Fall is upon us and winter is just around the corner! We hope the turning of seasons finds you well and your students discovering new things in your classrooms and sites!
This issue is packed with lots of opportunities to explore new things from pedagogical issues to working with national and statewide systems and peers. We hope you’ll avail yourself to some of the options here. Our students can feel it when we’re growing alongside them. We include some ways to mark Native American/Alaska Native Heritage Month as well as an opportunity to get ready for Computer Science (CS) Education Week in early December. It’s especially designed for elementary teachers who’ve never looked into CS or tried an Hour of Code!
If you’d like more up-to-the-minute computer science news and events, follow @MarkLantsberger, where I share all things CS in San Diego for TK-12 educators. You can also find more information on the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) computer science webpage. More direct inquiries can be made to Mark Lantsberger or Maria Hynes. If you have comments or suggestions for future issues, please fill out this Google form.
Know someone who might enjoy what you’re reading? Please share this link so others can sign up for future issues of Bit Blast!.
SDCOE Computer Science Coordinator
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CDE Releases Published Version of Computer Science Standards |
CDE has recently released a “booklet” form of the California Computer Science standards. They can be found at the Computer Science webpage and are downloadable as a PDF document. These are the same standards adopted in the fall of 2018 but with all the documents collated into a single book. Small victory, but it gives CS the same standing as other content field standards. Yay for us!
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Share and Collaborate with Educators from Across California |
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the California Educators Together website. This is the latest phase of the California Educators Community of Practice and has various content groups of interest you can join. The Computer Science Statewide group is open to classroom teachers, grade-level cohorts, content coordinators, and instructional leaders to exchange ideas and resources focused on topics related to this unique subject area. An account must be created; then select Groups, Computer Science, and Join! You can help contribute resources to this group as well as find other useful ones.
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Computer Science Education Week is Dec. 5 to 11 |
Elementary teachers and TOSAs who see exciting things happening with computer science, but don’t feel experienced or know where to start, are encouraged to participate in SDCOE’s introductory learning: Getting Ready for CS Education Week. You don’t have to be a programmer to start teaching computer science! This one-hour introduction from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 17 will walk through the process of planning an Hour of Code activity during CS Education Week, which happens from Dec. 5 to 11. Register here and learn more.
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Counselors for Computing (C4C) Offers Training Around Computer Science for Counselors |
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Counselors for Computing (C4C) provides information and resources that help counselors join the front line of the computing conversation. We bring people and programs together with professional development, knowledge, and resources to give all students access to transformative computing careers. The half-day session is being offered twice in December for your convenience, Dec. 2 and 13 at 8 a.m., at the SDCOE campus in Linda Vista.
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Join the Computer Science Professional Network for Elementary TOSAs |
SDCOE has launched a new professional network specifically designed for elementary TOSAs to further engage with Computer Science. STEM, STEAM, math, and science TOSAs are invited, but a warm welcome awaits for VAPA, ELA, and general TOSA's as well as any others who support elementary educators in implementing CS or instructional coaching. The network's goal is to expand understanding and implementation capacity around the California Computer Science standards, learn from each other about successful (and challenging) practices, and explore/play with interesting technologies and ideas. Most importantly, have a space to share with people who are experiencing similar things as you. The next meeting is Nov. 14. If you are a district administrator or a classroom teacher, please consider forwarding this invitation to anyone in your organization who may be interested.
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SCRIPT has Arrived in San Diego County! |
Does the implementation of Computer Science in your district feel haphazard sometimes? Do you wish you and your leadership team had some time to really think through making CS a priority? Wouldn’t it be great to have real pathways for students to follow in CS? Do you ever wonder if there is somebody who can help facilitate some future visioning and planning?
The Strategic CSforALL Resource and Implementation Planning Tool, a.k.a. the SCRIPT, is a framework to guide teams of district administrators, school leaders, and educators through a series of collaborative visioning, self-assessment, and goal-setting exercises to create or expand upon a computer science education implementation plan for their students.
