Twenty school teachers from across Michigan will be at Michigan Tech for a three-day workshop Monday through Wednesday.
The workshop, called CS4all, will help teachers learn to integrate computer science and computational thinking into their classrooms.
Sponsored by grants from Google, the workshop is the first step toward establishing an online “community of practice” to introduce computer science principles into schools.
The workshop will cover topics such as What is Computational Thinking, Student Engagement Activities, Encouraging Diversity in Computing and Computing Careers in Local Industry.
A guest speaker, Shannon Houtrouw, is part of Tuesday morning’s program. He is a former professor and software systems engineer who has taught computer science at the Kalamazoo Area Math Science Center, a magnet school.
“Preparing students for life in a fully computerized 21st century is one of the most important problems facing educators today,” says Leo Ureel, a lecturer in computer science at Michigan Tech and organizer of the workshop. “We are working to build a grassroots community of K-12 teachers who will support each other in achieving this goal.”
Ureel and two other Tech computer science faculty members, Associate Professor Charles Wallace and Professor Linda Ott, will teach the workshop.
Michigan teachers learn all about computer science in Houghton
“Computer science is solely lacking from most k-12 educational opportunities,” says Michigan Tech University’s Computer Sciences Associate Dean, Linda Ott. “Particularly in the upper peninsula, very few schools offer any programming.”
Read more and watch the video at Upper Michigan’s Source, by Aleah Hordges.
Tech hosts computer science workshop for K-12 teachers
HOUGHTON – Computer science is one of the most useful skills a student can acquire as they prepare for the world.
Classes began with basic coding skills, including visual programming, where they input code not through language command, but by manipulating graphical elements.
“It’s easier to use, and it’s great for students, because the pieces of the code fit together like puzzle pieces, so you know if you’re putting things together correctly,” said Linda Ott, professor of computer science at Michigan Technological University and associate dean for special initiatives of the College of Sciences and Arts.
Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Garrett Neese (subscription required).