By Mindy Hart
When I was teaching high school, I was the stereotypical teacher who liked to decorate my classroom and have ‘inspirational’ posters and pretty decorations around to motivate my students. And if I’m being real, I think I chose some to motivate me more than my students. When I transitioned to my job at the university, only two of those items made the cut and became office worthy. One is a poster from the 80’s movie, The Breakfast Club. It promotes the classic line In the simplest terms of the most convenient definitions of what we found out: that each of us is a brain, an athlete, a basketcase, a princess, and a criminal. The other is this poem most commonly attributed to a female marine recruiting poster:
Where Is The Girl That Lived In Your Mind Quite Often?
You wanted to be more like her.
She was ponytails to your barrette, and A-minus to your B-plus.
When you threw like a girl, she threw harder.
She went by your name and followed you everywhere.
She had no fear of taking chances, and perhaps, neither do you.
She challenged you; sometimes you took her up on it.
When she couldn’t stand still, neither could you.
She wouldn’t let you go through the motions, she reminded you:
Never Settle.
When she grew older, got tougher, and smarter, so did you.
She could achieve more than you if you let her.
She said your doors would only open if you gave them a serious shove.
Where has she gone, the one inside who pushed you, is she gone forever,
A memory forgotten,
Or is she right here right now,
Looking through your eyes asking once again,
If You Have What It Takes?
So I share these with you not because I think they are excellent motivational items that are going to recruit thousands of female students into computer science and should be in every classroom across the world, but to get you think about the messages we send to our students every day, in ways we may not even know are being communicated. I once had a student ask me if I was advocating criminal behavior by posting The Breakfast Club poster. I suppose if you took the statement to heart, it could be construed that way. However, that was certainly not my intent. On the other hand, I was always amazed at the number of girls in my computing classes who asked if they could get a copy of the second poem, especially because I had put the poem up for myself, not necessarily to motivate them. There was something about the message that struck an internal chord with them.
So I’m asking you, do you have what it takes? What messages are you sending the students in your school about their abilities and interests? What are you hanging your hat on that promotes the excitement of computer science? What’s the latest tool, skill, shortcut, or anecdote you’ve found to share with your students that encourages them to want to move one step higher?
I have kept these two items on my walls for 15 years now. They are my reminders of the potential we each have within us to make an impact on our students. And occasionally, I like to be reminded that there is a little bit of princess in all of us.
Mindy Hart
CSTA Board of Directors

By Ron Martorelli
January poses two challenges for high school computer science programs.
For many high school sophomores and juniors, January can mean scheduling decisions for next year. It does in my school and the schools in my area. Since most computer science courses are electives, we are battling other disciplines for the attention of these students, and are engaged in a sort of ritual dance where we try convince them to sign up for our courses. It reminds me of the peacocks dance with all the fancy feathers. We go up against all sorts of AP and college credit courses, fun courses they would like to take to lighten their academic load, performing arts courses that permit them to continue their after school music ambitions during the school day, and, of course, athletics and sports commitments.
How do we compete? If we emphasize the importance of CS to their future, focus too much on the technology, or point out how it can help them in college and careers, we risk being too geeky and turn off potential suitors. On the other hand, if we go to flashing and sexy, with too much emphasis on video game design or graphics, we risk diluting the importance of the courses, and we risk alienating administrators who think we are teaching students video games.
And, by the way, how do we get girls to enroll?
The second challenge we face is preparing our curriculum needs for next year. Curriculum must be proposed, approved, and designed in detail. Text books, software, and hardware all need to be evaluated and possibly updated. We will need to consider what our freshmen students will have learned in elementary school and middle school (it changes every year) so that our entry level courses can be adjusted to their incoming technology skills. Oh, and there is a little thing called a budget that we have to factor in because software and hardware is expensive.
Please forward your ideas on both challenges to me! I will happily compile suggestions to share.
Ron Martorelli
CSTA Board of Directors

