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As 2015 comes to a close, CSTA would like to wish its members, partners and other industry professionals a safe and happy holiday season. As we reflect on the past year for the industry, we would like to provide the readers of the Computer Science Today, a look at the most accessed articles from the year. Our regular publication will resume Thursday, Jan. 7.
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Phys.org
From Sept. 10:
Microsoft has released a new computer science curriculum designed for teens who may not have expressed much interest in computer programming — and teachers who don't necessarily have any background in the field, either. The curriculum, called Creative Coding Through Games And Apps, is available for free to any educator who wants to use it. The course aims to encourage a wide range of students to explore computer science by teaching them to program and publish real apps and games.
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CSTA
From Nov. 12:
These days it seems like "how to learn coding yourself" opportunities are everywhere. There are MOOCs from major universities, code.org has great online tutorials, Facebook just opened a website called TechPrep to help parents and students alike find resources and tools, and there seems to be a new edtech company starting up every week with online CS resources. The question for many becomes "do we still need computer science teachers?"
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IEEE TryComputing.org offers free educator resources to help students build computing skills and explore computing careers. Find a wide range of interactive computing lesson plans for students ages 8-18. Lessons topics include programming, concurrency, networking, encryption, artificial intelligence, and more! All lesson plans are aligned to national education standards.
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Samsung for Education
As schools adopt mobile technology at an unprecedented pace, the need for best-in-class mobile devices, support and services is growing rapidly. Samsung Mobile is committed to supporting mobile-first initiatives, offering a comprehensive portfolio of enterprise solutions.
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eWeek
From Oct. 8:
A recent Code School survey offers information on traits in youth that may indicate a future in computer science. Most programmers find their interest in computer science before age 16 and carry this passion into their professional life, according to a recent survey. A Code School survey of 2,200 coders and developers reveals some specific traits and tendencies that may predict that a youth has a future career in computer science. The survey polled current coders and software developers and asked them to recount personal traits, tendencies and preferences from their younger years.
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Edutopia
From July 23:
Introducing computer programming to your kids can be a challenge, especially for those who aren't familiar with the nuances of code. Fortunately, in the last few years, a number of apps, software, and guides have been produced that make the often-complex subject of computer coding easy to grasp for young learners. So where to begin? These are a few resources that parents can share with their kids to help them start learning about programming.
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Education Week
From June 11:
In an effort to increase the number and diversity of high school students taking computer science, the College Board will launch a new Advanced Placement course in fall 2016 that teaches a broader range of computing skills. The AP Computer Science Principles course, an alternative to the existing AP Computer Science A course, is already being piloted in hundreds of high schools, said Lien Diaz, a senior director of AP Computer Science for the College Board, which develops the courses and administers the exams.
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Popular Science
From June 18:
In the iOS app Robot School: Programming for Kids, players 7 and up help a stranded robot refuel its spaceship and return home by steering it through 45 levels. As they play, the game teaches them how to program, demonstrating techniques such as procedures, loops and conditional instructions. Players can view the code they created after completing each level and even share it on Facebook.
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SD Times
From Aug. 13:
The current state of computer science teacher certification is very much in flux. Many states offer no CS certification courses for middle or high school teachers, and even fewer require teacher certifications before teaching CS classes. Tech companies such as Google, Microsoft and Oracle are corporate sponsors of the Computer Science Teachers Association, which advocates for uniform CS teacher certification policies nationwide. In its 2013 report (funded by Google), "Bugs in the System: Computer Science Teacher Certification in the U.S.," the CSTA highlighted states in which teachers with no CS experience could teach the subject, and where no certification programs exist to train them.
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Examiner
From Oct. 1:
More and more school districts are requiring their schools to offer computer science classes, but according to computer science educators, certification requirements to teach the subject are often vague or ineffectual, which could prove problematic as more schools face the need to hire more such teachers. Mark Nelson, executive director of the Computer Science Teachers Association, said that most states don't even offer specific certification or licensing to be able to teach computer science. Some of those states have added computer science to teaching licenses they already provide that are necessary to teach related fields, such as math or science, he said.
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