2016 Computer Education Science Week (December 5th-9th) is here!

Next week is Computer Science Education week (December 5th-9th), which is an annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take an interest in computer science.  Computer science drives innovation and career growth. A study performed shows that by the year 2020 we will have 1 million more programming jobs than students prepared to take those jobs.   The goal of Computer Science Education week is to expose students to computer science helping them develop important skills for the future.

Being a former teacher I understand the difficulty of having to adjust your weekly schedule, but finding time to promote computer science would provide a benefit to our students.  I know last year many students were exposed to computer science through Hour of Code and understand some may be doing it again this year.  I think that is great, but I am also providing some other activities and resources you could try:

1. Participate in Hour of Code: 
• code.org
2. Go Beyond hour of code: 
• Elementary Coding Apps/Websites:  Scratch, ScratchJr, Kodable, Tynker
• Secondary Coding Apps/Websites: Hopscotch, CodeCombat, Kodu Game Lab, Google CS First
3. Webinars: Participate in live webinars that show different opportunities in computer science. Seesaw is an awesome digital portfolio app I have discussed before and they are providing live webinars during the week showing how coding and design thinking come together (Click this link to learn more and register: Seesaw Coders).  The webinars are 20-30 min in length and are intended to be attended live with your whole class.  Topics:
• How do you build an app?
• Product Design 101
• Jobs in Computer Science
• Girls Who Code?
4. Videos: Show TED Talk or Youtube videos related to computer science or technology.  Here are a few to consider:
• The Math Behind Basketball's Wildest Moves
• The First Secret to Design is Noticing
• Toy Tiles that Talk to Each Other
• The Future of Flying Robots
• How a Driverless Car Sees the Road
• New Bionics that Let Us Run, Climb, and Dance
• A 12 Year-Old App Developer
5. Use Makey/Makey Kits: kits need to be purchased...we may have a few in our buildings (MS STEAM and LS Makerlab that might be able to be used): http://makeymakey.com/
6. Connect computer science to students interest: Have students research how technology plays a role in their favorite hobbies. 
7. Get away from the computer: Promote the mental skills needed to be successful in computer science (logic and creative thinking skills): CS Unplugged provides activities designed to help students develop critical thinking skills without using a computer. 

If you are interested in finding more resources to help bring computer science into the classroom, visit code.org and the Computer Science Education Week website