Maryland Computing Education Newsletter: November Edition

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November 2020 Newsletter

Quote from Gov. Larry
Hogan

"As we continue to fuel our state’s innovative economy, we must spark the interest of young students—particularly girls—to pursue careers in the growing field of computer science," said Governor Hogan. “Through exciting initiatives like Family Code Night and the Hour of Code, together we can ensure that the next generation has the skills that are necessary to lead, to innovate, and to be at the cutting edge of technology and the jobs of the future.”

CS Education Week: December 7-11, 2020

The CSEdweek theme this year is #CSforGood to convey the powerful tool for good that computer science can be and how important it is to wield this tool responsibly. We learn CS: to detect problems - to find creative solutions -to connect with each other -to ensure equity and inclusion. Raise awareness of students, teachers, administrators, family, and community to see the power of computing for good.

Find resources on:

Cs4md.com/csedweek for recent updates
CSEdWeek.org for outreach and support materials
HourOfCode.com for hands-on activities
CodeBytes for 20 minute online lessons for all ages.
Family Code Nights are a great opportunity to build a CS community with students and parents. Keep reading to see the story of one school's successful virtual event.

Find dozens of new resources and old favorites! Engage in applications of computing from AI to journalism to robotics as a first taste of CS or to engage students with new ideas.

Please share what you and your students are doing for CSEdWeek using #cs4md so we can celebrate what you do!

$10,000 Scholarship Opportunity-CSTA/ACM

The Cutler-Bell Prize Nomination Period Now Open!
Share with high school seniors looking to continue their studies in computer science or technology Apply for the $10,000 CSTA/ACM Cutler- ACM Logo Bell Prize. Awards go to the university of their choice and they’ll be honored at CSTA’s 2021 Conference. Applications close 1/12/21

Inform National STEM Policy

Take this opportunity to inform STEM education policy for the next 5 years! The deadline for input related to the implementation of the Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan was extended to November 20 because of the low number of responses collected. This information request addresses current and future changes in education systems that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Information gathered from this request may be used to guide future Federal STEM education resource development.
OSTP Request for Information Teacher input is needed! You can answer the questions that you are most passionate about.

District Highlights!

Eboni Zook
Baltimore City | Technology/ Computer Science Teacher

What began as an interest in STEM in middle school, has sparked a passion in Eboni Zook for removing barriers to support diverse students in CS education and the high-tech workforce. Read Eboni's full article by visiting her interview page.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Bell
Montgomery County| Info. Technology Found

ation Specialist

After a number of years teaching information technology and networking, Betsey Bell gained insight into how CS fits into the big picture and how to grow a successful computer science program. She sees classroom teachers as the champions in a dynamic program in our largest district. Read Betsy's full article by visiting her interview page.

Read more about some of our amazing district educators and higher education faculty members by visiting cs4md.com/newsletter.

It's All in the Numbers
The Growth of Computer Education in Maryland

Maryland Leads in Bringing Computer Science to All Students
Based upon data released in 2018-2019, Maryland was ranked 3rd in the nation for the percentage of High Schools teaching computer science. Of those high schools, we remain leaders in the percentage of females taking an AP CS course and underrepresented minorities that attend a school teaching computer science. Get the latest information on CS Education across the US in https://csedu.gallup.com/home.aspx and https://advocacy.code.org/stateofcs

New Release

The Maryland Center for Computing Education 2019-2020 Annual Report is now available. The report covers areas such as the Center's implementation plans used to create a sustainable computer science education system, budget, awarded grants, and goals and metrics. Read the full Annual Report here.

Maryland Computing Education Summit

We want to thank everyone that joined us for our two-day Summit on October 28-29, 2020. The interesting and engaging presentations allowed for a great setting to have necessary and inspiring conversations. If you were unable to make it this year or missed a session that you were interested in, the agenda and presentations can be found at mcce.info/summit2020folder. The recorded presentations are being uploaded and some can already be found on MCCE's YouTube page. The quote below is from one of our attendees.We hope additional teachers were able to walk away from our Summit with eagerness to bring what they learned back to their schools.

"I want to say thank you for the great CS Mini Summit. I walked away from the summit with a little more energy than I have had in the last few weeks... I was feeling overwhelmed... The summit reminded me of why I do what I do." -MD CS Teacher

Take Advantage of These Opportunities!

Detailed Highlight: Family Code Night @ North Bend Elementary/Middle

On the evening of October 22, North Bend Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore City held the first Virtual Family Code Night in Maryland. Tiffany Roos Verhoosel, the Computer Science teacher at North Bend, started the festivities off in her Zoom room at about 6:45 pm. Students got to visit with each other, ask any questions, and get pumped up for the event. At 7 pm the approximately 25 families and Ms. Verhossel also joined the livestream for the virtual National Family Code Night and got coding.

They all remained in the Zoom room also so they could check in with each other and troubleshoot any technology or computer science issues. Ms. Verhoosel stated "My students are always excited to teach their families how to code. They are confident in what they learn in class and are happy to showcase their skills on Family Code Night."

Coding is not just for Family Code Night at North Bend. All the students work on coding skills, starting with the youngest Pre-K students and continuing through the 8th graders.

"Computer science is a necessity for preparing our students for the future. In fact, digital literacy is just as important as other core courses and helps cultivate a student's confidence, creativity, and communication skills." says Patience Hein, Assistant Principal at North Bend.

Ms. Verhoosel sees coding providing those benefits for her students "It's wonderful to see them take risks when problem solving which builds their confidence and encourages creativity." she says. "It's no longer enough to teach them how to use the computer - they must also learn how to program the computer!"

Any school can participate in a virtual National Family Code Nights for free. Please sign up at CSisElementary.org. Find more information at cs4md.org/family or contact Elissa Hozore elissa.hozore2@maryland.gov.

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Maryland Center for Computing Education · 3300 Metzerott Rd · Adelphi, MD 20783-1600 · USA