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Monthly-Newsletter-Readings

Page history last edited by Joe Kmoch 2 months, 3 weeks ago

...about 330 articles from Oct 2012 to present...

...Reminder of the reading from the August, 2023 issue: (no July issue)


Large Language Models and the End of ProgrammingThe field of Computer Science is headed for a major upheaval with the rise of large AI models, such as ChatGPT, that are capable of performing general-purpose reasoning and problem solving. We are headed for a future in which it will no longer be necessary to write computer programs.  This is presented by Matt Welsh, CEO of FixieAI in Seattle has PhD in CS from UC-Berkeley among many positions and activities.  This is part of the ACM TechTalks series. (about an hour long).   If you have reactions or comments about this talk, please send then to this editor <joe@jkmoch.com>

 

 

...Reminder of the readings from the June, 2023 issue:

 

Two recommended articles:

The Secret History of AI, and a Hint at What’s Next.subtitled  "Artificial intelligence is already a big part of our daily lives." Which is of course true. The difference now is the "consumer applications of AI" that have put attention on AI into the stratosphere 🙂

What Kind of Mind Does ChatGPT Have? This article is built on an explanation of how ChatGPT works which is accessible to a normal person. It's a really good practical tutorial, starting with Claude Shannon's foundational work in the 1940s which invented the theory of information science. (comments and choices from Dr. Fred Martin, UMass-Lowell

 

...Reminder of the readings from the May, 2023 issue:

 

From WIRED magazine - Algorithmic Injustice: Inside a misfiring government data machine  A look at a different and more insidious type of algorithm, which operates in secret and can disrupt the lives of the most vulnerable.

Chat GPT Lesson Plan Interview with Prof. David Touretzky  The title is linkedto an interview with Prof. David Touretzky, exploring the Strengths, Weaknesses, and Ethics of Chat GPT in Classrooms. (Chat GPT Lesson Plan for Educators (Grades 3–6))

https://youtu.be/AIDcBGGmar4

 

ChatGPT has captured the world’s interest by engaging humans naturally, thereby making people question how soon AI could realize a general intelligence ability. Yet ChatGPT is far from perfect, and even AI developers do not fully grasp how it works. In this lesson plan designed for teachers (Grades 3–6), students will explore the abilities of AI language models such as ChatGPT, probe their weaknesses, and gain a basic understanding of how they work.

 

The lesson plan is free and available here.

 

...Reminder of the readings from the April, 2023 issue:

 

Gates Notes:  The Age of AI Has Begun.  Bill Gates in his blog suggests that Artificial intelligence is as revolutionary as mobile phones and the Internet.  He has seen two demonstrations of technology that struck him as revolutionary - the graphical user interface and Open AI’s  ChatGPT.  Here’s his thinking about how AI can reduce some of the world’s worst inequities.  This is a great read!

 

...Reminder of the readings from the March, 2023 issue:

 

Machine Learning and the Five Big Ideas in AI - authored by David Touretzky of Carnegie-Mellon Univerity, Chritina Gardner-McCune of theUniverity of Florida-Gaineville and Debra eehorn C4NC and NC ECEP and formerly CSTA Board President.  This article provides an in-depth look at how K-12 students should be introduced to Machine Learning and the knowledge and skills they will develop as a result. 

 

...Reminder of the readings from the February, 2023 issue:

 

ChatGPT is BIG right now and into the future

ChatGPT through an Eduction Lens - short articles on What are AI Chatbots, What is ChatGPT, and lots of additional articles and resources.

With ChatGPT, Teachers Can Plan Lessons, Write Emails and More.  What’s the Catch?  The education community has been abuzz with the rise of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence tool that can write anything with just a simple prompt. Most of the conversation has been centered on the extent to which students will use the chat bot—but ChatGPT could also fundamentally change the nature of teachers’ jobs.

 

 

 

...Reminder of the readings from the January, 2023 issue:

 

Women Rock-IT Program - Data Science Part 1

Two women speak during this 50 minute webinar.  Although both are employed by Cisco, they each present information about DS that is fabulous.  Though they mention Cisco DS and other courses, they also provide much information  about free resources.  Both of their stories are quite uplifting and worth your time listening to both plus the Q&A afterward.

https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_sg/partners/women-rock-it.html

Scroll down to the list of events and click on “view recording"

Find time to watch this video (a followup video is coming in June, 2023).

 

...Reminder of the readings from the December, 2022 issue:

 

Guidelines to help teachers address misconceptions about Artificial Intelligence and promote its ethical useThis page linked abovfe has a summary and background information related to the actual Guidelines.  Scroll down after this summary to “Useful Links” and you’ll see the Ethical Guidelines listed along with other resources which you can download. 

 

...Reminder of the readings from the November, 2022 issue:

Hello World’s Big Book of Computing Content.  “Hello World’s second special edition is here! Whilst our first special edition focused on how we can teach computing, The Big Book of Computing Content focuses on what we can teach. From data and information, to the effective use of tools, to artificial intelligence, The Big Book of Computing Content explores what we mean by computing and aims to provide a common language to describe the different areas of study and competencies, giving you an indispensable companion to understanding the breadth of knowledge contained within this constantly evolving subject. This book complements our first special edition and, as such, it follows the same principle of introducing you to up-to-date research followed by our favourite stories from past Hello World issues, in which educators like you have put that content into practice.”

 

Hello World’s Big Book of Computing Pedagogy.  The Big Book of Computing Pedagogy: Hello World’s first-ever special edition focuses on approaches to teaching computing in the classroom, and includes some of our favourite pedagogically themed articles from previous Hello World issues, as well as a couple of never-seen-before features. This special issue aims to be your companion to learning about tried-and-tested approaches to teaching computing. It bridges the gap between research and practice, giving you accessible chunks of research, followed by stories from trusty educators who have tried out various approaches in their classroom or educational space.”

 

...Reminder of the readings from the October, 2022 issue:

2022 State of Computer Science Education

 

Understanding Our National Imperative

This annual report on K-12 computer science in the United States provides an update on national and state-level computer science education policy, including policy trends, maps, state summaries, and implementation data. 

 

...Reminder of the readings from the September, 2022 issue:

Whitewashing Tech: Why the Erasures of the Past Matter Today- POCIT.Telling the stories and thoughts of people of color in tech- this is a great, eye-opening read.

 

...Reminder of the readings from the August, 2022 issue:

ACM TechBrief: Quantum Computing and SimulationThe TechBrief examines both the benefits and the possible societal and individual risks resulting from quantum simulation—an imminent offshoot of quantum computing that has thus far received insufficient attention. The TechBrief includes an overview of quantum computing and simulation, the positives and negatives they may pose in several areas, and a short list of conclusions.

This TechBrief is the fourth in a series of short technical bulletins by ACM TPC that present scientifically grounded perspectives on the impact of specific developments in computing technology or their applications. The first ACM TechBrief focused on climate change, the second addressed facial recognition, and the third assessed smart cities. Topics under consideration for future issues include election auditing, AI and trust, encryption security, media disinformation, content filtering, blockchain, digital accessibility, and more.  These would be great introductions and including additional resources for your students to do research for your computing classes.

 

...Reminder of the readings from the June, 2022 issue: (no July issue)

Practical Programming in Computing Education.  This white paper argues for the fundamental importance of practical programming as a central element of our young people’s computing education.” Though centered on the British National Curriculum for Computing, this is mostly appropriate for the US and other parts of the world.

 

...Reminder of the readings from the May, 2022 issue:

Gender Gap in Science Book.  A global approach to the gendere gap in mathematical, computing and natural Scienes;  how to measure it, how to reduce it.

 

...Reminder of the readings from the April, 2022 issue:

UNESCO Artificial Intelligence Studies - UNESDOC Digital Library

There appears to be a wealth of material on this site worth exploring.  A couple of the items specifically related to AI (though not the only ones there) were

 

Unesco K12 AI Curricula: a mapping of government-endorsed AI curricula. Published in 2022, this is an analysis of existing curricula, the Introduction chapter should be worth exploring where terms, technologies, pedagogical concepts and existing frameworks are discussed.  From their Scope statement: “UNESCO is investigating the current practices of developing and implementing AI curricula in primary and secondary school education from a global perspective. ‘AI curricula’ in this study refers to structured programmes of learning on AI-related topics that: 1) are endorsed by either national or regional governments; and 2) target learners in general school education from kindergarten to grade 12.”

 

Unesco AI and Education: Guidance for Policy-makers”(2021) “This publication offers guidance for policy-makers on how best to leverage the opportunities and address the risks, presented by the growing connection between AI and education. It starts with the essentials of AI: definitions, techniques and technologies. It continues with a detailed analysis of the emerging trends and implications of AI for teaching and learning, including how we can ensure the ethical, inclusive andequitable use of AI in education, how education can prepare humans to live and work with AI, and how AI can be applied to enhance education.

 

 

 

...Reminder of the reading from the March, 2022 issue:

2020 Survey of CS Teaching: Pedagogical Practices in the U.S This report from Codio.com or oriented mostly around early college courses but has some valuable insights for high school courses and programs which are still valid today in 2022.  The following is from the beginning of the Executive Summary of this report.

What is really happening in Computer Science classrooms today?

Research surrounding various pedagogical practices is ample, but that does not necessarily mean educators adopt these evidence-based approaches. We surveyed over 100 computer science educators to find out why.

Our 2020 survey asked what practices computing educators were familiar with, which practices they have previously adopted and which they were considering adopting.”

 

 

...Reminder of the readings from the February, 2022 issue:

Finding a Path to CS for All: How Many U.S. High School Students Have Taken CS?

 

 Mark Guzdial, professor of CS at the University of Michigan, wrote this blog post in December, 2021 for the Communications of ACM.  He raises this interesting research question and a related one that are worth thinking about.


Tech companies: Stop conflating privilege with potential.  Published in TechCrunch in December, 2021, the authors ask “Why are so many low-income students making it to college but not to degree completion, and thus, not reaching their full potential in the workforce?” Their ideas are a call to action for all of us. The authors, Dwana Franklin-Davis and Ruthe Farmer, are both intensely advocates for equity and inclusion. 

 

 

...Reminder of the reading from the January, 2022 issue:

Teachers’ Engagement and Self-Efficacy in a PK–12 Computer Science Teacher Virtual Community of Practice.This is a paper suggested by CSForAll Teachers.  Abstract:  Prekindergarten to 12th-grade teachers of computer science (CS) face many challenges, including isolation, limited CS professional development resources, and low levels of CS teaching self-efficacy that could be mitigated through communities of practice (CoPs)...These results suggest that CoPs can help CS teachers expand their professional networks, gain more professional development resources, and increase CS teaching self-efficacy by creating personalized experiences that consider teaching experience and grade levels taught when guiding teachers to relevant content. This study lays the foundation for future explorations of how CS education–focused CoPs could support the expansion of CS education in PK–12 schools.

 

 

...Reminder of the readings from the December, 2021 issue:

Computer Science was always supposed to be taught to everyone, and it wasn’t about getting a job: A historical perspective.  This is a recent blog post on the Computer Education Research Blog created and authored by Mark Guzdial, University of Michigan CS professor and recipient of many awards and accolades.  I read this post and although I knew cs-for-all thinking went back a ways (at least back to the late 1970s with Seymour Papert and others) but I didn’t know this notion went back much further.  Great read with plenty of links.  I need to read the book of transcripts from the 1961 conference that Prof Guzdial references.

 

2021 State of Computer Science Education.  Accelerating Action Through Advocacy.  This annual report on K-12 computer science in the US provides an update on national and state-level computer science education policy, including policy trends, maps, state summaries and implementation data.

 

...Reminder of the readings from the November, 2021 issue:

Building Skills for Life:  How to expand and improve Computer Science Education Around the World.  From the Brookings Institution’s site:   “This report makes the case for expanding computer science education in primary and secondary schools around the world, and outlines the key challenges standing in the way. Through analysis of regional and national education systems at various stages of progress in implementing computer science education programs, the report offers transferable lessons learned across a wide range of settings with the aim that all students—regardless of income level, race, or sex—can one day build foundational skills necessary for thriving in the 21st century.”  Much of this is applicable to the situation in the U.S. and North America.  Released October 25, 2021.

 

...Reminder of the readings from the October, 2021 issue:

CS Teacher Landscape:  Results from a Nationwide Survey.The Kapor Center and CSTA surveyed 3,700 PreK-12 CS teachers across the nation last summer to examine the current CS teacher landscape. We are excited to share the full results with you. The report covers teachers' professional backgrounds, challenges to equitable classrooms, and the current state of culturally relevant teaching.

 

...Reminder of the readings from the September, 2021 issue:

Executive Summary: The State of K-12 AI Education in Your State Workshop

A great read with lots of information.  The report can be downloaded from the AI4K12.org site at the  State of K-12 AI Education page on their website.

 

...Reminder of the readings from the August, 2021 issue (no July issue):

Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Computer Science Education: A Framework.The Kapor Center for Social Impact recently published this report.  Noting that equitable access to computer science education “is a critical national priority to address racial and economic disparities in the tech sector,” the report asserts that “a multi-pronged approach centering racial justice is required to ensure meaningful participation, success, and matriculation in computer science education for students from all demographic backgrounds.” To this end, the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining CS Framework was designed as a research-based resource to guide teacher preparation and curriculum development.

