The Advocate - Details

During the time since the first Leadership Cohort Workshop in July, members have been busy with advocacy efforts in their various states. Previous blog posts by individual members have reported on some of those activities. In this first of future monthly updates, I want to share some of the highlights from the Fall.

One of the key efforts that we have encouraged is the creation of local CSTA chapters. Local chapters provide a support network for computer science teachers to share their ideas, plan outreach efforts and professional development, and work with local colleges and universities. Leadership Cohort members have been instrumental in establishing new local chapters in the following areas: Arizona, Buffalo, Chicago, Southeastern Virginia, and Southern California.

In addition, some activities of particular note are:

* Texas: Local area Computer Science contests and CS related conventions are being used to build interest in chapters and recruit members.
* Maryland: Meetings with the Director of Curriculum for the state have led to conversations with a variety of stakeholders regarding recognition of computer science as a core discipline.
* Silicon Valley and Oakland, California: Meetings with superintendants and principals have raised awareness of the need for a more substantive computer science curriculum
* North Carolina: Meetings with the Department of Public Instruction are being used to discuss the state of computer science in the state.
* Wisconsin: A presentation to local businesses was used to raise awareness.
* Oregon: The Oregon chapter of CSTA hosted three Fall SuperQuest conferences. One was held in the Portland area and one in southern Oregon covering game design/contests and robotics. The third was in Salem covering Gridworld. (For more information visit http://www.techstart.org/superquest.html
* Ohio: A computer science strand has been scheduled for the state educational technology conference.

These are just a few of the activities that are beginning to have impact.

Gail Chapman
Director: Leadership and Professional Development
CSTA

I hope that you have had as restful and relaxing a holiday break as I have. After what felt like non-stop activity during the first semester, with lessons to plans, assignments to grade, and students to help, it's nice to have some time away from school. As the break winds down, I find my thoughts turning back to school.

As a teacher, I always think of the new year as beginning in September. New pencils and pens, bright classrooms, excited students...the short days of January have nothing on the fall. That said, the new calendar year can provide an opportunity to start fresh.

I used to think it was important to maintain absolute consistency. Even when systems didn't work, I kept going with them. I'd been told it was important to keep things the same, lest we confuse students. Fortunately, I've long since realized what a bad idea that is! Consistency is only a good idea if it works. Now I use the holiday break to reflect on what systems are not working well and how I can improve them in the upcoming semester.

This year, I will offer weekly lunch tutorials, so students will have a dedicated time they can get help. I'm always available by request, but having to set a time is a barrier for some of them. Hopefully, knowing they can come in every Wednesday will encourage some students who need extra support.

What changes are you thinking of? What ideas do you have that someone else might use in their class?

Michelle Hutton
CSTA President

As I middle school teacher, I think it is my responsibility to expose my students to a variety of topics within my subject area. In just a few short months or years, they will be off to high school where they will need to choose their own classes. If they haven't been exposed to a topic, then how will they know that they might have an interest in the topic which they may be able to pursue at the high school or even college level?

Computer Science is just one of those topics. By the sixth grade, my students have been exposed to the computer, but not to the topics involving Computer Science. The question then becomes, how do I successfully introduce Computer Science topics to my students to encourage an interest in the field?

Recently, I came across a discussion board posting announcing the launch of Small Basic. The posting touted Small Basic as a "simple, easy to use, and uncomplicated version of Basic." It sounded good, but would it be something that my inexperienced middle school students would embrace and enjoy? Further research into Small Basic at http://blogs.msdn.com/smallbasic/default.aspx is where I found a link to download the application. This download also provides an easy to follow tutorial that I plan to start using with my new class of students as we begin the next quarter of classes in January.

At this same Web site, users can find a Sample of the Week for exploring what others are doing with Small Basic. One of December's samples is the Small Basic version of Tetris. Recreating this game is made simple by copying and pasting it into the Small Basis interface. Once this is done, students can start investigating the code to learn how the code affects the behaviors on the screen or students can experiment with code to see how their changes affect the end result.

I have learned through the CSTA organization that when you find something exciting like Small Basic, you need to share the excitement with others. I hope that you will find Small Basic as exciting as I do and will pass on the word to others.

Dave Burkhart
CSTA Board of Directors