The Future of Education

MARCH 2019 | EDUCATIONANDCAREERNEWS.COM |

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The Future of Education Andy Weir, author of “The Martian,” shares his childhood role models and talks about getting kids interested in STEM

DISCOVER the ways technology is being used to close equity gaps in education

LEARN how esports are teaching students to think strategically and work as a team

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Students are having more fun connecting with science topics by playing board games. page 7

in this issue

Classrooms need flexible technology that allows data-sharing on any device.

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Schools are supporting educators who teach with technology in the classroom.

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Empowering Students Starts With Empowering Teachers Nearly half of educators say they feel they haven’t received the training they need to teach with technology in the classroom.

Technology is transforming our lives and our schools. Last year, we reached a landmark with 98 percent of classrooms connected to the internet.

I’ve long believed that technology is one of the most powerful tools to improve learning and close equity gaps in education.

I’m not alone in this thought: According to a report from Common Sense Media, 96 percent of teachers believe educational technology increases student engagement in learning. But just putting tech in schools doesn’t make much of a difference.

The secret sauce is in preparing teachers to use technology in ways that improves learning and empowers students. Shockingly, the same report indicates that 43 percent of teachers say they haven’t received the training they need to use technology effectively in the classroom. This isn’t a problem just for veteran teachers — 3 out of every 5 new teachers say their teacher preparation programs didn’t train them adequately to use technology in their future classrooms.

Providing resources Closing the gap for classroom teachers and those in teacher prep programs is essential. The focus must be on showing teachers how to redesign learning experiences to help kids become empowered learners, global collaborators

Richard Culatta CEO, ISTE

and contributing digital citizens.

That’s why it’s a critical time for education organizations to work together to close this gap. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is taking several initiatives to make a difference.

ISTE has created a certification program with our network of partner organizations to help prepare in-service teachers to use technology effectively. This is the first national-level, vendor-neutral tech certification for teachers.

Additionally, we’re partnering with employers to better understand the tech skills students will need in their future jobs. For example, through a collaboration with General Motors, ISTE has created new professional development resources to close the gap on what educators need to know about artificial intelligence.

Finally, we’re collaborating with education experts to bring teachers bite-size professional development on topics like personalized learning, digital citizenship and computational thinking via our ISTE online professional learning hub. Courses are co-developed with Google and provide educators with tools and strategies to teach this critical competency even in early education.

There’s more to be done, and it starts by asking the right questions: Are teachers getting professional development on how to use the devices provided? How are they supported in the selection of apps and tools? If you’re a teacher, get started by learning more about the standards for learning and teaching in a digital world. n

Publisher Rebecca Levine Business Developer Stephanie King Managing Director Luciana Olson Designers Tiffany Pryor, Keziah Makoundou Copy Editor Juliana Burkhart Director of Sales Shannon Ruggiero Director of Business Development Jourdan Snyder Director of Product Faye Godfrey Lead Editor Mina Fanous Production Manager Josh Rosman Content Strategist Vanessa Rodriguez Cover Photo Aubrie Pick All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise specified. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today.

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Setting up Students for Success by Getting Esports Into Your School For schools seeking a competitive advantage for their students, investing in an esports program is easier than you might think.

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right next to each other that can’t play each other. What does that do for scholarship opportunities? We have to think about esports in that broader sense.”

4. Think about standards Kell also advises schools to think about its standards. “Right now, esports is the Wild West. In basketball or football, the field, the court has a set of dimensions — it’s not the same in esports. That’s one of our initiatives with Acer and their Predator line, from a hardware standpoint. We’ve been working with Acer to develop this education commercialized product so schools can come in to a standardized machine.”

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hen Pong debuted in 1972, few could have imagined how profoundly gaming would impact modern life — least of all in the academic world. Today esports is not only big business (with revenues predicted to surpass $1 billion this year), but it has also evolved into a powerful tool for students and teachers alike.

“Today, esports is big entertainment — it’s more than just playing video games,” says Joshua Kell, CEO of Horizon AVL System Integration, a company that works with schools seeking to integrate esports programs into their curriculums. “One of the biggest benefits is team development. We’re now giving students that typically may not be a part of traditional sports an opportunity to work together collaboratively, build strategies and feel a part of a team.”