 

 

 

...Reminder of the readings from the June, 2021 issue:

New Resources on the Gender Gap in Computer Science. Availablility of background data from Gallup as well as Google programs are highlighted in this short article. <https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/code-with-google/gender-gap-computer-science/>

 

Expanding the Notion of “Who” does CS.“I entered the teaching profession to make a tangible difference in students’ lives,” said CSTA Equity Fellow Elizabeth Naameh. “As I see it, girls and students of color are underserved and underrepresented in mathematics, computer science, and STEM more broadly. While students experience math- and CS-aversion as an intensely personal problem, I view it as a structural one… but we can do something about it!”  <https://www.csteachers.org/stories/expanding-the-notion-of-“who”-does-cs-with-csta-equity-fellow-elizabeth-naameh>

 

Cracking the Gender Code.  Subtitled “Get 3X More Women in Computing” this research by Accenture and Girls Who Code shows that the share of women in computing jobs is in decline and suggests that universal access to computing in schools will not address the gender gap.  Only by tailoring courses to girls’ specific needs can we boost their commitment to computing. To say this another way, simple exposure to coding isn't enough to fix the current gender disparity. Campaigns, educational tools, etc. must appeal to girls, or else the disparity could only worsen. This is a great read and although released in 2016 it’s still very much valid now.  <https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-150/Accenture-Cracking-The-Gender-Code-Report.pdf#zoom=50>

 

...Reminder of the reading from the May, 2021 issue:

Why AI is Harder Than We Think - the Four Fallacies of AI

Is human-level performance within reach through AI?  Melanie Mitchell, a computer scientist and author at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, seriously questions this belief.  She identifies four fallacies.  Triumphalism over quite narrow examples of intelligence; difficult tasks which are easy for humans (eg climbing stairs) continue to be difficult for computers;  wishful mnemonics - labeling programs, subroutines, etc after the human characteristic they hope it will mimic; intelligence resides entirely in the brain.  A very interesting read...the link takes you to a summary page and click pdf in the download box in the upper right to obtain a copy.  <https://arxiv.org/abs/2104.12871>

 

 

 

...Reminder of the reading from the April, 2021 issue:

Diversity in Action March/April Issue  In celebration of Women's History Month, Diversity in Action features chemical oceanographer Dr. Ashanti Johnson, who also mentors the next generation of diverse STEM talent. We highlight women in marine biology, female science communicators, the Million Girls Moonshot and other women in STEM. There's much more, read it here: <https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=697315\>

 

...Reminder of the reading from the March, 2021 issue:

Hello Worldissue #15 for February, 2021.  This is a magazine produced by the Raspberry PI Foundation out of the UK.  This issue’s focus is “Making the Switch”...about teachers who have switched to become CS teachers.  “Due to a shortage of teachers with computer science degrees, switching specialisms is a common route to becoming a computing educator. But why do some teachers choose to change subjects? In issue 15 of Hello World, we hear from five people who have made the switch. They tell us about the challenges they have faced, as well as the joys of teaching young people how to create new things with technology.”  There are many other interesting items within these 83 pages including Films in Computing Classes and the Bebras Computational Thinking Puzzles plus the review of a book about CT and its real meaning (what it isn’t and what it is) and a multi-activity lesson plan for elementary students gr 4-6 using Scratch. <https://helloworld.raspberrypi.org>

 

 

 

...Reminder of the reading from the February, 2021 issue:

Cultivating Interest and Competencies in Computing:  Authentic Experiences and Design Factors.This consensus study report from the Board on Science Education and the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board recommends learning experiences for computing be designed for both professional and personal authenticity by exploring how these authentic experiences—learning activities that both reflect professional practice and connect learners to real-world problems they care about—can engage youth in computing and develop their interest in pursuing it further. The report addresses issues of program design and institutional/organizational infrastructure to highlight the particular contexts that may best support the development of learners’ interest and competencies for computing. It provides guidance for educators and facilitators, program designers, and other key stakeholders on how to support learners as they engage in computing experiences. Download this report here.


Webinar Discussion about this report with several of the primary authors.  <https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/01-13-2021/cultivating-interest-and-competencies-in-computing-authentic-experiences-and-design-factors-report-release>

 

 

...Reminder of the reading from the January, 2021 issue:

 First Woman Director At MIT CSAIL: ‘Want More Women In STEM? Inspire Them Early.’ To solve the gender inequality in technical roles, we need to kickstart our efforts in college or even high school – when students are open-minded, and there is still time to make real change. Because later in life, for every dollar men earn – women earn 81 cents.

 

'Physical Computing' Connects Computer Science With Hands-On Learning Physical computing has established a presence in a small number of schools around the country. In many cases, there's just one teacher or administrator who's trying it, but supporters of the concept believe its role will grow. At the same time, they acknowledge that there are obstacles to implementing these types of programs, including concerns about the cost of applying it in classrooms, and the training educators need to make it happen.

 

 

 

...Reminder of the reading from the December, 2020 issue:

2020 State of Computer Science Education:  Illuminating DisparitiesThis is the annual report on K-12 computer science in the US which includes policy trends, state-by-state summariess and implementation data.  This is essential reading.  You can download the report here:  https://advocacy.code.org/stateofcs

 

 

...Reminder of the reading from the November, 2020 issue:

Current Perspectives and Continuing Challenges in Computer Science Education in U.S. K-12 Schools.   Understand gaps in K-12 computer science education access for K-12 in this 2020 U.S. report — part of a multiyear, comprehensive research effort from Gallup and Google. From this site yuou can read the report or download it; you can view and download report statistics in Google Slides format to use in your own presentations; you can explore summary findings by group on closing the CS learning gap - individual groups are Girls, Black students, Hispanic students, and students in rural and small-town districts.  <https://edu.google.com/latest-news/research/?modal_active=none#diversity-trends>

 

 

...Reminder of the readings from the October, 2020 issue:

What do we know about the expansion of K-12 computer science education?  Over the past decade, there has been substantial progress in increasing access to schooling for children and youth, but few are mastering the foundational skills and competencies needed for their futures. Confronted with this challenge, education systems are now increasingly strengthening existing learning models while simultaneously reorienting students for a world where technology is omnipresent. Computer science (CS) is an important element in strengthening existing education models and preparing students for the future...CS education has been linked with higher rates of college enrollment and improved problem-solving abilities. <https://www.brookings.edu/research/what-do-we-know-about-the-expansion-of-k-12-computer-science-education/>

---

Coding is The New Rap.  This is a blog post from Ed Smith. Ed is an African American from Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY.  He attended Westinghouse Technical High School and studied marketing and computer science and Pace University.  He co-designed one of the first cartridge-based game consoles for APF called MP1000 and subsequently invented one of the first personal computers called the “Imagination Machine”.  He writes “We have a generation that lives on their smart devices, can play some of the most challenging video games and can recite the rap lyrics of their favorite artists, so am I to believe they don’t want to learn? I submit to you that these children do want to learn and require an environment that fosters a higher education and not just the basics.” <https://www.imaginethat2.com/post/coding-is-the-new-rap>

 

...Reminder of the reading from the September, 2020 issue:

Teaching Computer Science for a New Digital World.  This is a really good article with two perspectives - one is the development and growth of a home economics teacher who became a star CS teacher and the long-time editor of a major cs education publication - Pat Phillips.  The other perspective is historical as well as current information about computer science in education.  https://qz.com/1716205/teaching-computer-science-for-a-new-digital-world/

 

...Reminder of the reading from the August, 2020 issue:

Grace Hopper Celebration 2019 Impact ReportGrace Hopper Celebration is the premier event or women technologists worldwide. The GHC19 Impact Report provides an overview of the conference as well as its impact on the goal of achieving 50/50 intersectional gender equity by 2025. Anita Borg Institute and the Grace Hopper Celebration support and inspire women to further their careers, break boundaries and transform the world of technology. Nearly 25,000 attended this conference in 2019 and additionally over 3000 watched the stream. <https://ghc.anitab.org/2020/01/28/ghc-19-impact-report/>

 

 

...From the June, 2020 issue of this newsletter

 

Intersectionality in Tech 101. From NCWIT “Intersectionality is a critical and necessary concept to develop effective programs to broaden the participation of women and girls in computing.  This resource provides a background and overview of he concept in addition to including key readings and resources related to women and girls of color in STEM and computing”.  Though the focus here is on females, the thinking and strategies apply to all marginalized students, male and female.  Consider reading the links to other papers that are provided in this resource.  <https://www.ncwit.org/resources/intersectionality-tech-101>

.

...From the May, 2020 issue of this newsletter

 

Guide to Inclusive Computer Science Education:  How educators can encourage and engage all students in computer science. Knowledge of computer science (CS) is fundamental to students’ future careers. This guide provides educators with context and concrete steps to build and expand inclusivity in CS education. By actively engaging students in CS, educators can build an even stronger pipeline of creativity and innovation to tackle the world’s challenges and help ensure students have the skills needed to thrive today and tomorrow. (released May 2019).  <http://www.ncwit.org/csedguide>

 

 

Computing Disciplines:  A Quick Guide for Prospective Students and Career Advisors.  The information in this informative guide is based on research and computing curricula reports created by ACM.  Essentially this expands on the five computing disciplines delineated by ACM as related to specific job titles and tasks and also outlining multiple educational paths to these computing careers.  Written for a Canadian audience, this has immense relevance to the United States also.  There will be a need to supplement the specific post-secondary college and their programs to include colleges relevant to your area.  This is well done and will be useful for counselors and teachers to learn from.  This handbook will be useful to then show to students so they see the vast array of both career and educational opportunities available in this field.  This might also be used to inform curriculum designers as they structure a solid program in CS and IT for highschool students. https://ceric.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Computing-Disciplines-A-Quick-Guide-for-Prospective-Students-and-Career-Advisors.pdf

 

...From the March, 2020 issue of this newsletter

How Dewey Lost: The Victory of David Snedden and Social Efficiency in the Reform of American Education by David Labvaree. This is not an attempt by me to have you revisit sometimes reviled teacher education courses, but instead is an opportunity to revisit and think about the early 20th century debate between liberal and vocational education, between “child-centered, inquiry-based and personally engaging” education and social efficiency where specific training for specific skills will create producers for societal needs.  Mark Guzdial suggested this article in his Computing Education Research Blog post entitled “Thorndike won. Dewey Lost: The Most Important Four Words about the US Education System”.  He offered some useful and important commentary. The ideas and arguments here are as current today as they were over 100 years ago, particularly with the “new” approaches to computer science education to broaden its appeal. Boththe paper and Professor Guzdial’s blog post are definitely worth your time.

 

 

...From the February, 2020 issue of this newsletter

School Counselors Prepare Students for 21st Century Computational Thinking Skills.Counselors are at the forefront of opening doors to opportunities for all students. They collaborate "with stakeholders, such as parents and guardians, teachers, administrators and community leaders, to create learning environments that promote educational equity and success for every student."  Authors Angela Cleveland and Jennifer Correnti direct the C4C (counselors for computing) for NCWIT. This should be timely while schools are in the midst of programming students for next school year. <http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/school-counselors-prepare-students-for-21st-century-computational-thinking/education>

 

Computing Education Lessons Learned from the 2010’s: What I Got WrongThis is a recent blog post from Mark Guzdial in his highly regarded Computing Education Research Blog.  He touches on CS Preservice Teacher Education, CSForAll, Constructivist thinking and Computational Thinking - not to say that these are wrong but his own thinking about these has changed.  Definitely worth reading as as many of his blog posts and other works for K-12 teachers and advocates. <https://computinged.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/computing-education-lessons-learned-from-the-2010s-what-i-got-wrong/>

 

Computing for Everyone:  Slides of APCSA and CSP Data. Barb Ericson (spouse of Mark Guzdial and a PhD professor of CS) has been analyzing APCS data for years.  This is an article with a compilation of information that may be of interest. From her bio on the site: “I am an Assistant Professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. I have been working in Computer Science Education Research since 2004. I want everyone to have the chance to learn computer science, not just the usual suspects. I am very interested in increasing diversity in computing and in making it easier for people to learn to program. I have been creating free interactive ebooks for Advanced Placement Computer Science for years. See http://tinyurl.com/StudentCSP-new and http://tinyurl.com/JavaReview-new” <https://cs4all.home.blog/2020/01/13/slides-on-ap-csa-and-csp-data/?subscribe=success#blog_subscription-3>

 

 

...From the January, 2020 issue of this newsletter

When computer science has to be a requirement if we want it to be available to everyone. This is a very interesting and thought provoking blog post by Mark Guzdial.  It was inspired by an article written by Robert Sedgwick entitled “Should Computer Science be a Requirement?”. While it is oriented toward college level, there is much of interest to HS teachers and administrators. <https://computinged.wordpress.com/2019/12/02/when-computer-science-has-to-be-a-requirement-to-be-effective-if-we-want-it-to-be-available-to-everyone/>

 

The future of computing education is in providing literacy to all: Video of SIGCSE 2019 Keynote now availableWhile we’re on a Mark Guzdial kick (he’s now at the University of Michigan with his spouse Barb Ericson), here’s a link to the remake of his excellent speech at SIGCSE 2019 along with updated slides and his paper. I saw his presentation live and he was on target.  <https://computinged.wordpress.com/2019/12/02/when-computer-science-has-to-be-a-requirement-to-be-effective-if-we-want-it-to-be-available-to-everyone/>

 

… From the December, 2019 issue of this newsletter

 

Three Strategies for Preparing Teachers of Computer Science

How can we best fill K-12 classrooms with high-quality CS teachers? Virtual communities, micro-credentials, and researcher-practitioner partnerships are three key strategies for preparing CS teachers, according to Melissa Rasberry and Joey Wilson, co-leads for the CS for All Teachers virtual community and Senior TA Consultants at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Read more about these strategies at their recent blog post:

https://www.air.org/resource/three-strategies-preparing-teachers-computer-science

 

AI Now 2018 Report - Artificial Intelligence is beginning to dominate the computer science landscape in many ways.  The AI Now Institute headquartered at New York University is a research institute examining the social implications of AI. The Institute is home to top AI researchers with Google and Microsoft. This report was noted in a posting on AI4K12.org in late September, 2019.  Certainly at least read the Executive Summary. A summary review of the report appeared in an article “The Five Most Worrying Trends in Artificial Intelligence Right Now” on the site Alien UFO Sightings in December, 2018.  


From the report’s first paragraph: “At the core of the cascading scandals around AI in 2018 are questions of accountability: who is responsible when AI systems harm us? How do we understand these harms, and how do we remedy them? Where are the points of intervention, and what additional research and regulation is needed to ensure those interventions are effective? Currently there are few answers to these questions, and the frameworks presently governing AI are not capable of ensuring accountability. As the pervasiveness, complexity, and scale of these systems grow, the lack of meaningful accountability and oversight – including basic safeguards of responsibility, liability, and due process – is an increasingly urgent concern.”  <https://ainowinstitute.org/AI_Now_2018_Report.pdf>

 

… From the November, 2019 issue of this newsletter

 

2019 State of Computer Science EducationPublished annually in September, this report updates each state’s status toward adopting the nine policies recommended by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition. It Includes diversity data, national momentum, policy trends, maps, state summaries, and implementation data. This year’s report is co-authored by Code.org, the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), and the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance. <https://advocacy.code.org/2019_state_of_cs.pdf>

 

… From the October, 2019 issue of this newsletter

 

 

The Work of The Future: Shaping Technology and InstitutionsFrom this Fall 2019 report from MIT’s Work of the Future Task Force,   “Alarmist rhetoric animates today’s public conversation about technology and work:  Robots are taking our jobs. AI will mean the end of work. Three-fourths of all jobs will be automated. Prepare for mass unemployment. Robots can’t take your job if you’re retired.

