Computer Science Teachers Association
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RSS FEED IDEMS: Computer Science Teachers Association
- Applause for ISTE Standards Refresh
Over the last year the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has been carrying out a review and renewal of its National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) and early indications are that the results will be positive for educators concerned about ensuring that students have the skills they need to thrive in an increasingly technological world.
The newly released ISTE NETS for Students Draft document (1/4/2007) is a move towards inclusion of computer science topics as well as technology topics under one standard. I applaud ISTE for suggesting a broader base of computing studies than in previous standards.
While I believe the draft represents a step toward better computing preparation for K-8 students in the US, the one-page draft does not provide sufficient indication as to the anticipated level of student understanding expected. For example, Section "VI.A. Technology Operations and Concepts, understand and use technology systems" does not indicate the type of technology systems. I can reasonably imagine this as anything from connecting and using a DVD player or MP3 player, to connecting and using a computer system.
Unfortunately, "IV.B. Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving and Decision-Making, plan and manage activities to develop solutions and complete projects" also fails to specifically state that students should use algorithmic thinking as a means to develop solutions. Trial and error is a great place to start, but eventually standard algorithms need to be introduced and modified in the approach to a solution.
CSTA applauds ISTE for moving technology standards forward and for introducing concepts that are suggested in the
ACM Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science Education. While not perfect, the revised NETS are moving students toward knowledge and skills necessary for success in today's digital world. We would encourage ISTE, however, to look at the future needs of US students and consider a more comprehensive approach to these needs.Anita Verno
Chair, CSTA Curriculum Committee
Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:16:46 -0500 - AP Report Shows Slight Improvements
The College Board has released its Report to the Nation for 2007 and the good news is that the number of students writing the A and AB Computer Science Advanced Placement exams seems to be on the rise after four years of continual decline.
Between 2002 and 2005 the overall number of students taking AP CS dropped from 23,459 to 19,021. In 2006, however, there is a slight upward trend of about 3% to 19,601.
The distribution of examinees by grade level is fairly similar to last year, with a slight increase (from 0.8% to 1.4%) in students who are taking the exam as early as 9th grade).
Exam Takers by Grade Level
9th grade: 1.4%
10th grade: 14.5%
11th grade: 36.6%
12th grade: 42.4%
Other: 5.2%The Grade Distribution also remains fairly consistent.
AP Grade Distribution
Score of 5: 24.9%
Score of 4: 21.6%
Score of 3: 15.1%
Score of 2: 8.1%
Score of 1: 30.3%There is also a slight improvement in gender equity, with the percentage of young women writing the AP CS exam rising from 15% to 16%.
AP Exam Takers by Gender
Male: 84%
Female: 16%The number of exam takers who are students from traditionally underrepresented populations has also improved marginally. Both the number of Hispanic or Latino students and the number of Black or African American students have increased by 0.4%.
AP Exam Takers by Race & Ethnicity:
White: 52.8%
Asian American or Pacific Islander 22.4%
Hispanic or Latino: 6.6%
Not stated: 5.0%
Other: 4.0%
Black or African American: 3.8%
American Indian or Alaska Native: 0.4%These small improvements are a positive sign in light of growing concerns about the AP Computer Science exam, but it is doubtful that they are sufficient to overcome the growing sense among both K-12 and university educators that the exam is in need of a significant review and revision.
Mon, 05 Mar 2007 12:34:59 -0500 - Jakob Nielsen Weighs In on Key Computing Skills
Dr. Jakob Nielsen, often referred to as an expert on usability, and a well known name in software and website design recently posted an article about "Life-Long Computer Skills" on his alertbox page at useit.com.
Several of the topics presented by Dr. Nielsen parallel with what CSTA is recommending in the ACM Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science. Here are some of the alignments.
Dr. Nielsen talks about:
Information Credibility and Information Overload, which is discussed as being topic number 10 in both the grade level 3-5 and 6-8 topics.Writing for Online Readers, which is discussed as being topic number 10 in the K-2 topics, and topic number 6 in the 3-5 topics.
