"This week is Computer Science Education Week, and millions of students across the United States will participate in an Hour of Code. Over the last four years, the Hour of Code has been instrumental in offering children the opportunity to try coding. Computer science, however, is much more than just coding, and students need much more time to learn and practice computing skills and dispositions to be prepared for the world in which they're growing up. These skills and dispositions of a computer scientist are commonly referred to as "computational thinking" and increasingly, computational thinking is being introduced to students within the subjects they study every day."
"Objective: Students will engage all of the design and communication skills they have developed by inventing a game that teaches the player something new.
Tools/Materials Required: As needed
Depth of Knowledge: Extended Thinking
Teacher's notes are in purple. For the student's version, see Play to Learn Student Guide."
"The Learning Studio Project Guides are designed to support students in developing important skills in the Learning Studio. The Project Guides are categorized in alignment with the Webb's Depth of Knowledgeframework to indicate the complexity of the project."
"How can you stimulate students and teachers to engage in computational thinking with data? One key is to provide a realistic, relevant, and meaningful context. We're excited to release two new resources-a short video and a two-page handout-that teachers can use to introduce students to how the music industry is using data and computation."
"fter talking to 350 students, educators, and parents across 30 schools, they found few schools where powerful learning, in which most students were engaged and thinking critically, was happening across the board. However, they did find individual teachers who were making it happen on their own. In those classrooms, students were enthusiastically engaged, participating in challenging tasks that drew on their analytical and problem-solving skills. Mehta and Fine describe these bright spots in their new book, In Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to Remake the American High School.
Usable Knowledge sat down with Mehta and Fine, who is now the director of the teaching apprenticeship program at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education in San Diego, to find out how other teachers can replicate the successes they uncovered - and how to prepare teachers to facilitate the kind of deeper learning we'd hope to see in every setting."
"During CS Ed Week, countless teachers and students experienced computer science for the first time. Whether it was their first, second, or hundredth time, I hope that this taste of CS left them hungry for more. Code.org has created a great compilation of resources for how students can continue learning. In this post, I'd like to suggest some ideas for how teachers who are new(ish) to CS can go beyond the Hour of Code."
"Across the United States and around the world, educators are being called on to help their students prepare for futures in an increasingly computational world. Integrating computational thinking into activities, lessons, and curricula not only supports building new skills, but also enhances learning and engagement in every discipline.
However, there are still many more educators who do not feel comfortable with computational thinking concepts than those who do."
"Thanks to the successes of campaigns like the Hour of Code and this week's Computer Science Education Week, educators, policymakers, and families around the country are realizing the value of coding and computer science in K-12 education. But how do "code," "computer science," and, "computational thinking," fit together? What is motivating their introduction into schools, and how might they change education?"