Meet The Foos!

Posted on November 17, 2014 by admin

Posted on behalf of Grant Hosford, CEO and Co-Founder of codeSpark

Parents and policy makers are now recognizing the importance of teaching computer science to elementary school kids, especially over the past 18-24 months. However, the tools and games appropriate for kids 5-9 are few in number. codeSpark, a learning game company, has addressed this gap with a game called “The Foos” that teaches core computer science concepts in a cute virtual world.

The Foos is a self-directed game with a free teacher curriculum that covers core concepts like pattern recognition, sequencing, loops and conditionals. The curriculum uses both gameplay in The Foos and “unplugged” activities to teach key lessons. The game has no words, so pre-readers and non-English speakers can play.

For teachers the best part of The Foos is the flexibility it gives you for lesson planning. You can choose to stop game play regularly to drive home specific points or just let the kids play and explore on their own. The game is designed to walk kids down a tightly scaffolded learning path, even if teacher involvement is light.

codeSpark has received some nice recognition lately as the LEGO Foundation recently named codeSpark one of 30 companies Re-imagining Play and Learning. And last week The Foos received an Editor’s Choice award and one of the highest ratings of the year from Children’s Technology Review.

The Foos is free for Hour of Code and can be played on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire and the web. To learn more visit http://thefoos.com. Interested teachers can download free curriculum here – http://thefoos.com/hourofcode/.

Celebrate CS Ed Week, Celebrate You!

Posted on November 13, 2014 by admin

CS Ed Week is December 8-14th this year. Here are just a few ways as CSTA members you can get involved.

Faces of Computing Contest: You’ve still got time to submit a video entry for the Faces of Computing Contest. The deadline for submissions is November 20.

CS Ed Week CS Teachers Site: Check out this new resource for CS teachers. You’ll find examples of different events you can host, access to presentations, competitions, and more! Don’t forget to upload your events as well!

State Proclamations: For our members in the United States, don’t forget to ask your Governor to declare December 8-14th Computer Science Education Week.

Participate in Hour of Code: Short on time? There are lots of great activities to do with students and community members that only take one hour. Sign up and join in the Hour of Code.

Get Twitty With IT: Be sure to use the hashtag #CSEdWeek on Twitter to talk about your events, thoughts, and ideas. You can engage parents, community leaders, and even your students in why computer science education is a necessity in our world.

Engage Other CSTA Members: Start a conversation on the CSTA Membership listserv. Not yet a member of the listserv? Join here. You must be a CSTA member to join, but individual membership remains FREE, thanks to CSTA’s generous corporate sponsors: BirdBrain Technologies, the College Board, Google, Microsoft, Certiport, Oracle Academy, and Code.org.

Additional CS Ed Week Resources: Check out more CS Ed Week resources available to CSTA members on our CS Ed Week page. Download a poster, watch a video, or listen to an audio announcement that you can recreate in your own school.

CS Ed Week is really all about celebrating YOU, our CS educators, and all that you do to engage students in learning about computer science and the magic of the discipline. So go out and showcase your skills!

Speak Up: Do Your Part to Support CS Education and Educators

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Stephanie Hoeppner

With people starting to make plans for CS Ed Week and the recent spotlight on making CS count for graduation I think it is important to remember the needs of the teachers. In order for CS to count and for there to be CS ED Week activities you need to have teachers who are teaching CS and/or who are raising awareness for it. You also need K-8 teachers who are given the freedom to incorporate CS into their elementary and middle grades curriculum. You need teachers.

While we need teachers, the teachers need the administration and the local, state, and national governance boards to recognize certifications, preparatory programs, and many other form of professional development for CS. Until CS teachers are recognized and supported as other content areas are, we will run the gamut of types of CS programs in our schools from full curriculum to nothing.

