A recent article in the New York Times In ‘Geek Chic’ and Obama, New Hope for Lifting Women in Science offered hope that the new administration would act on efforts to attract and retain more women in science. Though the author fails to consider race in her discussion, I believe this is also a prime opportunity to attract more ethnically diverse scientists in the U.S.
The article queries why women are equally represented in many scientific fields (mathematics, biology, chemistry) but are missing in physics, particularly at the college level. We can extend this same question for computer science. Why, compared to other scientific disciplines, are females and students of color missing from computer science classrooms? Studies show that girls have equal performance to boys on standardized mathematics tests, squashing any hypotheses about differences in aptitudes. So, what is it about the nature of physics and computer science that seems to repel all but a few girls and women?
The author suggests that perhaps the abstract, cold nature of physics turns off women (a complaint of many in computer science, too). Both fields have undergone significant developments under the auspices of warfare. Though today’s applications of physics and computer science benefit humanity in sweeping ways, these applications are not visible in public perception. Nor are they typically highlighted in introductory courses.
When conducting research for our new book, Stuck in the Shallow End: Education, Race, and Computing, I spoke with dozens of high-performing Latina mathematics 12th graders. Many had taken computer science courses. Though many of these girls were on their way to college to study math or science, none were interested in pursuing computer science. When asked why, they expressed a desire to major in a field which would allow them to improve their community. These young girls were unable to imagine how obtaining expertise in computer science could possibly benefit their desire to change lives for the better.
As computer science educators, we should try to make explicit connections between computer science and solving local problems. Moving away from the public perception of computer science as cold and abstract requires engaging pedagogy and more active participation of students. Perhaps then we will be able to attract a more heterogeneous “geek chic” image of computer science.
Joanna Goode
CSTA Equity Chair

CSTA has as its main objective “to support and promote the teaching of computer science and other computing disciplines. CSTA provides opportunities for K-12 teachers and students to better understand the computing disciplines and to more successfully prepare themselves to teach and learn.”
Approximately 80% of its membership resides in the USA. So naturally most of its endeavors and communications are US-centric. However, the recent international version of the New Educational Imperative reflects the outward looking nature of CSTA.
My motivation in joining in CSTA originally arose from the poor state and recognition of CS as a valid high school subject in my country (eg: ignored by the national assessment system!). I was looking for affirmation of it as something worthy of study in high school and also to find resources, as well as hopefully making contact with some “like minds”.
Now, as the International Representative but also a high school teacher, it is not easy to form a comprehensive picture of what “the rest of the world” does. I am fortunate to be involved in the Olympiad in Informatics community, and through that have some vague picture of what is happening in Computer Science teaching in a some other countries. However, most leaders at the Olympiad are University lecturers and are not necessarily the best spokespeople for what is happening in the lower echelons of the education system! It is somewhat disheartening to hear from some of the high school teacher-leaders at the IOI that, like my own, their country has in the past addressed algorithmic thinking but have now moved to an emphasis purely on “skills based” (or ICT) teaching – and what CS teaching that does happen is “shrinking”.
On the other hand, there are “heartening countries’ such as Lithuania, the same sized country as mine, which introduces algorithmic thinking to quite young students and countries like Croatia where there are gymnasiums (academic high schools) which specialize in Science, Maths and Informatics. Refer http://eurologo.web.elte.hu/lectures/dagien.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Croatia
For small countries, one of the things which helps in advocacy, is to be able to demonstrate that other countries with similar or smaller GDPs per head of population, are doing great things.
Whilst blogs are usually the opportunity to present a viewpoint, I would like to use this entry to potentially elicit informatio on “What does your country do?” And not to be exclusive to International members, it may be of interest to others in the US, “What does your school/school district/state do?”
Margot Phillipps
CSTA International Director

