CSinPA: October 2021
CELEBRATIONS AND SHOUT-OUTS
Sandy Hartman, 2021-22 CSTA Equity Fellow
We are honored to have East Stroudsburg Area teacher Sandy Hartman represent Pennsylvania in the 2021-22 CSTA Equity Fellowship program. Sandy is one of 15 CS teachers selected from nearly 90 applicants from across the nation for the year-long leadership development program.
Sandy and her fellow Fellows😁 will develop and lead professional learning experiences, contributing to a rich collection of past Fellowship projects and resources publicly available on the CSTA website. We wish Sandy the best of luck and look forward to learning from her!
We love learning about your efforts to expand CS in your community.
Tag social media posts with #CSinPA or email us at csforall@pattan.net.
K-12 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
Ongoing / Recurring Opportunities
K-8 Pathway
The CSinPA K-8 Pathway is open to K-8 educators interested in growing their CS capacity. Cohorts (100% virtual or hybrid) are hosted locally by our intermediate unit (IU) partners. Act 48 credit hours are available. Click here to learn more.
7-12 Praxis Prep Pathway
The 100% virtual pathway is open to PA 7-12 educators currently or will soon be teaching a CS course and are planning to take the 7-12 CS Praxis required for certification. Act 48 credit hours are available. October 15 is the deadline to register for our current cohort (Click here).
- Peer tutoring is available to participants in any current or previous PaTTAN 7-12 pathway who are preparing for the Praxis exam. Click here to schedule a session.
School/District Teams: SCRIPT
The SCRIPT - the Strategic CSforALL Resource & Implementation Planning Tool - is a framework to guide teams of district administrators, school leaders, and educators through a series of collaborative visioning, self-assessment and goal-setting exercises to create or expand upon a computer science education implementation plan for their students (CSforALL). Contact your local IU partners to ask about any upcoming SCRIPT workshops. Click here to find your local facilitators.
- The 1-Year SCRIPT Workshop engages local education agencies (LEAs) in an in-depth review of the comprehensive plan that was created in the original SCRIPT workshop, and planning for the year ahead. LEAs interested in attending our 1-Year workshop should submit this interest form by October 15.
Open Office Hours: October 26, 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Drop in to these sessions to chat with us about CS education. No registration needed.
CSinPA Build | Fly | Code
Deadline extended!
The 100% virtual CSinPA Build | Fly | Code professional learning program supports LEAs in designing and implementing equitable CS learning opportunities using drone technology. No prior experience with CS or drones is necessary.
Educators will:
- develop CS knowledge and skills
- design and implement CS learning experiences with drones
- explore ways to expand CS opportunities for all students
Each LEA will receive a CSinPA Build | Fly | Code class pack of drones that supports in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning. Class packs remain the property of the LEA after the end of the program.
Learn more in the Program Information document, containing links to
- Program Timeline
- Program Application (applications received by November 1 will be prioritized)
MORE RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
CSinPA Monthly Meet-up: October 27, 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Anyone involved in CS education is welcome to attend! Breakout rooms will be used for small-group conversation about shared roles/interests. Act 48 credit hours are available. Registration in now open on the PaTTAN site.
CSinPA AI Think Tank
The AIinPA Think Tank is a new advisory committee that will share their input to help shape artificial intelligence (AI) education in Pennsylvania. This group is open to any interested stakeholders including educators, policymakers, parents, students, and industry professionals. To learn more, please complete the AIinPA Think Tank interest form by Friday, October 22.
NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing
Applications are due November 5. Any PA 9-12 grade woman, genderqueer, or non-binary student is eligible to apply. There are prizes for regional (PA has 3), state, and national winners. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations; applicants do not have to be “the best” CS student or have a long history of studying CS. Spread the word with these digital flyers. You can also refer a student using NCWIT's encouragement form.
PA CSTA Chapters
Basic membership in the national Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) is FREE. There are 4 active CSTA chapters in the Commonwealth, and educators may join multiple chapters. All PA chapters are actively seeking new members. Click on a chapter name below to learn more about membership and other opportunities.
- Leadership positions available (Contact outgoing president Erin Cawley directly for info.)
- Grade-level band leader positions available
- October 27, 7:30 pm: Monthly chapter meeting (virtual) with a focus on cybersecurity
- Leadership positions available
- Nov. 13: Fall symposium (virtual)
For more resources and opportunities:
- Click here to explore our Opportunities, Resources, & Current Events shared Doc.
- Click here to join the CSinPA Schoology course.
Here's one more thing we're excited about this month:
October is a great time to emphasize network security and privacy by focusing on the seven cybersecurity subconcepts found in the CSTA K-12 CS Students Standards:
- 1A-NI-04 (K-2) Explain what passwords are and why we use them, and use strong passwords to protect devices and information from unauthorized access.
- 1B-NI-05 (3-5) Discuss real-world cybersecurity problems and how personal information can be protected.
- 2-NI-05 (6-8) Explain how physical and digital security measures protect electronic information.
- 2-NI-06 (6-8) Apply multiple methods of encryption to model the secure transmission of information.
- 3A-NI-06 (9-10) Recommend security measures to address various scenarios based on factors such as efficiency, feasibility, and ethical impacts.
- 3A-NI-08 (9-10) Explain tradeoffs when selecting and implementing cybersecurity recommendations.
- 3B-NI-04 (11-12) Compare ways software developers protect devices and information from unauthorized access.
You can introduce students to cybersecurity concepts with games from The Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security. In celebration of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, educators may order a FREE 25 deck classroom set of Cyber Threat Defender game by sending an email to julina.macy@utsa.edu with:
- Name
- Grade Level
- School Address