'In it to win it': 3rd graders from Milwaukee, Waukesha show off video games they designed at Sharp Literacy expo
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It was a celebration of smarts at Milwaukee Area Technical College Friday, Jan. 31, as elementary school students showed off their newest tech skills.
"I am in it to win it," said Browning School 3rd Grader Kyleigh Zollicoffer. She loves video games so much, that she made her own.
"You have to collect the coins, but when you touch a character, this will say, 'don't touch me,'" Kyleigh explained.
She is one of 36 students at Sharp Literacy's first ever Video Game Expo, showcasing their final projects from the new coding and design program.
"They're learning about algorithms, and loops, and de-bugging, and they're doing all of this by being able to build their own actual game," said Tamela Smith, vice president of programs at Sharp Literacy.
The 3rd graders are from 17 schools in Milwaukee and Waukesha, and they're learning tech skills that will grow with them.
"We used to say children are our future, but children are really our now," Smith said. "We know that technology is here to stay."
The program is 10 workshops, with help from Milwaukee Area Technical College video game design students.
"They're able to choose background and characters, and just what they would like that game to do, and they're doing all of this with a micro-bit," Smith explained.
Malaika Early Learning Center 3rd grader Kerstain McGinnis said her game was challenging at first.
"My game is about a mermaid and shark, and your goal is to get the mermaid to run away from the shark," Kerstain said. "You have to use the keys that are left, right, up, and down."
It's a unique skill, and one these kids get to teach their own parents.
"It makes me happy; it makes me want to engage with her. I just downloaded a coding app on my phone just now, just to help her," said Silas Patterson, Kyleigh's father.
"Believe that you can do it, and you can do it," Kyleigh said.
It's fun way to learn, while shaping the future.
"They know that the possibilities are limitless," Smith said.