Many people believe that teachers have it easy in the summer since they have summers off. But, many teachers have very busy summers. Some teachers need to work another job in the summer and many teachers take workshops and go to conferences in the summer. I saw many teachers at CS&IT and NECC. In fact CS&IT had the largest number of attendees ever.
I have been teaching workshops for high school computing teachers the last few weeks at Georgia Tech. I have enjoyed showing the Computing in the Modern World teachers PicoCrickets, Scratch, and Alice. Teachers enjoyed creating animations and games in Scratch and Alice as well as learning kinesthetic activities to teach computing concepts (like those from CS Unplugged and Berkeley’s KLA group). See:
http://csunplugged.org/
and
http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Research/Projects/Data/102187.html.
This week I am teaching Beginning Programming teachers using Institute for Personal Robotics robots and Media Computation in Python. Today they were working on mirroring images and some of the teachers got very excited when they figured out how to mirror top to bottom or how to create an image collage. See:

Find Robotics, AI, & Machine Learning Degrees and Career Paths

and
http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/mediaComp-teach.
Some people have claimed that we shouldn’t teach programming, but just computing concepts in order to attract more people to computing. I very much disagree. Getting a program to work gets people excited about computing. Learning about computing without doing any programming seems like learning about science by just reading about it and not actually doing any science. One of my daughters loves to do experiments, but came home from elementary school saying that she hated science. The problem was that they didn’t actually do any science, but only read about it.
Barb Ericson
CSTA Director

One of the things I love best and hate the most about my job is reviewing at the evaluations for our annual conference. I love it because it is so clear from the evaluations that we are doing something right. I hate it because we never get it absolutely perfect.
This year we held our 10th annual Computer Science & Information Technology Symposium on June 27 in Washington D.C. We knew we had a very good agenda because we had terrific speakers (all of whom, by the way, donated their time for the day). We also knew we had an enthusiastic audience because we had to close registration early when we reached our capacity of 200 attendees.
But as usual, I spent my day in a state of panic. What if we have technical issues? (There are always technical issues at a conference!) What if a keynote speaker doesn’t show up, or pranks me with an email two days before the conference saying she isn’t coming? (Yes, this actually happened!) What if they hate the food? (This simply cannot happen because our project manager Barb Conover always makes sure we provide a fabulous feast.)
The truth is, our speakers, volunteers, and Board members are so smart and so steady, they can weather any potential disaster. But you know, I worry. That’s my official job for the day.
And when I read over all of the evaluation forms, I feel incredibly relieved. Our attendees are so generous with their praise and good will. But I also feel a little sad, because sometimes the attendees make really good suggestions that we cannot accommodate. This year, for example, a couple of our attendees suggested that we have all of the presentations from all of the speakers available for download before the conference. This is such a good idea, and heaven knows, we have tried every year to do this. But the simple truth is that most of our speakers are still tinkering with their presentations up until the last minute, so the best we can do, is get them to send them to us after the conference so we can post them on the website. (And hey, if you still have not sent us your presentation…people are waiting!)
If you didn’t get the chance to join us in D.C. this year, I hope you will be able to attend next year. Because even if we never get it perfect, it is still, as one attendee said “a fantastic day of professional development with wonderful opportunities for networking with other teachers and outstanding presentations”.
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director
CSTA

Over the last couple of years, the question of whether CSTA should initiate an honor society for high school computer science students has been raised a number of times, both by members of the CSTA Board of Directors and by CSTA volunteers.
At our most recent CSTA Board of Directors meeting, the issue was discussed again at length thanks to a report prepared by CSTA Vice-President Steve Cooper. Among the many considerations, the Board members discussed how such a society might function, its purpose, and related costs (both direct and indirect).
While a number of the Directors thought that it would be a good idea to support such a society, several key questions remain unanswered. As always, CSTA places a priority on projects that support and sustain both our mission and our members, so we would really like to know what you think about any and all of the following questions.
How would a CS honor society support CSTA’s mission of supporting the teaching of computer science and other computing disciplines?
Do CSTA members feel the need for a CS honor society?
How would a CS honor society help CS teachers meet their classroom goals?
What would members expect of such an organization?
What would a Computer Science Honor Society look like?
Is a CS honor society something that CSTA members would embrace?
Would members be willing to help raise funding and provide volunteer support for such a program on a on-going basis?
Forming a student honor organization within CSTA would be a huge project and your feedback on these questions is critically important. Please share your ideas (pro and con) on the topic.
Pat Phillips
Editor, CSTA Voice