We have made much headway with CS but we still need stronger support through certifications and legislation. I think that sometimes we need to better educate ourselves of the landscape of CS and use successes to our advantage. For example, Ohio has had a computer science certification for many years. I have been teaching for 16 years and it was in place way before me. Others could use the example of our certification as a starting point for conversation with their state education boards. It is completely plausible to ask your state why Ohio recognizes CS certification, has for a long time, and yours does not. Okay so it may not be that easy but you never know. Last year CSTA put out a document that took a look at all of the states, what they recognize, and information about CS. It was called Bugs in the System:Computer Science Teacher Certification in the U.S. and is a fantastic resource if you are trying to raise CS awareness in your state.

So maybe you are thinking that you are not in a position to talk to your state education board and that is fine. However, with resources from other states you can also go to your local administration and board and propose that you start CS or improve your CS offerings. Use the states around you with CS certifications or programs as a selling point. If the states near you are doing something, you can propose that your school get ahead of the rest of your state and begin a CS program/ increase your program. The idea of being “first” at offering something or getting ahead of other places appeals to many schools.

I think as we approach CS ED Week we need to take a look around us at what is going on in classrooms and states around the nation. Even look at other countries and the CS curriculum they are creating. Use this information to show someone, whether local or on a bigger stage, that CS is happening, it is on the move, and it will be a part of our futures. How fast it becomes a part of our schools’ future depends largely on us. It depends on our passion, our resources, and how many people we can reach.

So spend some time on the CSTA website and find some resources that you can use as you are planning events and talking to your administration. There is a whole organization (CSTA) supporting you and standing with you as you advocate for CS.

Good LUCK!

Connecting K-12 CS Educators to Content through Search

Posted on November 6, 2014 by admin

Cameron L. Fadjo, CS Custom Search Project Lead

The recent wave of interest in having students, particularly those in grades K through 12, learn computer science has led to a surge in the development of many new and exciting programs and tools. Whether it is comprehensive curricula, engaging projects, robust online educational programs, extensible programming languages, or after school programs, there is something for just about everyone in CS education. As more programs get rolled out online through various sources, though, it is increasingly challenging to locate and explore these new resources.

At Google, we’re passionate about organizing information and making it universally accessible and useful. Over the past couple of years we’ve heard from numerous CS teachers (many of whom are members of CSTA) that it would be extremely helpful if there was an easier way to access a wide range of different classroom-related CS materials and programs. To address this challenge, we created Computer Science (CS) Custom Search, a search engine that has been customized with over 500 different CS education websites.

CS Custom Search has been designed to support users with different levels of experience with CS. By incorporating suggested search queries into the landing page, we believe this helps less experienced users with their initial exploration of CS and more experienced users discover even more programs or tools.

Please check out CS Custom Search and let us know how it works for you. Our goals are to continue to increase the number of sites on CS Custom Search in parallel with the ever-expanding list of new resources and to ensure that the search experience continuously reflects the needs of its audience – the CS education community.

Want to get started? Visit CS Custom Search to begin your search.

Have feedback? Send us an email at cs-custom-search@google.com.

Moving Students Toward a “Growth Mindset” in Computer Science

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Myra Deister

At a recent mathematics educators’ conference during which I was both an attendee and presenter, I was bombarded with sessions about the current education theory, Growth Mindset. I had been introduced to this theory at several local edCamps that I have attended over the last few months.

Growth Mindset was coined by Carol Dweck, Stanford University psychologist. “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.” (http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html) She defines the counterpart, a fixed mindset, “as the belief that traits are just givens. People have a certain amount of brains and talent and nothing can change that. If they have a lot, they’re all set, but if they don’t… So people in this mindset worry about their traits and how adequate they are. They have something to prove to themselves and others.” ( http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/themindsets/index.html)

I attended a Mindset session presented by Jo Boaler, (http://www.youcubed.org/) Stanford Professor of Mathematics Education. She discussed the growth mindset activities that she used with junior high students that were attending a summer school program due to poor grades in math. She demonstrated a problem that contained 3 sets of blocks that increase in number each step.

The students were asked to describe the pattern. There were different descriptions that were given. Some examples included a volcano, where the left and right sides increase. Another description was to add a row across the bottom.