Computerized Presentation Skills, which is discussed as being topic number 8 in the K-2 topics, and topics number 4, 5, 6, and 8 in the 6-8 topics.
Debugging as the process of fixing mistakes in a computer medium (ie errors in spreadsheet formulas) which can be seen throughout all of the grade levels in the model curriculum.
Isn't it nice when outside sources confirm that what you are advocating is a good idea?
The more education is coming into the spotlight, the more people agree that teaching computer skills and computational based thinking to all students is a good idea.
Share this information with your colleagues, your administrators and people in your district at all grade levels!
Leigh Ann Sudol
Chair, Communications Committee
Tue, 27 Feb 2007 13:40:00 -0500 - CS Student Podcasts Great Classroom Tool
Women university students studying computer science are now making the most of their media savvy to provide information and resources to other students interested in computing, and providing a cool new resource for computer science teachers.
Students at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania have created a series of computer science podcasts on topics such as genetic algorithms, zip code encoding, encryption, searching and sorting in MySpace, and my personal favorite, malware.
The podcasts are all part of the "Where is the Software" series, feature student-delivered mini-tutorials on interesting computer science concepts and run from about seven to fifteen minutes.
The production team of Sara Joseph, Charmagne McKinney, Logan Kennedy, Elizabeth Jones, Natasha Gunasekara and Tina Bledsoe who are part of the WiCS (Women in Computer Science) group at their university, originally envisioned the podcasts as a way to reach out to local high school girls to help them see computer science as both interesting and challenging.
These podcasts, however, also make great mini-tutorials that you can use in the classroom to highlight concepts that you may be covering in class or to give students a better idea of the breadth of the computing disciplines.
You can access the podcasts at:
http://whereisthesoftware.podshow.com
The students say that they are planning to produce a new podcast every month.
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:29:34 -0500 - How does more testing ensure that students are gaining critical thinking skills?
For those of you who have not yet seen it, the Commission on No Child Left Behind has put out their report proposing changes and updates to the NCLB legislation currently in place.
In reading the high school section of the report (Chapter 6) I was immediately drawn to the recommendations that they are making for high schools. In addition to changing the way that high schools are evaluated, and including evaluation for principals, there are some changes that concern me. First of all the report states that "70 percent [of employers] said that high school graduates were deficient in critical thinking and problem solving skills" (p. 131).
Are they recognizing that there is a pressing need to include more critical thinking activities (such as large design projects) or that students take at least one elective course in their high school career that is designed around critical thinking and problem solving? No, this is not their solution. Instead they are instituting another grade level assessment at the 12th grade level. If they are not bothering to teach these key concepts and skills as part of the curriculum, why on earth do they think that yet another assessment will solve the problem?
Problem-solving courses can take many forms and many of these courses already exist in schools. The problem is that they are being phased due to the pressures of NCLB. Why not re-energize those courses, computer science included, by recognizing they teach an important set of concepts that is often missed in the four R's.
Regardless of your feelings about NCLB and the mentioned changes here, I highly recommend you read the report. Even if you do not read the entire report, at least read the sections pertaining to your particular sphere of existence. Share your thoughts, speak out, let us know what you think the solutions might be.
Leigh Ann Sudol
CSTA Communications Chair
Fri, 16 Feb 2007 11:47:20 -0500 - Portugal's CS Teachers Face Critical Challenge
According to Ana Paula Ferreira of the Portuguese Science Teachers Association (ANPRI), someone has been playing politics with teacher certification requirements in Portugal and the future of computer science in high schools is in jeopardy.
Since the 1990s, Portugal has had a pre-service university degree for people who want to teach computer science courses. Since that time, many high schools have been teaching computer science in grades 10 through 12.
Recently, however, the Ministry of Education decided to allow anyone to teach computer science classes. The problem, Ana says, is that the people in the Ministry of Education do not understand the difference between teaching computer science and teaching technology in education (the use of computers to support learning in other curriculum areas).
The members of the ANPRI are very concerned that this change will allow teachers with no computer science background to teach computer science or will eliminate real computer science education altogether.
