About Gear Works

Our Mission

Gear Works is dedicated to enhancing the creativity and learning experience of middle and high school students in computer science. Founded by Evan Hill, our platform is designed to complement traditional teaching methods and inspire the next generation of programmers.

Our Story

Evan Hill’s journey with Gear Works began in 7th grade, in a computer programming class. Unable to find an open-source, creativity-driven teaching aid suitable for middle and high school students, he decided to create one himself. Over the course of three years, Evan, along with his team, transformed a simple skeleton of Gear Works beta v0.1.0 into a comprehensive educational platform.

Meet the Team

• Evan Hill: Project Leader
• Nathan Malaman: Web Designer and Artist
• Parker Budd and Katie Kimmel: Supporting Programmers

Key Features of Gear Works

Gear Works offers a range of features to encourage independent learning and creativity in students:

• Creativity-Driven Editor: Encourages students to think outside the box and engage deeply with coding.
• Modifiable Default Library: Allows for easy customization and expansion, enabling a personalized learning experience.
• Comprehensive Tutorials: Covers everything from programming basics to more complex concepts, making it suitable for learners at different levels.
• Extensions: Unique to Gear Works, both teachers and students can create and share their own "mods" (called extensions), adding new functionalities and promoting collaborative learning.

Why Gear Works?

Gear Works is designed to complement, not replace, existing teaching resources. It works seamlessly alongside teacher instruction and other online programs such as Khan Academy, Code.org, and CodeHS. Inspired by MIT’s Scratch, Gear Works aims to teach students not just how to code, but how to think creatively and solve problems independently. By giving students the tools to explore computer science at their own pace, we foster a sense of ambition and capability in the next generation of programmers.

Future Plans

We are constantly working to improve Gear Works. Our upcoming updates include:

• v1.1: Introduction of official Gear Works extensions such as THREE.js 3D library, Hitboxes, 2D Physics, and 3D CANNON.js Physics. This version will also feature increased user security and the foundation for user accounts.
• v1.2: Launch of user accounts, which may initially be paid, and the start of monthly game jams to promote creativity and community engagement.

Use Cases

Gear Works can be utilized in various educational settings:

• Early Finisher Platform: Allows students to engage in productive, self-paced learning activities instead of playing games or being idle in class.
• Homeschooling Tool: Provides a structured yet flexible approach for teaching computer science at home.
• Creative Coding Projects: Ideal for final projects in creative coding classes, encouraging students to apply their knowledge in innovative ways.

Join Us

We invite you to join us in revolutionizing computer science education. Explore Gear Works, utilize its features, and let’s inspire creativity and learning together.