CSinPA May 2023
Shout-outs and Celebrations
2023 CSforAllPA Exemplary Educator Finalists
We are pleased to announce finalists for the 2023 CSforAllPA Exemplary Educator Award which recognizes outstanding K-12 computer science (CS) educators for their efforts to expand CS learning for all.
The winner will be announced on Thursday, June 15 at the 2023 CSforAllPA Summit.
Matthew Farr
Matthew Farr (he/him) has been at Fleetwood Area School District teaching CS and math since 2006. Matthew has been working with the E-Sports Unleashed Educational Scholar Team at Albright University.
Bryan Hower
Bryan Hower (he/him) is a high school computer science teacher in the School District of Lancaster for 9 years but has been teaching CS since 2004. Bryan has been selected for the 2023 Cyber.org Educator Award.
Tamar McPherson
Tamar McPherson (she/her) has served Plum Borough School District for the last 19 years teaching CS. Tamar has been serving as the president of the CSTA Pittsburgh chapter.
PA joins ECEP Alliance
On April 27th, the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance announced the acceptance of seven new member states, including Pennsylvania.
The mission of ECEP is to broaden participation in computing by identifying and addressing the policies, pathways, and practices in state education systems that are barriers to diverse student engagement and success. ECEP state leaders believe that improving equitable capacity for, access to, participation in, and experiences of CS education will increase the number and diversity of students in computing and computing-intensive degree pathways in their states.
Sara Frey (PaTTAN), Jamie Payton (Temple University), and Jigar Patel (Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11) will represent Pennsylvania at the 2023 ECEP Alliance Summit, May 2-3, 2023. During the Summit, they will identify actions and policies that drive short and long-term goals for broadening participation in CSinPA, and engage in a collaborative community with leaders from the 30 states and territories in the alliance.
We look forward to learning more about their experience at the Summit and Pennsylvania's involvement in ECEP.
2023 BUILD FLY CODE Live!
We had a blast at the CSinPA BUILD FLY CODE Live! events at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology last month with approximately 165 students and educators from:
AIU3, ARIN IU28, Butler Area SD, CCIU, Colonial SD, DuBois Area SD,
Gateway SD, Indiana Area SD, Laurel SD, Lancaster-Lebanon IU13,
MIU4, Octorara Area SD, Reach Cyber Charter School,
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Tri-Valley SD, & West Chester Area SD
Thank you, For The Win Robotics and Innovation Institute for Tomorrow for putting together such an amazing event for CSinPA educators and students!
Professional Learning
2023 CSforAllPA Summit
The Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education is pleased to announce the sixth annual Pennsylvania Computer Science For All (CSforAllPA) Summit will be held June 14-15, 2023 at PaTTAN Harrisburg and online. Registration is now open!
7-12 Praxis Prep Pathway
Registration for the summer cohort will close June 30. PA 7-12 educators who are teaching or will soon be teaching CS courses may enroll in the pathway to prepare for the PA 7-12 CS Certification Exam (Praxis exam 5652).
Opportunities and Resources
Remake Learning Days
Remake Learning Days (RLD) is an annual festival of learning events for youth, their families, caregivers, and educators Events are hosted by a variety of organizations, and most are free.
RLD is happening now through May 23 in Pennsylvania. Find RLD events near you and use the keyword search to look for CS-related events.
CSinPA Toolkits under construction
Be on the lookout for the new CSinPA Educator Toolkit arriving this month! Designed for educators and administrators involved in K-12 CS education, the Educator Toolkit contains everything you loved from the previous versions of the Administrator toolkit and the Teacher toolkit, plus more, in a fresh new format.
We are still hiring a K-8 Lesson Resources Content Developer for the CSinPA Educator Toolkit. Learn more about the position at CSinPA Toolkit Content Developer.
We're hiring!
We are accepting applications for an educational consultant to join the PaTTAN CSinPA team.
The full-time educational consultant: PAsmart Computer Science position will provide training and technical assistance to school districts, intermediate units, and agencies in Pennsylvania in the area of Computer Science and STEM. The position is available ASAP and has a minimum annual salary of $89,758.
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