In this episode I unpack Franklin et al.’s (2020) publication titled “Scratch Encore: The design and pilot of a culturally-relevant intermediate Scratch curriculum,” which introduces the Scratch Encore curriculum and provides a quick summary of positive feedback from the teachers who used the curriculum during a pilot year.

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 Abstract

01:42 My one sentence summary

01:54 Paper introduction

03:27 Theory and prior work

05:33 Scratch Encore design

07:49 Methods

08:10 Results

09:01 Lingering questions and thoughts

09:05 Who gets to determine what kids consider as part of their culture or identities?

11:17 Where is the line between culturally-relevant curricula and culturally-specific curricula?

12:38 How might CS educators and curriculum developers prevent efforts in culturally-relevant experiences from coming across as pandering to youth culture?

13:21 An interesting teacher quote that got me thinking

14:21 What didn't teachers like about the curriculum?

15:07 Outro

In this interview with Justin Cannady, we discuss project-based learning in CS, encouraging debugging and working through failure as students and teachers, considerations for integrating CS, lessons learned working on NMSI’s CS AlignEd, 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

00:39 An introduction by Justin

01:21 How Justin got into CS education

02:22 Something Justin believed about education that he no longer believes

03:44 What an ideal CS classroom looks like for Justin

05:06 What Justin wishes more CS educators understood about project-based learning

08:14 Balancing student failures and successes

11:33 Students failing in isolation vs in groups

14:05 When shouldn't teachers use project-based learning?

19:19 Recommendations for integrating CS with other subject areas

22:34 Advice for teaching virtually

24:12 Professional development and integrating CS

26:35 What Justin has learned working on CS AlignEd

30:46 Advice for developing equity, sustainability, and access in PD

32:02 How Justin takes care of himself

37:10 Teacher identity and CS education

40:27 How to connect with Justin

41:36 Outro

In this episode I unpack Lee et al.'s (2020) experience report titled “Introducing coding through tabletop board games and their digital instantiations across elementary classrooms and school libraries," which investigates the transfer of understanding when students begin learning CS through a tabletop board game and switch to a digital coding environment.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

00:59 Abstract

02:28 My single sentence summary

02:41 Paper introduction

05:03 Review of literature

06:19 Design

08:21 Findings

11:09 Discussion

12:26 Lingering questions

12:29 How might interest in CS compare with the following treatment groups: a) playing the board games only, b) playing the board game and moving into Scratch, and C) using Scratch only?

14:19 Is the purpose of the study to analyze the intended impact of the unit itself, how the unit was taught, or how students embodied the unit?

19:21 Outro

In this interview with Rafi Santo and Sara Vogel, we discuss informal learning in CS, the CS Visions Framework, equity through social justice pedagogy, considerations for Integration, 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

01:00 Rafi and Sara introducing themselves

01:41 What led to their interest in CS education

07:15 What is powerful learning?

16:08 Developing expertise in group work

19:11 Something Rai and Sara believed about education that they no longer believe

26:32 What is the CS Visions framework?

33:46 Problematizing the purpose of CS education for jobs

37:23 How the CS Visions framework fits within CSforALL

41:11 Why Rafi and Sara wish other educators understood about social justice and education

49:24 Thoughts on curriculum integration

56:07 How to connect with Rai and Sara

57:32 Outro

In this episode I unpack Santo, Vogel, and Ching’s (2019) publication titled “CS for What? Diverse Visions of Computer Science Education in Practice,” which is a white paper that provides a useful framework for considering the underlying values and impact of CS programs or resources.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

00:43 Paper introduction

02:20 My one sentence summary

02:54 Seven values and impact areas

03:49 Equity and social justice

04:12 Competencies and literacies

04:35 Citizenship and civic engagement

05:00 Technological, scientific, and social innovation

05:36 Economic and workforce development

05:59 School improvement and reform

06:33 Personal agency, joy, and fulfillment

07:00 Intersections of values

09:09 Cases from the field: Creative computing

10:17 Broadening participation and labor empowerment

11:03 Computing across the disciplines

11:53 Computing for social action

12:20 EthicalCS and learning social impacts of computing

13:17 Recommendations

15:09 Thinking out loud how the content I create aligns with different values

19:44 Outro

In this interview with Clark Merkley, we discuss what Clark has learned over the years working with administrators across the nation who are interested in implementing CS education in their district.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:17 Clark introducing himself

01:45 Clark's journey into education

06:05 Something Clark changed his mind about once he started working in education

10:53 How working with districts across the nation impacted Clark's views on education

16:25 Advice for an administrator interested in implementing CS education

26:28 Questions administrators should ask when implementing CS education

32:58 Regrets administrators have about implementing CS education

42:15 If Clark could wave a magic wand to change education...

44:43 Finding funds for implementing CS in a district

51:18 How Clark takes care of himself

54:39 What Clark wishes there was more research on

56:11 A question for the field

01:02:08 How to connect with Clark

01:03:40 Outro

In this episode I unpack Vossoughi, Hooper, and Escudé’s (2016) publication titled “Making through the lens of culture and power: Toward transformative visions for educational equity,” which provides a critique of maker culture discourse in order to "reconceptualize the educational practice of making in ways that place equity at the center" (p. 215).

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

00:48 Abstract

01:54 My single sentence summary

02:10 A sample of what kinds of questions the authors are asking

03:24 Paper introduction

05:35 Maker culture can assume deficits

07:29 Siloing in education

08:20 When maker culture reinforces inequalities

11:31 Maker practices and pedagogies can occur anywhere

13:14 Can you use direct instruction with maker pedagogies?

15:07 Suggestions for equity-oriented design

15:49 Lingering questions + thoughts

15:54 How might we as a field critically reflect on and discuss biases within practices or philosophies that are commonplace or generally unquestioned within CS education?

16:59 How might we use some of the equity-oriented makerspace pedagogies without unintentionally positioning kids or communities within a deficit ideology?

17:30 In what ways might CS educators encourage CS-related practices already engaged with by the communities we work with?

18:02 Outro

In this interview with Dave Briccetti, we discuss Dave’s background in programming and education, advice for learning a programming language, suggestions for encouraging kids to think ethically (e.g., how to respond to potentially plagiarized content), why Dave prefers professional programming tools in educational settings, 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

01:03 An introduction by Dave

02:25 How Dave got into CS education

09:40 Do kids have an aptitude for learning computer science?

12:54 How Dave learned how to teach

14:12 How Dave continues to improve his teaching

15:01 How Dave's teaching evolved

16:25 How to help kids develop an interest in the intersections of CS and other domains

19:17 How Dave would learn programming today

21:45 What Dave thinks is important for kids to know about programming

24:22 The importance of understanding CS terms and symbols

27:03 How to help students think as ethical computer scientists

31:44 What Dave is looking forward to with CS education

33:10 How to prove code is original

34:32 Concerns about current trends in CS education

35:23 Tools in CS that Dave likes to use

40:16 How I blend music and CS

43:15 My advice for Dave to become a better CS educator

46:30 How to connect with Dave

46:58 Outro