CSinPA November 2023

Review the report and check out the PA State Handout.

The CSinPA team at PaTTAN is reviewing the full report and reflecting on how it may shape our practices to better support students and educators across the Commonwealth. Please share your reactions to the report and ideas for how it can inform our team in our CS Community of Practice.

Sandra Hartman has just been appointed to the CSTA Equity Fellows Council. This is the inaugural year for the Council, and we look forward to seeing how Sandra continues the good work begun during her time as a CSTA Equity Fellow.

The program contains a collection of independent self-paced courses designed for educators seeking to dig deeper into specific CS professional learning topics. The program supports K-8 educators interested in exploring resources and opportunities to expand CS education, whether as stand-alone classes or by integrating CS concepts and practices into other content-area instruction.

Participants have the flexibility to enroll in multiple courses based on their interests and availability. They are not required to register for all courses or complete them in a specific sequence. Upon successful completion of all course activities, participants will receive Act 48 credit hours for each course. All credits will be awarded at the end of the program term.

Registration for the following courses will open this month. Additional courses are currently in development and will be announced as they become available within the program. Click Here to learn more about the program.

(Registration opens 11/10)

This 2-hour course is designed to support educators interested in computer science (CS) education. It aims to provide a fundamental understanding of CS education and examine the current landscape of CS education in Pennsylvania.

During the course, participants will engage in discussions on the importance of CS education and explore relevant data and gain insights into essential CS education concepts. They will also explore strategies for integrating CS by examining the CS K-12 framework and CSTA standards.

(Registration opens 11/10)

This 4-hour course is designed to support educators in utilizing music as a tool to engage students in computer science (CS) learning. Participants will discover opportunities for using CS to reinforce core concepts in music education, as well as using music to reinforce key CS concepts.

Participants will explore resources and strategies for integrating cross-content connections in music and computer science instruction. Educators will set a goal and share artifacts to demonstrate their progress in developing and implementing a lesson activity.

The NCWIT Aspirations in Computing High School Award (AiC HS Award) applications are due November 6th. The award honors 9th-12th grade women, genderqueer, and non-binary students for their CS achievements and interests.

The NCWIT AIC Educator Award applications are due December 4. The award honors educators who advocate for gender equity in CS.

K-12 teachers in any subject area are invited to apply for the INVITE AI in K12 Teacher Fellowship Program. Organized by the INVITE AI Institute, this program is intended to support K12 teachers in their efforts to introduce equitable and inclusive AI learning experiences for students.

Selected participants will receive complimentary registration and a $1500 travel stipend to attend workshops on teaching AI in K12 at the 2024 national Computer Science Teacher’s Association (CSTA) Annual Conference.

Applications are due January 16, 2024.

Educators and students who participated in the CSinPA Drones program shared their experiences of using drone in their classes during interviews conducted at our epic 2023 Build|Fly|Code Live! event.

Check out the three episodes here:

• Student Perspectives on CS featuring Octorara Area students DJ Mewhort and Aidan Smith. Watch on Youtube. Listen on Blubrry.

• Empowering D/HH Students with CS featuring Lori Blantz and Janice Beitzel from Lancaster Lebanon IU 13. Watch on Youtube. Listen on Blubrry

• Integrating CS into Special Education Classes featuring Kim Boyd (Octorara Area) and Meaghan Stolnis (West Chester Area SD) Watch on Youtube. Listen on Blubrry.

PDE is partnering with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct virtual focus groups with administrators, educators, and students in schools or districts that received a PAsmart targeted or advancing grant from 2018-2022 to support CS education and professional development.

Focus groups will be held virtually and consist of a 45-60 minute facilitated small-group discussion. Participants will receive a $40 gift card for their time.

The CSinPA team will begin recruiting for the focus groups in early November with a special edition of this newsletter, announcements in the CSinPA virtual community, and other communication.

Access previous editions of the CSinPA newsletter.

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