By Duncan Buell
“It never hurts to have a supporting argument for something people are already doing.”
That came from Howard Resnikoff in a workshop 25 years ago, and I had sense of deja vu last week at a workshop on computer security and information assurance. I taught our third-semester course in software development last fall, and I am teaching it again this spring. Last fall’s experience was the most frustrating I have ever had as a teacher, because otherwise good students seemed to insist on maintaining bad habits in writing programs.
The justification for an established discipline with regard to getting programs written came from the industrial people at the workshop. These were mostly companies involved in defense, health care, and finance. Coding standards, documentation standards, and the oversight of the development process was not, for them, simply a means for maintaining control. This wasn’t just “eat your vegetables because they’re good for you.” Rather, in order for them to get their code audited and certified, they have to have records of the development process and the responsibilities of programmers and management clearly defined and described. Just having the code “execute correctly” is not enough. They have to be able to provide evidence that correct execution is not an accident.
This workshop almost coincided with our twice-yearly self-criticism session about last semester’s teaching and with the publication in Communications of the ACM of two articles. The first, In praise of bad programmers, is an anecdote about a programming team that is assigned the company’s known bad programmer. The conclusion of the story is that having that programmer on the team made it a better team because they were forced to do things properly. If you know in advance that you are likely to be misunderstood, then perhaps you will be able to compensate in a way that will make it less likely to be misunderstood. If you know in advance that you have someone who must be guided every step of the way, you might very well learn how to provide that guidance, and you will certainly learn that the existence of the guidance is a necessity.
So, I have adapted from last semester to this. I am going to start with a heavy emphasis on the issue of human failings. I am even contemplating asking students to turn in a skeleton of their program code one week into a two-week assignment, just as English teachers sometimes require an outline to be turned in prior to a final paper.
Writing programs is not something that can be done haphazardly, if you want the programs to work as planned, but I don’t quite know how to do the (gentle?) coercion and guidance to get students to realize this. Some lessons can only be learned the hard way, and I think a lot of lessons about programming are in this category. Teaching students, then, involves a planned set of leapfrogging steps of things that don’t quite work, with the hope being that the difference between what ought to have been written and what was actually written shrinking with each step.
Duncan Buell
CSTA Board of Directors

By Deborah Seehorn
Ever since Computer Science Education Week, I couldn’t help but notice all the positive signs that have come through my email about what a great time it is to teach computer science. Maybe it was the promotional efforts behind CS Education Week. Maybe it is the emphasis on STEM Education. Maybe all the educators out there just realized what a great educational bargain we have in computer science. In any case, it is a very positive sign to see CS education coming to the forefront. The signs have included articles that highlight using robotics to interest students in the study of science and technology (and computer science!), President Obama’s STEM Instruction initiative (supported by high-tech industries), and increasing college/university degree offerings in cyber-security.
Robotics Programs Becoming Newest Trend
The Ramona (CA) Journal (12/31) reports that robotics programs “are one of the newest trends helping young people discover the thrill of science and technology.” The piece highlights Olive Peirce Middle School’s robotics team, which recently won their inaugural competition.
FIRST Participants Growing Up In “Time Of Renewed Interest” In STEM
The Washington Post (1/10, Turque) reported on the FIRST Robotics Competition that took place at McKinley Technology High School recently, noting that that participating students “are growing up in a time of renewed interest in science, technology engineering and math education.” The Post notes the Educate to Innovate Campaign recently launched by President Obama. Locally, meanwhile, “Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee has designated six District public schools…as STEM ‘catalyst’ schools that will develop curricula that will weave science, math and technology through all major subjects.” The Post adds, “Corporate and government sponsors, including Boeing, NASA, Northrop Grumman and Booz Allen Hamilton, hope the focus will broaden the pool of potential employees.”
Wired Blog Urges Support For Robotics Programs
Chuck Lawton writes in the Wired (1/10) “GeekDad” blog, “If your school has one, consider having your child join and get some hands on experience working with exciting technology. And if you are a parent with related experience, consider getting involved in your school’s program. Because solving tomorrows problems will take the bright and innovative students of today.”
$250 Million Initiative For STEM Instruction Announced
The Washington Post (1/6, Anderson) reports that President Obama “will announce a $250 million public-private effort Wednesday to improve [STEM] instruction, aiming to help the nation compete in key fields with global economic rivals.” The effort “seeks to prepare more than 10,000 new math and science schoolteachers over five years and provide on-the-job training for an additional 100,000 in science, technology, engineering and math.” The Post points out that “it’s unclear how much federal spending can grow in a time of rising budget deficits.” For this initiative, however, there has been “mobilization on several fronts,” with “high-tech businesses, universities and foundations” contributing. The Intel Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, UTeach, NASA and PBS are all contributing in some respect.
Wanted: Cyber Ninjas
New York Times (01/03/10) Drew, Christopher
U.S. colleges are adding courses and specialized degrees in the once-exotic field of cybersecurity to try to meet the growing demands for computer security skills in the public and private sectors. Banks, military contractors, and software companies, along with government agencies, are looking for “cyber ninjas” to keep investments and new projects safe from hackers. Polytechnic Institute of New York University in Brooklyn recently created a master’s degree in cybersecurity, as did Indiana University, whose security degree is in informatics, which gears students toward finding new uses for information technology. Other U.S. universities, including Carnegie Mellon, Purdue, and George Mason, also have master’s programs in cybersecurity. Georgia Tech offers a master’s degree in information security online. Cybersecurity is seen as “the most technically demanding field, kind of like the fighter pilot of the information technology industry,” says recent California Polytechnic State University graduate Jeffrey Henbest. Government officials expect the number of cybersecurity jobs to grow rapidly in the coming years.
Well, we all know that robotics is not a new development, but isn’t it great that it is being re-discovered? What more fun way to interest students in computer science? And you can’t ask for much better support than having the President of the United States cheer you on, with assistance from IT businesses and higher education. And how great it is that CS has such a prominent place in the career clusters (STEM and IT Clusters). It truly is a great day for CS! All we need now is to have our certification dilemmas solved, and all will be well.
What are you doing to promote CS certification in your state?
Have you read the information posted on the CSTA website concerning CS certification?
Have you advocated for computer science locally and in your state?
It truly is a great day for CS. Carpe diem!
Deborah Seehorn
CSTA Board Member

