Today is the last school day of CS EdWeek and what a week it has been! The phenomenal success of Code.org’s Hour of Code, a great CSTA CSEdWeek event in CO with our friends at Oracle, new legislation signed that will make computer science courses more accessible and attractive to students. New partners who have joined with us to promote computer science education. Just more of everything! But in all of the hoopla and congratulations, I have not heard much said about the teachers.
For the last week teachers all across the U.S. and in other countries have dedicated their time to planning and hosting CSEdWeek events in their schools and communities. Countless teachers have written to tell me how proud they have been to share their knowledge and excitement with students, parents, and the general public. One teacher wrote to tell me he was doing an additional event in a local senior citizens home to just show that “no one is ever too old to learn computer science”.
It took over six months of planning, but thanks to the efforts of Mary-Angela Papalaskari of our Philadelphia-area chapter, the citizens of Philadelphia saw the words “Computer Science Education Week 12/9-12/13” in a huge running LED banner across the PECO building.
Some CSTA teacher members witnessed critical legislative gains for computer science education for which they have advocated and which they have shaped. The photo above, for example, shows CSTA members Joe Kmoch and Lori Hunt with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the legislation he signed this week to make computer science count. And with the support of the CSTA Alabama Chapter and of Drs. Bice and Cleveland from the State Department of Education, the Alabama State Board of Education voted to approve both AP Computer Science and Computer Science Principles as math equivalent elections for graduation.
This week we have also seen new partners step forward and join us in our fight for more and better computer science education in K-12, partners such as Joyce Hoffman, President of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in WI who gave a wonderful interview on the importance of engaging all students in computer science education to WKOW in Madison, WI.
And of course we saw President Obama personally encourage students to give computer science a shot.
Its been a big week, a great week for computer science education. So, to all teachers, from CSTA, we are so proud of you and all that you do. You are, and always will be, the beating heart of CSEDWeek.
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director

CSEdWeek continues to roll along with events in schools, districts, community centers, and businesses and computer science educators continue to play a critical role in all of these events. Last night I had the pleasure of attending a CSEdWeek event in the St. Vrain Valley School District in Colorado that was sponsored by Oracle and CSTA among others.
According to Superintendent Don Haddad, St. Vrain is the fastest growing school district in the state and clearly St. Vrain is well on the way to establishing itself as a district dedicated to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to learn the skills that will enable them to compete in the global economic environment.
Last night’s activities followed upon a district hackathon that involved students in computing challenges in three areas: Best Educational Gaming Solution, Best Teenage Consumer Retail Solution, and SVVSD/ESRI Expert Choice Award. Parents, teachers, community members and staff from several local political leaders were able to view student displays and to vote a People’s Choice Award.
In addition to the prize giving, the evening included a rich agenda of speakers, all focusing on the importance of computer science education. In her address, Oracle Academy Vice President Alison Derbenwick Miller noted that creating a computer scientist takes 25 years and requires engagement by educators at all levels to make sure that students acquire the skills, knowledge, and experience they need as they progress through their educational experiences.
Alison’s focus on the process of becoming a computer scientist was echoed by the members of the panel that I had the pleasure to moderate. Panel members Alexander Repenning (University of Colorado at Boulder), Ann Root (Niwok High School), Tracy Camp (Colorado School of Mines) and Sarah Hug (University of Colorado at Boulder) spoke passionately about the realities of learning computer science at middle school, high school and university and what research is teaching us about how to better engage all students in computer science learning.
During the panel question session, many of the parents present demonstrated a deep concern about issues of access to computer science knowledge for all students. One parent, for example, noted a critical need for affordable informal education experiences to help students developed their interest in computer science at a young age.
The evening also received a nice boost from local politicians who are putting computer science education on the map in Colorado. U.S. Representative Jared Polis (a passionate supporter of computer science education) sent a warm video welcome. Monisha Merchant, Senior Advisor for Business Affairs for U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, also spoke about the critical commitment to providing students with the opportunity to prepare for the jobs of the future.
The evening was a great success thanks to the incredible support and efforts of all of the participants and most especially of Alison Derbenwick Miller and Sara Akbar of Oracle, Patricia Quinones of the St. Vrain School District and my terrific panelists.
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director

