This is a partnered post.
My interest in technology started at a young age. I’ll never forget when I was 12 and the local library got a computer with the Internet back in 1996; I walked there every day so that I could sign up for an hour on the web. My Grandma also had a computer, and I spent countless hours learning how to use it. I bought my first PC around 1998, and my parents got dial-up Internet for our house, which was the most exciting thing ever!
I am so grateful that my whole family were so supportive and encouraging of my interest in computers. I have an aunt and uncle who work in Silicon Valley, and in 2000 they bought me a top-of-the-line computer and accessories. My aunt told me recently that they did this because they saw something special in me with my interest in technology. Having that kind of support and access early on made all the difference, because the skills I learned as a teenager are what I use in my job every single day as an adult.
Dad says that my homeschooling came full circle for him when I learned how to use computers on my own as a young teen, and then taught him how to use them. Everything I know about computers is self-taught – I figured out how to code in the ’90s when I made an X-Files fan site! Because of this, I am so excited that Lenovo has teamed up with Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls to teach kids to code at LenovoGameState.com.
LenovoGameState.com is a free online portal for children 13 and up. Kids will have the chance to play free games powered by Code Combat that will teach them how to code while having fun, the same way I learned. To make it even more exciting, registering for a Code & Play Adventure by March 31st also enters kids into a sweepstakes where they could win Lenovo products or a $2,500 scholarship to a coding school. The more kids play, the more they will learn, and the more sweepstakes entries they will earn. This is a fantastic resource for young people to learn crucial skills!
Young women in particular don’t always receive the same encouragement that I did, so Lenovo and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls is also producing a special three-part Women in Technology video series to highlight female trailblazers in tech, just in time for International Women’s Day on March 8th. The first video introduces viewers to Betty Holberton, one of the first computer programmers who worked for the US during World War II:
The next two videos will feature Tracy Fullerton, a Game Designer and Professor at USC Games, as well as Dr. Sheila Nirenberg, a neuroscientist working to treat blindness through neural coding. You won’t want to miss them, so be sure to watch and like on the Smart Girls Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. And don’t forget to register on LenovoGameState.com by March 31st to enter the scholarship sweepstakes!
Enter To Win:
To help support your children’s coding dreams, we are giving away a Lenovo Yoga Book 2-in-1 tablet to one very lucky reader! Check out the specs on this amazing device:
- Slim, Light, with All-Day Battery Life – Unleash your Imagination, Anywhere.Only 4.05 mm thin when opened, weighing just 1.5 lbs (690 g), and with up to 13 hours of use on a single charge – the Yoga Book allows you to use your creativity wherever you are. Its awesome-looking design is crafted with a premium high-quality alloy of Aluminum (Al) and Magnesium (Mg).
- Choose a Mode to Match Your Needs – With a hinge that opens 360º, the Yoga Book can be used in 4 modes to fit your lifestyle: lay-flat Create Mode for drawing and taking notes, Browse Mode as a compact 10.1” tablet, Watch Mode for entertainment, and Type Mode as a productive laptop.
- Theater-Like Multimedia – Not only is the Yoga book great to create, it’s great to watch. This 2-in-1 tablet, features a bright 10.1” Full-HD display and Dolby Audio Premium-enhanced speakers give you an immersive, cinematic sound—putting you at the center of the action
To Enter:
Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Giveaway is open to residents of the US, UK, Mexico, and Germany, 18+, and ends on March 31st 2017 at 11:00 PM PST. Winner will be drawn on April 3rd. Please see widget for full details and click here to read our giveaway rules.
My niece benefit from the coding games.
My Granddaughter would benefit from learning coding skills.
My daughter would most benefit from the coding games.
This was very interesting learned some need stuff.
I learned that Betty Holderton was of the first computer programmers along with 5 other woman over 50 years ago.
I have a 13yr old son, Gavin, that loves coding! This could greatly benefit him. He uses coding to escape other areas where he struggles.
my nephew could benefit from these games! he’s old enough to get into it for sure. It’s amazing what kids are learning these days!
I learned that Betty Holderton calculated ballistics trajectories during WW2
My son would most benefit.
My son would most benefit from having one of these!
I learned that Betty Holberton used one of the first computers, the ENIAC over 50 years ago.
My oldest child would love this, they are very tech interested.
My granddaughter could really benefit from this.
Watched the video and learned that Betty co-developed BINAC and invented the first algorithm.
My son would benefit from this program.
I learned that code and play is a program that teaches codes through play.
I think my niece would like to code & play games!
Thanks for the giveaway!
My grandson would love this!
I learned that Betty Holderton actually created the first computer!
My daughter will benefit from the coding games on lenovogamestate.com. In fact, my daughter just started taking a Girls Who Code class at our local library
I think my daughter would really enjoy the coding games, she’s 13
My nephew would. he’s into this stuff
During WW 2 Betty calculated ballistics trajectories.
My niece would benefit from these coding games!
