CSforAZ News
Issue 3: January 2018
CS News
Governor's Budget and CS
Announcement here.
Technolochicas LiFT in AZ
Televisa Foundation strongly believes Latina girls should have more possibilities to dream big on what they can become in areas of study that can revert situations of poverty, be granted skills, and knowledge that enable them to contribute to a more economically sound and diverse country.
This is why in 2017, Televisa Foundation in collaboration with the League of the United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and local organizations offered Technolochicas LiFT (TC Lift) programs. We are proud to announce that for the spring semester of 2018 with the support of INTEL we will offer 15 TC Lift programs in the state of Arizona. Through the Lift program we will introduce over 300 middle school girls to computer science in Nogales, Tucson and Phoenix.
Upcoming deadlines and events
Deadline Approaching!
The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and Infosys Foundation USA have announced the 2018 CSTA/Infosys Foundation USA Awards for Teaching Excellence. These awards celebrate the best computer science educators across the US and the world! The deadline to submit applications and nominations is January 22, 2018, and the awards are open to K-12 computer science teachers from around the globe. Hurry over to our site for more details on how to apply.
Code.org Professional Learning
Whether you are new to teaching computer science (CS) or have experience teaching other CS courses, the program is designed to promote growth by providing space for you to become comfortable with curricular materials, CS content, and pedagogy. Our curriculum provides a complete set of lesson plans that include inquiry-based activities, videos, assessment support, and educational tools. Learn more and apply here.
How Does Teacher Leadership Play a Role in Advancing CS?
January 25 from 7:30-8:30pm ET
Join us to learn from representatives from Alabama, Arkansas, and Virginia who can shed light on the different approaches states are taking, how teachers are helping, and what you can do to advocate for CS in your state. To learn more, see the events calendar.
CS Spotlight on Districts: Vail School District -Elementary School
The Vail School District is located just outside of Tucson and has approximately 13,500 students. As the focus on the use of technology has expanded, Vail has worked hard to provide its students at all grade levels with various ways to engage with coding and computer science. By identifying teachers interested in computer science (many with no prior experience), providing professional development opportunities, and supporting teachers and schools the district has been able to give every student the opportunity to engage with computer science both during and after the normal school day.
Here are some of the ways students are experiencing computer science at different grade levels:
Elementary School
Codesters: Codesters lets students create interactive projects in Python.
Virtual Reality Club - Students use Blender to create and print 3D images.
Makey Makey: Students at several elementary schools have gotten to experiment with CS using Makey Makeys. These are great for testing out circuits using unconventional items (like bananas, play doh, etc.) in order to learn more about conductivity; students can then apply their findings to create their own games, remotes, small inventions, etc.
Google CS First: Small thematic units that connect coding to real-world applications; lessons are self-paced, all materials are free, and include a teacher resource guide. No prior experience is necessary. K-5.
Ozobots: Provide opportunities for students to code using technology and paper and pens.
NXT Mindstorm for Legos: Students can build a 5 minute bot and then can learn how to program it to follow a line, deliver a ball, or climb an incline, or do a jousting competition.
Edison Robots: Edison Robots are new robots that works with lego parts that can follow paper coding to work way through maze.
Middle School
Middle School
Code HS: This is a self-contained, comprehensive online course that teaches students the basics of JavaScript programming. It is text based, not block based, and a good segway into more advanced coding concepts and classes.
CodeHS allowed us to create and offer a computer science special this year at Old Vail Middle School. Close to 600 students will cycle through this class by the end of the year with 6th and 7th grade students set to move on to more advanced computer science classes next year.
STEM Scouts: STEM Scouts re-imagines creative ways to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Interact with professionals in weekly hands-on lab sessions and discover new things in a fast-paced, thought-provoking, and fun way (stemscouts.org).
Robotics: Robotics have proven to be a popular and exciting way to get students thinking and using computer science. There are many electives and after school clubs in which students learn to program various types of robots. mBots have proven to be one of the most popular robots to use in our district. mBots allow students to use block programming that also shows coding language; allows students to program robots using an app on Chromebooks. Example: program a robot to go around the perimeter of a shape; calculate the perimeter, speed, etc.
The Vail Innovation Center offers a Robotics elective for their online and blended students. Students. They have been learning how to build and program mBots and how to work on virtual and real world arduino micro computers.
Raspberry Pi: This is a very flexible micro computer that can be programmed with either Scratch or Python. Raspberry Pis have proven to be an excellent way to teach students real world applications of coding with electronics. There are many fun projects and kits available.
Students at Old Vail Middle School are currently working on a wide variety of projects from a homemade “Alexa” to Rovers to Time-lapse photography.
High School
High School
TEALS: TEALS is a proven program that helps high schools build and grow sustainable computer science (CS) programs by pairing experienced and trained software engineer professionals with classroom teachers. Teachers from various content backgrounds work in partnership with TEALS volunteers and learn the CS curriculum by team-teaching in their own classrooms (www.tealsk12.org).
The TEALS program has been implemented this year at Andrada Polytechnic High School and Empire High School. Our professional volunteers are helping to build teacher knowledge and comfort with coding which allowed us to offer Intro to Computer Science at two new schools this year.
Video Production
Graphics and Animation
AP Computer Science
Honors Computer Science
3-D Design & Printing
Live-streaming and broadcasting of major events around schools
District Wide Events
BoxerBots: The BoxerBots are a team comprised of students in grades 8-12 from all of the high schools in the Vail School District and hosted by Vail Academy and High School. VSD Robotics gives authentic experience to students in programming, electronics, communications, and mechanics. However, these are just a few of the things that students learn while working on the robots (1828boxerbots.org).
Coding Cohort: The Coding Cohort is a group of teachers from throughout the district who are interested in expanding student access to computer science related activities. We have teachers at all grade levels, content areas, and levels of experience with computer science. Approximately 30 teachers get together once a month to discuss what is happening in their classrooms, upcoming events, professional development, and more.
Computer Science Night: Vail hosted their first annual Computer Science night this past December to kick off Computer Science Education Week. Students from throughout the district presented on various computer science activities they have been studying. Some student-led activities included virtual Arduino computers, Raspberry Pi Computers, Makey Makeys, robotics, Hour of Code, and more. Community partners were also present to share information and activities about various types of cryptocurrency, the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range, the University of Arizona Computer Science program, and the University of Arizona Optics Club.
Hackathon: The first annual Vail Hackathon is currently being held. The primary goal of the hackathon is to give students a fun way to think creatively, problem solve, and share their thinking. Projects will be presented and both team and individual prizes will be awarded based on an open-ended rubric with a focus on solving problems in our community.
STEM Showcase: This year our 2nd annual STEM Showcase will be held in February to share many types of hands-on STEM activities including makerspaces, computer science, and more. We are excited to have Empire High School returning with their incredibly popular Chemistry Magic Show.
STEM Camps: Because of Vail's modified year-round schedule we strive to offer camps during school breaks as often as possible. Past STEM camps have included engineering challenges, robotics, coding, and much more for both elementary and middle school students.
Questions? Please feel free to reach out to us!
Emily Marshall is the Education Technology Director for Vail School District and can be reached at marshalle@vailschooldistrict.org
Mark Breen is the Director of Technology for the Vail School District and can be reached at breenm@vailschooldistrict.org
CSforAZ
Website: https://csforaz.org/
Location: Phoenix, AZ, United States
Twitter: @CSforAZ