Editor’s Note:
One CSTA helped to launch CSEdWeek in 2009, our hope was that it would grow into an annual campaign that attracted partners and supporters from all levels of education and industry. This week we will be running guest blog pieces by many of our partner organizations. The excellent blog piece below by our friend Geoff Lane at the Information Technology Industry Council has been reposted here with his permission.
Were Grace Hopper still alive, she’d turn 107 years young on Monday, December 9th. Grace Hopper, as I’m sure you know, served in the United States Navy with great distinction. She first enlisted in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) program in 1943, in the midst of the Second World War, and served in various roles in the Navy until 1986, when she retired as the oldest active-duty commissioned officer at nearly 80 years of age. At the time of her retirement, she was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the highest non-combat award bestowed by the Defense Department. Hopper was also arguably one of the brightest minds of her generation, and undoubtedly one of the sharpest computer programmers this country has ever known. She is credited with popularizing the term “debugging,” helped design an entirely new computer programming language, and oh by the way, has a U.S. Navy destroyer named after her.
Not coincidentally, Monday, December 9th also marks the kickoff of Computer Science Education Week. Computer Science Education Week was launched by a diverse and influential coalition of businesses, educators, and non-profits with the simple goal of promoting computer science education. Notable supporters include ITI-members Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Akamai, as well as other prominent organizations like the Computer Science Teachers Association, Alice, and Project Lead the Way, to name only a few.
The work being carried out by this group is quite timely. Consider, for a moment, that in 2013 (when our favorite apps and the mobile devices that power them aren’t just fun devices anymore, but rather extensions of our own being) just six in 10 high schools in the U.S. offer a basic computer programming course, and only about a quarter of the nation’s high schools offer advanced placement (AP) computer science classes. What’s more, it’s expected that the economy will need an additional 1.5 million computer programmers by 2018.
And this is where Washington can and should help. The great work being done by the Computer Science Education Week partners is no doubt gaining traction, but the country won’t realize the true transformative power of computer programming until Congress weighs in and formulates a wholesale approach to tackle the issue. In a previous blog, I wrote about the Computer Science Education Act, a bill that would modify existing legislation to make computer science a “core” subject with the likes of math, English, and history. Core subjects are eligible for federal funds, thereby offsetting curriculum expenses. The legislation passed unanimously in the House of Representatives, but unfortunately has yet to see the light of day in the Senate.
So as we celebrate this week’s activities, we should keep several things in mind. First, as Congress dithers, tech industry leaders like Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Akamai have shown tremendous initiative in preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s challenges. We should also celebrate Grace Hopper’s sterling accomplishments. She remains an inspiration for her years of dedication to her craft and her country. But most importantly, we should remember that Computer Science Education Week is really about enabling kids to not just know Grace Hopper’s name, but emulate her work.
My fingers are crossed that this time next year we’ll be able to celebrate Congress and its efforts to expand the computer science education footprint.
Happy birthday, Grace.
Geoff Lane
Government Relations Associate
Information Technology Industry Council

After my last blog piece, I got to work on my Hour of Code activity. I was trying to decide where to hold an Hour of Code activity and who to invite. After much consideration, I decided that the easiest place to hold the event would be at my own campus in the computer lab. There are two computer labs next door to each other, so I felt that I could accommodate at least 60. My plan started to come together. The STEM grant coordinator at the local community college generously offered to print and distribute flyers about the event to the local schools. We finally settled on just the junior high schools because of the number of potential students. Also, one of the professors from the same community college offered to help during the event. I immediately accepted his offer. I have also set up an Event Brite site so I could track the number of participants. The flyers have been distributed and families are beginning to register.
Additionally, I contacted the local newspaper and they agreed to run an article about Hour of Code that I submitted. I used the resources at Code.org to help me write the article. You can read the article at:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/50dca9_c23f1de8f0914fe48aa7d06258cc2ebb.pdf
I also contacted the county newspaper and was interviewed by their education reporter. She said they would send a photographer out to my event.
Another person I reached out to was the executive director of the Computer Using Educators. He decided that I should be one of the moderators for Sunday’s (December 8) twitter chat about Hour of Code. It will take place at 8 p.m. PST and the hashtag is #caedchat. Join in if you can!
Next, I contacted the local Assemblywoman and asked for her help to get the word out. Unfortunately, I never received a response from her. I was disappointed because she is a former teacher and at each of her events states that she is an education advocate.
I have contacted CTA, our state teachers’ association, about advertising Hour of Code. I did not receive a response from the President but I did contact his aide who said that they had sent it to committee. Disappointed with the response, I contacted the editor of the California Educator, CTA’s member magazine. She had recently attended a STEM conference at our state capitol. She had heard about Hour of Code at the conference and agreed to interview me about “Hour of Code” and Computer Science Education Week. I also sent her additional information. She said they would tweet out about Hour of Code and CS Ed Week and also post to Facebook. She also suggested some of the sections of their magazine I could write articles for after Hour of Code.
I am planning on preparing CD-RW’s for the participants by adding Alice and other programs to it. I want the participants to take their creations home with them. I have also purchased silicon bracelets to give out and plan to have Christmas goodies to munch on. My principal has offered to supply bottles of water. I have collected some door prizes to give away. My computer science students have committed to be tutors for the evening. Next week during class, my students will tryout the tutorials and select the ones they feel would be the best. I want them to be a part of this, too!
I am looking forward to Hour of Code and the excitement I hope that it brings to my students and my program. Are you looking forward to Hour of Code?.
Myra Deister
At-Large Representative