According to Ana, the computer science teachers who are part of ANPRI believe that it is essential to prepare their students for a technology-embedded future and computer science is a key element of their education. ANPRI is therefore committed to working in collaborating to the Ministry of Education to propose a special curriculum for K-12 schools, and develop special high schools courses.
ANPRI estimates that there are 2000 teachers with degrees in computer science teaching in Portugal's high schools. ANPRI represents 10% of that number the organization is launching a campaign to reach for new members.
Judith Gal-Ezer
Director for CSTA International Outreach
Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:47:45 -0500 - Educational Media and our Student's Generation
Over the past couple of decades we have witnessed major changes in the culture of our country and the way that people interact with it on an everyday basis. Within such a short period of time the way in which humans in a large percent of the world, and definitely in a large part of America receive and process information has completely changed.
It seems silly, but for the past year or so I have referred to the current generation of students as the iPod generation. This labeling came about for a variety of reasons, least of all because none of them ever seem to be without their iPod. For them computing is ubiquitous. It pervades their transportation, their recreation, everything.
As educators we often try and win the "distraction" war where we ask students to put away and turn off their electronic devices, almost as if they were in an airplane about to take off and we were afraid it was going to interfere with our instrumentation. There are so many case studies of where teacher's are engaging their students with electronic media (podcasts, wikis, class blogs, etc.) without taking time away from their curriculum.
As computer science teachers we are also faced with this dilemma. There are so many tools out there to be used in the classroom to bring media in as a part of programming. They include but are definitely not limited to Alice, Karel the Robot, and all of the programs where teachers have created curriculum to do media manipulation as introductory programming assignments.
There is a good article that was recently published in Edutopia that I would strongly recommend for any educator, computer science or otherwise. The article entitled "Synching up with the iKid" by Josh McHugh talks about how the ways that students process information is a direct result of their environment. Form your own opinions, but share them so that we can discuss and debate whether or not our modes of instruction need to change.
Leigh Ann Sudol
Communications Chair
Mon, 12 Feb 2007 11:26:11 -0500 - Girl Scout Outreach for CS
When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a Boy Scout because
they got to go camping and build stuff. We got to make "campfires"
out of celery sticks and marshmallows. That's why I'm so excited to
see this article in the Daily Texan about efforts by
the Girl Scouts to interest and inform girls about science and
technology through hands-on experiences.Computer science isn't offered at so many schools that I think
popular non-school entities picking up the slack can only help. If we
want our population to understand our discipline and be able to make
informed decisions about things like funding (never mind filling jobs
in the many awesome careers out there) they need as many
opportunities as possible to learn how fun and interesting it is and
what it is about. The Girl Scouts also have a fun website at GirlsGoTech.org.I'm sure the Texas Girl Scouts aren't the only ones with a program
like The EDGE. One of our local troops has had our librarian in to
talk about internet safety. I'm excited to see computer scientists
reaching out to kids. I wonder what else is out there?Michelle Hutton
CSTA Vice President
Fri, 09 Feb 2007 11:56:41 -0500 - When the Worst of Times is the Best of Times
At the risk of looking a little too hard for that silver lining in the big black cloud, I am beginning to think that some very good things might come out of the current bust in computer science education.
If you have been living on another planet for a while, you might not be aware that there is a crisis in computer science enrollment in university and college computer science courses across the country. Current research indicates that enrollment in postsecondary courses has dropped by 40% with some suggesting that the drop in applications to these programs may be down by as much as 60%.
These figures are worrying for a number of reasons. Prestigious programs that have traditionally attracted far more applicants than they can accept, now have a smaller body of well-qualified students from which to choose. Many middle-sized computer science programs have had to reduce the number of students they admit (fewer students in each class, but also fewer courses, and less revenue for the department). And at some small colleges, computer science is at risk of disappearing all together. Of course, these are just the short-term problems.
In this increasingly technology-based and globalized economy, long-term failure to produce enough qualified workers is a sure path to the economic backwaters. Few realize that computer science is not just the backbone of technological innovation. It is the engine that keeps every single industry up and running. Try to imagine the drug companies, the hospitals, the banks, the insurance companies, even education, without skilled computing professionals.