 

“These forecasts may be unduly grim, but they reflect valid underlying concerns. Technological and economic shifts have created social pain in wide swaths of in- dustrialized economies. The last four decades of U.S. history showed that even if technological advances deliver rising productivity, there is no guarantee that the fruits of this bounty will reach the typical worker—and the uncertainty is great- er still for women and minorities. These discouraging facts may help to explain why, despite the tightest U.S. labor market in decades, a substantial majority of people believe that emerging technologies will magnify inequality and make high-paying jobs harder to find.

 

“With these uncomfortable truths in mind, MIT’s Task Force on the Work of the Future aims to identify a constructive path forward—grounded in evidence of what is happening today, deploying deep expertise in technology and the social sciences, and applying reasonable assumptions and extrapolations to anticipate what might happen tomorrow.”  <https://workofthefuture.mit.edu/sites/default/files/2019-09/WorkoftheFuture_Report_Shaping_Technology_and_Institutions.pdf>

 

… From the September, 2019 issue of this newsletter

 

 

School Counselors Prepare Students for 21st Century Computational Thinking SkillsThis article written by Angela Cleveland and Jennifer Correnti strongly suggests that “counselors are at the forefront of opening doors to opportunities for all students.”

 

The Future of Jobs Report 2018.  The Centre for the New Economy and Society created this Insight Report for the World Economic Forum.  From Key Findings (pg vii) "as technological breakthroughs rapidly shift the frontier between the work tasks performed by humans and those performed by machines and algorithms, global labour markets are likely to undergo major transformations.  These transformations, if managed wisely, could lead to a new age of good work, good jobs and improved quality of life for all, but if managed poorly, post the risk of widening skills gaps, greater inequality and broader polarazion... (pg 3) in many ways the time to shape the future of work is now".

<http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2018.pdf>

 

 

 

… From the June, 2019 issue of this newsletter

 

 

Preparing teachers for Project-based Teaching.  

 

In effective project-based classrooms, teachers support disciplinary learning, engage students in authentic work, encourage collaboration, and build an iterative culture.  This article is about the School District of Philadelphia which “recently introduced an “innovation network” — a group of schools all implementing different versions of active, student-centered instruction.” <

 

https://www.kappanonline.org/preparing-teachers-project-based-teaching-grossman-pupik-dean-kavanagh-herrmann/>

 

 

 

‘Physical Computing’ Connects CS with Hands-On Learning

 

.  Physical computing has established a presence in a small number of schools around the country. In many cases, there's just one teacher or administrator who's trying it, but supporters of the concept believe its role will grow. At the same time, they acknowledge that there are obstacles to implementing these types of programs, including concerns about the cost of applying it in classrooms, and the training educators need to make it happen.  Similar to other hands-on or project-based learning programs, physical computing is meant to encourage interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial thinking and foster student creativity. The goal is to allow students "to experience how interactivity happens," said Rashmi Pimprikar (one of our CSN Leaders), program director of STEAM and computer-science initiatives for Boston public schools. (STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.) <https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/01/23/physical-computing-connects-computer-science-with-hands-on.html

> 

 

 

… From the May, 2019 issue of this newsletter

 

Why women leave engineering. After learning the reasons behind this steady exodus, UWM researchers are exploring how diversity can impact innovation in engineering work teams.  The reasons and ideas here largely apply to computer science and to software development in particular. <https://uwm.edu/news/why-women-leave-engineering/>


Fake News: 60 Minutes Doesn’t Check Facts. The 60 Minutes piece that aired on Sunday, March 3, 2019, “Closing the Gender Gap in the Tech Industry,” not only contained several pieces of misinformation, it also omitted the voices of the many organizations who are actively working on gender diversity in computing and achieving successes. Instead, one female tech employee’s opinions and one male entrepreneur’s perspective were held up as facts. <https://www.ncwit.org/blog/fake-news-60-minutes-doesn%E2%80%99t-check-facts#.XJ_E3o4B8JE.twitter>  

 

Five Research Questions Raised by a Pre-Mortem on the 60 Minutes segment on Code.org Prof Mark Guzdial esteemed computer science educator and researcher from the University of Michigan, points to the controversy of the 60 Minutes segment and poses five research questions which should help to frame the problem - a great read including his links to both the blog post of Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code and the apology of Hadi Partovi, co-founder and CEO of Code.org. <https://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/235884-five-research-questions-raised-by-a-pre-mortem-on-the-60-minutes-segment-on-code-org/fulltext>

 

 

… From the April, 2019 issue of this newsletter

 

Project Based Learning: Start Here.  From the Cult of Pedagogy.  PBL allows us to teach CS within the framework of central questions, authentic problem-solving situations, inclusivity, relevance, etc.   “Despite the popularity of project based learning, a lot of teachers haven’t gotten around to trying it yet….One reason PBL might be hard for some teachers to start is that there’s just so much stuff out there about it.  Who has time to wade through it all? To solve this problem, I went out in search of the clearest, most authoritative information on PBL and put together a collection of materials that will help you get your feet wet, plus links to more resources for when you’re ready to dig deeper.” <https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/project-based-learning/>

 

The Secret History of Women in Coding.  This a very well written and extensive look at this topic.  This begins with the story of Mary Allan Wilkes who wrote the software to support the Linc, one of the world’s first interactive personal computers in the late 1960s.  The article goes on to delve into the rise and fall of women in computer science. A very interesting and extensive article. <https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/magazine/women-coding-computer-programming.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepag>

 

 

… From the March, 2019 issue of this newsletter

 

Picking a Language for Introductory CS - Why I don’t like Python.  As the author, Mark Lewis notes in his lengthy but interesting blog postThe purpose of this blog post is to explore issues related to the selection of a first programming language for CS majors. I originally started it with the intention of raising questions related to the rapid adoption of Python that is currently happening in CS departments across the US. However, I decided to make it more general to "score" a variety of different languages. I will generally restrict my comments to languages in the top 15 on RedMonk that I know people have used for introductory programming courses or which I can easily imagine people using for that purpose”. <https://dynamicsofprogramming.blogspot.com/2019/02/problems-with-python-for-introductory-cs.html


Student Voices:  Why all kids need to learn computer science.  The biggest reward of learning computer science for Issaquah student Hallie Chen was computational thinking, or breaking down problems into segments to solve one at a time. The benefits of computer science extend far beyond coding for any student, she argues. <https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/student-voices-why-all-kids-need-to-learn-computer-science/>  (you’ll need to sign up for the education lab series - it’s free)

 

 

The Two Codes Your Kids Need to Know.  The College Board came up with a surprising conclusion about keys to success for college and life. Take a look - I won’t even tell you what they are and spoil your fun!  The author is Thomas L. Friedman the author of the groundbreaking book “The World is Flat”. <https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/opinion/college-board-sat-ap.html>

 

 

… From the February, 2019 issue of this newsletter

How To Prepare Your Kids For a Post-Digital Age or Don’t Teach your Kid to Code, Teach Them to Communicate.  In 10 or 20 years, much of what we “know” about the world will no longer be true. The computers of the future will not be digital. Software code itself is disappearing, or at least becoming far less relevant. Many of what are considered good jobs today will be either automated or devalued. We need to rethink how we prepare our kids for the world to come.

 

Computational Thinking and Thinking About Computing.  Computational thinking will influence everyone in every field of endeavour. This vision poses a new educational challenge for our society, especially for our children. In thinking about computing, we need to be attuned to the three drivers of our field: science, technology and society. Accelerating technological advances and monumental societal demands force us to revisit the most basic scientific questions of computing.  Jeannette Wing, 2008. Worth revisiting for its depth and beauty <http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/366/1881/3717.short>


Facial and emotional recognition; how one man is advancing artificial intelligence. In this CBS 60-Minutes production, Scott Pelley reports on the developments in artificial intelligencebrought about by venture capitalist Kai-Fu Lee’s investments and China's effort to dominate the AI field. <https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-ai-facial-and-emotional-recognition-how-one-man-is-advancing-artificial-intelligence/>

 

 

 

… From the January, 2019 issue of this newsletter

What is Inquiry Based Science? The Smithsonian Science Education Center sponsors the STEMVisions Blog.  In this article the author interviews Dr. Robyn M. Gillies a professor in the School of Education at the University of Brisbane in Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.  She has done much research on inquiry learning. Though this Q&A is focused on science, we in computer science can learn a lot from the way a good science class is taught and these ideas are explored here.  <https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/what-inquiry-based-science>

 

What Does Computer Science Professional Development Look Like?  Author Sheena Vaidyanathan writes “To go beyond the Hour of Code, we need to train teachers to teach computer science. But what should this computer science professional development look like?” Sheena (@sheena1010) is an EdSurge columnist and teaches computer science to middle-school students in Los Altos School District in California. She is also the co-moderator of the CSK-8 Twitter Chat noted above. <https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-11-26-what-does-computer-science-professional-development-look-like>

 

8 reasons why every child should learn to code.  If we want to set our children up for academic success, every child should learn to code. Coding for kids not only helps improve their mathematics and writing skills but also gives them valuable skills in life and eventually in the workforce. <https://teachyourkidscode.com/why-coding-is-important-to-learn/>

 

 

 

… From the December, 2018 issue of this newsletter

Six Reasons for Coding in K-5 classrooms.  Team ISTE writes a strong blog post indicating why we really must introduce coding in K-5 to expose these young minds to something everyone can do.  Many more reasons are included in the post. https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=866&category=Computer-Science&article=6+reasons+for+coding+in+K-5+classrooms

 

Programming & Storytelling: Opportunities for Learning About Coding & Composition.  The focus of this paper is to investigate how writing computer programs can help children develop their storytelling and creative writing abilities. The process of writing a program—coding—has long been considered only in terms of computer science, but such coding is also reflective of the imaginative and narrative elements of fiction writing workshops.  Very interesting ideas - reminds me when we had an English teacher who taught expository writing and who used techniques from his expository writing class to teach programming. https://www.seas.upenn.edu/~eas285/Readings/IDC_StorytellingAndProgramming.pdf>

 

Gender Stereotypes Are Messing with Your Kid.  A new Common Sense Media study shows that learning gender roles from movies and TV shows has real consequences on kids' self-esteem, relationships -- and even their future careers.

 

… From the November, 2018 issue of this newsletter

 

From our 2018 CSN Educator of the Year Award Jorge Valenzuela

How-to blog(s) (Project-Based Learning, Computer Science & STEAM):

 

Developing Computational Thinking Skills in Elementary Students.  Author Sarah Van Loo writes “As a science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) educator, one of the subjects I teach is coding. My elementary school students enjoy coding; however, some students have a difficult time with large, complex coding projects because they struggle with breaking problems into smaller problems and also with debugging their code when it does not work properly.

In an attempt to help my struggling learners, I conducted a literature review of 18 peer-reviewed research articles. Through that research, I discovered interventions for struggling students and a recommendation for implementing a comprehensive K-6 computer science curriculum.

To learn more, please read my research report, Developing Computational Thinking Skills in Elementary Students, or watch my five-minute overview video.

 

On Learning to Code (for 2019).  This article by Daniel Borowski may be oriented toward a college-level computer science students, you’ll get a taste of what’s to come for your students in the near future.  He focuses on three ideas that have at least some relevance in the classroom and our planning. <https://medium.com/coderbyte/on-learning-to-code-for-2019-aa086284a218>

 

 

 

… From the October, 2018 issue of this newsletter

From our 2018 CSN Educator of the Year Award Jorge Valenzuela

How-to blog(s) (Advocacy & Equity):

 

Technologeez: How computers store stuff.  Blogger Natalie Mead is a San Franciscan software engineer, who is answering questions about technology she asked her readers to share with her.  This post is a very good response to the question “I don’t actually understand how memory works. How is it possible for so much information to be stored on a tiny chip?”  <https://medium.com/@nlynnmead/technologeez-how-computers-store-stuff-69487e2c05db>  She has other posts that you might find interesting at <https://medium.com/@nlynnmead>

 

The gender gap starts in ninth grade - why do fewer girls rise up the ranks in math class.  While this obviously focuses on math many of our CS teachers are or have been math teachers.  Also a lot of what’s discussed applies to our computer science and information technology classes.  Perhaps this could be a good basis for a discussion within our ISTE CSN Discussion group? <https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-gender-gap-starts-in-ninth-grade-2018-08-20>

 

 

… From the September, 2018 issue of this newsletter

From our 2018 CSN Educator of the Year Award Jorge Valenzuela

How-to blog(s) (Computer Science & STEM):

 

2018 (Software) Developer Skills Report

The site Hackerrank surveyed their community to get a pulse on developer skills (when did they push code for the first time, how do they learn coding, what are the favorite languages and frameworks, what do they want in a job, what hiring managers want in a candidate, and more).  Some results I found interesting:

  • Even though new languages arise frequently, it’s most important for developers to master core, legacy languages. By and large, employers’ most common requirement today are: JavaScript, Java, Python, C++, and C. (pg 3)

  • Frameworks:   JavaScript is ruling the web. Most often, employers want developers who know AngularJS, Node.js, and React. (pg 3)

  • Demonstrating computational thinking or the ability to break down large, complex problems is just as valuable (if not more so) than the baseline technical skills required for a job. (pg 4)

  • There's a popular belief that recruiters favor candidates with CS degrees from prestigious universities. But it turns out that they actually care about what you've done (pg 4)

  • Companies are looking at GitHub and projects to supplement resumes and evaluate skills better (pg 4)

 

 

 

… From the June, 2018 issue of this newsletter

Careers With Code. Careers with Code is a magazine that inspires high school students to use problem solving computer science skills to create the future. Careers with Code redefines stereotypes around what a computer science career can be. It’s a one-stop magazine for resources, step-by-step checklists and inspiring ideas to help students create their computer science pathway. <https://careerswithcode.com/careers-with-code-magazine/>

 

Here’s an assignment for you - find an article you’d like to have your students read and create a little lesson around it - encourage discussion, maybe do some research.  If you send them to the editor Joe Kmoch <joe@jkmoch.com> we can include them in future Newsletter issues.

