This message was sent to ##Email##. To advertise in this publication please click here

July 9, 2020

CSTA News

Reflections and Key Takeaways on 40 Years of CS Teaching CSTA In this month's member spotlight, Carlen Blackstone, talks about her experience teaching over the past 40 years, some insight she's gained, and how she's still involved in computer science. Read about what she's learned from teaching computer science over the past 40 years and her excitement around the 2020 CSTA Virtual Conference. READ MORE

Doing more than showing up CSTA Hai Hong, a contributor for CSTA, writes: "In recognition of #ShutDownSTEM, I decided to take a break from 'business as usual' to reflect on ways to use my voice to stand up against anti-Black racism. I also explored ways to incorporate a better understanding of structural racism in my day-to-day work in CS education. In addition to COVID and school closures disproportionately impacting communities of color in the U.S., the recent headlines and protests over the deaths of Black people are a stark reminder of the injustice and violence that the Black community continues to face. The news has impacted and galvanized people around the world, including in Germany, where I live." READ MORE

Showing Up For LGBTQ+ Students in CS CSTA How are we showing up for our LGBTQ+ youth, and in particular our BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth, to not only create safe, inclusive spaces for them, but to also encourage them to consider computer science as a way in which they can express, advocate, and amplify themselves and their lived experiences? READ MORE

HEADLINES FROM THE FIELD

CSTA Equity Fellow Spotlight: Noelle Valentine CSTA Today, we introduce you to our final CSTA Equity Fellow, Noelle Valentine. Noelle is a CTE Teacher at Susitna Valley Jr/Sr High School in Talkeetna, Alaska, and is the inaugural President of CSTA Top of the World. She's working to create "CS Playground" a teacher professional development course to be taught through the University of Alaska Anchorage. The course, offered to CS educators in the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District, alternated equity discussions and coding projects. READ MORE

PRODUCT SHOWCASE Our Newest CoDrone Family Member Coding is more fun when it flies! Learn how to program in Blockly and Python with CoDrone Mini, Robolink's newest drone. Go at your own pace with virtual 1:1 classes, or join one of our virtual group classes. CoDrone Mini also comes with standards-aligned curriculum for use in classrooms! LEARN MORE

Computer Science Summer Virtual Bridge Program During a Pandemic CSTA At the start of the Spring 2020 semester, Plano ISD began planning for its first in-person Computer Science Summer Bridge Program. The goal was to engage with our Hispanic and African-American students, especially our girls. In early May, the district's senior leadership allowed us to move forward with a changed virtual program. What does a virtual program look like during a pandemic? READ MORE

Boost student creativity with the MakerBot Replicator+ EdTech Magazine Consumers increasingly use 3D printers at home for a wide range of applications. Hobbyists use their printers to make parts to fix old arcade machines or even create custom fixtures around the house. Companies are making prototypes with ease, allowing their engineering teams to see how everything fits together before they are sent to manufacturing. READ MORE

Free class teaches Python data wrangling THE Journal Students who have some familiarity with Python can attend a free four-day course in July on the use of data manipulation with Python. The "Data Wrangling with Python Bootcamp" is being taught by an instructor from Data Society, a company that does corporate data science training, and hosted by Skillsoft, which maintains a learning platform. READ MORE

How to teach computer science i-programmer.info Scott R Portnoff, a secondary school computer science teacher has been thinking hard about what is wrong with CS education. He points out that, while CS education looks as if it is being successful it mostly consists of students having fun with edutainment-style projects such as robotics. When you look more carefully students don't really seem to be making progress of a sort that really matters. READ MORE

Increasing teachers' effectiveness — Without causing burnout Edutopia As responsibilities continue to mount on the already full plates of teachers, the amount of time needed to complete those duties has also increased. Unfortunately, the result is often that teachers use personal time — which should be used for enjoying family and friends, pursuing a hobby, or decompressing after a stressful day — to tend to work-related tasks, leading to burnout and high teacher turnover rates within schools and districts across the country. READ MORE

K-12 demand for mobile devices 'skyrocketing' due to COVID-19 remote learning Education Week The K-12 mobile device market is booming. A new report from market research firm FutureSource Consulting forecasts that shipments of laptops, tablets and Chromebooks to the U.S. education market could jump by 27% this year, the product of districts and private schools buying mobile devices in bulk for remote learning in a COVID-19 era. READ MORE

Plano-based podcast hopes to close gender gap in STEM Plano Star Courier When two teenagers in Plano were met with school closures and more free time, they brainstormed ideas extending their love of computer science outside the classroom. Aishwarya Sudarshan and Navya Ramakrishnan are rising juniors in the Plano public school system. Sudarshan attends Plano West and Ramakrishnan attends Plano Senior. Sudarshan and Ramakrishnan are both passionate about bringing in girls and women into the STEM workforce. Watching the world rely more heavily on technology during the pandemic, the two friends decided to break down the complexities of computer science concepts. READ MORE

The best educational apps to stay sharp throughout the school year Engadget Soon it'll be time to put away the flip flops and take out those pencils and calculators once more as we begin another academic year. Of course, this semester is bound to look a little different than the past, with an even heavier emphasis than usual on digital tools like Google Classroom and Zoom. But you don't just have to lean on whatever programs and books your school assigns you — there's a plethora of apps and services that can engage you further at your own pace. READ MORE

How to make remote learning easily accessible eSchool News When school starts again in the fall, it's likely that a significant number of students will still be learning remotely. To make classrooms less crowded and prevent the spread of the coronavirus, many states and districts are considering a hybrid approach in which some students attend school and some learn from home, such as by having students alternate between in-person and remote learning. READ MORE

Computer Science Today   Connect with CSTA Dennis Hall, Director of Publishing, 469-420-2656 | Download media kit Hailey Golden, Senior Education Editor, 469-420-2630 | Contribute news Computer Science Teachers Association 200 E. Randolph St. Suite 200 | Chicago, IL 60601 | Contact Us Click here to unsubscribe. Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. ADVERTISE SUBSCRIBE PAST ISSUES 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX, 75063