Let's Make Cool Stuff
Introducing our enrichment programs that build community around all things computer science and tech at Terra Linda High School in San Rafael, CA.
We are excited to share our wonderful news that our founding enrichment program TL Coding Lab has been expanded to include coding, making and video game development. TL Innovation Lab now offers specialized lunchtime and afterschool enrichment programs in applied computer science. TL Innovation Lab programs provide our students a greater depth in inquiry learning, collaborative learning, and project-based learning which have long-term positive effects on student achievement and success for college and career. We are a student and volunteer driven nonprofit program with a passionate mission to provide applied computer science opportunities for all students at TL, while helping to bridge the gap in gender and diversity at one of the most diverse high schools in Marin County ! Learn more about our founding, mission and leadership!
See how much fun we have making really cool stuff!
Learn Coding
TL Innovation is a lunch time enrichment program that gives our students opportunities to try coding without the stigma of grades, to boost their confidence and provide the encouragement and support needed to position them to succeed in future Computer Science classes and AP courses. CodeHS generously provides cloud-based online computer science curriculum to students. We are proud to say that TL Innovation helped advocate for computer science classes at TL! Now we have three classes, Intro to Java, AP Principles of Computer Science and AP Java. Students new to coding as well as our advanced programmers will find peer mentoring and community to inspire innovation.
TL Innovation:
Wednesdays at Lunch
[ 12:15-1:55 pm] Room 105.
Learn Making
Let's make cool stuff together at the TL Maker Lab, an after school enrichment program that gives our student opportunities to work on applied computer science and digital media projects. Projects will be led by our industry Guest Mentors Program. This program provides students greater depth in inquiry learning, collaborative learning, and project based learning which have long -term positive effects on student achievement and success for college and career while provide 21st century skills for the real world beyond our campus. We typically work with Arduinos and Raspberry Pis. For the past 3 -years our student projects have been showcased at the Bay Area Maker Faire in San Mateo! Look for us!
TL Maker Lab:
Wednesday at after school
[ 2:35-4:30 pm] in the
Eng. Tech Computer Lab
TL Video Game Dev Studio
Learn Game Development
Last year, TL Innovation Lab launched as an afterschool enrichment program our first video game development studio with mentors from 2K Games. Our students learned all aspects of video game development from inception through release just as an industry studio! As a program out come, our innovative enrichment program has been developed into a 3-year academic curriculum pathway in computer science, digital design, and narrative media writing. Join us for community around video game development and learn skills to help you create your own video game.
TL Innovation Lab:
Wednesday at Lunch in Room 105 [ 12:15-1:55 pm]
How to join TL Innovation Lab
Look for us on TL Club and Enrichment Programs Day on September 19 at Lunch!!!
TL Innovation Lab programs and events are free and open all students at TL. Students must complete applications to a specific enrichment program: TL Coding Lab, TL Maker Lab, or TL Video Game Studio. Additional forms may be required if receiving internship credit.
TL Maker Lab Membership Form 2018-19
be considered an active member of TL Innovation Lab, students must participate regularly with consistent attendance in one of the following enrichment programs:
TL Maker Lab
TL Video Game Development Studio.
Attending our Industry Insights, special speaker series does not make one a current member.
For membership confirmation, please contact Owen Bartolf, President at owen.bartolf@gmail.com
Please stay tuned for more details on events and new programs for Spring 2018!
Check Out Our Industry Insights Lecture Series
Let’s Celebrate Computer Science!
December 9 -15, XR Marin will team up with Enklu--a social reality platform for a new form of physically-integrated art and entertainment – to introduce augmented reality at the annual celebration of National Computer Science Education Week at Terra Linda High School (TLHS) in San Rafael. NCSEW week is designed to raise awareness of the transformative role of computing in our global society and promote computer science education in grades K -12. NCSEW is celebrated annually during the week of Dec. 9 to mark the birthday of computer programming pioneer, Admiral "Amazing" Grace Murray Hopper, whose contributions led to the development of COBOL one of the first modern computer science languages.
