Teaching Computer Studies in 2012

How we administer, teach and present Computer Studies in an Ontario High School

Imagine if we taught music the same way we teach computers. You'd have to take one class on how to maintain, build and operate musical instruments, and another to learn how to read and write music.

Seperating hardware and software while trying to teach basic skills in computing causes a rift in the department. Tech teachers teach engineering, mathematics teachers teach programming, and the two shall never meet. It would be the worst music program in the world if organized this way!

Our Comp-eng and Comp-sci class sections are:

• small (only 1 combined C/U senior class a year)
• very male specific, we haven't had a female finish the course in recent memory
• very specific to a certain kind of student

You're not going to be able to navigate the future without digital fluency!

... teach 3 classes, do caf duty, the usual stuff, plus...

Putting computers into various other departments is:

• cheaper
• offers less digital learning opportunities school wide
• devalues a socially valued set of skills
• prevents those skills from having a locus from which to develop coherently

Helping teachers operate digital technology

Researching new digital technology to suggest for department needs

Computer engineering teacher?

Computer science teacher?

ever met anyone qualitifed to teach both?

Offering digital pedagogy - best use of digital tools in teaching

Next Steps

Is there any value in creating a computer department?

Teacher in charge of technology: being the on-site fixit guy and liaison with board IT support

What a day at CW as head of Computers & IT looks like...

Running budgets for school needs IT and department specific purchasing

Assisting other school groups (student council, theatre, etc in operating and maintaining digital technology

A single coherent computer department offers:

• collaborative opportunities between programming and engineering disciplines (the two are intrinsically linked)
• a budget with which to maintain current technology in order to keep programs relevant and engaging
• a focused discipline to develop within the school framework.
• multi-disciplinary opportunities with other departments
• superior on-site support for all staff in maintenance, training and purchasing

Administration

Is this even a department? Or two different disciplines?

Trying to find people qualified to teach Computer Science, or computer engineering (not easy)

Supporting teachers in computers with programming competitions, Skills Canada and trips around their subject areas

How do you administrate it?

Head of Computer Studies?

or...

under the math department?

under the business department?

within the tech department?

• begin discussions around consolidating computer studies under a single headship
• look at how digital fluencies are being taught in your school (tech-coach/librarian? computer science? computer engineering? Technology Support teacher?)
• look at ways to create consistancy across UGDSB in teaching and administrating digital fluency
• open and maintain communication between computer teachers around the board

Some of these make sense from a historical point of view (computer science and math are a logical fit, business used to be one of the only places you'd find computers in school...), but in 2012?

Conclusions

Course Design

Overview

Course Options

How we stream computer studies:

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

How we are trying to make it relevent at CW

Anyone using online tools to teach coding?

How Computer Studies are presented in UGDSB at the Secondary Level

Computer Science

University - ICS 4U1

Introduction to

Computer Science

(University ICS 3U)

• locally developed courses that diversify computer science course focuses
• set goals for more inclusive computer science classes
• develop ways of assessing the effectiveness of diversification
• offer access to real-world cerfications to encourage computer engineering students into the field and give them a head start

Exploring Computer

Technology (open TEJ 101)

Introduction to

Computer Studies

(open ICS 201)

How we administer computer studies

How The Ministry Streams computer studies

Computer Programming

College - ICS 4C1

Introduction to

Computer Programming

(College ICS 3C)

actionscript

http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0

The future of computer studies

Gives them a head start in the world of IT certifications

Computer Engineering

Technology (uni/coll)

TEJ 3M1

Computer Engineering Technology (uni/coll)

TEJ 4M1

Communications Technology

Yearbook/Website Tech-Design

(uni/coll) TGI 3MY

Communications Technology

Yearbook/Website Tech-Design

(uni/coll) TGI 4MY

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/computer10to12_2008.pdf

Challenges:

• breaking computer studies into software and hardware dissects an area of study around historical lines, and harms the coherency of the discipline
• we need to mature our study of computer technology
• we need to diversify course offerings in order to reach more students (especially girls)
• we need to reach a larger section of the general population in order to build needed information literacy skills
• we need to advocate for an administrative head of technology
• we need to encourage technically skilled staff in spreading digital fluency in teachers

Thinking outside the comp-sci box: Robotics, game design, competitions...

Nora Young and CBC Spark have a suggestion:

Jane Margolis suggests that computer science be designed in a cross curricular format to encourage more than a single gender (and a single type of that gender) to get into it. Computer science isn't just a skill set in and of itself, it's also a powerful means of creating efficiencies in all human endeavours. We have to make this tool available to all students.

Locally Developed Ideas?

http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2011/12/spark-164-december-4-7-2011/

ICS3U: Science Focus

ICS3U: Media Arts Focus

Focusing on media creation using computational tools, this course will work in digital animation, rendering, modelling and game design, using coding to create and develop complex digital environments.

Focusing on science based applications of computational tools. Students will study computer science in relation to experimental and research data management, computer based simulation and the use of computer based recording and analysis tools in scientific research. Coding will all be performed in relation to science based criteria.

http://prezi.com/h7ms3hw7jx7-/mini-lab/

Presenter

Links:

diversifying technology in education

http://prezi.com/dscyy4eryyzg/copy-of-compsciit-at-cwdhs/

CW's grade 8 parent night presentation

Timothy King

Head of Computer & Information Technology

Centre Welllington DHS

https://plus.google.com/u/0/111381450809947186802/posts

timothy.king@ugdsb.on.ca

http://temkblog.blogspot.com/

The Future of Computer Studies

@tk1ng

http://prezi.com/mlmks5pq65dz/dancing-in-the-datasphere/

Name a department head that assists all other departments in purchasing learning tools for their department

Where Computer departments find themselves:

Like English, or Mathematics, computer studies focuses on what has become a societal expectation around general competency. Like English and mathematics, Computer studies needs to create a much higher level of digital fluency in both students and staff, while also serving those who want to develop expertise in computer studies.

• one of the youngest disciplines
• barely out from under other umbrellas
• historically tied to early adopting departments
• once a specialization, but now becoming a population wide fluency expectation
• generally under-represented in administration
• generally unrecognized as a valid (ie: traditional) area of study

Name a greater problem than the crushing lack of digital literacy in society in general and school in particular

http://temkblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/digital-serfs.html

Digital fluencies are a complex set of skills that technical literacy (delivered by computer studies) is a vital part of!

http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/programs/21cf/

Introduction to

Computer Science

University -