* Do you teach students in elementary or middle school?
* Do you teach high school and find that students come to you with (incorrect) preconceived notions of what computer science is?
* Do you want to encourage your school or district to develop or enhance CS instruction at the lower grades?
* Can we teach computer science before high school?
* Can we engage girls’ interest before they hit the age where they hear that girls aren’t supposed to like/succeed with technology?
If you’ve been hanging around this blog or connecting with CSTA folks for any length of time, you’ve heard of the ACM’s A Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science, a vision and broad outline of computer science education in grades K-12. This curriculum consists of four levels, the first of which is for grades K-8.
CSTA has been developing implementation documents for these levels, first for Levels II and III, and now for Level I: Foundations of Computer Science . The Level I framework is in its final stages of development, and the authors are asking for critical review and feedback.
This document provides an outline and objectives; it does not describe a single course but “a broad and integrated set of student learning outcomes, held together by a coherent concept of computer science for younger students…(It) can be the starting point for a teacher, school, district, or state to make computer science a vital part of K-8 education” (from the Level I Overview).
The subject matter is divided into twelve topics, which are grouped into three categories:
Computers and software applications
Topic 1: Parts of a personal computer
Topic 2: Standard software
Topic 3: Operating systems
Topic 4: Networks
Topic 5: World Wide Web and Email
Problem solving with computer science
Topic 6: Representing information digitally
Topic 7: Problem solving and algorithms
Topic 8: Computer programming
Social context of computing
Topic 9: Privacy and security
Topic 10: Evaluating and using information from networked sources
Topic 11: Human-computer interaction
Topic 12: Computers in society
Each topic is divided into grade ranges K-2, 3-5, and 6-8, with focus areas and sample activities in each range.
How can we teach these topics?
To support the ACM Model Curriculum, CSTA developed the CSTA Source Web Repository: K-12 Computer Science Teaching and Learning Materials. Level I resources in the repository were originally organized into six classifications, to match the 1998 version of ISTE’s NETS (standards) for Students (ISTE 1998), plus one for “Algorithmic problem-solving tools.”” However, to align with the new curriculum for Level I, we are currently reclassifying these resources, as we’ll do with any new resources that are being added, to match the new topic list above.
Check them out!
P. S. The upcoming CS & IT Symposium (June 26, Washington, DC) also includes several sessions of interest to teachers in K-8: Making CS Happen in K-8, Scratching the Surface of Computer Science with Scratch!
Debbie Carter
Co-Chair, CSTA Professional Development Committee

As a member of the CSTA Leadership cohort, I have had an exciting year in Washington. A group of very dedicated educators and business members have been working since January 2009 in the formation of a chapter of the Computer Science Teachers Association in Western Washington State. We have met monthly since January 2009. We are a small team, but a very passionate one. We have been discussing what we want our group to accomplish, setting goals that are attainable and not overwhelming ourselves attempting to accomplish too much. There is so much that we would like to do, but we are taking small steps and ensuring that that which we do take on is done well.
We have started to put together a list of resources that have been vetted by our members, as well as information on programming language selection for courses. We have also shared information on related workshops in the area that our members might attend.
We were able to put on a very successful computer programming competition, hosted by the University of Washington in Seattle. A very capable member of our group was willing to relocate a contest she had planned to put on at her high school to the University of Washington. Members’ industry contacts supplied us with many volunteer judges from industry. The University of Washington provided space, student-led tours of the Computer Science and Engineering facilities, some interesting lectures and lunch and snacks for the contest. Thanks to fast and efficient planning, the contest was a great success. We plan on repeating it in the fall and spring each year.
We are on meeting hiatus for the summer, but are planning a discussion on Alice 3.0 (if it releases on time) in September once we all return to school. We are also looking into other possible workshops and contests that we could offer to teachers and students, and will continue sharing information with our members, as well as other groups interested in what we are accomplishing.
We are a small team, but we are determined. There is a lot that we hope to accomplish, and we will over time.
Greg Kilpatrick
President
Puget Sound CSTA (pending chapter approval)

