Congratulations to the winners of our 2012 membership survey:
– Daniel Loeb, from Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
– Joanna Baniaga, Mililani, Hawaii, USA
Our winners will each receive a $100 Amazon gift card. Daniel and Joanna, you will be notified by email in the next couple of days regarding how to redeem your prize.
Our thanks to everyone for providing great feedback to help grow and direct the organization.
Lissa Clayborn
Director of Development, CSTA
E: l.clayborn@hq.acm.org
C: 1.541.913.9770
csta.acm.org

The election for six open CSTA Board positions began on Wednesday, April 4
and will continue until May 2. If you are a CSTA member, you should have
received an email on April 4 from ElectionBuddy, the online election service
that is managing the election. That email contains a personalized link to
an online ballot. Since this link is cutsomized to you, do not share it
with others or you risk them voting under your name.
On the ballot itself, you can click on the Profile link next to each
candidate to see their personal statements and answers to four common
questions.
You can also view these profiles on the CSTA Web site at:
http://csta.acm.org/About/sub/AboutFiles/2012Candidates.html
If you did not receive an email, please check your spam filter. If an error
or omission has occurred, notify us at elections@csta.org.
Remember, CSTA is your organization, so be sure to vote and make your voice heard.
Dave Reed
CSTA Board of Directors

Once again this year, CSTA will be holding its annual Computer Science and Information Technology conference. It will be a fabulous event and the people who attend will give it rave reviews and will tell us it is the best professional development they have received all year and, for some people, ever. But as happy as I am that people will be glad they came, I cannot help but wonder and worry about the people who did not attend.
Every year CS&IT provides great workshops with content you can take directly back to your classroom. It provides great sessions with relevant information from experts and peers. It also provides downstreaming video of the sessions so attendees can catch any session they missed when they return how It provides opportunities for you to network and share strategies with others who understand and care about what you do.
So if this is the best opportunity you will have all year for great professional development, why aren’t you coming?
And what could we do to make it more attractive and accessible to you?
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director

Google is looking for excellent educators to teach as part of its Computing and Programming Experiences (CAPE) Summer program. Faculty will be an integral part of CAPE Summer’s programming and students success over the summer, creating a lasting impression on the students as to the relevance of Computer Science in their future career choices.
CAPE LEAD FACULTY
Google is looking for four outstanding middle school/high school level mathematics or computer science teachers to teach one session of 30 eighth-grade students during the summer prior to entering high school.
CAPE ASSOCIATE FACULTY
Google is also looking for eight outstanding middle school/high school level mathematics or computer science teachers (or university students) to co-instruct with the Lead Faculty and another Associate Faculty.
THE CAPE PROGRAM
CAPE Summer is a three-week summer program for eighth graders designed to inspire excitement about computer science through an intensive summer program at Google’s campus. CAPE Summer’s goal is to inspire a future generation of creators in computing by bringing together some of today’s brightest young students and exposing them to the possibilities of information technology in career paths such as software engineering, biology, or art and design. Through interactive workshops and courses, guest speakers and field trips, students learn algorithms, systems thinking, programming and computing theory. At the end of the summer session, students showcase a final project which utilizes various technologies they have learned from the program.
If you are interested in applying for the position, you can email your resume to:
cape-faculty-applications@google.com
CAPE Summer Locations & Session Dates:
Mountain View – Session 1: 6/17 – 7/11 & Session 2: 7/23 – 8/10
New York – Session 1: 7/9 – 7/27 & Session 2: 8/6 – 8/24
Click here for more information about the CAPE program.

The Royal Society in Great Britain has just released a ground-breaking new report called Shut Down or Restart: The Way Forward for Computing in UK Schools which clearly demonstrates that the current challenges we face in K-12 computer science education are indeed global challenges..
The work behind this impressive report was carried out by the Computing at School project which did a comprehensive review of computing in UK schools. According to the Royal Society, the key points of the report are as follows:
1. The current delivery of Computing education in many UK schools is highly unsatisfactory. Although existing curricula for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are broad and allow scope for teachers to inspire pupils and help them develop interests in Computing, many pupils are not inspired by what they are taught and gain nothing beyond basic digital literacy skills such as how to use a word-processor or a database. This is mainly because:
a. the current national curriculum in ICT can be very broadly interpreted and may be reduced to the lowest level where non specialist teachers have to deliver it
b. there is a shortage of teachers who are able to teach beyond basic digital literacy
c. there is a lack of continuing professional development for teachers of Computing
d. features of school infrastructure inhibit effective teaching of Computing
2. There is a need to improve understanding in schools of the nature and scope of Computing. In particular there needs to be recognition that Computer Science is a rigorous academic discipline of great importance to the future careers of many pupils. The status of Computing in schools needs to be recognised and raised by government and senior management in schools.
3. Every child should have the opportunity to learn Computing at school, including exposure to Computer Science as a rigorous academic discipline.
4. There is a need for qualifications in aspects of Computing that are accessible at school level but are not currently taught. There is also a need for existing inappropriate assessment methods to be updated.
5. There is a need for augmentation and coordination of current Enhancement and Enrichment activities to support the study of Computing.
6. Uptake of Computing A-level is hindered by lack of demand from higher education institutions.
The text of this report is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike and you can download the entire report from:
http://royalsociety.org/education/policy/computing-in-schools/report/
It is well worth reading.
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director

