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Overhauling Computer Science education [Barber]

On 12/06/2011, in computer science, curriculum, K-12 related, by Daniel Christian

Overhauling Computer Science education — from The Journal by D.A. Barber
Students from elementary school through college are learning on laptops and have access to smartphone apps for virtually everything imaginable, but they are not learning the basic computer-related technology that makes all those gadgets work. Some organizations are partnering with universities to change that.

Excerpt:

The ability to use a computer, its software, or computational thinking to solve problems are not core K-12 subjects taught under most state guidelines by certified teachers. In fact, schools often blur the lines between computer technology literacy with the ability to use computational thinking skills across disciplines. Today, computer science (CS) curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software but gives no insight into how it’s made or an aptitude for the technology to an entire generation whose everyday lives have become inextricably linked with computing technology.

While adopting best methods and practices in teaching computer science principles (CSP) is not standard procedure in most K-12 schools, some university projects are working toward that goal. The latest approaches pursue computer science education as far more than learning how to use a computer, building a spreadsheet, or even creating a Web page. It’s about problem solving, computational thinking, and abstract reasoning across a broad range of subjects. According to supporters, you can incorporate these concepts into your curriculum–no matter what subject you teach–and prepare students with the skills for success in the new knowledge economy.

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Dreaming: A look at Anastasis Academy [Tenkely; nice posting re: pedagogy, and learning spaces]

On 11/15/2011, in change, creativity, curriculum, education reform, education technology, engagement / engaging students, innovation, instructional design, K-12 related, learning spaces, smart classrooms, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Dreaming: A look at Anastasis Academy — from ilearntechnology.com by Kelly Tenkely

Excerpt:

You will notice that we don’t have rows of desks.  No teacher’s desk either.  We have space that kids can move in. Corners to hide in, stages to act on, floors to spread out on, cars to read in.  We are learning how to learn together, learning how to respect other children’s space and needs, learning how to discipline ourselves when we need to, learning how to work collaboratively, we are learning to be the best us.

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Also see:

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10 salient studies on the arts in education [onlinecolleges.net]

On 09/13/2011, in art, budgets, creativity, curriculum, drama/theater, education, K-12 related, music, by Daniel Christian

10 salient studies on the arts in education — from onlinecolleges.net

Excerpt:

A fine arts education — including music, theater, drawing, painting, or sculpture — whether in practice or theory, has been a part of any well-rounded curriculum for decades — but that may be changing.  Many schools today are cutting back or eliminating their art programs due to budget constraints.  It is estimated that by the end of this year, more than 25% of public high schools will have completely dismantled them.  These stats aren’t just bad news for teachers working in the arts.  Numerous studies done over the past decade have demonstrated the amazing benefits of such an integral education facet.  Students who don’t have access to art classes may not only miss out on a key creative outlet, but might also face greater difficulty mastering core subjects, higher dropout rates and more disciplinary problems.

You don’t have to take our word for it — you can read the studies yourself.  Here, we’ve listed some of the biggest on the arts in education conducted over the past decade.  Taken on by research organizations, college professors and school districts themselves, the studies reveal the power of art to inspire, motivate and educate today’s students.  And, of course, demonstrate what a disservice many schools are doing by undervaluing such an integral part of their education and development (emphasis DSC).

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Math and science teachers join the call for stronger K-12 Computer Science education

On 08/06/2011, in 21st century, computer science, curriculum, K-12 related, by Daniel Christian

Math and science teachers join the call for stronger K-12 Computer Science education — ednetinsight.com

Excerpt:

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) July 28, 2011 – Two of the most influential groups in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education community — National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) — have joined the Computing in the Core Coalition (CinC). This non-partisan advocacy coalition is working to ensure that the country’s K-12 education system provides students access to computer science education and the opportunities it provides. With the addition of these two leading organizations, CinC now works to represent the concerns of more than 160,000 teachers and looks forward to adding these important voices to the call for stronger K-12 computer science education.

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Common-Core writers craft curriculum criteria [Gewertz]

On 07/24/2011, in assessment, curriculum, K-12 related, legislatures / government / legal, United States, by Daniel Christian

Common-Core writers craft curriculum criteria — from edweek.org by Catherine Gewertz

Excerpt:

New guidelines on crafting curriculum materials for the common standards in English/language arts are reigniting debate about how to ensure a marketplace of good instructional materials for the new standards without crossing the line into telling teachers how to teach.

Also see:

 

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Reflections upon “MBA Curriculum Changes: Wharton, Yale, and Stanford Lead the Pack”

On 03/22/2011, in 21st century, business, corporate / business world, curriculum, Daniel S. Christian, future, innovation, leadership, learning agents, learning ecosystem, MBA, metacognition / metacognitive skills, strategy, technology (general), vision/possibilities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

MBA Curriculum Changes: Wharton, Yale, and Stanford Lead the Pack — from knewton.com by Christina Yu

Excerpt (citing article from a  U.S. News article):

“Rather than consider pre-digested summaries of company situations, students tackle ‘raw cases’ packed with original data. Instead of being presented with an income statement, for example, they must mine the considerably bulkier annual filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission for data. The raw cases ‘push us to understand,’ says second-year Yale student Jason Hill. ‘They purposely put in more material than you could ever look at, but you have to learn where to look.’” (emphasis DSC)

From DSC:
I found this to be a good, interesting post. I just had a couple of thoughts that I wanted to throw out there re: it.