So why on earth is this a good thing? These same dropping enrollments are engendering discussions that are long overdue. In the light of diminishing student interest in computer science, computer science educators have finally begun focusing on our failure to teach computer science in a way that engages all students.
In a recent issue of the ACM SIGCSE Bulletin Inroads (Vol. 38. No. 4), Lisa Kaczmarczyk muses that the very ubiquity of computing may be the greatest problem facing computing education. "Computing studies do not appear cutting edge to the majority of students and the public - not in a way that appeals to their passions."
Computing education she argues, needs to be reenergized. "The world of possibilities beyond the external, beyond the metal box and blinking screen, is what we need to instill in the public and in our students. It has to happen in every class that we teach, so that our students become entranced with the potential of computing."
Kaczmarczyk then poses three important questions for educators.
* What course do you teach?
* Can you make it truly interdisciplinary? (No exceptions, no excuses, no hall pass.)
* How are you exciting your students to become more passionate about computing?These are core questions and it is very exciting to find that more and more educators are raising them, in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities.
Dropping enrollments are providing a powerful and long-overdue incentive for reenvisioning computer science education.
At CSTA, we have just released a second edition of the ACM Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science with a new foreword that explores how a number of different educators are creating new instructional practices to make our discipline more relevant and engaging to today's students.
What are you doing in your school?
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director
Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:03:48 -0500 - Florida's New High School Computing Majors
In an effort to provide students with more highly defined career paths, the state of Florida is requiring high school students to choose a college-style major. To facilitate this change it has created a list of 400 possible majors, including eight that deal specifically with computing.
Computer and Communications Technology
Computer Education
Computer Education - Applications
Computer Education - Programming
Computer Education (Magnet)
Computer Graphics and Design
Computer System Analyst
Computer Systems TechnologyThe good thing about this list of possible majors is that it includes the possibility of computing technology majors (Computer and Communications Technology and Computing Applications), majors relating specifically to the use of computing across the curriculum (Computer Education and Computer Education - Magnet)) and majors that can be considered more traditional computer science courses Computer Education - Programming, Computer System Analyst, and Computer Systems Technology). It also includes opportunities to focus on the use of computing inn other disciplines with majors such as Bioinformatics and Business and Information Technology).
The problem with the list of majors, however, is that in attempting to connect courses with specific career paths, Florida may be focusing on so closely on one particular element of a discipline that it will make it difficult for students to acquire a sufficiently broad knowledge to function well in a workplace where both the jobs and what they are called are continually shifting.
Take Computer Education - Programming for example. While there are some who think that computer science is really just programming, experts in the high tech industries will tell you that computer science is a whole lot more. Students need a foundational understanding of software design, software development, and software maintenance. They also need to be introduced to diverse areas of computer science, such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interfacing just to name a few. A course in programming alone won't prepare them for the world of work.
Florida might be wise to take a page from the ACM Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science, and organize the computing courses to allow students to learn the core concepts they require first, and then to explore the various specializations the discipline offers. Taking this approach, the majors might be listed as :
Computer and Communications Technology
Computer Applications
Computer Science: Introduction
Computer Science Analysis and Design
Special Topics in Computer Science:
graphics and design
robotics
networkingThis kind of organization would be far more likely to ensure that students learn what they need to learn and that the system of majors remains flexible enough to serve Florida schools over time.
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director
Thu, 21 Dec 2006 14:17:00 -0500 - The Pitfalls of Corporate Sponsorship
All educational associations would be wise to pay attention to the roasting the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is taking right now over its refusal to distribute a video on global warming to its members.
The controversy has arisen over NSTA's refusal to distribute 50,000 free DVD copies of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth". In a recent Washington Post article, the film's producer, Laurie David, reported receiving an email refusal of the free teaching materials from the NSTA indicating that acceptance of the DVDs would place an "unnecessary risk upon the (NSTA) capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters." Also in the email, NSTA claimed that it did not want to offer a political endorsement that distribution of the film might imply. The problem, says David, is that NSTA has shown no such qualms about accepting more than $6 million in funding from Exxon Mobile, which has an alternative but similarly political end in mind when it comes to dealing with issues of fossil fuels.
