Computer Science Education Week (Dec 7-13, 2015)

Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) takes place December 7-13, 2015 to coincide with the birthday of Admiral Grace Hopper, a pioneer in the field of computer science who was born on December 9, 1906. CSEdWeek was first recognized in 2010 when the 111th Congress passed House Resolution 1560. The goal of CSEdWeek is to introduce students to computing and show them that the world of technology is for everyone.

Computer science is often present in informal curricula but is absent from mainstream education. Additionally, according to Code.org, "25 states still don't allow students to count computer science courses toward high school graduation." These facts impact all students, and especially girls.

As noted in one of NCWIT's most popular resources, 'Girls In IT: The Facts,' "girls comprise 56% of all Advanced Placement (AP) but only 19% of AP computer science test-takers."

Exposure to computer science is critical, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor predicts that in the coming decade some of the best and highest-paying jobs will be in IT. For these reasons and more, CSEdWeek provides an opportunity to introduce students to computer science, using fun and engaging activities.

CSEdWeek (December 8-14, 2014)

Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) takes place December 8-14, 2014 to coincide with the birthday of Admiral Grace Hopper, a pioneer in the field of computer science who was born on December 9, 1906. CSEdWeek was first recognized in 2010 when the 111th Congress passed House Resolution 1560. The goal of CSEdWeek is to introduce students to computing and show them that the world of technology is for everyone.

Computer science is often present in informal curricula but is absent from mainstream education. Additionally, according to Code.org, "25 states still don't allow students to count computer science courses toward high school graduation." These facts impact all students, and especially girls.

As noted in one of NCWIT's most popular resources, 'Girls In IT: The Facts,' "girls comprise 56% of all Advanced Placement (AP) but only 19% of AP computer science test-takers."

Exposure to computer science is critical, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor predicts that in the coming decade some of the best and highest-paying jobs will be in IT. For these reasons and more, CSEdWeek provides an opportunity to introduce students to computer science, using fun and engaging activities.

Schedule an Hour of Code, December 8-14, 2014

Join the largest learning event in history, December 8-14. The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 170+ countries. Anyone, anywhere can organize an Hour of Code event.



One-hour tutorials are available in more than 30 languages. No experience needed. Ages 4 to 104. Great marketing opportunity for BDPA on a local or national level!

An Hour of Code for Every Student

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation encourages all of its supporters to participate in Computer Science Education Week (December 9-15, 2013) ... particular the 'Hour of Code' initiative!




Why computer science?
Computer science provides a foundation for virtually any career - everybody can benefit from learning the basics. Visit Code.org for inspiration.

What's an Hour of Code?

It's a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code" and show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, an innovator.  The goal is to provide a variety of self-guided tutorials that anybody can do, on a browser, tablet, or smartphone. You can even have unplugged tutorials for classrooms without computers. No experience needed.

How can I host the Hour of Code at my local BDPA chapter, school, company, or organization?

• At your school: If you are a parent or student, ask the principal or a tech-savvy teacher for their support to allow you to host the Hour of Code. It is not hard to organize events and connect to the Hour of Code tutorials. See the school participation guide for more information.

• If you are a teacher, You can find resources to support your leading an Hour of Code. The tools are simple, painless, and easy to use. Don't have enough computers in your school? Don't worry, we have offline or phone-based options. See the school participation guide for more information.

• At your company: Sign up your co-workers for an hour of code. See our employer participation guide for more information.

• At your local BDPA chapter or nonprofit: There are many event ideas to share that will help you get your members excited and activated to host an Hour of Code in your community. See the community participation guide for more information.

• At home: Organize a family hour of code and let your kids teach you. You can use PCs, tablets, smart phones, or one of our Hour of Code unplugged activities (example). Everything is available online, to make it easy for busy parents to participate.

What day do I need to do my Hour of Code?
You can do your Hour of Code on any day during CSEdWeek (December 9-15, 2013).

What if I live outside of the US?
You are welcome to participate in the Hour of Code.

• Click Here to Learn More About An Hour of Code
• Click Here to see video on Coding

CSEdWeek Twitter Conversation Information

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation encourages all of our donors, supporters and blog-readers to take part in a 45-minute national conversation on the critical issue of K-12 Computer Science education via Twitter. This unique Twitter conversation takes place on Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 6:00pm ET as part of Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek).

A national panel of thought leaders in the field will be tweeting with the hashtag #CSEdWeek, driving conversation around important issues and answering questions. Participants will include technical professionals, industry thought leaders, faculty, K12 educators, students and more!

Computer science fuels the future—help us fuel the conversation.  We need to 'win the future' in the information technology industry ... and computer science education is a part of the winning solution. You can learn more at http://csedweek.eventbrite.com

Computer Science Education Week (Dec 9-15, 2012)

Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) (December 9-15, 2012) is a week-long celebration when thousands of people celebrate computer science education. The week focuses on the need to build strong computer science education programs in schools to ensure that the nation has the skilled workforce it will need to develop future solutions. CSEdWeek is held each year during the second week in December in honor of Grace Murray Hopper, an outstanding pioneer in computer science, who was born on December 9, 1906.

Getting involved is easy and fun! You can do something small in your home, coordinate with a youth organization or partner with a local business to create a community-wide event, among many other ideas. Are you wondering where to start and how to plan it? CSEdWeek has a toolkit to help you organize an event that fits your needs.