For the past 5 years, student-led Terra Linda High School's Innovation Lab along with their computer science teachers host this annual week-long lunchtime celebration aimed to make students take interest in computer science and related academic and career opportunities. NCSEW week at TL is packed with a full program of activities each day during the lunch period to introduce computer science and get students coding!
All of the NCSEW events will be held in TL’s new Innovation Hub –recently completed with funding from Measure B.XR Marin will be sponsoring the Industry Insight Lecture Series featuring a keynote with Daisy Berns, Director of Operations at Enklu on Thursday, December 12. Enklu transforms traditional venues into modern experience centers using critically acclaimed immersive augmented reality entertainment technology for AR headsets and mobile AR with stunning visuals and captivating interactivity. Enklu will share how art, technology and narrative come together to make a whole new art and social experience. XR Marin will help showcase this cutting-edge technology and provide information about educational opportunities at XR Marin. XR Marin is a program open to all students launched by Marin County Office of Education to support education in XR: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and 360 Video Immersive Storytelling.
The faculty and students in TL Computer Science will also host “Demo Days” a series of open houses to showcase student programming projects for Java Programming Classes and Advanced Placement Principles of Computer Science. Faculty from G.A.M.E. Academy will introduce a new academic capstone program in video game development created with mentors from 2K. They will share how students can pursue 3-year elective pathways in computer science, digital art, and narrative writing to reach a capstone project where students will be part of a team that will create a video game just as a real-world studio--from inception to launch. Student art work from the G.A.M.E. will also be showcased including digital art, graphic design and 3D modeling.
NCSEW is not only a celebration of computer science education but also a collaboration of community supporting students and education with opportunities in applied computer science that better prepare our students for college, career, and a future society that will be integrated with exponential technologies. XR Marin is a program of the Marin County Office of Education in partnership with the College of Marin, Marin County Free Library, and Novato Unified School District.
Look for Us on Club Day!
TL Innovation Lab Leadership
Meet Our Student Leaders Team 2019-2026
Vice-President & Student Mentor:
David Muller, Sophomore, Terra Linda High School
President & Lead Student Mentor:
Finlay Norton-Lindsay, Sophomore, Marin School of Environmental Leadership, Terra Linda High School
TL Faculty Leaders
Lead Teacher Mentor for TL Innovation Lab, GAME, & Mathematics:
Bruce Gustin, bgustiny@srcs.orgLead Teacher Mentor GAME, Digital Design & Media Narrative Writing:
Lisa Cummings, lcummingsr@srcs.orgLead Teacher Mentor Digital Art: Katy Bernheim, kbernheim@srcs.orgLead Teacher Mentor GAME,
Industry Guest Mentors
TL Maker Lab Guest Mentor:
Roger Ruittmann, CTO Reactful. IncGAME and TL Video Game Development Studio Guest Mentor:
Mark James, Vice President of Technology, 2K
Innovative Approach
TL Innovation Lab gives our students opportunities to explore applied computer science without the impact of grades to boost student confidence providing encouragement and support needed to position them to succeed in future Computer Science classes and AP courses. Also, CodeHS generously provides online computer science curriculum to students so they can explore independently and work at their own pace. Students get “‘hooked’ on coding by applying programming to really cool projects. Our peer mentoring brings their coding skills quickly up to speed through collaboration and tiered skill-level projects, so new comers aren't intimidated. TL Innovation Lab attracts students with little or no coding experience because it is an open community that makes really cool stuff.
Thanks for the Shout Out Lisa Seacat Deluca, IBM's Master Inventor & MIT's Top Innovator Under 35!
Students Applying Computer Science to their Core Curriculum and Beyond!
Our more advanced students are now integrating computer programming into to their classrooms through a variety of projects. One of our students from the Marin School of Environmental Leadership, a specialized school within Terra Linda High School, developed for a LEAD Project, a moisture sensor with an Arduino to measure soil moisture and control water in our campus' organic garden, so that not one drop of water is wasted during our drought in CA!