Whether you personally agree or disagree with the NSTA's decision, this situation is sadly indicative of the tightrope all educational associations walk. The fact is, associations such NSTA, CSTA, and NCTM are increasingly stepping in to fill the huge educational gaps that other institutions have abandoned. We are doing the research, and creating the learning materials, and providing professional development for teachers. And doing all of this take money.
You might be surprised to learn that for most educational associations, membership fees account for less than 20% of the operating budget. That means we have to find the money to do all the good things we do from someplace else. There are only so many National Science Foundation grants to go around, so all of us, not just NSTA, rely on some form of corporate sponsorship.
To date, CSTA has been blessed with wonderful sponsors and we are very proud of the things we have accomplished together. Like most organizations, we focus on finding projects that are clearly in support of our mission and of benefit to our members. We also look carefully at the practical and moral implications of our choices. In truth, we have had to turn money down for projects that would imply CSTA support for a given product because our Board feels strongly that this is the right thing to do.
Whether right or wrong, I feel sorry for the good folks at the NSTA today. They have spent many years trying to do good things for teachers with far fewer resources than they need. The politics of scarcity gets us all eventually.
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director
Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:37:01 -0500 - International Perspective on Girls in the Sciences
The Financial Times reported recently that females are more likely to study Information Technology if it involves problem solving, team work, and creativity. One of the Israeli daily newspapers has also just published research which finds that girls studying computing get slightly better grades than boys, though not significantly higher. They aslo get higher grades in physics and math. The problem, however, is that in computer science and physics, only about a third of the high school students choosing to take these courses are girls. Approximately the same picture is seen in higher education in Israel and elsewhere. Why is it so? Have you an ideas? Any solutions?
Judith Gal-Ezer
CSTA Director for International Outreach
Fri, 17 Nov 2006 19:25:21 -0500 - A Rant About Salaries
I am beginning to wonder if we will ever successfully address the issues around improving computer science education as long as we fail to grapple with the issue of teacher salaries.
In every conversation I have had with people from business and industry and government, there is a genuine concern with ensuring that we have knowledgeable and well-trained professional teachers in the computer science classroom. Teacher pay, however, is the 800 pound gorilla everyone seems determined to ignore.
In most states, high school teachers now require an undergraduate degree in some area of specialization as well as a teaching certification that takes an additional one to two years to achieve. In many states, provinces, and countries, licensed teachers are also required to write (and pass) praxis exams in their academic area and to maintain a level of on-going professional development. And none of this even takes into consideration what they actually face in the classroom (for example critical shortages of resources, lack of professional respect, large class sizes, students of widely varying abilities to name just a few).
And what do they get for their troubles? Not much. Here is a chart of salaries for high school teachers.
And here is a similar chart for computer programmers/analysts (often considered the bottom rung of the conputer science jobs ladder).
My guess is that until we bring these two more into line (start paying computing teachers what they are worth) great teachers with computing skills are going to continue to find it very difficult to justify their choice to teach.
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director
Fri, 27 Oct 2006 14:14:31 -0500 - CS Prepares Students for Workplace Success
CSTA member Greg Lampard from Cherrie Hills Christian School sent me a copy of the recent report published by the Conference Board and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills entitled Are they Really Ready to Work: Employers’ Perspectives on Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce.
The report focuses on the skills considered important for success in the workplace. The good news is that all of the employers surveyed agreed that Information Technology Application Skills (with an emphasis on using the correct tools for problem-solving) were very important. The bad news is that high school graduates received only an "adequate" rating on three very important skills: Information Technology Application, Diversity, and Teamwork/Collaboration.
I find this very interesting for two reasons. The first is the extent to which studying computer science in high school supports the acquisition of these three key skills. At its foundation, the study of computer science is the study of problem solving and the selection of appropriate technological tools to solve real-world problems. The second is that computer science educators in K-12 are increasingly using project-based learning to ensure that students learn to plan appropriately, work cooperatively, communicate effectively, and manage time wisely, thus improving the likelihood that their students will be better prepared for today's work world.