At Georgia Tech, our students must take a senior design class before they can graduate and I often have them work together in groups to create something for me to use in my outreach to K-12 students. For example, I had a team create a LEGO robot that used the light sensor to read colors and play music. I had another team use an accelerometer to create a remote control for a LEGO NXT robot. I also had a team that created a bop-it type game using the PicoCrickets.
This semester I had some of my students create an activity for the Pleo robot from Ugobe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleo). These robots look like a baby dinosaur and act as if they are alive. They like to be petted and make noises to tell you if they are happy or sad. They have a color camera, a tilt sensor, sound sensors, and lots of touch sensors.
These robots are very engaging for both boys and girls. My research team tried the robots with several groups of elementary and middle school students. When they asked the kids what the worst thing about the project was the kids said, “ you made us leave the robots to go to lunch”. The robots can currently only be programmed using MySkit which is similar to Flash. Ugobe was working on a development kit in a C like language and had released a beta version of this environment. The biggest problem with the Pleos is the battery life. A fully charged battery only lasts about 1.5 hours and it takes 4 hours to fully charge.
Unfortunately, Ugobe has filed for bankruptcy. We bought 12 Pleos so that we can use them in our summer camps and outreach programs. Hopefully another company will buy the rights to these and continue this promising new direction in robotics. See http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/ice-gt/943 for the materials my senior design team created for the Pleo.
Barb Ericson
CSTA Board of Directors

I feel very fortunate that I am a member of CSTA. My membership has made me aware of many professional development opportunities. I am been notified via email, CSTA website, and CSTA Voice regarding professional development opportunities that have been low cost or no cost. My students have been the ones who have gained through my attendance at such events as CS4HS, Alice Symposiums, CSTA CS & IT Symposia, Media Comp Workshops, UC Irvine Southern California Computer Science Conference, and more recently the Microsoft Pre-Conference Game Development Workshop. Each time I attend a conference, my goal is to apply something from the workshop in my classroom and to show the other teachers that attend my local chapter’s meeting what I have learned.
For example, as a result of attending a TECS workshop during July 2006, I was introduced to Alice 2.0. I decided that my programming students needed to start with Alice because they begin AP Computer Science with no programming experience. It was a success. I feel that this has been one of the reasons I have been able to attract students to my class even with the increase in credit requirements for graduation.
Additionally, a recent conference I attended gave me insight into some resources that are available that make game development possible for beginning programming students. After the AP test on Tuesday, I plan to offer some beginning exercises in game development as one option for a project that I received at the conference. I also plan on demonstrating the lessons to teachers that attend my chapter’s meeting in two weeks.
Another professional development opportunity that I look forward to is the CS & IT Symposium. I want to encourage anyone that has been thinking about attending the CSIT09 to register and attend. This year’s schedule looks better than ever with many sessions that can inform and enhance your teaching resulting in enhancing your students’ educational experience. You can view the sessions and register for CSIT09 at:
www.csitsymposium.org
Myra Deister
CSTA Board Member

As head of CSTA’s Professional Development Committee, I received the following message, which I thought might be of interest to many of you:
My name is Matthew Plummer. I teach math at Hanover High School, in Hanover, MA.
March 14th is “Pi Day”. For years, I have created Pi Day Math Logic puzzles. This year, I decided to make a formal web-based logic quest. I created the site:
www.pidaychallenge.com
There are over thirty logic puzzles – some require math, some require logic, some require pure savvy. Users can create an account (so that the next time they log in, the site will bring them back to where they left off) or users can play as a guest.
At times, part of the puzzle is simply to figure what you are supposed to do.
My goal is to get over 1,000,000 students from around the country excited about math and logic.
Please assist me by forwarding this to all teachers and administrators that you know.
Thanks,
Matthew Plummer
www.PiDayChallenge.com
In a quick attempt, I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do with the first puzzle, but, as he said, sometimes that’s part of the puzzle. I’m hoping that some of you (and your students) are better at thinking outside of the box than I seem to be.
Enjoy!
Debbie Carter
CSTA Board of Directors
Roxbury High School, NJ