Also, TL Innovation Lab is venturing out beyond our campus into the community with entering our students in our first hackathon with Team Coding Against Climate Change at the Academy of Sciences Environmental Game Jam in 2016. Our team brought their best design, programming and graphics skills to create an environmental simulation video game Bottom Line which was honored for Best Pitch! Bottom Line asked the question, "Do you want to live in a world driven by profit or live in a world without concern for nature? What is your Bottom Line?"
Coding Against Climate Change
Student Advocacy & Leadership
Coding at the Carnival, Summerfest Carnival 2015, San Rafael City Schools K-12 Celebration
Since our founding with our first enrichment program TL Coding Lab in 2014, we have incorporated advocacy for computer science as part the role exceptions for our students. Our students know that through their participation in our coding and engaging in our events, not only show support for their education, but also affect change for other students at TL and within our community. Our students have made presentations and interacted with our San Rafael City School District (SRCS) and industry partners to help build community and express the importance of learning computer science to better prepare them for college readiness and their futures beyond TL. Our students' enthusiasm and advocacy, and close collaboration with our Principal Dunlap, and leadership in our district, community, and industry resulted in 2 Advance Placement Computer Science courses added to our curriculum in Fall 2016. Also, TL Innovation Lab innovative enrichment programs serve as models for cirriculum development at TL. This Fall we are proud to share that our TL Video Game Dev Studio has been developed into a 3-year academic pathway for computer science, digital art, and media narrative writing. TL Innovation Lab provides an essential knowledge-base/skill-set to better prepare our students for future college readiness because of the shared vision and goals of our collaborative partners.
Coding at the Carnival! TL Coding Lab student mentor shows coding to Mary Jane Burke, Superintendent of School, MOE and Rachel Kertz, President, San Rafael City School Board of Trustees at Summerfest Carnival 2015 sponsored by HeadsUp Foundation to raise funds for enrichment K-12..
Thanks for the Tweet, Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Superintendent of Schools at Summerfest 2015, Annual Fundraiser for HeadsUp Foundation for San Rafael City Schools!
Some Fun Stuff We Do: Calendar Highlights
TLInnovation Lab Student Project and Events Showcase
Spring TL Maker Faire TLInnovation Lab Showcase 2018
Three days of maker fun for our AMAZING students at TL Innovation Lab & Too Lazy Games! Congratulations on showcasing student projects, sharing with industry & college admissions professionals, and celebrating the passion of making really cool stuff at the Maker Faire Bay Area 2018 — 13th Annual! Thanks to all of our wonderful mentors Roger Ruttiman, TL Maker Lab Guest Mentor and Mark James, Mentor Too Lazy Games and incredible parent volunteers for chaperoning this wonderful experience for our students!! Project Info Below:
Maker Faire Project:
Next Gen Autonomous Model Car -II
Project Instructions [will be posted soon]
Materials List [will be posted soon]
Faire Maker Project:
Too Lazy Games Development Experience
Student Presentation [Will be posted soon]
TL Video Game Dev Studio Launches Too Lazy Games!
2K Next Level Foundation is proud to sponsor in partnership with TL Innovation Lab, Terra Linda High School Leadership, and SRCS, a unique opportunity for 15 -20 TL students to join the new TL Video Game Development Studio called Too Lazy Games. Students are working as a team to create their own game while working with talented professionals from 2K -- best known for today’s popular titles Bioshock, Borderlands, Mafia II, Civilization, and more. 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, smartphones and tablets as well as online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s popular gaming genres including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment.
TL Students are creating a real video game from inception, to prototyping, production, testing, and release. Mark James, Vice President of Technology, is the Lead Mentor along with other talented colleagues from 2K. The capstone project will be a culmination of all knowledge and skills obtained in the course. Students are learning principles of game design, level design, story, game theory, basic computer programming, project management, idea creation, 3D modeling and/or animation. Too Lazy Games will showcase the video game developed in this program to the public at one of the Bay Area’s industry events or the Bay Area Maker Faire in 2018.