In looking at trends from an 80,000-foot level, I’d vote for MBA programs integrating much more of the tech-know-how — and/or appreciation of what technologies can bring to the table — as well as teaching grad students about some of the tools/technologies that are emerging these days (and I’d bet that the leaders/schools mentioned in this article are already doing this) .

I remember an instructor years ago — at SFSU’s MSP Program — saying that bots and agents will be the key to making decisions in the future, as there will be too much information for a person to sift through. The streams of content need to be tapped — but in efficient ways. So perhaps the logical step here is for MBA students to learn what bots/agents are, how to use them, and what their applications might be in making business/strategic decisions.

The most successful organizations of the future will be well-versed in technologies and what the applications/benefits of these technologies are. My bet? If you don’t have a technologist at the power table of your organization, the outlook doesn’t look very bright for your organization in terms of surviving and thriving in the future. Organizations will also need to be willing to take risks and move forward without having a full cost-benefit analysis done — as many times these don’t work well or are not even possible when implementing tech-based endeavors/visions.

Also relevant here:

 

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Educated Citizen [Brian Kuhn, Canada]

On 03/21/2011, in curriculum, future, by Daniel Christian

Educated Citizen — from Brian Kuhn (Canada)

Also see:

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Common curriculum/content: Is this a step in the right direction or in the wrong direction?

On 03/07/2011, in curriculum, education reform, K-12 related, leadership, strategy, United States, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Leaders Call for Shared Curriculum Guidelines — from edweek.org by Catherine Gewertz
Diverse group says framework needed for new common standards

Seventy-five respected leaders in education, business, and government issued a call this week to devise shared curriculum guidelines for the new common standards.

The move is notable for finding common ground on a sensitive topic among an ideologically diverse group of thinkers. Signatories include political liberals and conservatives, and those with varying views on controversial education issues such as charter schools, testing policy, and ways to evaluate and compensate teachers.

From the “A Call for Common Content” webpage:
To be clear, by “curriculum” we mean a coherent, sequential set of guidelines in the core academic disciplines, specifying the content knowledge and skills that all students are expected to learn, over time, in a thoughtful progression across the grades. We do not mean performance standards, textbook offerings, daily lesson plans, or rigid pedagogical prescriptions.

From DSC:
This concerns me…as such a call for common content would be more palatable to me if ALL academic disciplines were available and represented equally — not just STEM-related items. Also, does the common content represent the average citizen? (Come to think of it, who/what is the average citizen and what do they want to pursue?)
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I think that we need to move more towards an individualized/customized learning approach, where students can pursue their passions and God-given gifts. With dropout rates approaching 30%, is movement towards a common curriculum a step in the right direction? Will such a strategy decrease or increase the drop out rates? Will such a strategy end up creating a vanilla/cookie-cutter approach to K-12 education where you had better like STEM-related topics or else…oh well…better luck next time?
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Your thoughts on this? Am I off-base on this?

 

  • 40 million American adults did not complete high school.
  • The high school graduate, on average, earns $500,000 more in a lifetime as compared to an individual who did not complete high school.
  • Most high school dropouts (70%) have the intellectual ability to complete the courses needed for high school graduation.
  • Most high school dropouts do not feel a connection between high school courses and future employment.
  • 75% of high school dropouts stated that if they could relive the experience, they would have stayed in high school.
  • 81% of dropouts expressed a need for schooling that connected academics and employment.
Addendum on 3/23/11:
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How do we best educate our students to be successful in this type of workplace/manufacturing environment?

On 02/24/2011, in 21st century, change, curriculum, education, engineering, strategy, student-related, surviving, workplace, by Daniel Christian

How do we best educate our students in this type of environment?

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Also see:

  • A Whole New Mind — by Daniel Pink
    To survive in this age, individuals and organizations must examine what they’re doing to earn a living and ask themselves three questions:
    1) Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
    2) Can a computer do it faster?
    3) Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance? (p. 51)
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The Higher Education Landscape — by Mel Netzhammer

On 02/15/2011, in accreditation, assessment, budgets, business side of he, change, curriculum, higher education, learning, legislatures / government / legal, policy, staying relevant, teaching & learning, trends, by Daniel Christian

The Higher Ed Landscape -- February 2011

From DSC:
As I was reviewing Mel’s presentation, I couldn’t help but think of the amazing amount of pressure colleges and universities will be under towards “standardization” — or at minimum, institutions may need to accept much of what has occurred at another school.  The costs are too high not to — and the expectations from parents, students, legislatures, and the general public may force this to occur.

