1. Your Innovation Story

Welcome to the last day of CS First storytelling! In this activity, you’ll use your storytelling skills to sell your own product or idea.

In the past 7 activities, you’ve used computer science to tell some amazing stories. As a computer scientist, your ability to tell a good story is important for success. Computer science is a field of innovation, meaning that computer scientists are responsible for creating new products and ideas. While having an amazing idea is the first step in innovation, it takes a powerful storyteller to convince others to adopt an idea. In fact, you may have already had your own ideas for computer programs or apps that you might want to create. Your next step is to figure out how to get other people to use them.

A famous example of the importance of storytelling in computer science is the Xerox Alto. In 1973, Xerox made the world’s first personal computer. It featured a graphical interface, a keyboard, and even a mouse. The Xerox Alto was a marvel of technological innovation and had the power to drastically change the way the world worked. It was the first modern PC! You’ve probably never seen a Xerox computer though. The company combined these brilliant ideas and built the Alto computers to use internally at Xerox. The company never successfully told the story of the computer and what it could do to the outside world. Without understanding its story, people had no idea how powerful a personal computer could be. It took a good storyteller to make the personal computer take off. Steve Jobs visited Xerox in 1979, six years after the Alto was invented, and he was amazed by its power. He used the ideas he saw at Xerox to make the Apple Macintosh.

He then told the public a compelling story about personal computers and what they could do. Forty years later, the legacy of Steve Jobs lives on. His ability to tell a powerful story grew Apple from a small company into one of the most valuable and transformative technology companies in the world. In today’s activity, you will imagine and tell the story of your own innovation. What is your dream product? How would you tell its story to the public?

Next to this video is a starter project with new sprites for you to choose from. Click the starter project link, and scan through the costumes to get some ideas for your product.

Then, in the videos that follow, tell the product’s story to your audience.

Here are some questions to help you get started thinking about this product.

What problems will it to solve for you or others?

What technology could students or people in your life use to make their lives easier or more entertaining? Is there something you wish you had that no one has created yet?

Once you have an idea and select a sprite for your project, click the green arrow to move on to the next video, where you’ll begin telling this story.

Now, it’s your turn: Click the starter project link next to this video, and look at the sprite’s costumes to get ideas for your innovation.