Too Lazy Games is an afterschool enrichment program developed by TL Innovation Lab's Video Game Development Studio with mentors from 2K. Students and sponsorship from TL and SRCS Leadership.
TL Video Game Development Studio meets on Mondays from 3pm - 4:30pm in the Engineering Tech Lab
New Pathways in STEAM at TL
GAME is a new academic program currently being developed by Terra Linda High School, San Rafael City Schools, and Academic Excellence's TL Innovation Lab with mentorship from industry leaders at 2K. Our exciting new program will offer TL students pathways in computer science, graphic design, and media narrative writing leading to a capstone project of producing a video game as a collaborative team. Classes will be offered this fall so please discuss with your student's counselors or for more information Lauren Inman, Assistant Principal at linman@srcs.org or Jo James, TL Innovation Lab and Academic Excellence at josiejamesster@googlemail.com.
Women of 2K Empowering, Inspiring and Bridging the Gap in Gender & Diversity in Computer Science and Tech at TL
Want to show a girl that she can do anything? Give her a role model. You can't be what you can't see- which is why we're working with Nicole Sandavol, Producer, Hangar 13 @2K and Sofy Kabachek, Software Engineer @2K to join our students and share about their career paths and challenges of women working in video game industry.. GAME is a new academic program currently being developed that offers students pathways in computer science, graphic design, and media narrative writing leading to a capstone project of producing a video game as a collaborative team. TL Innovation Lab's Industry Insights is working with TL and mentors from 2K to bring this important conversation to our students to help bridge the gap in gender and diversity in computer science and tech. All students welcome to our Industry Insights Guest Speaker with Nicole Andavol during tutorial on Wednesday 1/24 in Room 14.
Highlights of Computer Science Education Week at TL 2018
National Computer Science Education Week was a tremendous success with students crowding into classrooms each day to see demos of student apps and to also learn more about class offering in computer science at TL. Record numbers of students attended each event, especially our 4th Annual Hour of Code, a hands-on event where students try an introduction tutorial to see how easy coding can be.
TL Innovation Lab and TL Computer Science hosted 5 lunchtime events total to celebrate Computer Science Education Week an annual celebration dedicated to inspiring our students to take interest in computer science. Code.org organizes CSEdWeek as a grassroots campaign supported by 350 partners and 100,000 educators worldwide to introduce Computer Science to students K - 12. Here's a complete schedule for National Computer Science Ed Week at TL.
A highlight of the week was the TL Innovation Lab's Industry Insights Keynote Address by Joan Vandermate, Director of Marketing, Logitech Collaboration Group, who said that having an understanding of basic concepts in computer science is essential to know if you plan a career in tech. Thanks to @Joan Vandermate for a wonderful talk, and also Logitech for their generosity to our students donating a new video collaboration system and providing a swag giveaway of 40- MX ANYWHERE 2S Wireless Mobile Mouse!
Our hats off to our hosts for such a great week of learning and coding: TL Innovation Lab and TL's Computer Science and GAME Teachers: Mr. Gustin, Mr. Agnew, Ms. Bernheim, and Ms. Cummings.
National Computer Science Week 2017!
Building Community Around Gender & Diversity in Tech
TL Innovation Lab students attended Mill Valley Film Festival Premiere screening of <<She Started It>> with Director Nora Poggi following Q&A discussion (pictured center with thumbs up)! Nora Poggi you inspire the entrespeneur in all of us!Thanks for inspiring us with empowering and powerful stories of risk, perseverance and following your dreams. Hats- off to our generous hosts John Morrison, Director, California Film InstituteEducation and Melanie Nichols, Education Coordinator, California Film Institute for building community around gender and diversity in tech with our sister schools Miller Creek Middleand San Rafael High School!
