Quinn Burke

This SIGCSE poster presents a landscape study of six school districts across six different states in terms of their individual teachers' and administrators' capacity to integrate and implement computational thinking (CT) into their own schools and classrooms. This landscape evaluation represents the baseline start of a wider, four-year national study around district capacity to collaboratively develop consistent and comprehensive K-12 computing pathways for their students and schools. The early landscape work we present here not only represents a starting point for comparing district educators' comprehension of CT (and computer science [CS]), but also acts as an early indicator as to what extent K-12 computing is a school and district-based priority, and to what degree teachers feel they have the capacity to meaningfully implement it. This poster relies on two data sources in a mixed-methods design: Districtwide surveys of teachers and administrators on their familiarity and prioritization of CT, coupled with subsequent hour-long focus group discussions with educators to expand upon their respective district landscape survey responses. Results point to all districts perceiving the broad applicability of CT as a skill set and its integrative potential in a range of subjects. Yet in terms of classroom implementation, teachers find such CT integration decidedly less clear, recognizing it to be a priority but also reporting as less confident about creating their own curricular materials, where CT situates with their district's ongoing initiatives, and where they can find curricular resources and tools specific to their own areas of curricular integration.

Computational thinking (CT) provides opportunities for students to build the skills they need for everyday life, future academic success, and careers. Increasingly, districts are integrating CT into K-12 disciplinary subjects and a growing number of teachers need the knowledge to lead CT learning opportunities. CT is still nascent in teacher education, however, and not all teachers are receiving professional learning on the job. Teachers need effective methods of support to ensure they are providing students with high quality CT learning opportunities. We present methods of support for integrating CT into schools. The poster highlights four methods to support teacher professional learning: allowing ample time for collaboration, a school-based advocate championing CT integration, posting and promoting curated resources, and a foundational person anchoring the work as the initiative expands. In doing so, this poster provides interrelated examples of teacher support and highlights methods of continuous support for teachers integrating CT across content areas.

In this commentary on Interest-Driven Creator (IDC) theory, the authors reflect on the proposed three-step cycles of (i) sparking students’ interest, (ii) fostering individual creativity, and (iii) inculcating lifelong learning habits. Each component of IDC theory pulls together a wide span of prior research and emphasizes active roles for students. Although the context of IDC as a prototype for educational reform is K-12 Asian classrooms, we note that some US schools are also mired in a focus on test scores. This is especially true among the US most struggling, low-income schools, where a lack of electives and afterschool programs correspond to diminished student perceptions about their own autonomy as learners and their future creative potential. Thus, while IDC is an important provocation for curricular reform in Asia, there is also the need to broaden its scope and begin to explore the potential of IDC as a leadership tool beyond Asia. The wider learning sciences community, the commentary concludes, is uniquely suited to support such an extension, and there are many opportunities for productive international collaboration.

Many computer science programs have capstone experiences or project courses that allow students to integrate knowledge from the full breadth of their major. Such capstone projects may be student-designed, instructor-designed, designed in conjunction with outside companies, or integrated with ongoing free and open source (FOSS) projects. The literature shows that the FOSS approach has attracted a great deal of interest, in particular when implemented with projects that have humanitarian goals (HFOSS). In this article, we describe five unique models from five distinct types of institutions for incorporating sustained FOSS or HFOSS (alternatively H/FOSS) project work into capstone experiences or courses. The goal is to provide instructors wishing to integrate open source experiences into their curriculum with additional perspectives and resources to help in adapting this approach to the specific needs and goals of their institution and students. All of the models presented are based on sustained engagement with H/FOSS projects that last at least one semester and often more. Each model is described in terms of its characteristics and how it fits the needs of the institution using the model. Assessment of each model is also presented. We then discuss the themes that are common across the models, such as project selection, team formation, mentoring, and student assessment. We examine the choices made by each model, as well as the challenges faced. We end with a discussion how the models have leveraged institutional initiatives and collaborations with outside organizations to address some of the challenges associated with these projects.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to review and discuss the varied ways computer programming is introduced to schools and families as a new form of learning. The paper examines the rhetoric around coding within academic journals and popular media articles over the past three decades. This article argues that despite the best intentions of media researchers and enthusiasts, if the rhetoric around computer science (CS) in all K-12 schools is to become a reality, there first needs to be a greater focus on monitoring such rhetoric and better understanding exactly how programming is presented to the wider public. Design/methodology/approach: This paper represents an analysis of 67 peer-reviewed books and journal articles as well as news articles and editorials related to students’ learning (or needing to learn) computer programming on the K-12 level. In terms of criteria for inclusion, in addition to publication date and article readership, there were three considerations: the article needed to focus on CS on the K-12 grade levels; the article needed to focus on introductory computer programming initiatives, rather than more advanced courses/topics); the article needed to specifically focus on school-based learning environments. Findings: Findings point to three distinct ways in which introductory coding initiatives have been portrayed (and been perceived): new literacy, “grounded” math and technical skill. Ultimately, the paper does not propose a single defining metaphor. Rather it argues that the metaphors one selects matter considerably in determining programming’s future in entering (or not entering) schools, and that educators need to make a conscientious effort to consider multiple metaphors without choosing just one. Research limitations/implications: In terms of research limitations, the article does not purport to be an exhaustive analysis of all the metaphors that have been used to introduce CS to K-12 schools over the past 30 years. Rather it only identifies the leading metaphors from the literature, and in doing so, makes an important first step in examining the role of metaphor in the presentation of CS as a “new” course of study. Practical implications: The article is intended for educators, researchers and administrators to gain a better understanding of what CS is (and could be) for K-12 schooling. Social implications: The article is intended for educators, researchers and administrators to likewise understand how they, themselves, can present CS to students and families as a potential course of study. Originality/value: There is currently considerable discussion about teaching CS in all US high schools, middle schools and even elementary schools. There is however little examination of past attempts to bring CS into K-12 schools and what these attempts may inform current advocacy.

Understanding the computational concepts on which countless digital applications run offers learners the opportunity to no longer simply read such media but also become more discerning end users and potentially innovative “writers” of new media themselves. To think computationally—to solve problems, to design systems, and to process and organize information drawing on concepts fundamental to computer science—is seen as a crucial problem‐solving skill in the new millennium. It is not a matter of turning all adolescents into computer scientists but rather leveraging coding as a means to get youths more engaged in the workings of the Web‐based media that surround them.