 

Note that you can purchase copies for $5 each or $4 each for 11-50 copies, down to $2 each for 101+ copies.  You can also purchase the 2016 version for $1 each.

 

 

 

 

… From the May, 2018 issue of this newsletter

Priming the Computer Science Teacher Pump.  This recently released report focuses on integrating computer science education into Schools of Education.  This is an excellent report based on a workshop held earlier in 2018. There are many ideas and recommendations which apply to both pre- and inservice teachers.  This is worth the time to read. <https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/home4cs/Priming+the+CS+Teacher+Pump+Report+FINAL+FINAL+.pdf>

 

… From the April, 2018 issue of this newsletter

Tech industry’s diversity efforts haven’t lived up to promises. A new report explains why.  While not directly applicable to the high school classroom, this provides some insight into the issues around diversity in CS/IT. <https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2018/02/28/diversity-freada-kapor-klein-kapor-center-report-leaky-pipeline/378295002/>

 

Diversity Gaps in Computer Science.  Continuing on the diversity theme, Google and Gallup continue working together on research in this area.  This partnership identifies structural and social barriers students face at home, in schools and in society that could influence their likelihood to enter the computer science field. This is a 2016 report but bears repeating.  <http://news.gallup.com/reports/196331/diversity-gaps-computer-science.aspx>


Five Approaches to Closing the Soft Skills Gap - very important in CS and Computational Thinking, the 21st Century Skills will allow students to more fully participate in our technology-driven future.  “Whether you call them soft skills, workforce-ready skills, or 21st century skills, discover how businesses are partnering with school districts to equip students with the necessary skills to succeed in college and careers. This resource provides practical recommendations for businesses and schools seeking to make an impact together and profiles five successful partnerships established by Nike, Ernst & Young, Wegmans, Wynn Las Vegas, and the Northern Kentucky Education Council.”  You can get this report by going to this Education Week site <https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/form466/fill?7=EBLAST>  Then go ahead and read it and let’s discuss!

 

… From the March, 2018 issue of this newsletter

The 5th ‘C’ of 21st Century Skills? Try Computational Thinking (Not Coding). The author, Suchi Grover, an expert in Computational Thinking, asks “Does current K-12 education equip every student with the requisite skills to become innovators and problem-solvers, or even informed citizens, to succeed in this world with pervasive computing?”  A real thorough article exploring the importance of Computational Thinking and proposing that like our other 21st Century skills CT should pervade the curriculum. She also provides some ideas how we can integrate CT into our core academic areas.  <https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-02-25-the-5th-c-of-21st-century-skills-try-computational-thinking-not-coding>

 

The Edu of Things.  The author Kyle Muir muses on the music of the 80s, the recent FETC conference, the cloud becoming less important and Big Data -  the Internet of Things (IOT) which generate huge amounts of data that must be analyzed immediately - this analysis could have life or death implications.  A very interesting read. <https://siliconslopes.com/edu-of-things-a6b142fc15e2>

 

Viewpoint: There is a dark side to big data, and you can see it in the mirror.  From the author:  “As our ability to collect and analyze massive swaths of data continues to grow, the “big data” movement represents a paradigm shift in the way that businesses, governments, hospitals and other organizations make decisions. But many discussions of big data fail to address the users of it: humans.” <http://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/viewpoint-dark-side-big-data-can-see-mirror/>

 

… From the February, 2018 issue of this newsletter

BURGER KING® and Net Neutrality The repeal of Net Neutrality is a hot topic in America, but it can be very difficult to understand.  That’s why the BURGER KING® brand created WHOPPER® Neutrality, a social experiment that explains the effects of the repeal of Net Neutrality by putting it in terms anyone can understand:  a WHOPPER® sandwich. This effort aims to help people understand how the repeal of Net Neutrality will impact their lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltzy5vRmN8Q

 

Elon Musk’s Open A.I. Destroys Champion Gamer!  Computer Science is the cornerstone of artificial intelligence and it’s being exhibited hugely in this video.  A team of about 10 that are part of Elon Musk-funded Open AI coached a computer as it played itself millions of times to develop strategies to beat a world champion Dota2 player named Dendi.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbDmxEOj9OY  I happened on another video of the same event though it’s about twice as long but has more details, it appears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92tn67YDXg0

 

Analysis of 2017 AP CS Exam Participation.  This blog post from Mark Guzdial reminds me of Barb Ericson’s work each of the last few years in analyzing APCS Stats across the country and also that Mark Guzdial produces a very excellent blog that is worth subscribing to.  The full report produced by Barb Ericson and the College of Computing at Georgia Tech is linked for you to download and read it. https://computinged.wordpress.com/2018/01/08/analysis-of-2017-ap-cs-exam-participation-from-barbara-ericson/

 

Kids Who Code.  This is a new program being implemented by an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer working at Anacortes schools in Washington State. Hopefully the schools where this is occurring will get support from the district to expand these options for kids in the near future. https://www.goanacortes.com/arts_and_community/article_363b2d1c-eb2a-11e7-bacd-dffc96ca51bb.html

 

… From the January, 2018 issue of this newsletter

Computational Thinking for a Computational World.  This is a new report by Digital Promise.  “This paper argues that computational thinking is both central to computer science and widely applicable throughout education and the workforce.  It is a skillset for solving complex problems, a way to learn topics in any discipline, and a necessity for fully participating in a computational world.  The paper concludes with rrecommendations for integrating computational thinking across (the) K-12 curriculum.” (44 pgs released Dec 2017) <http://digitalpromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/dp-comp-thinking-v1r5.pdf>

 

… From the December, 2017 issue of this newsletter

 

__What the Future of Work will mean for Jobs, Skills and Wages__. Another report on the future workforce environment both in the U.S. and globally. The link get you to a webpage that very briefly summarizes the report. I would suggest downloading and reading the Executive Summary. There you’ll find early in the summary an infographic entitled Jobs Lost, Gained, Changed with some compelling information that you as a computing teacher should be able to use to justify more computer science and computational thinking along with developing dispositions similar to the Common Core mathematics practices (higher order thinking skills).

 

<https://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/future-of-organizations-and-work/what-the-future-of-work-will-mean-for-jobs-skills-and-wages>

 

 

… From the November, 2017 issue of this newsletter

__Why Tech Leadership has a Bigger Race than Gender Problem.__This article is about a recent study which,, though primarily about Asians in leadership roles in tech companies, does also highlight issues in other minority communities, particularly blacks and Latinos. “After sifting through the data, the authors concluded that race is a stronger impediment than gender when it comes to climbing Silicon Valley’s corporate ladder.” <__https://www.wired.com/story/tech-leadership-race-problem/__>


__What Skills Will You Need to be Employable in 2030?__ This is a summary of the Executive Brief of a 100-plus page study entitled “The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030”. __https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/608981/what-skills-will-you-need-to-be-employable-in-2030/__
The report itself is at this url: __https://www.nesta.org.uk/sites/default/files/the_future_of_skills_employment_in_2030_0.pdf__
This is pretty in-depth reading but you might take a look at the Executive Summary(pp 7-16) before wading through all of the detail. This would make an interesting discussion or Twitter Chat or other media if some of you are interested.

… From the October, 2017 issue of this newsletter

__Computer Science Learning: Closing the Gap: Rural and Small-Town School Districts__.This special brief from the Google Gallup study dives into the opportunities and challenges for rural and small-town communities. A number of findings based on nationally representative surveys from 2015-16, are discussed. <https://edu.google.com/resources/computerscience/research/>


__Teaching Kids Coding, by the Book__. This NY Times article focuses on the book Girls Who Code and its author Reshma Saujani. Later in the article, other books are identified including books aimed at even younger children. If you read or use one or more of these books, please contact your editor (Joe Kmoch <__joe@jkmoch.com__>) to possibly write a review, present a webinar or propose a session at a conference. <__https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/books/coding-children.html?mcubz=3__>

__The Maddeningly Simple Way Tech Companies Can Employ More Women__. Although this is aimed at employers, I think there are lessons to be learned for our classrooms. <__https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/opinion/silicon-valley-women-hiring-diversity.html__>


… From the September, 2017 issue of this newsletter

__Comments on what’s involved with Computer Programming.__ This article is actually entitled “Why Coding Bootcamps Don’t Work” but has good insight to what’s all involved with Programming - and it’s a lot more than writing a “to-do list”. I think this short article is worth reading and considering as you teach computer science. <__https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/why-coding-bootcamps-dont-work.html__>


__How to Prepare the Next Generation for Jobs in the AI Economy__. This article on the Harvard Business Review website is co-authored by Mark Stehlik, assoc dean at Carnegie-Mellon University and champion of K-12 CS Education for many decades. “If the next generation is to use AI and big data effectively – if they’re to understand their inherent limitations, and build even better platforms and intelligent systems — we need to prepare them now. That will mean some adjustments in elementary education and some major, long-overdue upgrades in computer science instruction at the secondary level.” <__https://hbr.org/2017/06/how-to-prepare-the-next-generation-for-jobs-in-the-ai-economy__>


__You Don’t Have to Major in Computer Science To Do it as a Career.__ “Majoring in math, nuclear engineering, or even geology can lead to a well-paying software job.”
This article briefly discusses the Hamilton Report from the Brookings Institute which used US Dept of Labor statistics in its analysis. <__https://www.technologyreview.com/s/607946/you-dont-have-to-major-in-computer-science-to-do-it-as-a-career/#comments__>


 

… From the June, 2017 issue of this newsletter

__Women You Should Know.__ This article authored by Ruthe Farmer, herself the “real deal” for her efforts to expand opportunities to women and undererrepresented minorities, says ‘Like every social movement in history, this change (expand CS to all) didn’t materialize overnight – and like the great social movements that have shaped our country – women have been integral to this movement. I am honored to present just a few of the “Hidden Figures” of K-12 computer science education.’
__http://www.womenyoushouldknow.net/hidden-figures-of-computer-science-for-all/__

__As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating.__ Growing numbers of computer science students are getting caught plagiarizing code, either from classmates or from someplace on the web. This article sparked a wide-ranging discussion on the SIGCSE Listserve 
__https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/29/us/computer-science-cheating.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad__

__Calling All Coders.__ According to the author Ellen Ullman “we have to develop more interest in these topics. One way to do that is by to show students that coding ties into nearly everything we do. And to do that, we need to incorporate programming into the curriculum…” a number of examples follow in the article. 
__http://www.techlearning.com/resources/0003/calling-all-coders/70559__

… From the May, 2017 issue of this newsletter==

==Seymour Papert On Logoexternal image KA8zDqlbpcQlUeZFT8KtIFCbL3zeHk8CY9qURRJOiB849R1LrHIpmO-XB3hjJNDSCWO62Y-qXLCeCpj-zoFbYxuZUOYENrs2NW-Jk7syb6BXsAF_XbueSWlk2VcWC-RyvfCYqEYK

In 1986 Seymour Papert, the "father of Logo," collaborated with award-winning filmmaker William Schwartz and Elizabeth Schwartz, who was Assistant Superintendent of the Ladue, Missouri School District, to produce Seymour Papert On Logo. external image fajyD6y-CkZdTAmHS6JoyNVkxS81bPXNqHWTZ_dkxZfM5-fjm7Wmh7SiNs7aUtlrffzpB68IqWjSGbYKCwtIfY26zrHRSwVWzuOodfyXMBSbS_vnrccAcXWOl93ZmJLAWiGnVBkJ

In this video series, Papert shares his vision of thinking, learning, and teaching in a computer culture, and also addresses technical issues about Logo and programming more generally. 
These videos may be seen at 
__http://el.media.mit.edu/logo-foundation/resources/onlogo/__

__Unconscious Bias in the Classroom: Evidence and Opportunities.__ This new Google research report highlights this problem and reports “In sum, Unconscious Bias (UB) is a nontrivial problem in education, especially in CS and STEM education, and it is not easily addressed via traditional educational policies and interventions. However, interventions that identify and alter the frequently unconscious psychological processes that harm individuals’ outcomes are currently being developed and piloted. Teacher-facing interventions, which can be administered to both pre- and in-service teachers, are particularly promising. In part, this is because by addressing UB among teachers, we can help shape the entire classroom context in supportive ways. Furthermore, teacher-facing interventions are potentially cost-effective and scalable, because infrastructure for teacher training is already in place. (extracted by Mark Guzdial on his Computing Education Blog)

__Hidden Figures of “Computer Science for All”.__ Ruthe Farmer. herself one of the most influential people in computer science education, has written this article for the site Women You Should Know. I find it very exciting to read about the work of these 11 women particularly in the past few years as the engagement of computer science in the education community and beyond has accelerated - mostly because of these women. Congratulations and I’m am personally honored to know most of these women professionally. <__http://www.womenyoushouldknow.net/hidden-figures-of-computer-science-for-all/__>
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Readings from the April, 2017 issue of this newsletter
__How I’m Fighting Bias in Algorithms__. MIT grad student Joy Buolamwini was working with facial analysis software when she noticed a problem: the software didn't detect her face — because the people who coded the algorithm hadn't taught it to identify a broad range of skin tones and facial structures. Now she's on a mission to fight bias in machine learning, a phenomenon she calls the "coded gaze." It's an eye-opening TEDxBeaconStreet talk about the need for accountability in coding ... as algorithms take over more and more aspects of our lives. <__https://www.ted.com/talks/joy_buolamwini_how_i_m_fighting_bias_in_algorithms__>
__Half of the High-paying jobs in America Now Require This Skill.__ Wanna guess what this article talks about? Note the anecdotal quotations from lawn care company Lawnstarter, from a computer scientist entering the marketing field, from the firm Electrometals specializing in metal recovery and from small business loans compny LiftForward. Coding, computational thinking and computer science are everywhere! <__http://www.marketwatch.com/story/half-of-the-high-paying-jobs-in-america-now-require-this-skill-2016-06-21__>
__The Maker Movement in K-12 Education: A Guide to Emerging Research__. Makerspaces include opportunities for both computational thinking and more specifically computer science/coding. This article from about a year ago (which I just discovered) explores a lot of “questions and tensions” as makerspaces and the activities they contain are moving into the more traditional classroom arena. I did note that item #3 of the nine items mentioned suggests the book Invent To Learn… by Sylvia Martinez and Gary Steger referring to it as a “seminal handbook” which I agree with. The list of additional articles at the end is also very good. <__http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2016/04/maker_movement_in_k-12_education_research.html?cmp=eml-enl-dd-mostpop__>