Since the beginning of January, Leadership Cohort members have been instrumental in establishing new local chapters for the Southern New Jersey Shore and Houston.
Several members of the Leadership Cohort participated in the Rebooting Computing Summit held in Mountain View, California January 12-14. Rebooting Computing is a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation, through Dr. Peter Denning at the Naval Postgraduate School, to develop awareness and an action plan to tackle the issues surrounding the decline in computer science in the United States. Many of the goals of the project are aligned with the goals set by CSTA for the Leadership Cohort, so participating in the summit allowed us to join the conversation and raise awareness in the broader community of the activities in which we are already engaged.
To learn more about the cohort, join us at the CS & IT Symposium in Washington, DC on June 27. We will be presenting a panel: Building Effective Leadership at the Grass Roots
For more information on the CS & IT Symposium, visit:
www.csitsymposium.org
Gail Chapman
Director: Leadership and Professional Development
CSTA

In the two years, CSTA has launched a number of programs to help college and university faculty and staff in their K-12 outreach efforts. One of the most successful of these project was the CSTA/SIGCSE Roadshow Workshop and CSTA is delighted to announce that the videos from several of the workshop presentations are now available for viewing on the CSTA website.
The Roadshow Workshop (funded by NSF under the DUE program) was intended to bring together the community of post-secondary faculty, staff, and students who were organizing and delivering K-12 Roadshows or who were interested in starting Roadshow programs. Our goal was to begin building a community that could share information and resources, and where more experienced sites could mentor programs that were just starting their outreach effort.
The Roadshow Workshop was held at Google headquarters in Mountain View last May and as part of their generous support for the workshop, Google provided staff who videotaped all of the workshop activity. The presentations and panels were then edited and made into individual streaming videos. You can now view these videos on the CSTA website at:
http://csta.acm.org/Communications/sub/Videos.html
Here is a description of the videos you can view:
* 5from5 (Time: 56:10): This video features presenters from five exemplary K-12 CS outreach programs giving a brief synopsis of their outreach programs and presentations. The presenters include Carol Frieze (Carnegie Mellon), Bill Hogan (Cornell University), Katie Siek (University of Colorado Boulder), Sonya Harris (University of Illinois), Suzanne Menzel (Indiana University).
* 5 Minute Madness: Part One (Time: 50:10): In this video, three panelists answer three key questions that every Roadshow organizer must answer. The questions include: “Why should we do a roadshow?”, “How do you find teachers and students?”, and “What kind of outreach activities and materials do you need?”. The panel is facilitated by Katie Siek (University of Colorado Boulder). The panelists are Robb Cutler (Former CSTA President), Suzanne Menzel (Indiana University) and Chris Stephenson (CSTA Executive Director).
* 5 Minute Madness: Part Two (Time: 28:33): In this video, three panelists answer three key questions that every Roadshow organizer must answer. The questions include: “How do you find funding for start up and maintenance?”, “How do you manage roadshow programs for the long term?”, and “How do you build long term relationships?”. The panel is facilitated by Suzanne Menzel (Indiana University). The panelists are Michelle Hutton (The Girl’s Middle School and CSTA President), Tiffany Grady (UT-Austin) and Katie Siek (University of Colorado Boulder).
* What Research Tells Us (Time: 47:08): In this video, Lecia Barker (National Center for Women in Information Technology) discusses research on best practices for outreach to young women and minority students. Lecia looks at the research evidence underlying the choices you need to make when doing a roadshow presentation, specifically why you choose the messages and the activities that you choose.
* Google Tools (Time: 31:13): In this video, Gabriel Cohen (Product, Manager Google Apps Education Division) demonstrates a number of tools that Roadshow organizers (and in fact all educators) can use to make their work much easier. These tools include: Google spreadsheets, Tiny url, Google groups, Google Apps, Google sites, Google calendar, Google docs, and App engine.
We believe that these videos are a great resource for any site that is interested in improving its K-12 outreach and encourage you to check them out.
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director