CS for AZ
CSforAZ (Computer Science for Arizona) is a statewide computer science initiative focused on bringing computer science education and professional development statewide. CSforAZ brings together a coalition of partners from government, K-12 districts, higher education, business, and non-profits; all focused on enabling high-quality, equitable CS learning opportunities for all students in Arizona.
CSforAZ is supported by a group of dedicated volunteers committed to enabling all students in Arizona to have access to computer science education.
Team
CSforAZ, co-founded by Dr. Nelson and Janice Mak of the Arizona State Board of Education, includes members from all 3 state universities, the Arizona Department of Education, Arizona Governor’s office, School Superintendent’s Association, school districts from around the state, and industry partners (Microsoft, code.org, Arizona SciTech Council).
CSforAZ helped to draft a state K12 computer science education plan, helped to write the state K12 CS education standards, and supported efforts to include funding at the state level for teacher professional development. Further, with support from the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, CSforAZ held a summit at ASU in fall 2017 and June 2018.
Classes
EDT 494/598: Introduction to Computer Science for Teachers: This course provides a “big-picture” introduction to computer science for pre-service and in-service teachers. The Exploring Computer Science curriculum (http://www.exlporingcs.org) serves as a guiding framework for this course, which introduces domain knowledge and appropriate teaching techniques related to teaching human computer interaction, computational problem solving, web design, programming, data analysis, and robotics in school environments. In addition the course covers ethical and social issues in computing along with an overview of computing careers.
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Computing Education for Teachers (Under Development): This continuing education/professional development online course will provide a 10 unit introduction to computing education methods and content. It will serve as a guide for teachers in conducting stand-alone introductory courses in CS for middle and high school students, as in integrating CS content into existing courses at the K-6 level.