K-12 Computing Education Seminar
Facilitator: Hélène Martin
Meetings: Tuesdays 12:30 - 2:00pm in CSE403
Syllabus | Volunteer Norms | Project Ideas
Children love computers and now use them in all aspects of their lives. At the same time, the shortage of skilled computer scientists is dire enough for DARPA to fund outreach initiatives. In this seminar, we explore challenges and opportunities related to computing education for pre-collegial students. Our primary goal is to become more effective advocates and supporters of computing education in K-12. We discuss relevant education policy, teaching strategies and existing endeavors while spending time working with K-12 students in the Seattle area.
| Date | Topics | Assignments |
|---|---|---|
| October 1st |
Who are we? What were our K-12 experiences like? What do we want to get out of the seminar? |
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| October 8th |
Where does computing fit into the K-12 curriculum? Who controls what is taught in K-12 computing? What can we do to provide exposure to computing? Who are the best advocates for computing education? |
Read Reforming K-12 Computer Science Education... What Will Your Story Be? and DawgBytes report |
| October 15th |
What should K-12 students learn about computing? What is the value of unplugged activities? Which of the activities mentioned are you most drawn to? |
Read Computer Science Unplugged: school students doing real computing without computers |
| October 22nd |
What is computational thinking? How early should computing education start? What is the role of drag-and-drop languages such as Scratch? |
Read Modeling the Learning Progressions of Computational Thinking of Primary Grade Students; briefly investigate Scratch |
| October 29th |
What are advantages or disadvantages of block languages over traditional typing-based ones? What concepts can be effectively taught in a block language? Are block languages appropriate for all ages? How do the different block languages compare? |
Spend ~30 mins building a small project in Scratch. Look at patterns activity and graphing project. (More ideas here) Briefly explore Blockly, AppInventor and Snap. |
| November 5th | Why does the Advanced Placement program matter to computing education? What is APCS A? What is the APCS Principles project? Would you have taken APCS Principles? |
Read Computer science principles: analysis of a proposed advanced placement course Optional: explore the AP CS Principles website, particularly Big Ideas |
| November 12th | What different pedagogical strategies are used? Is this course designed differently than CS Principles? Are these the right ideas to emphasize in a HS course? Would you have taken this course? |
Read A synthesis course in hardware architecture, compilers, and software engineering Explore course website |
| November 19th | What is meant by the "computing education pipeline"? How can universities help prepare teachers? What ideas should we be bringing from Georgia to Washington? |
Read "Georgia computes!": improving the computing education pipeline |
| November 26th | Which problems does this program solve? What roles can industry play in addressing K-12 computing education? What challenges does this program face? |
Read Fostering Tech Talent in Schools |
(baby computer picture from here)