Readings from the March, 2017 issue of this newsletter

__Her Scientific Discovery: Support.__ This article written by an African-American and Mexican American woman describes the support and role models she had growing up which gave her confidence in herself. While not totally about CS and IT, there is certainly a lot of truth that is applicable. And the link to the State of Girls and Women in STEM from the National Girls Collaborative Project is particularly enlightening (referenced in the link “selectie sorted out of engineering, math and science careers”). <__https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/business/women-minorities-science.html?_r=0__>


__How the Pioneers of the MOOC Got it Wrong (from IEEE), as Predicted__. Mark Guzdial writes on his Computing Education Blog about his “sense of vindication” about modest performance of MOOCS which misunderstand the importance of active learning. There are several links worth following in this blog post. <__https://computinged.wordpress.com/2017/02/17/how-the-pioneers-of-the-mooc-got-it-wrong-ieee-spectrum/__>


__In Finland, Kids Learn Computer Science without Computers.__ This is a great article about the approach Finland is taking toward CS in education along with some commentary about the situation in the US. (Thank you M. Talivier) <__https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/02/teaching-computer-science-without-computers/517548/?utm_source=atlfb__>
One of those quoted in the article, Linda Liukas, did a TED talk which we noted in the January, 2017 issue of this newsletter. For a description refer to that issue on our wiki. <
__http://iste-ctn.wikispaces.com/Monthly+Newsletter+Readings__>
Here’s the link to her fun TED talk. 
<__https://www.ted.com/talks/linda_liukas_a_delightful_way_to_teach_kids_about_computers#t-651824__>


__The Next Big Blue-Collar Job is Coding.__ Author Clive Thompson in this Wired article asks “What if we regarded code not as a high-stakes, sexy affair, but the equivalent of skilled work at a Chrysler plant?” Also, see the Related Stories sidebar with this article for other interesting info. <__https://www.wired.com/2017/02/programming-is-the-new-blue-collar-job/?mbid=nl_2817_p3&CNDID=31791183__>


Readings from the February, 2017 issue of this newsletter
__The Coding Advantage: Why Kids Should Learn to Program__Coding can start at any age — from preschool through adult. It teaches problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and it fosters creativity. In this article the author notes four specific advantages to learning coding. At the end of this article there are several links to other resources to help you get started. <__http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/the-coding-advantage-why-kids-should-learn-to-program/education__>


__Five Myths about Teaching Kids to Code.__ Learning to code in the early years helps children to develop problem-solving skills, improve creativity and boost their attention. There are still some myths when it comes to learning to code in the early ages. We’ve picked the most common five of them to discuss. <__http://www.thetechedvocate.org/5-myths-about-teaching-kids-to-code/__>


__Why Learning to Code is So Important for Children__If we look at which way technology is heading, and in which aspect we use the products, be it offline or online, it is logical to consider how this bright future will affect children. Developing a coding literacy may mean a lot to them when they grow up.
<
__http://www.thetechedvocate.org/why-learning-to-code-is-so-important-for-children/__>


Readings from the January, 2017 issue of this newsletter

Is STEM Education in Permanent Crisis? Author Michael Marder details how perpetual STEM teacher shortages are holding our country back. <http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/10/26/is-stem-education-in-permanent-crisis.html?qs=is+stem+education+in+permanent+crisis?+>

Inspiring the next generation of female engineers Debbie Sterling is the creator of GoldieBlox, a set of toys featuring Goldie, a female engineer who guides girls to develop problem-solving skills and build projects, introducing girls to the world of engineering through a tech-savvy female role model. <https://tedxinnovations.ted.com/2015/05/28/spotlight-tedx-talk-inspiring-the-next-generation-of-female-engineers/>

A 12-year-old app developer Most 12-year-olds love playing videogames — but Thomas Suarez taught himself how to create them. After developing iPhone apps like "Bustin Jeiber," a whack-a-mole game, he is now using his skills to help other kids become developers. https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_suarez_a_12_year_old_app_developer>

Linda Liukas: A delightful way to teach kids about computers - TED.com
Computer code is the next universal language, and its syntax will be limited only by the imaginations of the next generation of programmers. Linda Liukas is helping to educate problem-solving kids, encouraging them to see computers not as mechanical, boring and complicated but as colorful, expressive machines meant to be tinkered with. In this talk, she invites us to imagine a world where the Ada Lovelaces of tomorrow grow up to be optimistic and brave about technology and use it to create a new world that is wonderful, whimsical and a tiny bit weird. <https://www.ted.com/talks/linda_liukas_a_delightful_way_to_teach_kids_about_computers#t-651824>


Readings from the December, 2016 issue of this newsletter

Her Code Got Humans on the Moon—And Invented Software Itself. Margaret Hamilton invented software engineering as she and her team developed the software to get humans to the moon and back. Exciting! <https://www.wired.com/2015/10/margaret-hamilton-nasa-apollo/>

Designing for Wide Walls - Mitch Resnick, inventor of Scratch and Computer ClubHouses, wrote this short work to enhance the Papert notion of Low Floors and High Ceilings. Quick but great read. <https://design.blog/2016/08/25/mitchel-resnick-designing-for-wide-walls/>

Growing Computer Science Education Into a STEM Education Discipline. Authors Mark Guzdial and Briana Morrison note that “Mathematics and science classes are common in schools today. Growing computing education so it is just as common requires recognition that education in computer science is different in important ways from education in STEM. We have to learn to manage those differences.“ <http://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2016/11/209119-growing-computer-science-education-into-a-stem-education-discipline/fulltext>


Readings from the November, 2016 issue of this newsletter
Diversity Gaps in CS: Exploring the Underrepresentation of Girls, Blacks and Hispanics. This 27 page special report from Year 2 of the Google-Gallup study explores the structural and social barriers underrepresented groups face at home, in schools, and in society that could influence their likelihood to enter the computer science field. This and other reports are available on the Google Research site <https://www.google.com/edu/resources/computerscience/research/>

Computer Science Education: Why does it suck so much and what if it didn’t?Ashley Gavin at TEDxNYU; Ashley is a Computer Science professor at Wesleyan University. Ashley is the founding curriculum director for Girls Who Code. Her talk shines a light on the major problem that is American Computer Science education. In 2020, 1.4 million new jobs will be available for those with competing backgrounds, but we’ll only have engineers to fill two-thirds of them. Ashley shows us how we can right this wrong. <https://youtu.be/5jmN_tBS0t4>

A New Life for Computer Science in K-12 - Andrew Svehaug at TEDxKids@ElCajon (about 11 minutes). Andrew Svehaug, Founder and CEO of Code to the Future who expounds on the idea that including computer programming in the curriculum of youth as young as Kindergarten in all schools is a matter of social justice. <https://youtu.be/yyW9W3e9VD0>

Readings from the October, 2016 issue of this newsletter
It’s more than just “teach kids to code”. In this article the author, skeptical about teaching coding, thinks “it’s important to make computer science part of everyone’s education.” <https://medium.com/humane-tech/its-more-than-just-teach-kids-to-code-177fd6cb7184#.nnkyei3ue>

The Importance of Recreational Math. This is an interesting article about recreational math and computational thinking including Martin Gardner and his Mathematical Games series in Scientific American. No heavy duty math in this article. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/opinion/the-importance-of-recreational-math.html?_r=0>

Why Every Tech Pro Should Learn to Code. The importance and prevalence of coding from a different perspective. As Burning Glass analyzed their database of online job postings, “...interestingly, coding wasn’t confined to programming jobs; it emerged as a necessary skill in data analysis, arts and design, engineering, information technology and science” <http://www.cio.com/article/3099891/it-skills-training/why-every-tech-pro-should-learn-to-code.html>


Readings from the September, 2016 issue of this newsletter
Coding Snobs are not Helping our Children Prepare for the Future. See what you think about the ideas that author David Bennahum describes in his June, 2016 online article. <http://qz.com/703335/coding-snobs-are-not-helping-our-children-prepare-for-the-future/>

How Art and Dance are Making Computer Science Culturally Relevant. CS teacher Nettrice Gaskins describes how she and her students will learn CS differently with the new APCS Principles curriculum. <https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-07-26-how-art-and-science-are-making-computer-science-culturally-relevant>

Why Every Tech Pro Should Learn to Code. Here’s an article directed at professionals but there’s much good information for teachers to understand and use with their students and other teachers, counselors and administrators. <https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-07-26-how-art-and-science-are-making-computer-science-culturally-relevant>

Computer Science Before College. This is one of many articles on Computer ScienceOnline.org which appear to be very useful. This article has many links to resources for engaging kids at all levels with computer science. <http://www.computerscienceonline.org/cs-programs-before-college/>

From Computational Thinking to Computational Participation in K-12 Education. Mark Guzdial highlighted this short paper in his Computing Education Blog. Within his blog post, there is a link to the full article on Academia.edu. <https://computinged.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/from-computational-thinking-to-computational-participation-in-k-12-education-yasmin-kafai-in-cacm/>



Readings from the June, 2016 issue of this newsletter
American Schools are Teaching Our Kids How to Code All Wrong. The author Idit Harel argues that we really should be teaching rigorous computing and not be deluded by the “pop computing” efforts. “Our country must make a commitment to teaching every child computer science. That doesn’t mean teaching watered down content and using simple coding apps but a strong curriculum that leads students to achieve real deep and broad mastery of computer science.” <http://qz.com/691614/american-schools-are-teaching-our-kids-how-to-code-all-wrong/>

The End of Code - Soon We Won’t Program Computers. We’ll Train Them Like Dogs. Welcome to the new world of artificial intelligence. Soon, we won't program computers. We'll train them. Like dolphins. Or dogs. Or humans. <http://www.wired.com/2016/05/the-end-of-code/>

“I had so many advantages, and I barely made it”: Pinterest engineer on Silicon Valley sexism. The author Tracy Chou…”But even though I was completely immersed in tech culture, I had trouble envisioning a career in software engineering for myself. The issue wasn’t a lack of interest or ability. It was that the sexism I encountered, both in school and in the workplace, had me convinced that I wasn’t just good enough to make it in tech.”

Here’s Why Students Need Algebra. This is a rebuttal to the recent, popular book “The Math Myth: and other STEM Delusions” by political scientist Andrew Hacker. Prof Hacker argues that we should not require high school students to take algebra. <http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/05/23/heres-why-students-need-algebra/>
Stop Googling. Let’s Talk. Smart phones harm human relationships. Amen. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/27/opinion/sunday/stop-googling-lets-talk.html?_r=0>



Readings from the May, 2016 issue of this newsletter
Restocking the Pond. This is a blog post by our CTN President Scott Horan. He speaks of the value of high school internships and his success over many years. <https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/restocking-pond-scott-horan>

Women Write Better Code, Study Suggests. Computer code written by women has a higher approval rating than that written by men - but only if their gender is not identifiable, new research suggests. <http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35559439>

Thawing from a Long Winter in Computer Science EducationWhile the market need to teach computer science skills is undeniable and while equity demands giving all students the opportunity to learn them, operationalizing this kind of education for all learners requires careful planning and execution.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/barbarakurshan/2016/02/25/thawing-from-a-long-winter-in-computer-science-education/2/#524b2e5253bc>


Computational Thinking, 10 Years Later. Jeannette Wing reflects on the 10 years since she published per three-page viewpoint in March, 2006. She considers how far we have come in those 10 years and notes that “We still have a ways to go, but fortunately, academia, industry and government forces are aligned toward realizing the vision of making computational thinking commonplace.” <http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/201241-computational-thinking-10-years-later/fulltext>

The Real Reasons Behind the Tech Skills Gap. “The issue”, the author states, “is the teaching of computer science in high schools – or the lack thereof – and how we’re squandering opportunities to better prepare students for an increasingly tech-centric job market.” He cites lack of resources and lack of trained teachers among other reasons. <http://fortune.com/2016/04/27/tech-skills-gap-stem/?iid=sr-link2>

Readings from the April, 2016 issue of this newsletter

Preparing for the Robots: Which skills for 21st Century?“The robots are coming and are taking our jobs. Or are they?” So starts this interesting view of the future of jobs. Though the statistics are for Europe, the ideas presented in this short article are certainly interesting (at least to me). <http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/future-development/posts/2016/03/01-preparing-for-robots-skills-for-new-jobs-bodewig>
A Different Approach to Coding - How kids are making and remaking themselves from Scratch. This article by Mitchel Resnick and David Siegel though written in early November, does a nice job of explaining their philosophy of coding and learning. “We see coding as a new way for people to organize, express, and share their ideas.” <https://medium.com/bright/a-different-approach-to-coding-d679b06d83a#.ugfyspofr>


Thawing from a Long Winter in Computer Science Education. “While the market need to teach computer science skills is undeniable and while equity demands giving all students the opportunity to learn them, operationalizing this kind of education for all learners requires careful planning and execution. “ Up to date stats and references to many programs to deal with the issues of women and computing are included here. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/barbarakurshan/2016/02/25/thawing-from-a-long-winter-in-computer-science-education/#5e105ec04fbf>

Math Teachers Group Questions Allowing Computer Science to Count as Math Credit. The NCTM cautions that “allowing computer science to substitute for a high school math course could ‘undermine students’ mathematics preparation.” <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2016/03/math_group_questions_allowing_computer_science_count_as_math_credit.html?qs=computer+science>

Readings from the March, 2016 issue of this newsletter

The Reality of Coding Classes. “The Obama Administration is hopeful that the recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced No Child Left Behind, signals support for additional education spending. But is advocacy for the plan relying on faulty notions about the economy’s need for more coders? And is the price tag enough to underwrite the president’s ambitious goal?”<http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/02/obamas-push-for-computer-science-education/459276/>

Robots and AI could leave half of the World Unemployed. “Machines could put more than half the world’s population out of a job in the next 30 years, according to a computer scientist…” “...artificial intelligence’s threat to the economy should not be understated. ‘“We are approaching a time when machines will be able to outperform humans at almost any task.”’ <http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/13/artificial-intelligence-ai-unemployment-jobs-moshe-vardi>