SDCOE can facilitate a multi-day visioning workshop using the SCRIPT and it includes support for a full year! Email your inquires to Mark Lantsberger to start thinking about how to assemble your team. |
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Save the Date! Computer Science Administrators Workshop is Jan. 24. |
This is a deeper dive into how districts offer CS and are trying to consider it in an equitable way. This full-day workshop is designed for school administrators representing their local educational agency as a site, district, or county lead for CS, and interested in learning how to scale and sustain equity-minded computer science education as part of an ongoing professional learning community. The workshop was co-developed by UCLA Center X and the CSforCA advocacy group; it should be a powerful day! Consider finding a team of colleagues to join us on that day as it will offer opportunities for you all to look at your system as a whole and find ways to move CS forward to best serve all of your students. Registration information is forthcoming, so check the SDCOE CS webpage in the future.
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This section spotlights CS educators, administrators, and organizations making a difference for their students. If you have a CS hero in your system, tell us about it in this Google form for possible inclusion in a future edition of Bit Blast!.
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November is Native American/Alaska Native Heritage Month!
Did you know that there are 18 recognized tribes in San Diego County, the ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay nation? This is the most of any California county! Clearly our awareness should extend beyond a single month, but November is a great time to begin your learning journey (see the Input section below). SDCOE has created a great resource for you to grow your own understanding and honor your first nation students. Check the Native Ways of Knowing webpage for resources and micro-courses you can participate in!
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This section contains information about CS community groups and their gatherings. If you’d like to share an upcoming event or happening with Bit Blast!, please fill out this Google form.
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Strategic Recruitment to CS Classes! |
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Do the students in your CS classes mirror the demographics of the school or community population? Unfortunately , the answer is usually no, with significant underrepresentation of girls and non-binary students, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx students, and other marginalized groups. But, there are strategies for improving this. The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) has a short offering on the strategic recruitment of students for CS classes on Wednesday Nov. 16, from 4 to 5 p.m. Find reservation information here.
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California Supplemental Authorization Incentive Grant |
Attention San Diego County District Administrators: Wishing you could find credential-compliant Computer Science teachers? There's a way to develop your own! The California Supplemental Authorization Incentive Grant, Computer Science (SAIG-CS) can help develop new CS teachers from the amazing faculty you already work with.
The application for Request for Application Round 2 is due by Nov.18 at 5 p.m. While we recognize the very tight turn around to our own publication date, BitBlast! feels confident there will be another round of applications in the near future. If you’d like assistance with the application or you have questions about the information in the above video, please reach out to Mark Lantsberger.
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Everything You Wanted To Know About Indians But Were Afraid To Ask — Anton Treuer |
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Thinking of Native American Heritage Month, BitBlast! would like to offer this interesting book to read. Actually written for younger readers (middle and high), the book offers “to the point” information about Indigenous Peoples of North America. And, you could share this version with your students! Even though much of the information centers around tribal nations in the upper Midwest of the U.S., it still offers some valuable insights for many people who’ve had limited interactions with Indigenous People and offers an introductory read to start a learning journey.
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I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention something that is on every educator's mind right now. With the recent release of COVID-19-era test scores, we face many questions from students, parents, and voters. The results are rightfully noteworthy and should be a cause to check values and beliefs, and ask, “what the heck happened back there?”
I believe there is no one simple and direct answer. As CS educators, I think it’s important to convey that CS education is foundational education; especially at the elementary level. Numerous research studies show student understanding expands in most content fields as students learn about CS. It’s (in my opinion) much like studying music. You may find yourself in a “back to basics” conversation with someone. These types of reactions are natural, understandable, and foreseeable. But you may ask that person, “So you wish it looked the way it did when you were young? Does the world look the same as it did back then?” This could sprout an interesting conversation. Again, it’s so important to convey that CS education is foundational education in our modern era. A few research-based talking points may be helpful. Students who study CS:
- Outperform in reading, writing, math, and science exams in elementary school
- Outperform in problem solving and executive functioning skills
- Perform better in high school math courses
- Are 17% more likely to enroll in four-year college
- Outperform in problem-solving at university
- Make higher wages after graduation
- And…language skills are 8x more likely to predict success in CS than math skills
If you find yourself in conversations/situations as described here and could use some support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at mark.lantsberger@sdcoe.net. I’m truly here to be of service and a help to our common CS education cause!
BitBlast! returns in January in preparation for The Winter of CS!! See you then.
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If you have any questions or comments about the Bit Blast! newsletter, please contact Mark Lantsberger.
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Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at SDCOE and in our districts across the county. |
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