Making on Wednesday with Our Industry Guest Mentor
TL Students Explore VR at TL Innovation Lab
This October TL Visual Arts Program and TL Innovation Lab along with our new community partners Virtual Augmented Reality Libraries will be launching a new cutting-edge Virtually Reality (VR) experience for students in the visual art classroom. Students will have the opportunity to create a virtual art studio where they can create unimagined 3 D art and immersive landscape environments using paint and 3D modeling programs with of Oculus, HTC Vive, and Samsung Gear devices and a Google Expeditions VR classroom. As our program grows we will have the ability to experience masterpieces and architectural landmarks to enhance and make learning art history more dynamic and immersive. Thanks to our partners at VAR Libraries for offering this innovative way for creative expression in the 21st Century! Stop by Ms. Brenheim's Art Room to see our newly imagined masterpieces of the Digital World!
Solving Problems in Community Health
Hackathon Fun for all! TL Innovation Lab and Marin School for Environmental Leadership teamed-up to enter Marin County's first hackathon, Hack4Health .Hackathon Fun for all! Writing over 600 lines of code and building an accessible database, our team created a civil action platform to engage public on local health issues for Marin County's first official hackathon. We were so happy to be part of this historic moment! Thanks to Marin County Office of Education and awesome IT staff, Damon Connolly, County Supervisor · San Rafael, California, Coordinators, and all of our sponsors for a great day of hacking and coding! Together we had a lot of fun developing a civil action platform around health issues and data in Marin County. Hack4Health was a historic event in education and community around computer science and tech as it was the first hackathon in Marin County. Thanks to Marin County Office of Education and Damon Connolly for a great day of hacking and coding with students from all over Marin and the Bay Area!
Get Involved
TL Innovation Lab is made possible through parent, student, alumni, community and corporate partnerships! Make a difference! Help provide access to computer science and project-based learning at one of the most diverse high schools in Marin County. With your involvement, we can continue to support innovation and computer science to provide essiantial 21st century skills for college and career readiness while helping to bridge the gap in gender and diversity in computer science and tech.
Our Coding Innovation Lab is looking for voluteers and industry partners who have an interest in supporting programming and all things tech at TL. No experience necessary. There are roles for all! Get Invovled! Go Coding! Go Making! Go Digital Design! Go Partners! Online Volunteer Form>
Our Partners
TL Innovation Lab partners with a variety of individuals, community and corporate organizations who invest in our community, programs and events to support and inspire computer science and pathways to STEM education for all students at TL! Join our growing list of partners with your generous donation that will make megabytes of difference at our public high school with one of the most diverse student populations in Marin County. Thank you so much for your generosity to TL Innovation Lab!
Contact Owen Bartolf, Student Founder at owen. bartolf@ gmail.com for more information about supporting computer science and digital media at TL!
Our Mentors and Partners Bridging the Gap in Diversity and Access to Computer Science at TL!
Help Us Continue Making Cool Stuff!
Your generous donation will keep all of our students coding and innovating.
We are an enrichment program developed by TL students and volunteers of Academic Excellence@TL, a public 5013c,Tax ID # 68-368998 Donations of time, talent, or monetary donations beginning at $500 and above are acknowledged as a Bridging the Gap Partner on our website with a click through icon, and will also be listed in any special event communication materials. Make megabytes of difference for our students who love to code!
We believe that an understanding of applied computer science will better prepare our youth for college and career. Our students, teachers, parents, along with our community and industry partners are working together with Principal Katy Dulap and key stakeholders to create new academic pathways in computer science at our high school which is one of the most diverse campuses in Marin Countywith a 37% immigrant and under represented student enrollement. Help us support our mission to provide access to computer science for all studentst at TL!
TL Innovation Lab is currently our only student hub for learning and innovating in applied computer science without the impacts of grade creating an open and inclusive environment that fosters confidence no matter what your experience in programming. Help us offer exciting new collaborative and project-base learning enrichment programs that give our students more time to explore, to create and to innovate daily while creating more depth and hands-on learning in applied computer science, robotics, digital design and making cool stuff!
Become an angel investor to support our learning, innovating, and community that is working to bridge the gap in gender and diversity in tech with a generous donation to TL Innovation Lab!
Thank you so much for your support!
