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Georgia Computes! Improving Computer Science Education in Georgia. Barbara Ericson Director Computer Science Outreach Institute for Computing Education (ICE) Georgia Institute of Technology http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/ice-gt/ ericson@cc.gatech.edu. What is Computer Science?.
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Georgia Computes!Improving Computer Science Education in Georgia Barbara Ericson Director Computer Science Outreach Institute for Computing Education (ICE) Georgia Institute of Technology http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/ice-gt/ ericson@cc.gatech.edu
What is Computer Science? • The study of computers and algorithmic processes including their principles, their hardware and software design, their applications, and their impact on society • It is not Keyboarding, Computer Applications, or Educational Technology
What is Georgia Computes? • A statewide vertical alliance • Georgia Institute of Technology • Georgia Dept of Education • Girl Scout Council of Greater Atlanta, Inc • YWCA Teen Girls in Technology • Funded by a National Science Foundation Broadening Participation in Computing grant
What are the goals? • To increase the number and diversity of students who are interested in computer science in Georgia • increase by 50% the number of high schools offering AP CS in Georgia • Double the percentage of women and underrepresented minorities taking AP CS
Why increase interest? • Since 2001 there has been a 60% drop in incoming freshman who plan to major in computer science • A reduction occurred in the number of students who take AP CS in Georgia • huge decline in African Americans • from 80 in 2001 to 12 in 2007
CS in Crisis • There will be 1,000,000 computer and information related jobs by 2014 • We expect to only graduate only enough trained people for 50% of these jobs • the Business Roundtable talked about this shortage • The field was 37% female in 1985 • but only 12% of incoming freshman are female in CS • there have never been very many African Americans or Hispanics in CS
CS is Fundamental! • Computing jobs are among the fastest growing over the next 4-6 years • Computing + X will grow even faster • Many science and math degrees require knowledge of computing • At Georgia Tech everyone must take and pass an introductory computer science course • CS teaches 21st century skills • problem solving and working in teams
ICE Efforts • For K-12 educators • helped create the new Georgia Performance Standards in computing and the computing pathway • helped create a CS endorsement • offer 4 one-week summer teacher workshops • offer several one-day teacher workshops during the school year • creating interesting course materials and lesson plans
ACM Model Curriculum Georgia Computing Curriculum Level II - CS in the Modern World Level II - Computing in the Modern World Level III - Computer Science as Analysis and Design Level III - Beginning Programming Level III - Intermediate Programming Level IV – Topics in Computer Science – including CS AP A and AB Level IV – Topics in Computer Science – including CS AP A and AB Computing Pathway Old Georgia Computing Classes Computer Applications IT Foundations Programming and Systems Management CS AP A and AB
CS Endorsement • Voluntary endorsement • equivalent to a minor in Computer Science • Can be added to any existing teaching certificate • Based on a NCTAE endorsement • Existing CS teachers can get the endorsement by submitting a portfolio
Summer Teacher Workshops • Computing in the Modern World • for teachers with no experience in computer science • Beginning Programming in Java • teaches textual programming by manipulating media • Intermediate Programming in Java • focuses on graphical user interfaces. games, and software engineering • Advanced Placement CS A and AB
Interesting Course Material • Media Computation • modify pictures and sounds by writing programs in Python and Java • Scratch • learn computing concepts while creating 2D animations and games • Alice • learn computing concepts while creating 3D movies and games • Alice and Media Computation • use Alice to introduce concepts and use Media Computation to teach textual programming • LEGO robots • project ideas • lending library • PicoCricket arts and crafts kits • project ideas • lending library
Media Computation • Created at Georgia Tech by Dr. Mark Guzdial • Teaches computing concepts with programs that manipulate media • Attracts students to computing and increases the percentage that succeed original sound reversed sound
Scratch • Free software from MIT • Uses drag-and-drop programming • Incorporates images and sounds • Students can share created projects on the website
