#CSK8 Podcast - A podcast for computer science educators

In this interview with McKay Perkins, we discuss what McKay has learned over the years providing elementary CS/coding professional development, considerations for creating within constraints, teaching a sustainable way for integrating CS/coding in elementary schools, the importance of adapting PD to continuous feedback, advice for becoming a professional development facilitator, and much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

00:56 McKay introducing himself

01:33 How McKay got into CS education

05:15 Something McKay no longer believes after his experiences in education

10:01 What does an ideal PD experience look like?

15:58 Creativity within constraints

18:05 Situating interdisciplinary connections

21:25 How McKay's experiences in PD have informed his own approach

26:15 How instructional design informed McKay's approach

31:55 Advice for learning how to facilitate PD

38:21 Something attendees might not be aware during PD that McKay focuses on

41:46 How McKay practices or iterates on his abilities

43:59 How McKay tries to prevent burnout

46:52 Why don't we assess whether or not kids have fun?

47:46 Tips for online teaching and learning

49:16 What McKay wishes there was more research on

52:32 How I could better assist the CS community with this podcast

54:02 How to connect with McKay

54:20 Outro

In this episode I unpack Kafai and Peppler’s (2011) article titled “Beyond small groups: New opportunities for research in computer-supported collective learning,” which is an analysis of participation within the Scratch community that compares and contrasts collaborative learning (i.e., learning within small groups) with collective learning (i.e., learning within massive groups).

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

00:49 Abstract

01:52 My one sentence summary

02:06 Paper introduction

04:18 What is collective learning?

05:26 Findings

09:26 Collaborative vs collective learning

14:23 Discussion

15:49 Lingering questions and thoughts

15:55 How might educators encourage both collaborative and collective learning in a shared space?

17:31 How might we encourage collective learning that builds off of prior efforts?

20:12 Who has access to view or contribute to such a space or community?

20:59 Outro

In this interview with Anne Gunn, we discuss Anne’s background as both a CS professional and educator, thoughts on data analysis for classroom integration (e.g., sonification), implications of understanding CS as a skill rather than a topic, our experience helping develop the Wyoming Computer Science Standards, and other topics relevant to #CSK8 educators.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:27 An introduction by Anne

02:47 How Anne became a CS educator

04:52 Framing debugging as a mystery

12:22 An experience in education that continues to impact Anne

14:34 How do you encourage students to find new perspectives?

17:57 What Anne wishes she knew when she first started teaching CS

21:59 How Anne would learn CS today

25:17 Advice for finding integration examples in CS

28:45 What is data sonification?

32:46 What CS educators should understand about industry

39:20 Lessons learned designing CS standards

44:16 How to respond to fear of CS standards

47:30 How Wyoming is helping districts implement CS

55:40 How Anne prevents burnout

58:47 What Anne wishes there was more research on

01:02:02 How to improve your teaching

01:04:15 How to connect with Anne

01:05:33 Outro

In this episode I unpack Werner, Denner, Campe, and Torres’ (2020) article titled “Computational sophistication of games programmed by children: A model for its measurement,” which unpacks how the authors updated the game computational sophistical (GCS) model to account for computational learning evident within 39 games development by pairs of middle school children.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

00:38 Abstract

01:31 My single sentence summary

01:48 Paper introduction

04:47 Design

08:54 Discussion

10:49 Conclusion

11:48 Lingering questions and thoughts

12:01 I'm curious how this model would have differed if the analysis was based on the process rather than the product

13:28 How might the model differ if it also accounted for code that was initially include or attempted, but ultimately removed from the final product?

14:11 How might educators use this model in combination with ipsative assessments?

15:45 How might this model account for variances in complexity evident across the different patterns and mechanics?

16:51 How could a model like this account for sophistication evident with the efficiency of code?