Beyond Academic Math: The Role of Applied STEM Course Taking in HS. “This study examines the relationship between applied STEM coursetaking (i.e., 'scientific research & engineering' and 'information technology') in high school and standardized math achievement.” …”applied STEM courses have a statistically significant, but substantively small positive effect on math test scores. Students who fall lower on the math ability pipeline (i.e., who take only below average math courses like basic math and pre-Algebra) benefit much more from applied STEM courses than do students who take more advanced courses.” <http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=17496>

Readings from the February, 2016 issue of this newsletter
CSforAll! Here is the launch information about the President’s initiative that aims to give all US students the chance to learn computer science in school. It calls for new funding - $4 billion in his forthcoming budget and includes a 120 million commitment from already existing funding at NSF. This specifically calls out CS10K! More information is on this fact sheetand also see more about NSF’s role
links:
CSforAll: <https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/01/30/computer-science-all>
Fact Sheet: <https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/30/fact-sheet-president-obama-announces-computer-science-all-initiative-0>
NSF’s Role: <http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=137529&org=NSF&from=news>


Readings from the January, 2016 issue of this newsletter
Seven Ways to Get Students Interested in Computer Science. Author Neil Plotnick from Everest, MA describes “seven tricks for getting students to enroll in computer science classes - or engage them in computational thinking in your own classroom (you may have to login to get 3 free articles per month). <http://bit.ly/seven-ways-to-get-students-interested-in-cs>

Jeannette Wing Promotes Computational Thinking at World Computer Congress. Her message: “Students will benefit most when they learn to use computational thinking (CT), applying the principles and best practices of a video or a transcript of her presentation. <http://bit.ly/jwing-promoting-ct-at-2015-world-computer-congress>

Jeannette Wing videoof her CT presentation on Feb 10, 2014 at the Columbia Journalism School as part of their Computing Technology in Media speaker series. The whole video is 108 minutes, her talk is a little less than half of that time. If you’ve never had the opportunity to hear Dr. Wing talk about CT (and even if you have), take time to watch this video. Starting at about 41 minutes she addresses CT in education, particularly K-12.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U67utvZai8s>



Readings from the Dec, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter
Disrupting the Gender Gap in Computer Science. Laura Blankenship blogs about shares her recent TED Talk: “I want to share with you some of things I’m sharing in my talk about why this is a problem, and what you can do to help fix it.” <http://blog.csta.acm.org/2015/10/20/disrupting-the-gender-gap-in-computer-science/>

A Million Progammers? How about a Billion Problem Solvers! From the authors: “Thanks to initiatives like Hour of Code and major moves by some of the country's largest school districts, coding and computer science are finally starting to enter the mainstream of K-12 education. But as millions of students learn JavaScript, Python and beyond, we must make sure that teaching coding is about more than just creating millions of new programmers.” <http://bit.ly/hpopednov15>

You Don’t Have to be Good At Math to Learn to Code. According to the author “Learning to program involves a lot of Googling, logic, and trial-and-error—but almost nothing beyond fourth-grade arithmetic.”
<http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/09/you-dont-have-to-be-good-at-math-to-learn-to-code/403342/>


Readings from the Nov, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter
Top 10 Tech Trends: Rise of the Robots. Gartner has released its top 10 strategic predictions for 2016 through the end of the decade. This year's list highlights "smart" technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and the relationships of humans to machines. <https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/10/07/tech-trends-the-robots-are-coming.aspx>

10 Emerging Education Technologies. Another top 10 see if how they’re different and how they’re similar. Includes Wearable tech, BYOD, mobile learning, clour computing, collaborative - also 3D printing and Gamification among others. <http://www.edudemic.com/10-emerging-education-technologies/>

Getting More Women Coders into Open Source. Women coders should learn how to showcase their skills and build a reputation for deep expertise in certain areas, (Emory University Professor) Bharadwaj said: “Over time, the individual’s reputation grows and key members are recognized with high status in these communities.” Several good links are included. <http://insights.dice.com/2015/10/06/getting-more-women-coders-into-open-source/>

Learn to Code, Code to Learn. An article from a couple of years ago by Mitch Resnick, the MIT research professor who led a team to create and continue to update Scratch. <https://www.edsurge.com/news/2013-05-08-learn-to-code-code-to-learn>

Pros and Cons of Computer Coding in School. This is a short blog post but has several links to other articles. <https://bjulroan.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/pros-and-cons-of-computer-coding-in-school/>

Readings from the Oct, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter
CT Scan: Computational Thinking Broadens Student’s Analytical Thinking Skills. This article appeared in the July, 2015 issue of Entrsekt, a publication for the membership of ISTE. This is a very good summary of the efforts thus far involving CT in K-12. <https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=484&category=entrsekt&article=>

Are College Lectures Unfair? “Does the college lecture discriminate? Is it biased against undergraduates who are not white, male and afflluent? A growing body of evidence suggests that the lecture is not generic or neutral…” Although this article refers specifically to post secondary, there is much of value for those of us in high school and maybe even middle school.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/opinion/sunday/are-college-lectures-unfair.html?_r=1>
10 Tips for Launching an Inquiry-Based Classroom. “It takes time to build up a strong inquiry-based teaching practice, to learn how to direct student questions with other questions, and to get comfortable in a guiding role”. The author Katrina Schwartz does a very nice job breaking down this process. Definitely worth your time. <http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/09/21/10-tips-for-launching-an-inquiry-based-classroom/>


What Is Code? This article by Paul Ford is very long (a pdf of the website is 95 pages long) but very interesting. Perhaps we could turn this into an article read buy those in CTN who want to participate. <http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-paul-ford-what-is-code/>

Readings from the Sept, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter
Searching for Computer Science: Access and Barriers in US K-12 Education. This is a report commissioned by Google and created by Gallup examines the issue of including computer science explicitly in K-12 education. In the Executive Summary findings: 

  • students, parents and K-12 teachers highly value computer science,
  • many administrators do not perceive a high level of demand for CS
  • reasons for not including computer science is limited time available to courses not tied to testing requirements and low availability and budget for CS teachers
  • these problems are exacerbated for schools with low-income learners

<http://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/searching-for-computer-science_report.pdf>

Two articles about this report:
Wired: Huh? Schools Think Kids Don’t Want to Learn Computer Science?<http://www.wired.com/2015/08/schools-dont-think-kids-want-learn-computer-science/>

USA Today: Should Students Learn Coding? Students, Schools Disagree, Poll Finds<http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/08/20/google-gallup-poll-finds-parents-want-computer-science-education-but-administrators-arent-sure/31991889/>

Computer Science Graduation Requirement Makes Sense. This article comes out of Iowa. The author, a teacher in Sioux City School District, teaches PLTW’s CS courses, finding them “so valuable because their activity-, project-, and problem-based curriculum applies the principles of computer science to a wide range of subjects, helping students develop computational thinking skills and computer science knowledge to take advange of thewide variety of career options <http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2015/08/21/computer-science-graduation-requirement/32089717/>

Readings from the June, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter
Code.org Targets HS Computer Science. Mid-May article on Code.org teaming up with College Board to push for more CS courses in HS and to increase the number of female and minoritiy students taking those courses. The article discuses the new partnerships in 35 of the nation’s largest school districts. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/05/14/codeorg-college-board-computer-science-high-school-diversity/27304593/>

**Google’s Diversity Chief Nancy Lee Speaks the Truth in Silicon Valley**. This is a Q&A article where Nancy Lee talks about her past, her current job and having to deal with the Google employment workforce which is 83% male, 2% Latino and 1% Black. <http://www.rep-am.com/business/882790.txt>

**Computer Science ‘job skill of the future,’ Should it be Mandatory School Curriculum?** The writer talks with two Canadians about this situation in Canada which is very similar to the situation in the US. <http://globalnews.ca/news/2015923/computer-science-job-skill-of-the-future-should-it-be-mandatory-school-curriculum/>

**The Girls in the Room: Women plot a Silicon Valley Revolution**. Silicon Valley is perhapsthe world’s leading crucibleof innovation. But it is a man’s world - with womenmaking up only 25% of the tech workforce. Meet the people working to change that. <http://news.yahoo.com/girls-room-women-plot-silicon-valley-revolution-133501320.html>

Readings from the May, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter
Let me tell you what I know about gender and CS. Katie Cunningham in her blog Computer Science, Education, Fog begins this post with “I was very excited when one of the CS professors in my department, who had admitted he wasn't sure about the causes of gender disparity in CS, accepted my offer to share what I knew. Studying this topic has been my hobby since I stepped into my first core major CS classes and wondered where all the women went.” Actually the majority of this post is a detailed slide presentation that is eye-opening. <http://katieirenec.blogspot.com/2013/04/let-me-tell-you-what-i-know-about.html>

**Forty Computer Science Concepts Explained in Layman’s Terms**. CS theories and concepts explained with analogies and moinimal technical terms. Don Yanek, president of CSTA-Chicago thins “some of the analogies hit the mark...some do not”. <http://carlcheo.com/compsci>


Readings from the April, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter
Really important viewpoint → **Why America’s Obsession with STEM Education is Dangerous**. The author Fareed Zakaria argues that STEM by itself will stunt the very creativity that has made the US pre-eminent in creating and developing new technologies. “This dismissal of broad-based learning, however, comes from a fundamental misreading of the facts — and puts America on a dangerously narrow path for the future. The United States has led the world in economic dynamism, innovation and entrepreneurship thanks to exactly the kind of teaching we are now told to defenestrate. A broad general education helps foster critical thinking and creativity. Exposure to a variety of fields produces synergy and cross fertilization. Yes, science and technology are crucial components of this education, but so are English and philosophy.” Well said and worth seriously thinking about. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-stem-wont-make-us-successful/2015/03/26/5f4604f2-d2a5-11e4-ab77-9646eea6a4c7_story.html?wprss=rss_fareed-zakaria>
**The Six Technologies That Will Change the Face of Education**. One way or another, these all involve teaching about computing/computer science/information technology. Enjoy! <http://bit.ly/six_technologies_to_change_education>

Readings from the March, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter
Coding in the Curriculum. This blog post is from a teacher in New Zealand. He is working with others in his school to roll out a coding curriculum for 2015 linked to the Australian Curriculum. Interesting reading with plenty of student comments. <http://mrkempnz.com/2014/09/coding-in-the-curriculum.html>

Going Beyond Coding Puzzles. This blog post on the CSTA Advocate blog is written by Sheena Vaidyanathan. She makes the case for going beyond the “one solution approach” to coding and into helping them generate creative ways to use this newfound skill. It’s a quick but insightful read. <http://blog.csta.acm.org/2015/02/09/going-beyond-coding-puzzles/>

Should We Really Try to Teach Everyone to Code? The author describes the current almost insatiable need for apps. Then he says “In order to empower everyone to build apps, we need to focus on bringing greater abstraction and automation to the app development process. We need to remove code — and all its complexity — from the equation.“ A good, short read.
<http://www.wired.com/2015/02/should-we-really-try-to-teach-everyone-to-code/>

What’s the Purpose of Education in the 21st Century? Not specifically about computer science, but the author makes the case that the purpose “doesn’t have to be either-or. Education should prepare young people for life, work and citizenship.” A worthwhile read. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/12/whats-the-purpose-of-education-in-the-21st-century/>


Readings from the February, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter

Advisor Guides Obama into the Google Age. This is a good article about Megan J. Smith the chief technology officer of the United States, the woman whose division at Google dreamed up Google Glass and the driverless car. She “cringes when she hears highly educated adults say how bad they are at science and math, particularly when they do so in front of children. ‘That has to change’”. <http://bit.ly/CTO_of_US>

Coding is not the new Literacy. In this thought-provoking blog post by Chris Granger, the author makes his case. “Despite the good intentions behind the movement to get people to code, both the basic premise and approach are flawed. The movement sits on the idea that "coding is the new literacy," but that takes a narrow view of what literacy really is.” <http://www.chris-granger.com/2015/01/26/coding-is-not-the-new-literacy/>

Readings from the January, 2015 issue of the CTN newsletter
CS Teacher Series: The Importance of Computer Science by Alfred Thompson.Alfred is one of our CS education gurus. Perhaps his last paragraph sums his thinking best: “Computing is a creative art as well as a mathematical or scientific area of study. It is one of the great ways to change the world for the better. Education is about opening doors for students, and the door into computer science is an important one.” <http://blog.microsoftnewengland.com/2014/12/08/cs-teacher-series-the-importance-of-computer-science-by-alfred-thompson/# > 

The Other Side of Diversity. The prevailing narrative surrounding minorities in tech relates to how beneficial employing minorities can be for a company and/or how detrimental the lack of diverse perspectives can be. I’ve searched for, and have been disappointed to find that few studies have been done on the psychological effects of being a minority in a mostly homogeneous workplace for an extended period of time. (Update: There have been some very recently published studies surrounding this topic. I’m very appreciative of Jake Van Epps for pointing them out to me.) Here I’ll try to highlight how it has affected me, as I grew from a young black lady to a black woman in the predominantly white male tech industry.
<https://medium.com/@ericajoy/the-other-side-of-diversity-1bb3de2f053e >


The Tech Worker Shortage Doesn’t Really Exist. The author cites Hal Salzman, a professor at Rutgers University who maintains that “The real issue is industry’s desire for lower-wage, more-exploitableguest workers, not a lack of available American staff.” Another research director, Dean Baker, says “It seems pretty clear that the industry just wants lower-cost labor.” < http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-24/the-tech-worker-shortage-doesnt-really-exist>

Readings from the December, 2014 issue of the CTN newsletter
Could this be the Answer to the Tech World’s Diversity Problem?Kimberly Bryant hopes to crack the code with her organization that teaches young girls of color how to program. Inspirational!<http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/answer-tech-worlds-diversity-problem-180953046/?no-ist>

The Only Skill You Should be Concerned With. Languages change, technologies evolve, and so-called experts come and go. Guess what skill you really should know and be teaching your students? Find out here… <http://www.datasciencecentral.com/m/blogpost?id=6448529%3ABlogPost%3A223808>

Readings from the November, 2014 issue of the CTN newsletter 
Why Women Leave Tech: It’s the Culture, not because ‘Math is hard’. Over 700 women who left tech were interviewed in this important article in Fortune in early October, 2014. Author Kieran Snyder: “Their average tenure in the industry was a little over seven years. All of them shared their single biggest reason for leaving, their current employment status, and their desire (or not) to return to tech.” <http://fortune.com/2014/10/02/women-leave-tech-culture/>

