Spotlight on the 2015 Faces of Computing Video Contest: How Does Computing Better our World?

Once again I find myself writing a blog post in a hospital setting and I can’t help but marvel at the wonders of computing technology; over the past week my dad has undergone exhaustive pre-op screening to determine whether he will withstand the vascular surgery he needs. Many of these tests were performed using computer aided technologies such as CT scanning and ultrasonography, and so far the results are encouraging.   

The timing is also perfect to write about our exciting new video competition: last year our Faces of Computing theme brought in a wide range of multimedia productions from schools all over the world, and it was quite a task to decide on the winning entries. This year we’ve decided to narrow the theme to “Computing for the Common Good,” in an effort to illuminate aspects of computing that are often overlooked by the younger generation. Sure, gaming and social media are a big part of our lives, and they involve a great deal of coding to create and maintain; it’s time however we gave some thought to all of the benefits society and mankind are gaining from the age of computing.

Teachers, help prepare the future generation of socially aware citizens by discussing the challenges of 21st century society and inspiring your students to seek solutions. Be it the advent of computer-aided medicine and biotechnology, volunteers crowdsourcing knowledge on the Wikimedia projects or crowdfunding donations for noble causes, robotics to the aid of disabled persons… there’s a multitude of applications that illustrate how computing is used as a tool to better our world. The entries we are looking for could resonate these tools. There may be youngsters who are involved in school communities who discuss social, gender and/or racial inclusion, or who are active in helping the recent international flow of refugees from war-ridden regions. Perhaps they could brainstorm a solution in their computer science class, and even develop it into an app (like the Neverlost group project: the page is now available in English). We’d love to see your ideas!

Entries should be submitted in the form of a video with a maximum duration of three minutes: see the competition guidelines for more information. Remember that the deadline for submitting your entry is November 7, 2015. So, get your creative juices flowing and show us how computing can play an important role in making the world a better place!

Mina Theofilatou

CSTA International Representative

Athens, Greece

This post is dedicated to the memory of my mother, who was always compassionate to those in need and an ardent supporter of positive change. Special thanks again to Dr. S. Matthaiou of Hippocrateio Hospital for helping me make the right decisions on my dad’s problem, and to Dr. N. Besias of the Hellenic Red Cross Hospital for taking good care of him and expediting the procedures.

2 thoughts on “Spotlight on the 2015 Faces of Computing Video Contest: How Does Computing Better our World?

  1. It is a very good idea! Thank you very much Ms Theofilatou for your encouraging words on our student Android App NeverLost. We will take part on the competition! Our aim is to collaborate with school teachers and their students (primary and secondary education) on the way of making a global project that illustrate how computing is used as a tool to better our world (as you mention on your article). We send the message to our colleagues all over the world hoping for a collaboration in our field. Anyone who is interested please do not hesitate to contact us via our web page http://www.epalkerkyras.com/neverlost/index_english.html . Sotiris Fotiou in behalf of the NeverLost team. P.S. Our best wishes for your father.

  2. Thank you for your comment and kind wishes… it’s great that you are continuing to develop applications for a better world. We look forward to seeing your entry! And we encourage you to join the inspiring community of Computer Science teachers that is CSTA: membership is free. Visit http://csta.acm.org/Membership/sub/IndividualMembership.html for more information. Best wishes, Mina

Comments are closed.