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.CSTA NEWS
Continue Your Professional Development with CSTA's Summits
CSTA
CSTA is excited to be hosting two summits at the beginning of 2021 to help you continue your professional development! Join us for:
- The Future of CS: Emerging Concepts in CS Education on Jan. 16: This half-day summit will be an opportunity for K-12 CS educators to learn about emerging concepts in the field of CS and engage with industry experts on topics on the horizon. Register.
- Equity in Action Summit on March 6: The CSTA Equity Fellows 2020-2021 Cohort is pleased to present the CSTA Equity in Action Summit. This one-day virtual event brings together K-12 CS teachers to call out inequities of access and achievement in marginalized groups and to share strategies and resources to empower and equip teachers in addressing the digital divide. Register.
Continue to visit our event calendar for a full listing of CSTA events.
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We're Getting Closer to Unlocking $10,000
CSTA
We are so grateful to our members and partners who have supported CSTA in our Month of Giving. A group of generous supporters has committed to match the first $10,000 in support through December. Any meaningful donation will help us unlock these funds and support even more computer science teachers. Donate at csteachers.org/donate.
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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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Computer science education still has diversity gaps
CSTA
Jobs in the computing field are expected to grow by 13% between 2016 and 2026, a rate that's faster than the average growth rate for all occupations. But the latest research shows that not all K-12 students have the same access to, or perceptions of, computer science education — especially girls and Black students. COVID-19 has only exacerbated existing gaps, underscoring the need for more creative solutions to ensure all students receive the education they deserve today to succeed tomorrow, according to additional research.
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When you help your students certify on the Unity software, you’re not just helping their future—you’re also helping them now. Several studies show that students who earn certification have an increased graduation rate, higher G.P.A., increased post-secondary enrollment and improved confidence.
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.CSTA EVENT CALENDAR
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CSTA Pride December Meetup |
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Professional Learning Series: The Intersection of Math
and CS — Combining Geometry and Coding |
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CSTA+ Webinar: Taken Charge |
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The Future of CS: Emerging Concepts in CS Education |
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.HEADLINES FROM THE FIELD
Basing STEM lessons on real life disasters
MiddleWeb (commentary)
Anne Jolly, a contributor for MiddleWeb, writes: "Disasters always held a morbid fascination for my students, and with good reason. Our location near the Gulf Coast put us on alert — and often in the path – for annual hurricanes. Even when we escaped a devastating hit, students frequently had friends and family who were walloped by high winds, storm tides and flooding."
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Report: The impact of COVID-19 on student achievement
By Bambi Majumdar
 A recent report sheds light on the adverse effect of COVID-19 school disruptions on K-12 learning. Titled, "How Kids Are Performing: Tracking the Impact of COVID-19 on Reading and Mathematics Achievement," the report was released by a leading education technology leader, Renaissance. It considers student assessments from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The results total over 5 million student assessments. The report touches upon all the aspects of learning issues and gaps and seeks to guide educators as they address learning gaps.
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El Paso Inc.
During Computer Science Education Week, Dec 7-13 2020, CodeWizardsHQ teams up with PTAs across the nation to raise funds and increase digital literacy. To make computer science education available to more students, CodeWizardsHQ is offering a 1-hour kids coding class for only $20. 50% of the proceeds ($10 per student) will be donated to that student's PTA or nonprofit of choice. Partnered in this effort, PTAs are considering this to be a socially-distanced fundraiser and are enthusiastic to promote this event in lieu of their usual events and afterschool activities.
Hour of Code teaches AI for good
i-programmer.info
It's the time of year when the world-class Hour of Code once more commences; just an hour to introduce coding to the uninitiated. This is not just an article about Code.org alone, but about its emphasis on AI for a new generation. Integrated into the larger worldwide annual Computer Science Education week, this year it takes place from December 7 to 11.
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Here's what the internet would look like if all code by women vanished
CNet
With a new campaign out in time for Computer Science Education Week, Girls Who Code is painting a picture of what the internet would like if every line of code written by women disappeared. The campaign, Missing Code, features a short video showing familiar internet destinations — Instagram, Pinterest, Netflix, Teen Vogue — glitch out in an artful yet chaotic way. The Netflix URL splits in half, Gmail turns into gibberish, pins on Pinterest melt away. And a headline from The New York Times explains that 26% of all code has vanished from the internet, to match the statistic that women made up 26% of computing jobs in 2020.
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Why universities need to reform STEM education for long-term health of US economy
USA Today
During a fractious election season, most Democrats and Republicans could agree on one issue: A bright future for America relies heavily on scientific and technical innovation — in health care, energy, infrastructure development, communication and food production. But a bedrock assumption — that we will continue to have the skilled workforce to propel us forward — is in doubt.
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How to stay connected to students during COVID
Tech&Learning
Professors have long obsessed about how best to have their students connect with class material but that's just one of many ways they are worrying about making a connection this year. In pandemic-altered remote and hybrid classes, educators and others in higher ed are wondering how students connect with one another and their institution, and sometimes literally how they connect to the internet.
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