The Forgotten Female Programmers Who Created Modern Tech. “Decades ago, it was women who pioneered computer programming — but too often, that's a part of history that even the smartest people don't know.” This is a nearly 7 minute audio clip from NPR’s Morning Edition. The script from the audio also appears here. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/10/06/345799830/the-forgotten-female-programmers-who-created-modern-tech>

Anyone Can Learn Programming: Teaching > Genetics. Mark Guzdial wrote this blog post in mid-October. He attempts (successfully, I believe) to debunk the “Geek Gene” hypothesis which is all too prevalent in the Computer Science community even if it’s not overt. This is definitely worth reading. <http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/179347-anyone-can-learn-programming-teaching-genetics/fulltext>

Coding with the Kindgarten Crowd. This is a fun article on kids in grades K-2 using Scratch Jr <http://www.scratchjr.org> Amanda Strawhacker, research scientist on the Scratch Jr project, said “Teaching coding in kindergarten helps young students learn important creativity and problem-solving skills that will position them for success as they move through school” <http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/10/10/coding-in-kindergarten-653/?/>

Ten Men Making Waves for Women in Tech. Ruth Farmer, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at NCWIT, wrote this article recently about male advocates for women in tech. 
Readings from the October, 2014 CTN (nee SIGCT) Newsletter
On CS for Each. Here are two blog posts by Joanna Goode, Prof at University of Oregon and co-author of Exploring Computer Science. The first post is entitled ‘Moving From "CS for a Few" to "CS for All" to "CS For Each"’. As she notes “ Developing a computer science classroom that welcomes each child requires a culturally responsive pedagogy that views diversity as a strength that should be integrated within the curriculum.” In her followup on Mark Guzdial’s Computing Education Blog entitled “On CS for Each”, she provides some very specific examples of this approach. Great reading! <http://computinged.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/guest-post-by-joanna-goode-on-cs-for-each/> 

<http://blog.acm.org/archives/csta/2014/05/moving_from_cs.html>

**Why Counting CS as Science or Math is Not Considered Harmful**. Mark Guzdial from Georgia Tech in his blog post makes the point that cs “the critical part is that (cs) enters the schools, so that we start learning the lessons that move us toward universal computational literacy.” <http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/175498-why-counting-cs-as-science-or-math-is-not-considered-harmful/fulltext>

**How Diversity Makes Us Smarter.** This article by Katherine W. Phillips, Professor at the Columbia Business School, details with many examples and research references why diversity enhances creativity and how diversity is good for the corporate “bottom line”. Her discussion also has implications for education. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/>

**10 Reasons Why America Needs 10,000 More Girls in CS.** Ruthe Farmer, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer for NCWIT and also creator of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing makes a stunning case for influencing more girls to get into computing in a serious way. <http://shriverreport.org/10-reasons-why-america-needs-10000-more-girls-in-computer-science/>


Readings from the September, 2014 CTN (nee SIGCT) Newsletter
**How to Get Girls Into Coding**. This appeared in the NY Times in late May, 2014. The author’s view is that we have to go beyond the “Learn how to program” idea, advancing to “What do you want to program? What’s your idea?” andfor lots of girls that’s Minecraft. <http://bit.ly/girls-to-code>

**We Can Code It!** Why computer literacy is key to winning the 21st Century. Lots of interesting stuff here including the Adopt-a-Hydrant mobile app, the computational thinking that computer software programmers do, the kids in Vietnam and CS, and even a few paragraphs about the Exploring Computer Science curriculum in Los Angeles and the importance of changing the way CSis taught. <http://bit.ly/mother_jones_coding_new_literacy>

**Computational Thinking: AP Computer Science vs AP Statistics.** This is a food for thought posting on SlashDot. You’ll find some of the links interesting and perhaps even some of the comments below as you scroll down.
http://developers.slashdot.org/story/14/06/22/0515222/computational-thinking-ap-computer-science-vs-ap-statistics

**Cracking the Code of the New Economy: You Don’t Need a STEM Degree to Work in a STEM Field.** As the authors note “don’t be afraid to stick with your liberal arts education. If history is any guide, it could be just as valuable as knowing how to write code.” <http://bit.ly/Cracking_the_Code>


Readings from the June, 2014 CTN (nee SIGCT) Newsletter

**Coding in Schools: A is for Algorithm.** An article on the Economist website highlighting computer science programs in England, Israel, Germany and Denmark - very useful information that is pertinent to efforts in the US.

**Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Lately Coding.** From this NY Times article ‘The spread of coding instruction, while still nascent, is “unprecedented — there’s never been a move this fast in education,” said Elliot Soloway, a professor of education and computer science at the University of Michigan. He sees it as very positive, potentially inspiring students to develop a new passion, perhaps the way that teaching frog dissection may inspire future surgeons and biologists.’

**Milwaukee Students Explore High-Tech Careers.** This is an article and a brief NPR presentation about iFairs which have been held in Milwaukee, twice a year, since 2007. Students have the opportunity to explore careers in IT and Engineering by visiting about 20 booths presented by industries and post-secondary institutions; they also attend several workshops run by the business community exploring IT, Engineering and Employability Skills.
Readings from the May, 2014 CTN (nee SIGCT) Newsletter

This is a bit different type of “reading” assignment. Laura Blankenship (CS Chair at Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA) posted this email on the SIGCSE listserve.
I'm currently buying CS-related books for my graduating seniors (in HS), all of whom are women. It's been difficult to find books that I think would inspire them to continue their studies in CS. I think it's important to them to see themselves in the field and sadly, many of the books out there exclude them. And I'm sorry, but man-month (ref Mythical Man Month) is definitely exclusionary language (not necessarily in the book title since it is a product of its time, but certainly if companies still use that term).
I've considered the following books, not all of which I'm happy with because of their gender bias, but maybe some of you will like them.

  • Cooking for Geeks (I have a student who really loves to cook)
  • The Confidence Code (an issue for women in male-dominated fields is having the confidence to speak out)
  • Unlocking the Clubhouse
  • The Circle (a techie novel with a female protagonist)
  • Close to the Machine by Ellen Ullman
  • Gödel, Escher, Bach by Doug Hofstader (I'm leaning toward this one for our department book award)
  • The Last Lecture
  • In the Beginning . . . There was the Command Line
  • JPod




Readings from the April, 2014 CTN (nee SIGCT) Newsletter

__The Myth of the Science and Engineering Shortage.__The author of this article on the Atlantic Monthly website, Michael S. Teitelbaum contends that “American students need to improve in math and science—but not because there's a surplus of jobs in those fields.” Read his evidence and supportive arguments.
__http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/the-myth-of-the-science-and-engineering-shortage/284359/__

__Rebooting the Pathway to Success.__ Subtitled “Preparing Students for Computing Workforce Needs in the United States”, chapter titles include Education Pathways to Computing Careers and Computer Science Education Initiatives. A state-by-state analysis is included. The site has very useful summary information. <__http://pathways.acm.org/recommendations.html__>

Readings from the March, 2014 SIGCT Newsletter

__You Can Already Code - You Just Don’t Know It Yet__. This brief article by Ed Cox starts “When someone tells you they code, it’s as if they’re calling you from inside the world’s most exclusive club.” WRONG! Read on.__https://medium.com/p/862044601a5a__

__It’s Not too Late to Learn How to Code.__ The author Jean Hsu’s intent is clear from the title but she makes a important comment in her second paragraph. “I took two Computer Science courses in high school, and I’m fairly confident that had it not been for those classes, I would have been way too intimidated to major in it in college.” <__https://medium.com/hacker-culture/cc05c4c222f7__>

Video: __Is There a Diversity Problem in Silicon Valley (and everywhere else)?__ Kapor Center Managing Partner Nicole Sanchez and Code2040 Co-Founder and Executive Director Laura Weidman Powers discuss the opportunity gap in Silicon Valley on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." <__http://bit.ly/diversity-in-tech__>

Video: __The Machine is Us/ing Us__ Interesting video (caution, it starts right away at least on my machine) in which Antrhopologist Michael Wesch explores significant changes to web programming (separation of content and form) then technology and human values suggesting that we have to rethink some things like copyright, authorship, identity, ethics, aesthetics, rhetorics, governance, privacy, commerce, love, family, ourselves. He has several other Youtube videos including several talks. <__http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g__>


Readings from the February, 2014 SIGCT Newsletter

Anybody Can Learn - Computer Science is NOT a Foreign Language.I just stumbled across this Code.org Issue Brief. This article not only deals directly with the idea of allowing CS to count as a foreign langage, but in general provides excellent reasons why every kid ought to at least be exposed to this kind of thinking. While it’s not specifically noticed, this is (at least in this editor’s opinion) exactly what Computational Thinking is all about - developing computer science concepts in all manner of disciplines and at all grade levels.. <http://codeorg.tumblr.com/>

Should Coding be the “New Foreign Language” Requirement? This article from Edutopia in late October, 2013 makes this case. The recent policy change enacted in Texas which “enables computer science to fulfill the high school foreign language requirement” is highlighted. Read the comments here for other views. <http://www.edutopia.org/blog/coding-new-foreign-language-requirement-helen-mowers>

Tech’s Diversity Problem is Apparent As Early as High School. This is the NY Times take on the article written by Barb Ericson at Georgia Tech. The comments are also excellent. <http://nyti.ms/MN1RpY>

(Audio) Is Coding the Language of the Digital Age? As our past-President Luci Brown relates “I was driving in the brrr degree weather of the Chicago area, when I decided to listen to NPR. It was 1:00 PM and time for Science Fridays. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the first topic was about coding? Here listen for yourself.
The podcast takes about 20 minutes but is well worth it.” Also, read the comments to the video on this page.
<http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/01/24/2014/is-coding-the-language-of-the-digital-age.html>


Readings from the January, 2014 SIGCT Newsletter

We need Coding in Schools, but Where are the Teachers? This is an excellent article by Sheena Vaidyanathan where she explores the role of teachers in the rush to bring coding to schools. Sheena is a regular presenter at ISTE and will make two presentations at ISTE 2014. <https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-12-09-opinion-we-need-coding-in-schools-but-where-are-the-teachers>

How One “Hour of Code” can Launch an Entire CS Program. Sheena Vaidyanathan in this blog post asks the question “If schools do decide to go beyond the one hour and take the next step to add coding as a part of school curriculum, what will this look like?” <http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/12/how-one-hour-of-code-can-launch-an-entire-computer-science-program>

Coding to Learn: the 21st Century Curriculum. author Peter Hutton: “Innovation, STEM education, 21st century learning. As educators, it's our job to embrace these concepts, not reject them. K-12 educators in particular need to incorporate 21st century concepts into curriculums to make skills like computer programming an essential part of the student experience. As I've written beforeand will say again, innovation is key when it comes to preparing our students for the new economy.” Great article. <http://huff.to/16pefTb>

Improving Student Engagement Through the Incorporation of Robotics into Introductory Computer Science Curricula. This paper from professor Allison Thompson from the Dept of CS, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI discusses the Institute for Personal Robots in Education and their experiments with adding robots to introductory CS courses will increase interest. Her group’s role in creating labs used in the course is described. <http://www.cra.org/Activities/craw_archive/dmp/awards/2008/Thompson/f_report.pdf>


Readings from the December, 2013 SIGCT Newsletter

UK Govt outlines CS Curriculum.The government has outlined the new curriculum for computer science in schools. A program has been drawn up for Key stages one through four, which will mean students will begin learning computer science from early primary school and then throughout their education. Definitely worth reading to see where the US could be with respect to CS. <http://www.develop-online.net/news/uk-govt-outlines-computer-science-curriculum/0115853?utm_source=November+2013&utm_campaign=EdGate+Newsletters&utm_medium=email>.

I am Woman, Watch Me Hack. Writer Catherine Rampell in the NY Times posits that “one of the biggest challenges...may be a public image problem...Public Narratives about a career can make a difference”. Role models can make a difference and the author cites the “CSI” effect as evidence. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/magazine/i-am-woman-watch-me-hack.html?_r=0>Mark Guzdial, author of the highly regarded Computing Education Blog <http://computinged.wordpress.com> has a different take on this article indicating that we need more real role models and not necessarily role models in mass media. <http://computinged.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/teasing-apart-the-issues-of-women-in-computing/>

Female Software Engineers May Be Scarcer Than Thought. A female engineer at Pinterest did some research and discovered that based on 107 companies, only about 12% of software engineers were female. That number is roughly half that reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While more research needs to be done, this is certainly a short, interesting article. Look for the partial list of companies and their percent of female SEs. It may surprise you. <http://www.itworld.com/big-data/384215/female-software-engineers-may-be-even-scarcer-thought>

Ten Takeaway Tips for Teaching Critical Thinking. We teachers of computer science certainly espouse critical thinking in our courses. In 2011 Edutopia published this article, a quick checklist for you. If you regularly practice all 10 in your lessons, give yourself a pat on the back! <http://www.edutopia.org/stw-kipp-critical-thinking-10-tips-for-teaching>


Readings from the November, 2013 SIGCT Newsletter

Forget the Stereotype: Profile of an IT Worker. This profile focused on two Dept of Labor job categories: Network and computer system administrator and computer support specialist. Both are very much in demand both pay well. The backgrounds of large chunks of these specialists may surprise you. <http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/SB20001424052702303442004579123283162644524?mobile=y>

This Robot Can Teach Programming to Your 5-Year-Old (Mashable)
Play-i launched a crowdfunding campaign on Monday (10/28/2013). The company will make two robots, Bo and Yana, which can be used individually or together (both have Bluetooth 4.0). Along with an iPad app, kids as young as 5 years old can learn programming concepts while playing with the robots. "Tech has to evolve to be accessible and fun," Vikas Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Play-i, says. (courtesy of Jim Brazell <jimbrazell@ventureramp.com>) <http://mashable.com/2013/10/28/playi/>

Matt Lerner (CTO, Walk Score): How I taught my kids Python programming (Geek Wire)
I wanted to expose my kids to programming because it’s a great skill and a powerful way of thinking. And my kids spend enough time playing Angry Birds and Cut the Rope on my iPhone that I figure they should get a peek behind the curtain at how programming works. So whether you’ve never programmed before or you’re a hardcore HAx0r (hacker), here are some tips on teaching your kids to program. (courtesy of Jim Brazell <jimbrazell@ventureramp.com>)
<http://www.geekwire.com/2013/commentary-taught-kids-python-programming/>