As we begin a new year, we can only imagine what new technological innovations will be created this year that will change the way people live their lives. In just the last decade, we’ve witnessed how computer science has impacted political processes, changed modes and styles of communication, and deepened scientific inquiry across many areas. While these developments certainly have a profound impact on most of society, the developers come from a relatively homogenous group.
As computer science educators, we often witness the same patterns in our classroom. Why are there more boys than girls enrolled in classes, especially in more advanced computing courses? Why are there more White students and Asian students studying computer science than African American, Latino, or American Indian students? And, what can we do about it?
I challenge all computer science educators to commit to addressing equity issues in 2009. We must think beyond the gender equity gap and work to make our classrooms reflect the cultural diversity found in our schools, as well.
The CSTA and related affiliations have provided a variety of resources to help you recruit and retain more diverse students in computer science classes. So far, these resources target mostly girls, but could be modified to recruit and retain students of color, as well. These publications, brochures, videos, and digital media address two aspects of the equity issue by providing career information to students and exposing students to diverse role models.
1) Provide Information about Computer Science & Careers:
Gotta have IT toolkit of brochures, posters, and information
http://www.ncwit.org/ghit
Gotta have IT is an all-in-one computing resource kit designed for all students, but particularly girls. A select set of high-quality posters, computing and careers information, digital media and more, the resource kit builds awareness and inspires interest in computing. The set includes CSTA’s Careers in Computingposter and CSTA’sThe New Educational Imperative: Improving K-12 Computer Science publication.
Imagine Your Career in Computingbrochure for middle school students
http://www.csta.acm.org/Resources/sub/CareersFiles/CSTA-MiddleSchool-broch-new.pdf
http://www.csta.acm.org/Resources/sub/CareersFiles/CareersBrochureSpanish.pdf
Available in both English and Spanish, this CSTA brochure shows the connections between the technologies middle schoolers use every day and the courses and the career opportunities available to them.
A Day in the Life,Power to Change the World, and Pathways in Computer Science Videos
http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/ugrad/prospective/outreach.html
These videos highlight the lives of real computer science graduates from the University of Washington. A Day in the Life follows five female computer science professionals, Power to Change the World documents the variety of reasons why students choose computer science as a career, and Pathways in Computer Science shows the interdisciplinary applications found in computer science.
2) Exposure to Diverse Role Models
Role Model Toolkit
http://www.techbridgegirls.org/role_models.asp
This toolkit contains a guide for field trips and classroom visits to help plan the interaction between professionals and students. The toolkit also contains icebreakers and activities for visits. This toolkit is geared towards girls, but can be used for all students.
Spelbots: The First All-Female and African American Robotics Team
http://www.spelman.edu/~spelbots/
Provides videos and other stories about the rise of the Spelman College Spelbots and their international successes.
Besides these resources, do any of you use additional resources for broadening participation in computer science classrooms?
Joanna Goode
CSTA Equity Chair

As part of a recent discussion on the Rebooting Computing listserv Ursula Wolz made the following important observations about how to do effective outreach to K-12. We are posting her comments here with her permission.
The College of New Jersey in partnership with Fisher Middle School in Ewing NJ is running an NSF demonstration project Broadening Participation in Computing Via Community Journalism for Middle Schoolers.
In the design of our outreach program, we looked at the relationship between “real math” and “computing.” We chose to focus on writing because there was good research-based evidence (not thought experiments) that we could reach under-represented groups through writing. This was in response to assertions in the video games industry that “girls like stories and boys like games.” If traditional approaches to CS appeal to the gamers (regardless of gender), then how could we engage the “storytellers” in substantive computer science? And we did indeed try to avoid “air guitar” by focusing on a particular discipline of writing that, it turns out, has methodologies and constructs that resonate with software engineering and programming. (It didn’t hurt that I had a colleague in journalism who is my ‘dual’).
In determining our target audience, we chose middle school for some very pragmatic reasons (not the least of which is that we didn’t think we could get funding for a K-6 project). We agree that “real computing” needs to start earlier than middle school, but we had to start somewhere. Kindergarten is no longer kindergarten. It is 1st grade. There is way too much pressure on the kids to learn to sit still and become “good listeners” for us to cram one more thing in that they should listen to. And now that they are tested on standards in the 2nd grade the pressure on teachers to teach to the tests has only gotten worse.
The predominance of standardized tests cause a real challenge for those of us interested in giving students a richer experience of computer science in school, raising difficult questions such as:
Do we stuff computing into the standards?
How does normative testing of content promote the joy of computing?
How do you teach to a “creativity” test?
I would hope as a community we do not pursue this path. Instead our project is looking at how we can gently and effectively empower teachers to be courageous learners themselves and model attitudes about computing and technology that inspire students to explore rather than shy away. Our project, as tiny as it is, is producing very tidy results that show that if you empower the teachers you can empower the kids. And when they are empowered they produce creative results with technology.
Whether they end up looking like the archetype of the computing fluent individual is definitely an open question. But then so is the question that perhaps by empowering those who least see themselves as “computer types” we will change the nature of who can do and wants to do computing.
Ursula Wolz
The College of New Jersey
http://www.tcnj.edu/~ijims