As the tenth of November approaches (111011), we are again preparing for Picture Me in Computing Day. Picture Me in Computing Day, also referred to as “picmecomp”, began last year in an effort to raise awareness as to how wonderful the computer science and IT professions are for women. We initiated a worldwide digital flash mob, having people tag all of their social interactions with #picmecomp, hoping that the tag would eventually reach teenage and pre-teen females and spark their curiosity.
The first year of the campaign, 2010, happened to coincide with the release of Computer Engineer Barbie ™. Mattel gave us their enthusiastic support and allowed Barbie to serve as our celebrity spokeswoman. The wonderful people at Mattel even arranged for tweets and Facebook posts from Barbie, encouraging people to participate. Hundreds of women around the world tagged and uploaded images of themselves with Computer Engineer Barbie, showing their dedication to women in STEM.
This year, we have decided that instead of focusing on just one vivacious “woman” who ventured into computer science, we would shift our attention to an entire group of women who have chosen to focus on technology. That’s why picmecomp will be broadcasting live this year from the Grace Hopper Celebration in Portland, Oregon! We will continue to ask both women and men to submit images of themselves with technology, but this year we will also be video blogging with women who have made their livelihoods in the industry. To find out more about this year’s activities, follow @picmecomp on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook.
We are inspired by Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper for many reasons, not the least of which was her unrelenting thirst for challenges. In 1944 at the age of 38, when most women would have been consumed with baking and ironing, Hopper was helping to pioneer the field of computer programming by tackling the Harvard Mark I . At the time, electronic computers were new and relatively unexplored, but that didn’t hold her back. She stood up to critics who believed that she was too old for Naval service and made a name for herself as an outstanding computer scientist.
Between the campaign for Picture Me in Computing Day, where we bring STEM to girls of all ages, and Grace Hopper, who showed us that courage is more important than age, we hope to show everyone that you are never too old or too young to consider a career in technology.
Kiki Prottsman
President/CEO
Thinkersmith
kiki@thinkersmith.org

The CSTA Board of Directors are elected for two year terms. And, as opposed to many corporate Boards of Directors, where the vote of the individual shareholder doesn’t really matter, your vote does count.
By now, all members should have received an e-mail from electionbuddy.com providing you a unique url at which to vote. We have just sent out a second reminder to vote from this e-mail address. Please spend a few minutes to go to this url, look over the candidates, and vote for who you think will be best to represent you. If you did not receive an electronic ballot (a unique url at which to vote), please e-mail nominations@csta.acm.org.
Steve Cooper
CSTA Nominations Chair

Many years ago I had the tremendous pleasure of meeting Anita Borg and, although I did not realize it at that time, she had a tremendous impact on my career and my life. This is why I am truly delighted to share information about a scholarship program created in her name.
Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003) devoted her life to revolutionizing the way we think about technology and dismantling the barriers that keep women and minorities from entering the computing and technology fields. In honor of Anita’s vision, Google has announced the 2011 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship for First Years, awarding a group of female students each a $10,000 scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic year. All scholarship recipients will also be invited to attend the FUSE Networking Retreat at the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA in 2012.
Who Should Apply?
Applicants must be female high school seniors and meet the following eligibility criteria:
* Intend to be enrolled in or accepted as a full-time student at a university in the U.S. for the 2011-2012 academic year
* Intend to be enrolled in or accepted for enrollment in a baccalaureate Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering or related program
* Able to demonstrate a commitment to and passion for computer science and technology
For complete details, please visit Google a:
http://www.google.com/anitaborg/us/first-years.html
Deadline to apply: Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Questions? Email Google at:
anitaborgscholarship@google.com
You can also visit
www.google.com/jobs/scholarships
for more information about Google’s scholarship programs.
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director

I’d like to introduce myself – my name is Carol Smith and I’m the Google Summer of Code program administrator. I recently helped announce the launch of a new program, Google Code-in, which is starting on November 22.
If you’ve ever heard of our Google Summer of Code
http://code.google.com/soc
program, Google Code-in will be very familiar. Much like Google Summer of Code, Google Code-in aims to reach out to student developers and get them involved in working on opensource software projects. The opensource organizations that we work with will create tasks for the students to claim and work on. The students will get points for each task they successfully complete. For each 3 tasks completed, the students will be given $100 up to a maximum of $500. The top 10 students with the most points at the end of the contest will also be awarded a grand prize of an all-expenses-paid trip for themselves and a family member to Google’s headquarters.
We’d love to get your students, children, friends, and family involved in the contest. This is a global program we’re hoping we’ll get lots of students involved in this year.
Please contact me if you have any further questions, and thank you!
Carol Smith
Google, Inc. | Open Source Programs Office | 650-253-1856 | carols@google.com

Exploring Computer Science is a K-12/University partnership committed to democratizing computer science. Our mission is to increase and enhance the computer science learning opportunities in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest school district in the country, and to broaden the participation of African-American, Latino/a, and female students in learning computer science. While we partner to deepen capacity of the LAUSD to support these reforms, we are developing a model and repository of best practices that can help spread and inform similar efforts in other school districts.
Our website is now available at:
www.exploringcs.org
There you will find a virtual cornucopia of topics that include:
* Teacher Support
* Curriculum
* Our Mission
* Resources
* News & Events
* Bringing ECS to your school
* NING for ECS teachers
Please take a look at it and let us know what you think!
The Exploring Computer Science Team