Based on a variety of motivations, schools, districts, states, and even entire countries are setting standards for teaching Computer Science K-12. As someone who has spent four decades advocating for truly personal computing across the curriculum, I am encouraged by this trend while simultaneously concerned with its implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why I have been so incredibly pleased and honored to help the great State of Alabama shape the future of Computer Science in their public schools. Over the past few months, I have been engaged in several projects intended to help educators in Alabama identify the potential of Computer Science, not just as a course of study, but as a vehicle for improving pedagogical practice and amplifying the potential of children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The traditional approach to such curricular reforms is by edict and lofty rhetoric copied and paste from a laundry list of standards. Political goals and the relative ease of textbook adoption leads to a predictable cycle of apathy, inaction, and playacting until a stiff wind blows in a new new educational priority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forty years after microcomputers entered classrooms, a greater sense of urgency is required. Two generations of students have already missed out on rich learning adventures. I seek to democratize computer programming in order to help children develop agency over an increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “You can’t think about thinking without thinking about thinking about something”<\/p>Seymour papert<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Since all of my work is based on the centrality of the learner, the democratization of experience, the competence of teachers, and untapped kid power, my work in Alabama is more than a workshop, set of standards, or “hour of code” performance. This work embodies a holistic approach by inspiring education specialists, developing teacher fluency, revealing the possible, and documenting children’s remarkable capacity for intensity. We began by offering a full-day workshop<\/a> for math and science specialists across the state; followed by a post-graduate level course<\/a>, complete with weekly hands-on projects and sprinkled with learning theory; and a programming class for fourth graders<\/a> that is visible to other educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Computer programming makes thinking visible and helps educators understand student knowledge construction. Creating challenging, meaningful, and authentic mathematical experiences for children pays a myriad dividends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to lead others to teach Computer Science , one must possess a working knowledge of what’s possible. In order to teach computer science across the curriculum, teachers need firsthand experience making things, debugging, and solving problems with code. Policy makers, educators, and parents alike are best prepared to make educated decisions about what students can and should do when they see through the eyes, hands, and screens of their computers what is possible. Our exciting work in Alabama satisfies these objectives and serves each constituent group of stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n