I am looking forward to my two first days of school.
The first day I return is a work day for teachers. I enjoy listening to all of the news that is presented that day such as the new babies and new marriages that have occurred. My principal is now using PowerPoint so he can incorporate the pictures of all of the events, as well as new staff members. We will then move on to meetings. I haven’t figured out why it is referred to as a work day because I never seem to have time to work in my classrooms.
What I consider my second first day of school is the first day of student attendance. I am also looking forward to this day. I am planning on using Alice/Media Computation in my A.P. Computer Science A class this year and I am excited. The enrollment is down this year, the first time since I have been teaching this class, so I am hopeful that using this curriculum will help boost enrollment and student understanding.
Last year I had used a CMS in my computer classes and I want to continue using a CMS this year. However, I am running into some snags. I used Angel CMS last year which was offered free through the county office of education. This year, I recently discovered that they plan on charging which will cost about $180. With the budget crisis in California, I know my school won’t be able to pay for it. I had hoped to set up a Moodle server, but the school server I was going to use has been loaned to our district office. With the first day of school a little over 2 weeks away, I am not sure what I am going to do yet, but I am sure I will figure something out.
I have several new strategies I want to use with my Trigonometry classes. I attended a session at NECC that incorporated technology into a Trigonometry class. I plan to use some of those ideas this year to make trig more visual using Flash and Geometer’s Sketchpad. In addition, during the Alice/Media computation workshop, Steve Cooper demonstrated an Alice project that would be perfect for my trig class. It involved planets, ellipses and parameters. This will be a great way to introduce parameters to my students. They never seem to understand why a parameter is needed. Another piece of technology that I want to try with my trig students is blogs. I read about using a blog on Mr. Higgins’ Blog in a math class. He has a different student post their class notes each day for other students to review. I would like to try that this year.
I hope that I can apply all of the ideas I plan to this year. I know they will benefit my students.
Myra Deister
CSTA Board Member

The state of Maryland has a frankly byzantine system of awarding credits towards graduation, at least when it comes to the question of technology and Computer Science. Two kinds of credits are available: Basic and Advanced Technology. Most Computer Science courses earn an Advanced Technology credit. That sounds impressive, but students are required only to obtain a Basic Technology Credit in order to graduate any Maryland Public school.
Once upon a time, students could obtain this Basic Technology credit through a variety of courses. Several of these were introductory Computer Science or programming classes. A few years ago, Maryland lawmakers decided that only one set of standards should apply, and someone (a special-interest group) ensured that those standards excluded every class except those taught by Technology teachers—think middle school science repackaged with some construction activities.
I work in Montgomery County, which is one district that fought this change until the bitter end, which came this year. As I look through this year’s enrollment numbers, I see my Advanced Placement Computer Science numbers down. These are cyclical and the drop isn’t all that alarming when I consider the drop in the introductory programming course, which is devastating. The trend is clear: unless something is done our programs will virtually disappear from all public schools in Maryland. It’s that simple.
Personally, I’ve devoted the last 5 years of my life to effecting change in the only way that a mere classroom teacher has at his disposal. I’ve created a great program, I spend my summers writing curriculum, developing new courses that integrate CS with other content areas, etc. I have loyal students who spread the word. I have even more who attend prestigious universities. I have a good working relationship with my Administration who believes that these courses do offer genuine value and have been willing to work with me to keep them in their building. I’ve obtained three certifications and now find myself faced with the prospect of unemployment within the next two years if this trend continues (and it will).
I will, of course, obtain another certification during this time. I think that I’ll teach Mathematics. I like it, even if the students don’t. The thing is: once I lose that AP program, I doubt that I’ll ever go back and teach it. The ramp up, dealing with ETS audits, educating Administrators, parents and students about Computer Science, the countless hours writing curriculum, the time spent in out-of-the-building activities, etc., are just too great given the meager payoff—unemployment.
Tom Reinhardt
CSTA Member

The College Board released its 4th Annual Report to the Nation for 2007 yesterday and the there are some very positive signs, but I am not sure they are positive enough.
After significant declines in the number of students writing the computer science A and AB exams in 2003, 2004, and 2005, it is good to see that the upward trend that began in 2006 is continued in 2007, with the number of CS text-takers increasing from 19,601 last year to 20,113 this year.
Even more importantly, AP CS has made some positive gains in the representation of both young women and minority students among the 2007 test-takers. Many of us in the computer science field have been profoundly concerned about the under-representation of young women and minority students in our discipline and we are thrilled to see an improvement in both these areas. The increases are not large, but they do indicate that organizations such as CSTA are making progress with their equity outreach efforts.
The number of females taking the computer science A and AB exams jumped 2% from 15% in 2006 to 17% in 2007. The percentage of Latino and Hispanic students (among the worst represented considering the overall size of this population in the U.S.) increased from 6.2% to 6.5% and the percentage of Black and African American students show a similar improvement from 3.4% to 3.7%. Unfortunately, however, even these gains represent less than an average of one additional student per group in each state.
While these increases in no way indicate that the challenge of making the discipline and the industry more representative have been won, they are an sign of progress. So many of us have been working to find ways to better engage underrepresented student populations: by providing better information about careers, providing more equitable access to AP courses for students, and by finding ways to teach that better engage all students. We have a long, long way to go, but it is so good to see that our efforts are beginning to have a concrete, measurable impact, even if it is not enough.
Are there things happening in your school or district to support the improved participation of young women and minority students? Please share your successes and failures with us. This is one challenge we are all going to have to face together if we are really going to make computer science more equitable.
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director