Alice • Free software from CMU • Uses drag-and-drop programming • Students can direct 3D movies and create simple games
Alice and Media Comp • Media Comp is the special effects studio for Alice
LEGO Mindstorms Robots • Teach computing concepts by programming a robot • and working with sensors • Hands-on and concrete results • Robot Competitions • FIRST • RoboCup Jr
PicoCrickets • Developed by a group from MIT • same group that created the programmable brick that the LEGO robots is based on • Arts and crafts for the digital age
Getting Students Interested • Summer Camps since 2004 • in 2008 • 5 weeks of middle school • 3 weeks of high school • we provide seed money and training for other Georgia Universities to start summer camps • 3 in 2007 • 4 in 2008 • Girl Scout workshops • YWCA Teen Girls in Technology • STEP program places CS majors in schools
Middle School Camps • PicoCrickets and Scratch • Alice and LEGO robots • RoboCup Jr camp
High School Camps • Alice, LEGO robots, and Media Computation in Python
Girl Scout Workshops • Started in 2005 – total 190 girls • Dad and me • 2 LEGO robot workshops • 2006-2007 - total 372 girls • Dad and me • 3 LEGO robot workshops • 1 Alice workshop • 2007-2008 – total 1595 girls • Dad and Me • Mom and me • 10 4-hour workshops – LEGO robots, PicoCrickets, Alice, and Scratch
Dad and Me • Dads camp with their daughters • program a robot to go through a course
Mom and Me • Moms camp with their daughters • do PicoCricket activities
YWCA TGI-Tech • After school program at 4 local middle schools • First LEGO League team
Other Research Activities • Attracting African American males to computing by having them be game testers • Using social networks to attract students to computing • Having students design a chat client
Progress • In 2004 there were 44 AP CS teachers in Georgia • many of these were in private schools • In 2007-2008 there were 86 AP CS teachers in Georgia • exceeded our goal of a 50% increase • but still less than 25% of all the schools in Georgia
Attracting Students? • Huge growth in our Girl Scout workshops • statistically significant positive changes in attitudes from 4 hour workshops • There has been in increase in all female FIRST LEGO League teams • Students report an increase in interest in computing after the summer camps • And some have become CS undergrads at Georgia Tech • The percentage of non white and non Asian AP CS takers is 22-28% • The percentage of women taking the AP CS exam is still between 16-22%
Barriers to Diversity • Stereotypes • exclude females, African Americans, Hispanics • one principal at a majority minority school won't offer AP CS because "These kids aren't going to college" • The myth of natural ability • some people just get it • implies others can't learn • Lack of access and experience • digital divide • Teachers don't recruit • Sending a letter home doubles class sizes and increases diversity
Future Plans • Apply for a 2 year extension on the NSF BPC grant • and possibly 5 additional years after that • Create lesson plans and assessment materials for the new computing pathway using our workshop materials • started summer 2008 • Recruit teachers from majority minority schools • Seed summer camps at high schools • gives teachers a reason to practice what they learn in the teacher workshop • should also increase the number of robot teams • Hold a RoboCup Jr regional competition
Resources • Georgia Computes website • http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gacomputes • Institute for Computing Education website • http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/ice-gt/ • Scratch website • http://scratch.mit.edu • Alice website • http://www.alice.org
Resources - Continued • Media Computation website • http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/mediaComp-teach • Alice and Media Computation website • http://home.cc.gatech.edu/TeaParty • PicoCricket website • http://picocricket.com/ • LEGO education website • http://www.legoeducation.com/
Funding Sources • National Science Foundation • Broadening Participation in Computing • Course, Curriculum, Laboratory Improvement • Atlanta Women's Foundation • Toyota Foundation • Georgia Department of Education • Georgia Tech's College of Computing
What can you do? • Make sure that your school is offering computer science • train teachers and counselors • Use an interesting curriculum • that emphasizes problem solving • not just cut and paste (do as I do) • Recruit students for computer science • offer summer camps • do competitions • Companies need to reach out to younger kids • if they want to increase the numbers and the diversity