Organizing a Hackathon: A Guide for New Teachers

#Hackathons, #NewTeachers, #EventPlanning, #BuildingYourResume

Last week was all about how new teachers can use event planning to help enhance their teaching resumes. Either by organising, or preferably, by helping out with the organisation of events like your school’s Talent Show or Graduation Ceremony. This week, we’re going to dive into the details of organising one of my favourite events…

The Hackathon!

What’s In A Hackathon?

As an Entrepreneurship teacher Hackathons are events right up my alley. They give students the space and resources to solve a problem. And set them loose to figure out how to brainstorm, iterate, problem solve, and make adjustments along the way.

Hackathons are frenetic, fast paced, and a lot of fun. However they’re also a lot of work to setup.

Hackathons From A Teaching Perspective

When it comes to school events, Hackathons are somewhat unique. The best Hackathons represent a collaboration between the knowledge, skills, and know-how of the staff and students from the various departments in your school. 

As a new teacher, getting involved with a Hackathon is a great way to meet, and build relationships with teachers outside of your department.

Depending on your school size, it can be challenging to connect with teachers from other departments. Oftentimes a Social Studies teacher may not have the opportunity to collaborate with the woodworking, automotive, or applied design teachers at their school. 

Hackathons are often organised by teachers in coding, robotics, or digital media design. But since they focus on creating products or services, they're also perfect for collaboration with business and career teachers. 

The more departments involved in organising a Hackathon, the more opportunities you give students to try new “out-there” ideas and encourage them to take creative risks they might otherwise avoid. 

Hackathons In Action

Hackathons traditionally revolve around four elements: a theme, a question, a place and a space.

The theme drives the central question that students must answer during the hackathon.

Place refers to the designated area in the school where the event will be hosted, while space includes considerations like desk arrangements, materials stations, and breakout areas. Breakout areas for things like film studios, 3D print labs, coding, or textile stations. 

Planning For Your School’s Hackathon

Ideally, planning for a hackathon should happen well in advance of the event. Discussions should cover topics like safety, team size, themes, behavioural expectations, and source for materials. 

These discussions should also touch on the layout of the hack space and whether to reach out to local business professionals or school alumni to serve as judges. 

If this seems overwhelming, consider reaching out to organisations which specialize in running hackathons for schools. Remember, becoming known as the teacher who has contact info for potential events, activities, or field trips can be just as important as becoming known as the teacher who physically runs them. 

Final Thoughts

If you would like to learn more about organising a Hackathon, a Talent Show, or a Graduation Ceremony, consider checking out the resource page linked above. 

Above all, remember that there are many ways to build your teaching resume. With the right approach, these events can be incredibly rewarding for both you, your students, and your colleagues!