CSinPA | May 2021
CELEBRATIONS & SHOUT-OUTS
Congratulations, 2021 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) national award winners:
- Hita Gupta (Conestoga SHS)
- Claire Jin (State College Area HS)
- Alexandria Westray (Phillips Exeter Academy).
The award, sponsored by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) honors 9th-12th grade students who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary for their computing-related achievements and interests, and encourages them to pursue their passions. Over 100 students across Pennsylvania received affiliate and/or national honors Click here for a complete list, then sort by Affiliate (PA Central, PA Western, PA Philadelphia Area). Want to learn more about AiC? Look for the student panel in the 2021 CSforALL-PA Summit schedule.
26 local education agencies and organizations receive 2021 PAsmart Advancing Grants.
On April 13th, Governor Wolf announced $10.8 million in PAsmart funding for CS and STEM projects across the Commonwealth. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused grant distribution, initially intended for Spring 2020, to be delayed until now. Click here for a complete list of projects and recipients.
We love learning about what’s going on with your efforts to expand CS in your community.
Tag tweets with #CSinPA or email us at csforall@pattan.net.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
May 6, 3:00 - 4:00 pm: Code Jumper
Learn about Code Jumper, a tactile coding tool used by students with visual impairment and blindness that puts physical “blocks” of code in your hands.
Note: While this event is being offered as part of Remake Learning Days, attendees seeking Act 48 credit must register on the PaTTAN website.
May 12, 3:00 - 4:00 pm: Monthly CSforAll Meet-Up - Panel Q&A
Panelists will discuss and answer questions about their experiences within CS and what motivated them to provide equitable access to CS.
Note: While this month's meet-up is one of the CSinPA events offered as part of Remake Learning Days, attendees seeking Act 48 credit must register on the PaTTAN website.
Drop by our Zoom rooms to chat with us about CS education. No registration needed.
K-8: Click here to join via Zoom
7-12 educators: Share your CS certification & exam plans
If you haven't yet, please tell us your plans for the certification and exam with this Google Form. The form allows for multiple submissions allowing you to update your status with the exam (before/after you register, and after you take the exam).
K-8 educators: Discover the K-8 virtual pathway
Based on the PAsmart K-8 Pathway, our CSinPA K-8 Virtual Pathway is open to ALL K-8 educators across Pennsylvania. To request more information, fill out this brief form.
2019-20 PASMART TARGETED GRANTS
7-12 Pathway
Participants are transitioning from Module 4 to Module 5 (final module) of the equity and pedagogy course this month and will meet in PLCs on May 12th.
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
2021 CSforALL-PA Summit
The theme for 2021, CS Celebrations, honors how educators across the Commonwealth created, adapted, and expanded CS learning opportunities throughout a year of change. Registration is now open.
Join us for Remake Learning Days Across America (RLDAA)!
CSinPA is hosting several statewide, virtual opportunities for educators, students, and families during RLDAA next month. Learn more and register at the RLDAA website.
- May 10, 5:00 - 6:00 pm: CSinPA Presents Family Toolkit
- May 10, 6:00 - 7:00 pm: Drones! Build | Fly | Code
- May 11, 6:00 - 7:00 pm: micro:Bit
- May 12, 6:00 - 7:00 pm: Family Code Night, in partnership with CS is Elementary
- May 13, 7:00 - 8:00 pm: Q&A with Counselors for Computing & CSinPA
National Family Code Nights
Pennsylvania led the nation with school and family participation in CS is Elementary's national National Family Code Nights in 2020. The Spring 2021 schedule of these free, virtual CS learning events for K-5 families is now available. Everyone is invited, regardless of previous experience and participation. Sign up for a National Family Code Night on the CS is Elementary website.
- May 5, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
- May 10, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
- May 19, 9:00 - 10:00 pm
- May 25, 5:00 - 6:00 pm
- June 2, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
- June 8, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
For more resources and opportunities:
- Join the CSinPA Schoology course.
- Explore our crowd-sourced shared Doc.
Here's something we're very excited about this month:
Following up the tremendous positive response to Family Night: Coding, we teamed up with Pennsylvania PBS to create another special program for K-5 families. Family Night: Engineering will debut on all PA PBS stations on May 13.