Free Bootstrap: Algebra Workshops in St. Paul and Duluth, October 26 and 27, 2018

The TeachCS program at the College of St. Scholastica is excited to offer “Boostrap: Algebra”. This workshop is geared math teachers but is open to all educators. We encourage any teacher with an interest in integrating computer programming concepts into their current curriculum to join us. This workshop is being offered free of charge through the TeachCS@CSS program with funding provided by Google, Inc.

“Bootstrap: Algebra” teaches students to program their own video games in an algebraic programming language, exposing them to key concepts aligned to National and State Math Standards. Middle and high school teachers across the country have implemented the curriculum as part of a regular math class, or as a math or CS elective.

In this accelerated training, attendees will discuss cognitive models of functions and variables in algebra, and why they often differ from what students see in programming. They will also explore Bootstrap’s hands-on techniques for common algebra concepts including the order of operations and word problems.

**Each session is limited to 25 people**

Identical sessions will be offered on both the St. Paul and Duluth campuses in late October:
St. Paul, 340 Cedar Street; October 26th, 6 – 9 PM
Duluth, 1200 Kenwood Avenue; October 27th, 1 – 4 PM

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE RSVP FORM IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND

You can find out more about TeachCS@CSS here: https://sites.google.com/css.edu/teachcs
You can find out more about Bootstrap Algebra here: http://www.bootstrapworld.org/materials/algebra/

TeachCS@CSS presents poster at ISTE 2018 in Chicago

Professor Chery Lucarelli, Asst. Professor Jen Rosato, Asst. Professor Jill Long, project consultant Heather Benedict, and K12 Cooperating School Partner Mike Pothast presented a poster session on our project at the ISTE 2018 International Conference in Chicago, IL.

Focusing on our work toward infusing computational thinking and pedagogical best practices throughout teacher preparation while addressing K-12 computer science equity issues, the session presented the model for faculty professional development as well as the curriculum design process and artifacts which infuse computational thinking (CT) skills throughout the teacher preparation experience. Using Sphero SPRK+ robots, attendees were able to try part of a secondary science lesson that simulates curling, one of the United States’ gold medal Olympic sports starring Duluth/Superior area athletes.

 

Accepted Students participate in CS education activities

College of St. Scholastica School of Education and School of Business and Technology faculty members Beth Lavigne and Jennifer Rosato presented a teacher education and computer science integration activity to accepted students during a March 2018 CSS Accepted Students Day.  Participants programmed robots to complete a curling challenge. After the robotics activity, all accepted students had the opportunity to participate in part of the “Introduction to Exceptionalities and Special Education” course (EDU 3250) with Dr. Amy Murzyn, as course in which Teach CS lesson content has been embedded.

Teach CS@CSS poster session wins award at SITE 2018 conference in D.C.

The Teach CS@CSS Poster Presentation, “A Journey Towards Computer Science and Computational Thinking as a New Literacy for Teacher Candidates” was awarded the Grand Champion Outstanding Poster Award at the 2018 Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) conference in Washington, D.C.

The poster shared our “in-progress” program model we are developing to prepare teacher candidates to teach computational thinking and computer science.  

We will be presenting again at the ISTE 2018 conference in Chicago, where we will be presenting a poster session titled “‘CSforAll’ Equals Computational Thinking Literacy for All Preservice Teachers”. The dates for ISTE 2018 are June 24–27, 2018. We hope to see you there!

 

CSS School of Education Hosts 8th Annual 21st Century Teaching and Learning Conference June 19, 2018

Educators and other practitioners, please join us for an exciting one-day conference for networking and making connections with leaders in the field of education. This exciting one-day conference begins with an inspiring keynote address and offers a full day of breakout sessions designed to meet the MED relicensure strands. Whether you are a K-12 teacher, a higher education faculty, college student or other learning practitioner, consider joining us for the 8th annual teaching and learning conference. Presentations will include hands on workshops and research based ‘best practices’ in teaching, learning and leading.

Call for proposals

Call for proposals is now open. Please consider presenting at the conference. Submit the 8th Annual 21st Century Teaching and Learning Conference proposal form for consideration. Proposals are due by March 15, 2018.

Keynote

Paul Gorski, Ph.D.
Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap

   

Paul Gorski is the founder of the Equity Literacy Institute and EdChange. He is also an Associate Professor of Integrative Studies at George Mason University, where he teaches in the Education and Social Justice concentrations. Gorski has more than 20 years of experience helping educators strengthen their equity efforts across a wide range of equity issues, and has worked with schools and districts in 48 states and a dozen countries.

He has published more than 60 articles and has written, co-written, or co-edited 12 books on many aspects of educational equity including Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap and Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education (with Seema Pothini). He is also the author of the Multicultural Pavilion website, a compendium of free resources for educators. Gorski earned a Ph.D. in Educational Evaluation at the University of Virginia. He is also a published poet, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and the biggest fan of Buster, his cat.

https://www.equityliteracy.org/team

TeachCS@CSS Workshop at 2018 CSTA conference in Omaha, NE

We will be presenting a workshop at the Computer Science Teacher’s Association national conference in July.  CSTA 2018

 

“Unplug It, Block It, & Build It: Computational Thinking in Action” presents the lesson plan for the hands-on learning module that was developed as a foundational learning activity for understanding computational thinking and computer science principles. This lesson plan was first used with pre-service teachers in the graduate level teacher licensing program at CSS. A modified version of it will also be used in the undergraduate teacher education programs at CSS, with its first appearance later this spring. 

PACER Center offers CS and Tech workshops to middle and high school students with disabilities

The PACER Center in Minneapolis is offering a series of hands-on Computer Science and Technology workshops specifically for tweens and teens. Details are available on the PACER website using the following links:

• Tech for Girls Club; workshops aimed at middle-school girls
• Tech for Teens; workshops aimed at teen boys and girls

Teach CS Featured in Lake Superior Magazine

The February/March 2018 issue of Lake Superior magazine includes an article discussing STEM initiatives at regional schools and post-secondary institutions. We are excited that they chose to mention the Teach CS project at The College of St. Scholastica.

“The idea [of the Teach CS project] is to endure that whatever CSS graduates teach- from high school social studies to middle school math to third-grade science- they will be able to pass on knowledge of and skills in computational thinking.” (p.65)

This issue of Lake Superior Magazine is currently available at local newsstands and stores. You can also visit their web site for subscription information.

Seen in CSS Tower Hall during Computer Science Education week!

TeachCS@CSS.EDU Poster at SITE 2018

We are excited to announce that we will be presenting a Poster Session at the 2018 The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education conference in Washington D.C., March 26-30, 2018.

At this session we will present the “in-progress” program model that The College of St. Scholastica is developing to prepare teacher candidates to teach computational thinking and computer science. This session will share the faculty professional development model and course as well as the curriculum design and coaching process and artifacts which infuse computational thinking (CT) skills throughout the teacher preparation experience. Several national standards have helped to guide and shape this work. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards for educators and students emphasizes computational thinking and are utilized to support teacher candidates in planning lessons and units. In addition, the Computer Science Teacher Association (CSTA) K-12 Computer Science Standards are used as part of the curriculum design process. 

More information about SITE 2018: http://site.aace.org/