I didn’t know that Holberton helped develop BINAC.
My nieces would love to try out coding using gamestart.
My tech students would absolutely love this. We need more girls in tech, thank you! I love your blog.
My daughter would benefit from this
My sons would benefit.
I think my daughter would benefit the most! She likes that kind of stuff!
My nephew would benefit and love it!
Betty Holderton helped develop ballistic technologies in WWII
My daughter would benefit from learning coding
My grand–daughter, Eva, would benefits from this…and love it!
Lenova is sponsoring a great new Code and Play game that kids will want to do – a computer game where you learning coding too! And with prizes!
My niece loves computers and would love this
My granddaughters would most benefit.
My son would go nuts!!!
My son & my niece would both love to learn coding in this fun way!
My kids are way smarter than I am, so am I sure they know coding already! My daughter goes to a STEM school, so I think she actually does know how.
This sounds great. STEM is the future, and this type of thing helps prepare our kids for it.
My son was always interested in coding, but interestingly it’s my daughter who has a job involving computer stuff now. We actually have a Lenovo Yoga and love it.
This sounds great! Coding is one of the big, big components of STEM and our kids need to understand it.
This looks like a lot of fun for the kids! I will definitely be entering the giveaway- thanks!
THis looks like an awesome game. My son would have a blast with it.
This is so awesome and perfect for my nine-year-old daughter. STEAM is super important right now and I think she would enjoy this.
My step daughter
My 15 yr old daughter would definitely benefit from it.
That was so cool of your aunt and uncle to encourage your passion in learning about computers and coding. I love that Lenovo is recognizing girls in technology. STEM learning is the future and we need to support our girls so they can help pave the way for new technology in the future!
My nephew would love to learn about this. He’s the techy, but not nerdy type of kid. He wants to grow up and find success in computer related businesses. I will make sure he knows about this. I hope he wins that scholarship!
This sounds awesome. All of my kids would love this. STEM learning is something my kids are all really interested in and love coding!
I wouldn’t mind my little girl learning a thing or two about coding. It’s a GREAT career to get into these days.
my teen daughter would learn and have fun doing it too
i learned my daughter could win prizes and scholarships playing the coding game
i learned women were some of the first computer programmers ever
I learned their is a laptop for gamers called legion
What an awesome giveaway. This is what every kid needs to learn the technology of the future. Coding is something that all kids are going to have to know to graduate in the near future.
I would have loved to have something like this available when I was a kid. This is a cool idea for kids to get exposure to coding in a fun way.
My 9 year old would love this. We plan on signing our kids up for coding and robotics with the school. My oldest is so excited about coding programs.
It would be perfect for my daughter.
My brother would benefit from it! This looks really awesome.
Love this! With three daughters, I’m always on the lookout to encourage math and science. Knowing that Lenovo supports coding in girls makes this mama so happy.
This sounds like a great device! Our kids would definitely be all over this in a heartbeat if we had it in our house!
I love this! I actually tried to make my first website at 13 (during the AOL era). This is such a good program to help girls code!
This would be perfect for my daughter.
I learned that Betty Holberton helped develop BINAC.
This is great. I wish I’d have learned more about technology.
I learned that Code & Play was designed to support a STEM-based education, and equips young people with skills that are beneficial to their future.
We’d use the laptop on homework and DIY projects.
It would be great to teach kids to code especially the young girls. It’s going to spark their interest with learning more about technology and for me, that’s really awesome!
I have a niece and nephew who would love this game.
It’s wonderful that women were able to help during the war but unfair they didn’t get the credit they deserved. Just like in the movie Hidden Figures, we (as women) were responsible for getting into space. We can do anything. I’m going to out the game for me. Thanks
My oldest son could. He is very into technology and understands it more than the average kid.
Wow, I never would have made the connection that women would have used and understood computers that long ago. Especially being they were limited in what jobs they were able to have.
I visited and learned that you can earn scholarships to coding camps!
They have a giveaway going on right now that you can enter.
I didn’t realize that there was so many different ways to code.
Oh this would be so good for our kids! They love anything computer related…I love how they can learn to code so early! So educational for them!
Oh I learned that Betty was such an inspiration for women and technology! I feel bad that it went unoticed for so long!
My Godson would love these games, he’s so curious.
I did not know that she developed BINAC.
I think it’s neat that you can earn scholarships to coding schools or camps.
I did not know that during WWII Betty calculated ballistic trajectories.
I would love this for my kids to help them learn and to have fun. My son has autism and this would really be good for him to use.
My kids love to play video games and app games on the IPad or IPhone. This looks really fun.
I love that using code and play gives you a chance to win a scholarship to a coding camp!
I learned one can enter to win a $2,500 scholarship to a coding school or camp.
My nephew would benefit from the coding games on LenovoGameState . com
A cousin would use this.
Gamescon events are fun.
I learned: The ENIAC was one of the the first computers.