Introducing Programming to Preschools. MIT’s Lifelong Kindgergarten group is collaborating with Tufts University’s Dev Tech Research Group to make Scratch Jr, a new version aimed at kids in preschool to second grade. The public release is planned for 2014. Article url: <http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/02/introducing-programming-to-preschoolers/>
Scratch Jr site: < http://ase.tufts.edu/DevTech/ScratchJr/ScratchJrHome.asp>


From the October, 2013 issue SIGCT Newsletter

Coding Horror: Please don’t learn to code. Author Jeff Atwood: “The “everyone should learn to code” movement isn’t just wrong because it falsely equates codeing with essential life skills like reading, writing, and math. I wish. It is wrong in so many other ways…” What are your thoughts?<http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/05/please-dont-learn-to-code.html>

Experts Weigh in on K-12 Coding & CS Resources. Tom Vander Ark reached out to lots of experts to get their recommendations for K-12 resources for teaching coding and computer science. This article is the summary with lots of links to resources. <http://bit.ly/experts-on-k-12-coding-and-cs-resources>

The STEM Crisis is a Myth. Robert N Charette, contributing editor of IEEE Spectrum makes the case that there is no shortage in STEM careers, that the definition of STEM is unclear and that there is a STEM knowledge shortage. 
<http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/education/the-stem-crisis-is-a-myth>

STEM 2.0 - Transformational Thinking about STEM for Education and Career Practitioners. Jim Brazell, international speaker with two decades of experience leading innovative design projects in education, technology and business innovation, published this in July, 2013. He addressed the STEM shortage and problems in the current definitions of STEM, arguing that labor market requirements are for STEM-based skills across many jobs not typically classified as STEM. The net effect, he argues is transformation of social institutions. 
<http://www.ventureramp.com/downloads/careerandadultedev.pdf>

Rackspace Co-founder to Debut Computer-Coding Classes in San Antonio.Graham Weston’s 80/20 Foundation set to introduce computer coding classes at Highlands HS this fall (2013). <http://bit.ly/san-antonio-hs-computing>


Readings from the September, 2013 SIGCT Newsletter

EdSurge.com Guide: Teaching Kids to Code. This guide has 12 articles and product comparisons (40 tools to learn coding). Read it and bookmark it for future reference. <https://www.edsurge.com/guide/teaching-kids-to-code>


Readings from the June, 2013 SIGCT Newsletter

Learning to Code Isn’t EnoughShuchi Grover, a blogger working on her PhD in Computer Science from Stanford writes that “articles promoting the idea of kids learning to code often point to how it helps build computational thinking skills - a key skill for all in the digital age … it’s more about the ideas, not the artifacts...” This is definitely worth reading<https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-05-28-opinion-learning-to-code-isn-t-enough>


Welcome to the Programmable World.This article from the current June issue of Wired provides some insight on why more people really need to learn how to read and write code - it’ll be all around us real soon now. Great read and one of those “what are we going to use this for” articles. <http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/internet-of-things/all/>

Coding is Coming To Every IndustryThis article highlights the real fact that coders are and will be needed everywhere, not just in the 1.4 million jobs projected over the next 8-10 years. A good read. <http://www.fastcoexist.com/1682169/coding-is-coming-to-every-industry-you-can-think-of-time-to-start-learning-it-now>


Readings from the May, 2013 SIGCT Newsletter

Opening a Gateway for Girls to Enter the Computer Field This focuses on 20 high school young women from Manhattan who are involved in a program to learn to program computers. The site Girls Who Code is highlighted. Quite interesting and exciting. <http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/opening-a-gateway-for-girls-to-enter-the-computer-field/>

Four Reasons Why Kids Should Learn to Program.From the Tynker.com site (see the links below), this is a blog post where the author talks about these four reasons: Programming is a basic literacy, It’s a Way to Create Change, “You have an idea for then next big tech innovation? Great. Can you bring it to life?” and Programming isn’t that Hard to Learn” <http://www.tynker.com/blog/articles/stem-education/four-reasons-why-kids-should-learn-programming/>

The Do’s and Don’ts for Raising the Ratio of Women in Tech. A very interesting article in which “Etsy's Marc Hedlund shares the tactics he's using to boost the diversity of his engineering team.” <http://programming.oreilly.com/2013/04/dos-and-donts-for-changing-the-ratio-in-tech.html>


Turn STEM into STEAM with Arts Education.John Maeda, president of Rhode Island School of Design, makes this case along with others like Jim Brazell from San Antonio. <http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2020721289_johnmaedaopedxml.html>

Cyber-Security Needs Spur Job Growth in 10 Tech Industries. This article/slide show discusses the forcasted high needs for individuals interested in this area. Much of what will be going on with our SIGCT 2013 Forum and Playground center around this exciting field. <http://www.eweek.com/security/slideshows/cyber-security-needs-spur-job-growth-in-10-tech-industries/>


Readings from the April, 2013 SIGCT Newsletter

Robots to Spur Economy, Improve Quality of Life, Keep Responders Safe.(Georgia Tech). Many of us include robotics either in our courses or as an extension of computer science thinking. <http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=200741>

HTML and Computer Science. Alfred Thompson’s Blog. Alfred talks about this from his K-12 perspective. Definitely worth reading both his writing and the comments at the end and those embedded, also. <http://blog.acthompson.net/2013/03/html-and-computer-science.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=linkedin> 

The Math Standards and Moving Beyond the Worksheets. This Article in Education Week hit me on several levels: first as a math teacher and lover of mathematics, second as a computer science teacher (are our classrooms more about understanding and creating or just following rote directions), and finally as a teacher who needs to adopt, infuse and relate to these Common Core Standards. <http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/03/27/26crowley.h32.html?tkn=LNSFw%2FMoqekT4IEeYBSFfusZ4rOHVCeJYo%2F0&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS1 >
(you don’t have to but you might want to join the edweek site)


Readings from the March, 2013 SIGCT Newsletter

ICT Move to Computer Science More than a Makeover.Starting off with an excellent definition of computer science, Ken Royal describes the situation of ICT in the UK. Worthwhile for all. A companion piece referenced in that blog is the following by Alfred Thompson.

Computer Science - Part of English Baccalaureate

Alfred writes not only about the ICT changes but also about computer science in the US, addressing many issues. Both of these are great reads.

Teach U.S. kids to write computer code Douglas Rushkoff who wrote the book “Programmed or Be Programmed” and write a regular column for CNN.com. He writes about is then upcoming appearance before Congress. One of the 10 things he’ll saying is ‘4. "Computer class" can't be about teaching kids to use today's software; it must be about teaching kids to make tomorrow's software.’ Another worthwhile read (would I provide you with anything less?)

Pathway from Poverty: Pioneering Program help Low-Income Children get Degrees, IBM JobsThis is an article about the P-TECH in Brooklyn. This program has also very recently been the subject of an NPR discussion. Interesting approach to education ala 9-14 and having an associate’s degree as well as a stepping stone to a 4 year degree if the student is interested. (I’m still not sure why this is coming out of Utah, but the article is certainly first class).

Women In Tech: What Has (And Hasn’t) Changed In 15 YearsThis is an interview with Selina Tobaccowala who founded Evite in 1997. Very interesting interview on a blog that’s new to me and is definitely worth reading. <http://women2.com>


Readings from the February, 2013 SIGCT Newsletter


Pentagon to Boost Cybersecurity Force.This article, one of many that I’ve recently seen, suggests the importance of cybersecurity and the job opportunities that surround this area. This also provides support and justification for having significant portions of both the SIGCT Forum and Playground events focus around cybersecurity. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-to-boost-cybersecurity-force/2013/01/19/d87d9dc2-5fec-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html>

Workshops teach computer science to African-American girls This article not only talks about these workshops but also about an organization called Black Girls Code <http://www.blackgirlscode.com> and also about the huge need to get underrepresented minorities into computer science. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the CMU Dave-to-girl ratio (please read the article to find out what this is all about). (reference from NCTM SmartBriefs 1/28/13. <http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/jan/23/group-hopes-to-boost-interest-in-computer-among/?CID=happeningnow>


Study: Tech classes correlate with better achievement. The study found that high school students who took at least one technology course and at least one industry certification exam had a better average attendance rate and grade point average than students with similar demographics who took no technology courses or exams during the same period. There was no difference in the rate of these students going to 4-year college and those who didn’t have this experience (usually it is thought CTE students matriculate to 4-year colleges at significantly lesser rates. <http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/12/04/study-tech-classes-correlate-with-better-achievement/>

Programming Literacy done Right: It’s about the Tools by Adam Wiggins. After unearthing an out-of-print book from the early 1990s entitled A Small Matter of Programming, he talks about the two comprehension gaps noted in the book: no-full setup and task-oriented tools. His concluding paragraph: “Broad programming literacy is crucial in a world increasingly made of computers. Despite common stereotypes, programming is not out of reach for the average person. If the tools are easy to set up and specialized on the programmer’s task, programming can be a small matter after all.” The author also has a number of embedded links that are pretty interesting also. <http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2013/01/08/programming-literacy-done-right-its-about-the-tools/?single_page=true>

STEAM (STEM+A) Education Gains Momentum in Schools.Though this article doesn’t specifically address computer science it does emphasize for the increased need for innovation and creativity, notions that we in computer science and information technology talk about in good measure as an important feature of such involvement. <http://www.eschoolnews.com/2013/01/21/steam-education-gains-momentum-in-schools>

Report: Specialized TechnologiesThis report supported by Samsung includes several articles of potential interest: Full STEAM Ahead, Gaming - Not just for Fun Anymore and Revolutionizing Research with SuperComputers. <http://www.samsung.com/us/it_solutions/innovation-center/downloads/education/white_papers/CDE12_SPQ4-V.pdf


Readings from the January, 2013 SIGCT Newsletter

Why Computer Science? by Doug Bergman. 
Mr. Bergman’s thesis: “The people who are in command of those digital tools will be the leaders of academia, research, business, politics, entertainment, and philanthropy.We’ve got to teach the students now how to learn to design, build, program, and reprogram their own digital tools so they can solve those problems.” http://innovativeteacher.org/?p=715

A Small World View of CS Education by Garth Flint The author attempts to answer the question “What should a CS Ed certification program teach in the way of programming?” (his blog is really worth reading on a regular basis, BTW) http://gflint.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/a-small-world-view-of-cs-education/

Video Games in the STEM Classroom by Shawn Connelly on Edutopia. Aspects of computer science are explored (computational thinking) along with the Processing Language (article suggested by SIGCT President Luci Brown). http://www.edutopia.org/blog/video-games-in-STEM-classroom-shawn-cornally



...from the December, 2012 SIGCT Newsletter:

Learnable Computing by Brad Victor. Although mentioned in the October 2012 reading list of this newsletter, here’s a recent post to the APCS Teacher Community: “Victor's argument is so well articulated because he uses the same visual feedback approach he advocates to make his argument. It's a sobering and challenging read that will likely make you rethink how you teach programming. Anybody who has struggled with programming will appreciate his implied argument that programming in it's current form is "unlearnable.

There’s also an accompanying video entitled “Inventing on Principle” which is also very good and worth your time seeing. <http://vimeo.com/36579366>. From the poster: “Bret Victor gave a wonderful talk on living a life on principal which for him as a creator of software meant creating a user friendly environment that let's creators get immediate feedback on what they create. That talk inspired the Khan Academy's computer science curriculum, so it was a bit surprising to see him lay out what's wrong with Khan curriculum, Javascript, Processing, and well, computer science education in general.”
(...posted by Art Simon 10/29/2012). 

High Schools not Meeting STEM Demand: Another article on the lack of students going into CS&IT courses and careers; this article talks a bit more about the qualified teacher side of the equation. <http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2012/10/01/high-schools-not-meeting-stem-demand>

CodeHS Wants to Teach Every American High Schooler How to Code. Good article exploring the new CodeHS system developed by two Stanford University instructors. They clearly state their site is about learning fundamentals like problem solving, not just learning to code for a job. Not particularly inexpensive but at least worth a look. <http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/26/codehs/>

Study Looks at Why So Many Leave the STEM Field. Most interesting article which offers another side of the STEM career gap. <http://www.news.wisc.edu/21173>

Computer Science Teachers offered Cash Incentive. From Britain, a novel approach to getting more teachers trained. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20003327>



...from the November, 2012 SIGCT Newsletter:

Computer Science Should Be Required in K-12 “If U.S. technological innovation is to continue on a meteoric trajectory, our students need to become fluent. For that, we need to revamp and require computer science education in K-12 schools.”

http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2012/10/should-computer-science-be-a-required-course.html#.UHvc2JyIeNg.twitter (...from a CSTA email 10/19/2012 by Chris Stephenson)

Should All Students Be Forced to Learn Computer Science? “...kids shouldn’t just be able to use computers better than their parents, they should be required to take computer science and understand how the technology works.”

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/10/should-all-students-be-forced-to-learn-computer-science/ (...from a CSTA email 10/19/2012 by Chris Stephenson)

Keeping the T in STEM. Another good article with some ideas on how to get more kids involved. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/commentary-keeping-the-t-in-stem/2012/10/19/3c7f70ec-16e2-11e2-a55c-39408fbe6a4b_story.html

(...from the NCTM SmartBrief, October 24, 2012)



...from the October, 2012 SIGCT Newsletter:

Learnable ProgrammingVery interesting somewhat lengthy essay on progamming systems and to some extent a rebuttal of the approach Kahn Academy takes to teach programming. Has two thoughts about learning: 1) Programming is a way of thinking, not a rote skill; 2) People understand what they can see. In the end he states “Visualize data, not code. Dynamic behavior not static structure” and “Programming releases trapped intelligence.” Definitely thought provoking and worth reading (suggested by Karen North, SIGCT Business Officer).http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/

--
Fostering Tech Talent in SchoolsA good article in the NY Times published September 30, 2012 on the TEALS program at Microsoft where Microsoft Software Engineers spend time teaching computer science courses in schools in several states. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/technology/microsoft-sends-engineers-to-schools-to-encourage-the-next-generation.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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