I assigned the same problem to my computer science students. They also described the increase as a volcano and increasing from the bottom. We discussed how we could write a program to calculate the number of blocks from their descriptions and different approaches that could be used. I decided that this exercise was so successful that I would try a few more. Fawn Nguyen created the website http://www.visualpatterns.org/ that has 160 patterns. I began using those as Do Now activities to help students build their pattern recognition. The students have found different approaches to each pattern. We then discuss how these could be programmed. As the students are working on these problems, I walk around the room and if they are stuck I ask the students how they see each pattern growing and describe it to me. I suggest that they use their description to build an equation.

This week I had the students view a Kahn Academy video about “Growth Mindset” https://www.khanacademy.org/youcanlearnanything

The students answered 3 questions online and explained the why behind their answer. The 3 questions were:

Do you agree with Sal Khan that you can grow your mind? Why or Why not?
Do you agree with Sal Khan that you learn more from your mistakes? Why or why not?
Finally, how will this change your work in the computer science class?

Then each student responded to 2 other student posts.

I have just started with working on activities to help the students to move toward a “Growth Mindset”. A few other strategies I need to do is to remind the students that it is “ok” to make mistakes because they can learn more from the mistakes rather than just get the correct answer. I also need to investigate how to reward effort in my class. I had started awarding points for extending the code that we did together in class. I feel that this is a step in the right direction. Additionally, I want to create a display that “rewards” improving and effort. Maybe I can implement that second semester.

What activities can you suggest to move students toward a “Growth Mindset”?

What do you want your students to know?

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Stephanie Hoeppner

As I was rethinking some of my courses and the approach to take with my students this year I thought about why I want them to take my classes. While I had lots of great philosophical answers and typical CS catch phrases, I kept coming back to I want them to know how to think and to have fun. Those really are two of my core beliefs as I look at lessons and assignments. I want them to be in awe of what computer science is and what it can do. I want them to be excited. I want it to change the way they think about things. I love the #3 reason in the article Six Reasons Why Studying CS is Worth It. I laughed when I read it because I break everything down in my mind as well. This is what I want my students to do. Do I want them to major in CS? – sure that would be fantastic but if they don’t, I want them to think like a computer scientist and I want them to know that solving problems can be exciting and fun.

So what do you want your students to do with computer science? Is it different for different courses? Do you find that you focus solely on programming or do you encourage them to think about other perspectives of computer science? Here are some resources* I use to broaden my students thinking and how they should look at computer science in the world around them.

Blown to Bits – I use different chapters in different classes. I use this to also fulfill my districts reading and writing across the curriculum requirement.
Videos of CS from University of Washington – I use the Pathways in computer science to dispel the concept of CS people sitting behind a computer in a cubicle.
Luis Von Ahn – I don’t have a specific link because there is so much out there. In one of my classes we start talking about captchas and I let the students complain about them and how sometimes they can’t read them, etc and then I tell them about what really is going on and show them a talk he gave about it. We then talk about computer scientist are people who can solve larger problems. Again this is not the stereotypical geek image of CS and they see what it is doing. I also go on to show them Duolingo and the students are amazed.
Code.org – of course I also use the viral video that shows famous people talking about code but I only use this when we are specifically coding as I want my students to understand the multiple facets of computer science.
CSTA Resources – There also are several great videos and resources from our own CSTA website. There are posters and past those link are videos and resources about careers in CS.

Many of these resources still point students to a career in CS and above I claimed I know they all will not. What I think these resources do is show how problem solving, computational thinking, and aspects of computer science are different than what my students believe them to be. I think some students do not want to go into CS because they have a misconception of what it really is. So yes I love CS, I love teaching, but most of all I want my students to see the excitement and wonder of the world through the lens of CS and how the skills they learn could aid them in anything they chose to do.
(* There are many resources out there and I am only listing ones I frequently use – feel free to comment below this blog with your own resources)

Stephanie Hoeppner
9-12 Representative

Computer Science Open House for CS Ed Week

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Tammy Pirmann

Are you starting to think about what you want to do for Computer Science Education Week (Dec 8-14, 2014)? There is more than just the Hour of Code (although that’s a great way to get ALL the students involved)!

