CSTA has now just reached its first birthday and, looking back on the year, I am feeling very good about what our dedicated staff and volunteers have accomplished.
We began the year with a big to do list.
* Start new organization for computer science teachers
* Get members
* Do good stuff for members
* Reach out to K-12 teachers across the world
* Reach out to university folks to help ease communication and bride gaps
* Convince corporate sponsors that this organization is worth supporting
* Write a strategic plan
* Write grant proposals to ensure long-term viability
Because we really wanted to give our members a chance to get to know us, we instituted a one-year free charter membership for both individual (teacher) and organizational (school districts, universities, research organizations, corporations) members.
Here are some of the things that we promised our members that we delivered on.
* Provided a free copy of A Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science
* Provided a free “csta.acm.org” email forwarding address
* Provided online training courses through the Sun Academic Alliance
* Provided access to the Career Resource Center
* Provided Table of Contents alerts for new material in the ACM Digital Library
* Provided online access to Crossroads magazine and the TechNews and CareerNews online IT digests
Here are the things we were not sure we could promise, but we did them anyway.
* Created the Voice, CSTA’s quarterly newsletter to all our members
* Provided 60 workshops for AP teachers in partnership with The College Board and universities and colleges across the country
* Provided two of several planned virtual e-binders of research on key issues in K-12 computer science education (Equity, Teaching Strategies)
* Provided two full-day Computer Science and Information Technology Symposia for over 200 teachers
* Set up an Advisory Council of high level leaders in academia and industry to help guide us and keep us connected with the professional world around us
* Organized an international panel on K-12 computer science curricula in the US, Canada, Israel, Scotland, and South Africa for NECC
* Provided new support documents for the ACM Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science Education to help teachers effectively implement the curriculum
* Created a new position on our Board of Directors for someone who would advise us on how to reach out to computer science educators around the world and how to better support our international members
And here are just some of the things we are planning to do this coming year.
* Develop a national web repository of classroom learning resources and professional development materials
* Provide localized workshops for pre-AP teachers across the country
* Provide new resources to give students a better idea of the kinds of opportunities computer science provides and why it is important to take computer science in high schools
* Create an on-line repository of teacher-created learning materials focusing on cyber education
* Create a database of teacher certification requirements by state
* Produce more resource documents to help implement the model curriculum
* Present a even better Computer Science and Information Technology Symposium
* Continue to work with other organizations and with our corporate partners to support computer science education
In the next little while we will be asking our members whose charter membership has expired to renew their membership in our organization. To encourage them to do so, we are offering two years of membership for the price of one ($30).
We hope we have done enough to earn their continued support.
I would like to join your organization. I am a computer teacher in a K-6 school and am always looking for guidelines and input from other teachers that teach technology. It would be great to be able to exchange ideas with others in my field. Please send me information on subscribing to The Computer Science Teacher Association.
Thanks.
Chris:
You have truly accomplished many significant things in your first year! Congratulations to you and we hope you keep up the great work of supporting CS teachers and encouraging students to pursue CS in college. Based on all of the feedback we have received from IBM, Wal-Mart, and many other major employers of software engineers and technology professionals, there is significant demand for MORE professionals.
We wish you well and look forward to providing support in any way we can for the CSTA.
Scott McKinley
CEO, Neumont University
Hey Chris,
I know I have exchanged e-mails with you about this, but I thought it would be good to get the idea out there for others to read.
I think there should be a forum for members to log into and post questions or have discussions. The system should divide the discussions by topic and provide topic threads.
I think that having a virtual meeting place for members is a good way to foster a tightly knit community and provide a really great value.
For an example of what this might look like, check out Physics Forums: http://www.physicsforums.com/
If it is a question of hosting costs, then it might have to wait for paid membership to increase, but I still think that it is something that should be put on the list of projects to complete.
I WILL LIKE TO BECOME A MEMBER
It is very easy to become a member of CSTA and membership is free. Simply go to our website at:
csta.acm.org
and click on
Join Now – It’s FREE!
to access our online registration process.
Chris
I would like to join your organization and become a ember of CSTA. I am a computer teacher at JSPM’s Abacus Institute of Computer Science, Pune and am always looking for guidelines and input from other teachers that teach technology. It would be great to be able to exchange ideas with others in my field. Please send me information on subscribing to The Computer Science Teacher Association. Also write e the procedure of getting membership.
Thanks.
sanjay soalnki