I learned that coding can give you the power to create just about anything!
Betty Holbert was one of the first computer programmers.
After you sign up and get started with Code & Play you’ll be entered to win a $2,500 scholarship to a coding school or camp now this is awesome to help familys
my son could benefit from lenovo game state
i loved the fact that binac was developed by a lady i mean that was some fun facts loved the video
the coding competition is good for teaching while entering and winning prizes.
I learned there is a spot on the website to play games
This would be great for my granddaughter. She would love learning this.
My son could most benefit, he already is very interested in coding.
My son would benefit. He would help him so much. He is learning how to code in school
I learned that Betty and the other women’s work went unrecognized for over 50 years
I learned that Save up to 33% on select HOME LAPTOPS. Sale ends March 29 at Midnight EST.
my boyfriend’s niece could benefit.
I learned that you can learn to code on the website by playing a game
I learned from the website that they have scholarships
Kids can do local coding camps and earn up to $2500 from contests.
my daughter or even my sons could use the game to help them learn to code
Lenovo Gaming – what I learned that I thought wast cool is kids can play games while learning to code at the same time and it allows them to have opportunity to win prizes. fun
I think it’s great that Betty is being brought to the focus as an inspirational role model for young girls interested in the hard sciences. Betty was way ahead of her time!
I learned about Lenovo’s Gaming Lab. Looks like something I would enjoy!
My niece could benefit from the coding games! She’d love it!
Betty invented the first sorting algorithm and co-developed BINAC which is the prototype for all programming languages!
Code & Play was designed to support a STEM-based education, and equips young people with skills that are beneficial to their future.
I would say my daughter and my nephews.
I learned that Betty Holberton she was on of the first five woman to be computer programmers.
I learned that Code & Play was designed to support a STEM-based education, and equips young people with skills that are beneficial to their future.
Betty Holberton she calculated ballistic trajectories during WWII.
I learned that Code & Play is a new program developed by Lenovo to introduce kids and teens to coding in a way that closely resembles a traditional computer game.
My daughter and nephews would like this.
I learned that you can save 16% on the Yoga 900s
My nephew would benefit from this
I learned that at the Lenovo Game site you can learn different ways of coding but it s done by doing games, which is pretty neat.
My niece would love this site- in fact, she already has as have I (it is so neat I couldnt resist) The games are fun to play. My niece says it is easy way to learn and she loves it.
I learned that one of the first programmers was named Betty Holberton and one of the first computers was called ENIAC. She worked with five other women and although her work wasnt recognized then, it is becoming recognized now more than 50 years later.
My daughter has started to learn some coding in school! She would definitely use this a lot at home too!
Kids can win scholarships to coding camps!
My 9 year old son would love this!
I have three boys, the older two would love this and I think it would get much use-and they”d benefit from it!
From the Website, I learned that they have scholarships, and that you can learn how to code-by playing the games.
Never mind the kids… I’d love to learn coding!
I have a younger niece who has an interest in computers so she would benefit from it.
My son Oliver, he’s very tech savvy 😀
My sister Dinah!
My son would love to learn coding!
I learned how easy it is to do coding at least in this game!
Being that I am a mom of four, I know that each of my children would benefit from this! My two oldest children are in third and fourth grade, this would come in handy for playing educational games, as well as research for homework purposes! My two year old loves to play games on ABCmouse.com so she would have a ball using this! Thanks so much for the chance 🙂
My oldest daughter is almost 8 and is just recently really into Coding and Robotics. We attended a STEM night at her school that was sponsored by Purdue University and there were lots of girls there that had built robots and created apps. She was so inspired!
I know someone who could benefit from it, no doubt. What a great thing to promote, coding.
Diana C
My son could benefit from the coding games! he’d love it!
My 6 year old granddaughter has shown interest in computer graphics just like her dad. The game she currently loves playing is Minecraft. Perfect for her analytical mind!
I can’t believe I never knew that some of the first computer programmers were women! I remember my brother’s first job as a computer programmer back in 1972.
I learned that they make laptops, desktops, and accessories. Did not know about the last two.
I learned that the new Lenovo Gaming Lab is part business, part play. It’s where they can see how gaming systems perform under real gaming conditions, so they can constantly improve them.
That’s so cool she created ENIAC! Can’t believe they weren’t recognized for coding for 50 years! Wow lets all be Betty and learn how to code!
I learned that I can customize a gaming computer, with options of displays up to 4K HD, Dolby® Home Theater®-certified JBL stereo speakers with subwoofers, and an Intel® RealSense 3D camera.. They sound powerful! My gamer son would love one.
My nephew stands the greatest benefit of the coding games on LenovoGameState.com. I would like to thank you for giving us this chance to win the giveaway today.
From the YouTube video, I learned that there is more to the STEMming than I knew originally. I appreciate the education and the great post.
I learned that Lenovo Game State is involved with the community as well as having a lot of products and services that are computer related.