17:50 Outro

In this interview with Jackie Corricelli, we discuss advice for novice and veteran CS educators, the potential for collaboration between industry and educators, designing for more inclusive CS education, volunteering for CS education organizations, and much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Introduction

01:09 Jackie introducing herself

01:50 An example of a cryptography project

03:18 How Jackie got into CS education

05:58 What Jackie would recommend for learning CS

08:42 A story about education that continues to impact Jackie

11:39 How Jackie would design a new CS program in a school

16:31 Advice Jackie would give to experienced CS educators

20:51 Advice for integrating CS

24:33 Potential pitfalls that educators run into when integrating

26:00 What more educators should understand about equity and inclusivity

30:25 How Jackie recruits students into her CS classes

31:52 How to recruit CS educators

33:53 What Jackie has learned from volunteering

36:48 How Jackie tries to prevent burnout

39:18 Educators who have inspired us

43:51 How to connect with Jackie

44:14 Outro

In this episode I read and comment on Jackie Corricelli’s article titled “Emergency Remote Teaching: Challenges & Possible Solutions,” which provides suggestions for CS educators facing challenges with teaching in online environments. The original article can be found on CSTA’s website.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Introduction

01:25 Paper introduction

02:53 Challenge 1: You are struggling to balance the needs of yourself, your family members, and your work

04:35 Challenge 2: You need to work out the logistics of how best to connect to students.

06:59 Challenge 3: Your district leadership team seems inconsistent or unsure or each week, so approaches change.

08:34 Challenge 4: You want to do what you can to create interesting and engaging experiences for classes when they are online with you.

10:59 Challenge 5: Many people in your district see you as their resource for how they can learn to use computing tools. This is taking a considerable amount of your time.

12:01 Challenge 6: Even though you are only seeing students virtually, you want to use Culturally Responsive Practices to improve student experiences and learning in your computer science class.

15:55 Challenge 7: You want to grade students but you want to be sure those grading practices are fair.

18:24 Outro

In this interview with Andreas Stefik, we discuss the importance of using evidence-based programming languages, problems with the lack of replication in CS education scholarship and academia in general, the importance of designing for accessibility and disabilities, lessons learned designing Quorum (an accessible programming language and platform), and much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Introduction

01:23 An introduction by Stefik

01:45 How Stefik got into CS education through music

05:29 Stefik's experience watching a blind student try to code

07:53 How Stefik's research informed his own practices

13:45 The importance of replication in research

17:55 External factors that impact research agendas

20:39 Something Stefik initially believed about CS that he no longer believes

23:21 What Stefik wishes more CS educators understood about accessibility

27:10 How to design educational experiences around accessibility

30:43 When a programming language fails against a placebo language

37:35 Difficulties with teaching syntax

40:37 Communicating 3D virtual spaces to blind users

44:50 Describing parallel animation for blind users

49:14 How to use Quorum in the classroom

58:47 How Stefik tries to prevent burnout

01:02:05 The need for a standardized, evidence-based programming language

01:07:55 What Stefik wishes more people read or understood about his work

01:14:05 How to connect with Stefik

01:15:11 Outro

In this episode I unpack Lee et al.’s (2011) publication titled “Computational thinking for youth in practice,” which provides examples of how middle and high school youth engage in computational thinking and introduces the “use-modify-create” framework (a three-stage progression through computational thinking).

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Introduction

00:42 Abstract

01:27 My one sentence summary

01:57 Questions that guide this article

02:10 Paper introduction

04:34 Three domains of use-modify-create

04:44 Domain 1: Modeling and simulation

06:30 Domain 2: Robotics

08:29 Domain 3: Game design and development

12:25 Supporting growth in computational thinking

13:30 Use-modify-create

14:36 Lingering questions and thoughts

14:49 How much time should someone spend using, modifying, and creating before moving to another stage and who gets to determine when a learner moves between stages?

17:44 What happens if we design an experience that intentionally flips or changes the ordering of the stages?

19:21 Outro

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In this interview with Kim Wilkens, we discuss embracing failure, encouraging activism and community impact through CS and technology, supporting marginalized gender identities in CS, and much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Introduction

00:52 Kim introducing herself

01:15 How Kim got into CS education

03:19 How Kim would learn CS, today

05:27 What Kim wishes she knew when she first started teaching

08:32 Pullouts vs integrated classes

11:17 What an engaging learning experience looks like

12:48 Advice for integrating CS into another subject area

14:57 Responding to administrators who don't accept failure

16:55 How kids can become activists

19:23 The impact Kim hopes kids have through activism

20:39 What is the CS institute?

22:29 How Kim strives for impact beyond her community

23:48 Kim's questions and concerns about equity in CS education

25:02 How Kim helps develop an identity in CS

28:06 How to connect with other educators, remotely

29:48 Gender discourse and CS education

34:23 How Kim tries to prevent burnout

36:43 What Kim wishes there was more research on

37:49 Why I started this podcast

42:17 How to connect with Kim

42:40 Outro