What I find especially disturbing, however, is that if current trends continue, it will take very little time for this barely acceptable "adequate" rating to slip to "inadequate". The sad reality is that computer science is increasingly under pressure in K-12 and very much in danger of disappearing altogether.
As far as we can tell, this is happening for four reasons.
1. Schools are increasing the number of mandatory courses that students must take, and because computer science is an elective course, students simply cannot fit it into their schedules.
2. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary (the Bureau of Labor Statistics), students and their parents believe that there are no opportunities for jobs in computing.
3. Schools attempting to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation are pulling computer science teachers out of the computing classrooms so that they can teach remedial math and either replacing them with inexperienced teachers or not replacing them at all.
4. There are far too many misguided school officials who have no idea what computer science is, and so mistakenly assume that it lacks the rigor of current math or science courses.CSTA is working on all of these issues. We are producing policy and briefing documents for school administrators and policy makers. We are developing new sources of careers information and making them available to teachers, school counselors, and students. And we are working with industry folks to help them understand that if students are to graduate with the skills that will make them ready for the workforce, they have to have the opportunity to acquire these skills as part of their K-12 education.
If the authors and organizations behind this report are serious about improving students' preparedness to meet the needs of this globalized 21st Century economy, they need to begin convincing schools that canceling classes in the one discipline that can guarantee that students will acquire these skills is a very bad business indeed.
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director
Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:03:21 -0500 - What The Heck Just Happened in Texas?
Mark Stehlik kindly agreed to let us repost his message to the AP Listserv regarding Texas' recent decision not to include computer science as a math or science credit under their plan to increase the number of mandatory courses for high school students.
The state of Texas has recently approved a requirement called 4x4, to graduate in its recommended or distinguished track, it will require 4 years of Math, Science, English (Language Arts), and Social Studies.
Prompted by this, a week ago Thursday, I and an intrepid band of Texas secondary and college computer science educators ventured to testify before the Texas State Board of Education with the hope of persuading the board members to approve a petition formulated by Karen North to allow Computer Science (specifically, AP CS, not a course like Web Mastering) to count as a Math or Science in the newly approved 4x4 curriculum.
We arrived at 9:00 a.m. to find that we were item 8 on a 13-item agenda. And that 33 people were slated to testify to item 7 (discussion concerning the implementation of the 4x4 curriculum). As we sat and listened to discussions concerning the proper labeling of consumables (among the minutiae that occupy a state board of ed), we were heartened by positive references to Computer Science made in the testimony for item 7.
Unfortunately, those wan hopes were positively crushed by the board. First, since so many people testified on item 7, we didn't begin testifying until shortly before 6:00pm (needless to say, my 5:55 flight back to Pittsburgh left without me). Second, perhaps because of the late hour, approximately 6 board members (of 15 total) decided not to be present for our testimony. Their chairs were empty! It was positively disconcerting after watching all the favor paid to certain item 7 witnesses to see such an abject display of disinterest in our cause.
Further, unlike for item 7, there were virtually no questions subsequent to individual testimony (only 1 question, asked of 2 witnesses, was, "So, if you had to pick one, is Computer Science a math or a science?"). Of the 13 people testifying on this item, 2 were against (and 1 practically called us all liars for attempting to characterize Computer Science as science as we do not observe the natural world and thus are not a true science). (As an aside, I agree that Computer Science is not a Natural Science, but that doesn't make it not a science, or relevant to the future education of these students, but I digress).
At the end of the testimony, a board member asked to accept the Superintendent's recommendation to deny the petition (which was based on the fact that CS didn't require Algebra II as a prerequisite, which the board decided to no longer require as part of its discussion of item 7!). The motion was seconded and passed N-2 to 2. I say N-2 because it was unclear how many members were actually present to vote (the chair asserted that there was a quorum, though).
Very depressing.
Mark Stehlik
Mon, 25 Sep 2006 12:56:07 -0500
