship Model

Teams are mentored by women who work in the technology field in tech companies around Ottawa as well as the Federal Government.

Teams will also be paired with female students who are studying engineering or computer science at Ottawa University and Carleton University.

The weekly program is available to students in French and English, with bilingual mentors. The competition is held in English.

Competition

At the end of the program there is a pitch competition, where teams pitch their businesses to local judges and compete for prizes.

Roles

Student – You are a girl in grade 7-12 ready for a fun experience in a team of up to 5 amazing girls. You can commit at least 4 hours per week for the program. (about 50 hours in total)

Mentor – You are a woman working in the field of technology in the private or public sector. Or you are a woman who is studying engineering or computer science at university. No coding experience is necessary. You will be paired with another mentor to work with a team. Mentors meet regularly with their teams, providing guidance, encouraging perseverance, problem solving and connecting them to resources they need.

You should be ready to commit 20-25 hours from January to April.

Instructor – You are in the field of technology in the private or public sector. You are interested in leading one or more of the weekly sessions, see below for information on the curriculum. You should expect to spend 2-4 hours preparing for the session, plus the 2 hour Wednesday session.

Teacher – You are a teacher in middle or high school who will sponsor a team. Your role is to help form one or more teams at your school, and to facilitate communication with the team during school hours. You do not need to attend any sessions or meetings, although you are welcome if you choose to participate.

Curriculum

Intro to Technovation: Get going with App Development and Brainstorm a new business.

WEEK 1 Learn about data and how to do market research.

WEEK 2 Conditional logic and how to build a brand.

WEEK 3 Calling external applications and building a business model.

WEEK 4 Prototyping and more in depth business model.

WEEK 5 Explore additional coding resources and create a logo and visuals.

WEEK 6 Marketing plans, and learn about pitch and demo videos.

WEEK 7 Pitch video tips and techniques.

WEEK 8 Components of a Business plan.

WEEK 9 Troubleshooting apps, how to produce a demo video.

WEEK 10 Finalize app, business plan, and demo video. Practice pitching.