Every year, I have a Computer Science Open House. It is one night at the high school with three guest speakers, about twenty colleges with computing majors, and one student showcase table for each of my courses. We celebrate Grace Hopper’s birthday with cake or cupcakes and punch. I invite all of the high school and middle school students and their families. Each group has a different reason to attend, but the guest speakers are a hit with most.

The guest speakers typically come from three groups: one will be someone working as a computer scientist in the “tech” industry; one will be an IT or CS person working in any “non-tech” industry; and the last person will be a college professor of CS or IT. When possible, one of these speakers is also an alumni of my program. Each speaker has ten minutes for a prepared speech and Q&A, then has a table for the rest of the event. When the three speakers are finished, we serve the refreshments and our guests are free to walk around to all the tables and talk to the people that interest them.

Select students man the tables for my courses and each student has a project to showcase to the public. This gives them something concrete to talk about, and the younger students love to see what they will be able to do after taking some courses in Computer Science.

Overall, a Computer Science Open House is a great event that helps you market the CS courses at your school, allows your students to shine and gives them the opportunity to hear from current professionals and to talk to many colleges with interesting majors.

Tammy Pirmann
School District Representative

Getting the Most from Conferences

Posted on November 22, 2013 by CSTA Blog

As you may already know, the 2014 CSTA conference on K-12 computer science education will take place July 14 and 15 at the beautiful Pheasant Run resort in St. Charles , IL (just outside of Chicago) and CSTA wants to make sure that all of the attendees find the conference as stimulating and rewarding as possible.
Each year, the conference planning committee strives to make this the best CSTA conference ever. Over the last few years this has included adding and expanding the selection of half-day workshops and break-out sessions and adding in-conjunction events. We also videotape several of the sessions so that attendees (and other CSTA members) can see presentations they were unable to attend in person.
But there are also things that you can do to make the CSTA annual conference a more professionally and personally rewarding experience for you. Here are a few simple tips.
1. Plan in advance. Read the session descriptions and presenter biographies posted on the conference website prior to the conference at so you can decide in advance which ones will best meet your learning needs. (http://csta.acm.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/sub/CSTAConference.html)
2. Pick topics that strengthen your weak points. This way you can increase your chances of learning something new.
3. Take advantage of opportunities for networking. Casual conversation after sessions, during meals, and at the reception can help you expand your professional community.
4. Ask questions and listen. It is very likely that other workshop and session attendees share similar issues and they might be able to provide new insights or ideas.
5. Move outside your circle of friends. Making an effort to talk to and socialize with people you don’t already know will help you make new professional contacts.
6. Jot down new ideas, insights, questions or solutions on index cards and include contact information if this came from an interesting new colleague.
7. Apply new ideas immediately. The real value of any professional development event is the ability to take ideas and strategies home with you and put them to work.
While it is true that these tips can be applied to any professional development experience, we hope that they will encourage you to attend the only conference that is focuses exclusively on K-12 computer science and information and so is designed especially for you.
What helps you get the most of the PD events that you attend?
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director

Bring the Experts into your Classroom

Posted on August 30, 2013 by CSTA Blog

The perfect guest speaker in your classroom can motivate students, add spark to a lesson, and set the stage for great learning experiences. But we all know the results of a less than perfect speaker. While I think a real, live, quality speaker is maybe ideal, there is a lot to be said for the electronic version.
I have become a super fan of TED Talks. If you don’t know about them, please take some time to explore the thousands of recordings on every topic imaginable. Most are between seven and 15 minutes in length; they are performed in front of a live audience and are professionally recorded.
A quick search for “computer science” yields hundreds of possibilities. You will find Jay Silver: Hack a banana, make a keyboard!; Shimon Schocken: The self-organizing computer course; Jinha Lee: Reach into a computer and grab a pixel; and so many more you won’t know where to start!
The series of talks on “technology” is rich with presentations by visionaries such as Ray Kurzweil, Juan Enriquez, and Sheryl Sandberg. One of my favorite CS related topics is data analysis. The “Making sense of too much data” series of ten talks is amazing. I’m sure you will think so too. If you are looking for motivation to spur students in solving real-world problems, just pick a topic, search TED Talks, and get ready to be inspired.
Invite the “guest speakers” from Ted Talks into your classroom. You will get subject experts, inspiration, and excitement with no bad surprises!
Pat Phillips
Editor, CSTA Voice

