Another informative session for ShareIT students! In week four, the focus shifted to a rapidly growing field within IT: database management and design. Linda Leslie and Carlos Valerio led a dynamic session, introducing students to essential concepts and terminology to help them understand what a database is, how it functions, and why it’s so vital in today's digital world.

Despite a full day of school, students arrived ready to learn, laptops in hand. They engaged in discussions about how databases play a role in their daily lives. Then, it was time for a hands-on activity that got everyone up and moving. Linda and Carlos devised an interactive exercise to help students think about how information is organized for easy retrieval. Using whiteboards, markers, sticky notes, and tape, the students created a simple database. Each sticky note contained a word, and students grouped them into categories, simulating the structure of a database.

This exercise sparked lively conversations as students explored how tables of information are organized. They applied new vocabulary—fields, columns, rows, and records—while physically arranging the notes on the board. The process of moving notes around allowed them to visualize how fields and records come together, providing an excellent example of inquiry-based learning. By organizing information on paper first, they gained a concrete understanding of how data is stored and retrieved in a database.

Afterward, students used Codecademy.com to apply basic database commands, instantly seeing the results of their work. A big thank you to Linda and Carlos for another fantastic ShareIT session, helping students explore yet another exciting career path in the IT industry!

Also, this week, mentor Mark Johnson, Chief Growth Officer at Costrategix, returned to ShareIT to check in with students who have been working on setting achievable goals and developing plans to reach them. Thank you again, Mark, for your time and dedication to ShareIT students.

As students continue to tackle assignments and challenges from previous sessions, our mentors are preparing for session five, Makerspace Tour in 1819 on October 18th.

We invite anyone interested in becoming a mentor, learning more, or sponsoring 

A big thank you to all the mentors for their efforts in planning and leading this ShareIT session.  Thank you Linda, Maurice, Carlos, and Mark!

If you’re interested in getting involved with ShareIT, please contact us at dtsdei@ucmail.uc.edu.