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.CSTA NEWS
Submit a Proposal for CSTA 2021 — Deadline Nov. 8
CSTA
Whether you are considering presenting for the first time, or are looking to present again, now is the time work on your submissions! CSTA Conference Committee member, Jennifer Manly, shared some great tips about applying to present on our Instagram account! We're accepting submissions for a one-hour session, three-hour workshop, 20-minute mini-session, 45-minute Birds of a Feather discussion, or a poster session. Visit our website for more information on the process and to submit your application. All submissions are due by Nov. 8.
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Check Out the Updated Virtual Teaching Resources Page
CSTA
Earlier this year, we added resources to our website to help you navigate the swift transition to the virtual classroom. We've updated this page to provide you with new virtual teaching resources organized into four sections to help you better navigate this information. Check it out!
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Bring computer science to life with BirdBrain Technologies' brand-new Finch Robot! Great for students from kindergarten to college, the Finch works with a wide range of programming options - from icon-based apps for pre-readers to Python and Java. Try the Finch Robot today and bring engaging physical computing to your classroom!
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Amplifying and elevating the voices of our chapter leaders
CSTA
Our CSTA chapters are the pulse, the heartbeat of the organization. Supported and sustained by a network of incredible chapter leaders, our chapters convene, network and provide a strong local community of practice. Whether it is through regular chapter meetings, special events such as CSPD Week or even informal "happy hours," chapters are the lifeline for CS teachers who are seeking community and a way to grow their CS content and practice. With the onset of the pandemic and even our CSTA conference going virtual, I had to wonder — how are chapters doing it? How are they continuing to support their communities?
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Unity software is one of the most in-demand tech skills and has one of the highest forecasted growth rates, at over 39% over the next two years, according to Burning Glass research. And you can help your students certify on it.
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.CSTA EVENT CALENDAR
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Professional Learning Series: Strategies for Embedding Equity & SEL into Computer Science Lessons |
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November New Member Orientation |
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CSTA+ Benefit: Phidgets Webinar |
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.HEADLINES FROM THE FIELD
How is STEM children's programming prioritizing diversity?
Michigan State University via Science Daily
The first large-scale analysis of characters featured in STEM-related educational programming revealed that of the characters appearing in STEM television programming for kids ages 3 to 6, Latinx and females are left behind.
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Real world STEM? Try plastics pollution.
MiddleWeb
The kids you teach have never lived in a world unpolluted by plastic trash. And who would believe it now, but today's plastic plague actually began as an attempt to protect the environment. It started with elephants. In the late 1800s the demand for ivory to make billiard balls threatened the elephant population. An inventor, John Wesley Hyatt, rolled out the first form of plastic as a substitute for ivory and started a revolution.
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Early high school STEM perceptions associated with postsecondary outcomes
Center for American Progress
How can high school students considering an engineering degree prepare for college? For most, the answer is enrolling in advanced math and science courses as they progress through high school — and maybe a computer science course if one is available. For Garett Lopez, a Colorado high school junior, his interest in pursuing engineering was piqued when he became certified in computer-aided drafting through a class at the beginning of his high school career. He is now on a graduation pathway that reflects the district's effort to align course selection with student interest and long-term goals.
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Yes, teachers are still being evaluated. Many say it's unfair
Education Week
For many teachers, stress levels are at an all-time high this year, as they navigate remote lessons, socially distanced classrooms, or a combination of the two. And there's yet another looming stressor: teacher evaluations. "You would think that given everything that's changing and everything that's brand new to teachers, that they would have figured out a way to skip a year," said Kristin Brown, a high school math and computer science teacher in Wisconsin. As a teacher, she added, you shouldn't have to "defend yourself and prove that you're an effective educator in a pandemic."
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How teachers are leaning on each other to stay resilient during COVID-19
MindShift
For the first time in her decade of teaching, Coral Zayas is eating lunch every day. It may sound small, but for her, it's a major victory. "I don't normally eat three meals a day, because I'm usually working and don't even think about it," Zayas said in September. In addition to her new lunch routine, Zayas, who teaches STEM and social studies at a public school in Leander, Texas, has set a regular time when she turns off her computer at night. "I'm working really hard to put what is in my brain of what balance looks like into reality," she said.
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Please stop expecting normal from kids (and teachers) right now
We Are Teachers (commentary)
Julie Mason, a contributor for We Are Teachers, writes: "We are trying to keep things as normal as possible for our kids. But why? There's nothing normal about this school year. I'm going to make the case to please stop expecting normal from kids and teachers right now and to start questioning why we thought normal was so great in the first place. Sure, there’s a lot of comfort in routine and the structure of school, but we are so used to things that we stop questioning why we do them in the first place."
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A guide to teaching writing with Minecraft
Edutopia
In the book "Lifelong Kindergarten", Mitch Resnick suggests that all of school should be like kindergarten. By this, he means that students should be invited to learn through what he calls the 4 Ps: projects, peers, passion and play. Instead of projects that demonstrate what students have already learned (e.g., a diorama), students should learn in the process of making, sharing and reflecting on artifacts.
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5 essentials every teacher should incorporate into remote teaching and learning
Tech & Learning
Many best practices for remote teaching often are sound instructional approaches in any modern learning environment. For her new book, "Like No Other School Year: 2020, COVID-19 and the Growth of Online Learning," Pamela Livingston Gaudet spoke with dozens of educators across America to find out what works when it comes to remote learning. It turns out what she learned is not only best practice for remote learning, it is also sound instructional practice in general, for any modern learning environment.
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