By Pat Phillips
By now you have likely received the January issue of the CSTA Voice and discovered the exciting NSF plans for growing 10,000 new CS teachers and reaching 10,000 schools with a re-vamped AP CS curriculum. Of course, this is all in response to what we have sensed and fretted about for quite some time; something needs to happen to turn today’s pipeline from a dribble to the gush needed to create the technical expertise required to solve a growing list of world problems.
Those involved in STEM/CS education have been shouting about the problem for several years and now others are also taking note and action. The December 18, 2009 issue of the Kiplinger Letter focused on education – much of it related to STEM. A few items in particular struck my interest and I thought they might interest you as well especially as we all begin the work of overhauling CS education.
* 60% of businesses say it is difficult to find qualified workers even in this recession. Especially sought after were highly skilled laborers such as laser die cutters, engineers of all stripes, scientists, and skilled information tech workers from systems analysts to programmers.
* Baby boomers (40% of the workforce) are retiring; those born between 1946 and 1964 have more education (58% with at least some college training) than the generation before them AND the generation after them (55%).
* Newly created jobs are more likely to require higher education than in the past. Currently 31% of all jobs require postsecondary education. This percentage will creep ever higher representing millions of new jobs that will require more than high school.
* Students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math fall short of employers’ needs. From 2004-2014 employment in these areas will grow at nearly double the rate for all occupations. The demand for biomedical engineers will grow by over 70%; network systems and data communications analysts will grow by 53%.
* Interest in STEM/CS fields is growing but not fast enough and most of the growth is from non-US students earning degrees in US universities. As the economies of India, China, South Korea, and other developing nations expand highly-educated graduates are less likely to stay in the US. That combined with stricter immigration policies will leave many companies short-handed and unable to compete (unless US students fill the gap).
* While progress has been made, the performance gap between white students and Hispanic & black students in reading and math test scores, remains large. By 2018 Hispanics will be 18% of the work force, 23% by 2030. Unless these gaps are closed, demographics will further weaken the competitive edge.
You will be happy to know that CSTA and the NSF CS/K12 Project are working to combat (for CS education, at least) some of the US education weaknesses identified by various critics. Through the work of these groups, the future of CS education will be rich in:
* Highly trained teachers
* National recommended standards
* Demanding classes and curriculum
* Focus on critical thinking skills
There has been no better time to encourage our students to pursue the wonder and power of CS!
Pat Philips
Editor, CSTA Voice

By Chris Stephenson
As teachers begin a new calendar year and its promise of teaching and grading in cold, rainy, and even snowy weather, it can be a good idea to rethink how to approach students who may not be achieving their potential. We recently came across this essay by Wicked Teacher of the West, detailing her experience learning a new programming language at a summer workshop. We hope that you will find the object lessons for teachers useful, as you head into the new quarter.
The links are:
http://wicked-teacher.blogspot.com/2009/07/lost-in-syntax-part-1-or-omg-im-going.html
http://wicked-teacher.blogspot.com/2009/07/lost-in-syntax-part-2-or-omg-im-going.html
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director

By Mindy Hart
Happy New Year!
I hope 2010 finds you doing well and you had a lovely winter break! But now that you are most likely back to the grind, have you thought about your New Year Resolutions as they relate to the state of computer science education?
Here’s my list of What if’s. Perhaps, if we each just choose to do one, we might create a snowball effect in advocating and expanding computer science education.
What if:
* Each of us talked to one school administrator and expressed our concerns about the lack of programs available for interested students?
* Each of us took a moment to talk about the job opportunities in CS among all the students in our school?
* Each of us quit worrying about semantics, and instead worried about cultivating student interest?
* Each of us actively sought out higher education and business partners that helped provide resources and internship opportunities, even it if were just for one student?
* Each of us developed a project that our students could take into the lower grades to get kids interested in CS early on in life?
What ideas can you add to this list? And which of these might you give a go during 2010?
Mindy Hart
CSTA Board of Directors