National Science Foundation Publishes Computer Science Newsletter

CSEdWeek is here and the National Science Foundation, in support of the celebration, announced its rollout of CS Bits & Bytes, a biweekly newsletter highlighting innovative computer science research aimed at high school teachers and students.

NSF will release CS Bits & Bytes biweekly, beginning on December 5 and continue publication through the end of the 2011/2012 academic year. NSF hopes that educators and parents will use CS Bits & Bytes to inspire students to engage in the multi-faceted world of computer science, to become not just users but creators of technology, and to develop the abilities to utilize computation skills, no matter what their interests.

I encourage all BDPA-Blog readers to subscribe to the NSF publication. If you'd like to receive their newsletter, please send an email to listserv@listserv.nsf.gov with the text of the message as follows:


subscribe csbytes
for example: subscribe csbytes Eugenia Robinson

This Week in BDPA (Dec 4-10)

BDPA has 45 chapters around the nation. You can always find programs, services or networking activity here or here or here. BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry.

Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to us here, here or here!

Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Dec 5-10: United States - Seminars, 'Computer Science Education Week'
• Dec 6, New York - Fundraiser, 'Holiday Party and SITES Fundraiser'
• Dec 10: Los Angeles - Fundraiser, 'Scholarships and Awards Luncheon'
  

We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events! Please let us know of other BDPA events that we may have missed. Most importantly, let us know if you plan to attend any BDPA events this week.

Computer Science Education Week (December 5-11, 2010)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) encourages all of our supporters to find a way to get engaged in the upcoming Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek). CSEdWeek 2010 is a call to action to raise awareness about computer science education and computing careers. CSEdWeek is endorsed by the U.S. Congress and designated as December 5-11, 2010 in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Hopper (December 9, 1906).

CSEdWeek aims to:

• Eliminate misconceptions about computer science and computing careers.
• Communicate the endless opportunities for which computer science education prepares students in K-12, higher education and careers.
• Provide information and activities for students, educators, parents, and corporations to advocate for computer science education at all levels.

Why Computer Science?
Computer science is ubiquitous; it touches everyone’s daily lives and plays a critical role in today’s society by driving innovation and economic growth. The field is shaping the future by solving some of the world’s grandest challenges and creating today’s most exciting innovations. Computing related jobs remain strong despite the nation’s extraordinary economic challenges.

Why Computer Science Education?
Computer science education is essential to:

• Expose students to critical thinking and problem solving.
• Instill understanding of computational thinking for success in the digital age.
• Train students for computing careers that are exciting, plentiful and financially rewarding.
• Prepare students to tackle the world’s most challenging problems.

Yet as the role and significance of computing has grown, the teaching of computer science in our K-12 education system has dramatically declined. There is insufficient innovative computing curricula for students at all levels; few students have the opportunity to study computer science in an engaging and rigorous way; there is a lack of ethnic and gender diversity among those who do take computer science courses; and teachers have few opportunities for professional development and certification in computer science education.

Join In! Everyone can participate:

• Take the CSEdWeek pledge! Register your support and share your plans to celebrate at www.computinginthecore.org.
• ‘Like’ CSEdWeek on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CSEdWeek and join the conversation.
• Blog, tweet, and post to spread the word and raise awareness.
• Use the #CSEdWeek hashtag.
• Celebrate CSEdWeek in your BDPA chapter, school, club, or workplace.
• Visit http://www.CSEdWeek.org for other suggested activities and resources.

Sponsors and Partners
CSEdWeek is a collaborative effort of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), National Science Foundation (NSF), Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), National Center for Women & IT (NCWIT), WGBH, Computing Research Association (CRA), Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology (ABI), Microsoft, Google, SAS, Intel, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

CSEdWeek is an activity of Computing in the Core, a non-partisan advocacy coalition of associations, corporations, scientific societies, and other non-profits that strive to elevate computer science education to a core academic subject in K-12 education.

Next step is yours.  Will you be engaged with CSEdWeek this year?

Celebrate Computer Science Education Week (Dec 4-10)

There are too few African American students graduating with computer science degrees. BDPA and its supporters work hard to prepare high school and college students for success in the Information Technology industry. One way that we can all help is to support CSEdWeek 2011, taking place December 4-10. This is a week-long celebration of computer science education.

In today's world the impact of computing and the need for computer science education in our schools is more important than it's ever been! Find out more and don't forget to Pledge Your Support to CSEdWeek and let them know how you are celebrating the week. One way that all local BDPA chapters can help is to share information about computer science degrees at their upcoming program meetings or in their upcoming newsletters.

Parental and community encouragement can go a long way to leading children to a comprehensive education that will prepare them for the future. In today's world, that education must include computer science, as computers are everywhere. But how many of us understand how computers work, or how they help us solve some of today's most complex challenges?

Computer science explores these questions. Use CS Unplugged to explain to students how computers work, and at the same time, how computers help them address critical mathematics and science concepts from number systems and algorithms to manipulating variables and logic.

The BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) encourages all of our readers to hold an event celebrating CSEdWeek in your area! Are you wondering where to start and how to plan it? CSEdWeek has a toolkit to help.

BETF is proud to note that the 2011 CSEdWeek Vice Chair, Ruthe Farmer, is Director of Strategic Initiatives for the National Center for Women and Information Technology was a guest earlier this year on the BDPA iRadio Show.

Do you plan to 'get busy' with CSEdWeek this year?