The Institute for Computing Education (ICE) at Georgia Tech is offering 4 days (30 hours) of teacher professional development to help prepare teachers to teach the CS Principles course.
This is a blended learning opportunity for teachers who are interested in teaching CS Principles. We are especially targeting teachers who don't have any prior textual programming experience. We will start with a webinar to introduce the eBook and expect participants to work through the first 4 chapters in our new eBook for CSP teachers before the face-to-face workshop. The eBook includes Python programs that you can run directly in the browser. It also includes multiple-choice questions, fill in the blank questions, and mixed up code problems to provide practice with computing concepts. We are also working on a companion student eBook that will be ready by fall 2015.
• Begin to prepare teachers with no prior programming experience to teach CS Principles though both in-person professional development and online learning.
• Introduce the big ideas in CSP and provide hands-on sample projects and lessons in each of the big ideas.
• Create a community of practice for CSP teachers through in-person professional development, an online group, and support for small “reading” groups to work through the eBook.
• Include hands-on experience with ArtBotics, which uses LEGO robots to create kinetic sculptures.
Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm Monday - Thursday
Location: Georgia Tech (We don't know the building or room yet)
Instructors: Barbara Ericson and Gail Chapman
Day 1 – 7.5 hours of contact time
• Introduction to the 7 big ideas, computational thinking practices, learning objectives, essential questions, essential knowledge statements, and enduring understandings
• It is all just bits (numbers, characters, web pages, pictures, sounds)
• Capabilities and limitations of computers.
• Tour of resources (lesson plans, free on-line tools, CS10K website, other curriculum – Mobile CSP, code.org)
• The Internet, security and cryptography
Day 2 – 7.5 hours of contact time
• hands-on building of robot that can draw and drawing your artwork
• Planning and building a kinetic sculpture
• Discussion of how to teach this
• Information about Georgia Tech’s lending library and ways to get robotic kits
Day 3 – 7.5 hours of contact time
• Internet, security, and cryptography (continued)
• Programming concepts
Day 4 – 7.5 hours of contact time
• Panel of pilot teachers and their experience
• How to pace the course
• Writing in CSP
• Portfolio assessments
• Sample exam
• How to create a reading group for the eBook