In the report Learning in the 21st Century, writer Alvin Toffler is quoted saying, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”So what will literacy look like as we go further into the 21st century? What will it mean to learn, unlearn, and relearn?
I think a recent article in Edutopia magazine is a start to addressing these questions. The article, Programming: The New Literacy compares the idea of programming to that of scribing. Author Marc Prensky reminds us that at one time written language was a skill that was reserved for only a few. When the need arose to communicate with written language, you needed a scribe to create the message and another scribe on the other end to decipher the message. How will programming be handled in the next century? Will be choose to simply pay someone else to do the job for us?
In a small way, programming is already in our daily lives. As Prensky explains, even VCR’s need to be programmed. Do we do it ourselves or do we have a child do it for us? Children seem to have a natural curiosity and understanding for these tasks. They are the digital generation. Like, Toffler, Prensky notes the importance of learning one programming language and then moving on to another higher level language to accomplish tasks. This sounds like an example of learning, unlearning, and relearning.
Tell us what you think. What will literacy in the 21st century look like? How do you think Computer Science and programming fit into this idea of literacy?
Dave Burkhart
CSTA K-8 Representative

CSTA has a new collection of podcasts called CS Snipits that allows teachers to listen-in on interesting conversations with leaders and practitioners in the computer science (CS) field. These podcasts feature educators, industry folks, and students who are willing to take the time to chat with us about their passions.
Because visiting with successful CS teachers is one of the most motivational and inspiring things I do, I jump at the chance to do so at every opportunity. In this series of CS Snipits, you get to listen in on my visits with teachers from across the country. These teachers teach a variety of CS topic and have great ideas to share. I invite you to feel the excitement and to test drive some of the proven strategies and activities you will learn about in these podcasts.
MyraDeister: SupportGroupActivities
Myra Deister and several other CS teachers in CA have found a way to combat the isolation that many CS teachers face as the only or one of very few CS teachers in his or her school. In our discussion she told me about the Southern California Java Education Support Group and described an on-line Java learning tool for students found at javabat.com that she plans to use as homework practice for a variety of programming concepts.
MyraDeister: Recruitment
Over the last four years Myra has more than doubled the number of students in her CS courses. Her strategies of personalized attention and effective introductory programming lessons have not just increased enrollments, but have kept classrooms full because students stay. Myra worked with other teachers to promote her CS courses and she uses Alice as a highly motivational first step for students.
Myra Deister, a member of the CSTA Board, is a CS teacher in Fullerton California
To listen to these or any other CS Snipits, visit http://csta.acm.org/Resources/sub/Podcasts.html
Pat Phillips
Editor, CS Snipits

Every year this question is asked on the AP List Serv: What do I do on the first day?
I noticed that the question didn’t come up this year, and I know that there are new teachers out there looking for first day activities to do with their classes.
As educators we want to engage our students right off the bat and show them that computer science is fun and interesting. When I talk to students about computer science and programming, I purposely avoid the current debate about how it is defined. Instead, I like to explain to my students that computer science is about being specific and solving problems in a linear and clearly defined fashion.
I also like to help them to understand that you cannot take anything for granted when giving instructions to the computer.
One of my favorite first day activities is the paper airplane building exercise. I pair the students in groups of two and give each person a sheet of paper. The rules are that only one student is allowed to talk, and the other needs to follow the directions they are given EXACTLY. I then sit the students back to back so that they cannot see each other. The student who is allowed to talk creates a paper airplane and talks through the process, while the student who is not allowed to talk follows along. It is fun to see if they come out with the same airplane at the end of the session.
After the paper airplanes are built, I engage students in a discussion about the process, asking them questions such as: “Does the order in which you gave the directions matter?”, “What was the most difficult thing about not being able to talk?” and “Would it have been helpful to get feedback during the process about how you were progressing so far?” (Hint – this is a subtle reminder about writing programs in pieces and compiling as you go along rather than trying to do it all at once.) I then refer back to this activity throughout the year as a common experience in which I can frame other parts of the code – compile – run – refactor process.
What’s your favorite first day activity? How do you hook your students in? How do you introduce the class? Leave a comment, a sentence, a link, or just a short experience here!
Leigh Ann Sudol
CSTA Communications Chair