Along these lines, I think that the dynamics of teaching and learning change when we talk about the cost of an education going from a few thousand to 150,000+ for 4 years. Expectations are one thing that change; Mel’s presentation points to this a bit. But I also wondered…how will institutions of higher education differentiate themselves if these pressures for portability continue to build? How will they keep from becoming a commodity?

Also noteworthy was Mel’s slide re: what students can ultimately DO as a result of their educations — this may become more of the Holy Grail of Assessment.


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Educause Review: The Changing Landscape of Higher Education

On 02/09/2011, in adjunct faculty, adult learning, change, corporate / business world, cost of getting a degree, curriculum, faculty, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, learning ecosystem, lifelong learning, student-related, traditional / tradition, trends, universities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Educause: The Changing Landscape of Higher Education— by David Staley and Dennis Trinkle
The authors identify ten fissures in the landscape that are creating areas of potentially tectonic change.

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Updates re: Pearson

On 01/19/2011, in curriculum, digital learning, global / globalization, India, instructional design, online learning, online media, online tutoring, publishing, UK, United States, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
A global push continues to be evident in some of the things that Pearson has been up to in the last year:

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Crafting e-curriculum that inspires [EdWeek.org]

On 01/13/2011, in blended learning, change, curriculum, engagement / engaging students, hybrid learning, instructional design, K-12 related, leadership, learning ecosystem, Michigan, motivation, online learning, strategy, by Daniel Christian

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Also see:
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The 19,100-student Grand Rapids school district in Michigan launched blended-learning classes this past fall. The district has started with high school social studies and math classes.

“There was some initial resistance from the public—concerned parents with the perception that kids are just going to be stuck in computer labs—but that’s absolutely contrary to what [this] is,” said John Helmholdt, the director of communications for the district. “When you say blended, people don’t understand what that means. It took months of really trying to educate and raise awareness of really what it was we were trying to do.”

Moving to a blended model actually made teacher-student ratios better, according to Mr. Helmholdt, by layering on support-staff members to circulate when the students were completing work online.

In Grand Rapids, the blended classes go through a three-day rotation of face-to-face and online instruction. During the first day, students receive a traditional lecture-based class in a regular classroom where a new concept is introduced. On the second day, the class starts by going over the concept again and then beginning to use some of the online software and support tools that reinforce the concept. On the third day, the students work solely with digital resources. [Rest of article here.]

From DSC:
I am very glad that the Grand Rapids school system is moving in this direction!  It is a huge step in the right direction and I congratulate the district’s leadership for their vision and patience while this plane gets off the runway. This endeavor will help the students begin to build digital/information literacy. It will open their minds up to numerous creative possibilities — as well as career opportunities and goals. They are beginning to have “the world as their school“.

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Running On Empty: The Failure to Teach K–12 Computer Science in the Digital Age

On 12/10/2010, in computer science, curriculum, K-12 related, by Daniel Christian

Running On Empty: The Failure to Teach K–12 Computer Science in the Digital Age

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Running on Empty --- failure to teach enough computer science in K-12

Executive Summary

Computer science and the technologies it enables now lie at the heart of our economy, our daily lives, and scientific enterprise. As the digital age has transformed the world and workforce, U.S. K–12 education has fallen woefully behind in preparing students with the fundamental computer science knowledge and skills they need for future success. To be a well-educated citizen as we move toward an ever-more computing-intensive world and to be prepared for the jobs of the 21st Century, students must have a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of computer science.

The report finds that roughly two-thirds of the country have few computer science education standards for secondary school education, and most states treat high school computer science courses as simply an elective and not part of a student’s core education. Executive Summary Full Report

Also see:

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The Rise of the ‘Edupunk’

On 11/05/2010, in adjunct faculty, change, changing business models, colleges, community colleges, faculty, future of higher education, game-changing environment, online learning, organizational change, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, universities, by Daniel Christian

The Rise of the ‘Edupunk’ — from InsideHigherEd.com by Jack Stripling

NEW YORK — The “Edupunks” will inherit the Earth … or at least some attention.

Those in higher education who continue hand-wringing over the relative merits of online learning and other technology-driven platforms will soon find themselves left in the dust of an up-and-coming generation of students who are seeking knowledge outside academe. Such was an emerging consensus view here Monday, as college leaders gathered for the TIAA-CREF Institute’s 2010 Higher Education Leadership Conference.

“We’re still trying to fit the Web into our educational paradigm.… I just don’t think that’s going to work,” said Mary Spilde, president of Lane Community College, in Eugene, Ore.

Today’s students are “pretty bored with what we do,” she added.

In a notable acknowledgment of the tail wagging the dog, several panelists alluded here to the possibility that if colleges don’t change the way they do business, then students will change the way colleges do business.

College leaders don’t yet know how to credential the knowledge students are gaining on their own, but they may soon have to, said Mark David Milliron, deputy director for postsecondary improvement at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We are not far from the day when a student, finding unsatisfactory reviews of a faculty member on ratemyprofessors.com, will choose to take a class through open courseware online and then ask his home institution to assess him, Milliron said. Colleges need to prepare for that reality, he said.

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Staying Relevant

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