Promoting Computer Science

Posted on February 8, 2013 by CSTA Blog

Computer Science is an elective class in my high school district and in many other districts. The simple truth is that elective teachers must promote their courses to attract students. This year I have begun early promoting computer science. My promoting activities began during Computer Science Education Week and are continuing until student registration which is the beginning of March.
During Computer Science Education Week, I hosted an open house in the computer lab offering food, door prizes and tours during lunch time using my computer science students as “tour guides”. During Winter break, I mailed over 150 letters to parents of students using the AP Potential List inviting them to Open House and to consider enrolling in Computer Science. (AP Potential is a research-driven, free Web-based tool that will help you identify AP students that have the potential to score 3 or above on the Computer Science A AP test . My Open House activities included a continuous presentation displaying student work and showing the CSTA Computer Science Education Week movies. Additionally, I gave away candy and computer science wristbands. Current computer science students volunteered to pass out brochures and speak to attendees about computer science.
During the next few weeks, I will mail additional letters home explaining the computer science program and the advantages of enrolling in computer science. The letters will be mailed to parents whose students have received grades of B or better in Geometry for the fall semester.
Recently, a discussion about promoting computer science appeared as a thread on the AP Computer Science A Discussion Board. There were many good suggestions that I had not considered. Some of the suggestions were:
From Baker Franke, University of Chicago Laboratory High School (Chicago, IL)
Small thing I did that garnered some attention: I invented an award at my school called “Achievement in Computer Science”. Then I shelled out $500 to make a fancy looking plaque and hung it in the halls. I retroactively decided former students who should have won the award had it existed and put their names on the plaque to get it started. Since I hung it up, student interest has piqued and now other departments are copying me.
From Kathleen Weaver, Hillcrest High School (Dallas, TX)
I volunteer around the school a LOT. All the other teachers send their students to me with computers questions, and especially password reset questions. I do the website for the PTSA. So EVERYONE knows me and knows I know everything about computers. I also mentor the Robot Team, and encourage the kids to drive the robots down the hall.
In the past I would attend the lesser sports. I haven’t had to do that in awhile, but go to the sports and watch ones that others don’t go to. Go to open house, go to PTSA events, etc.
Word of mouth is the best thing ever.
From Rebecca Dovi, Patrick Henry High School (Ashland, VA)
I do a lot of art in Computer Science projects and hang them in the halls. So we do one around recruiting time where the prompt is “I use computer science to…”
The fold a 3×5 index card in half – do a collage about their theme on the outside and then finish the sentence inside. It is interactive and we get lots of kids stopping to look.
Also – where I can I let my current students sell the program. This year we invited kids with high PSAT scores into the lab for ice cream sundaes and a tour. I let my kids show off what they do. I then mail home a follow-up letter to parents. Saying things like “your student has been nominated for computer science” plays well.
Personally I wear my robot skirt every time I go out and volunteer – but that might not be your first sartorial choice.
In other words, I try to have a high, visible presence with excited kids
From David Herman, New Albany High School and Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools
1. Create a CS/STEM Girls Club! Ask a few girls to bring some like-minded friends to a meeting. Challenge them to support each other in their CS/STEM excitement, promote and recruit, and find ways to support Middle School girls to ensure they maintain their CS/STEM interest in the face of peer (and often parental) pressure.
2. Promote the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) “Aspirations in Computing Annual Award Program”. As girls start to win National and State awards, promote the heck out of it in local and school media.
3. Involve your students in free third party CS/STEM activities, then publicize their involvement and results. Examples:
IBM Master the Mainframe competition
Zero Robotics (NASA/MIT) programming challenge
US Air Force Discovery Lab “Virtual Reality Academy”
I am looking for more ideas. What have you done that has been successful?
Myra Deister
CSTA At-Large Representative
Sunny Hills High School
Fullerton, CA

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