Applicable benefits One enthusiastic supporter of esports is computer hardware company Acer. “Participation in esports programs encourages critical thinking and leadership skills, and can lead to career pathways outside of being a gamer, like game design, shoutcasting, event management, network management and marketing,”

says Nidhi Nayyar Tassone, commercial marketing manager at Acer America Corporation.

There are also tangible academic and financial benefits. There are now 125 college varsity esports programs in the United States, and more than $9 million in scholarship money.

The strategy It’s little wonder that so many elementary and high schools want esports programs. But the challenges can be daunting. Kell

and Tassone offer a five-step outline for schools and IT managers to follow.

1. Use best practices “Some of the best practices include setting up guidelines around club participation for students similar to traditional sports (GPA, attendance, eligibility criteria to qualify for clubs or teams, behavioral guidelines, etc.),” says Tassone.

“This ensures that an academic expectation is set for participation, just like any other sport.”

2. Start with a club Clubs can be the seed for a formal program. “Somewhere along the line, football was just a club, a bunch of guys playing the game to enjoy it,” notes Kell, “You need to start with a club or a team, because without that, you can’t build the curriculum around it.”

3. Have a roadmap “The industry is ever-changing,” warns Kell. “Games are coming and going, and there are 10-15 different types of leagues. There are schools

5. Get buy-in Finally, Tassone stresses getting buy-in from above before moving forward. “The traditional rules of engagement do not apply to esports when it comes to procurement, student engagement, IT network management, etc.,” she says.

“You need acceptance that this is a non-traditional format of student engagement and training.”

The payoff The effort is increasingly worth it. “Technology is obviously not going away,” Kell observes.

“Gaming developers are only adding more games and recruiting more and more people. In the next two or three years, you’re going to see esports sanctioned in almost every state. You’re dealing with an industry that’s growing exponentially.” And with it, opportunities. n Jeff Somers

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3 Keys to Unlocking Exceptional Learning in Modern Education As schools navigate the benefits and challenges created by rapidly changing technology, educators must adapt to make room for innovation.

There’s a movement underway in K-12 education, and everyone’s a stakeholder. Children can access the entire world in the palm of their hands, and schools are rising to the challenge of integrating technology. When coupled with progressive curriculum design and delivery, technology can ignite the vital flame of curiosity for students.

Over the years, I’ve encountered diverse insights on how K-12 administrators, teachers and parents can keep up with the latest technological advancements. Today, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is empowering a community of school leaders to take an active role in shaping these trends.

Identifying trends CoSN’s new Driving K-12 Innovation series is produced by educators, for educators. An international advisory board of more than 100 K-12 experts has identified three trends schools must navigate in order to spur extraordinary teaching and learning experiences:

expected of students and educators. Schools are embracing real-world learning experiences that promote student-generated ideas and solutions.

1. Hurdles These are organizational- and human-capacity challenges that force educators to slow down, prepare themselves and make the leap to innovation. Schools have a responsibility to understand how emerging technology impacts the skills students need to be successful in their continuing education and careers.

3. Tech enablers These supporting tools expand opportunities and solutions. Some examples include augmented and virtual reality technologies, which enhance the physical world with interactive digital imagery and graphics.

Schools cannot afford to address these trends in isolation. Technology is allowing school leaders and educators to form communities of collaboration, and CoSN is committed to providing assistive resources to build a better bridge to the future. n

2. Accelerators These are megatrends that drive the needs and skills

Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN

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Computational Thinking Skills Prepare Students for the Future All educators can empower their students by utilizing tools that teach children to solve problems effectively in the modern era.

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e have entered a modern age of education where classrooms are commonly filled with students who are programming robots, using data to create a plan for reducing food waste in the cafeteria or working with a computer to design a 3D model of a fabricated reef to protect oyster habitats. What appears as hustle and bustle is active learning

where students are using computational thinking (CT).

Modern skills CT is not “thinking like a computer,” but a set of foundational skills that harness the power of computing to solve problems. It involves formulating problems in a way that a computer can solve them, analyzing data, using models, creating simulations and

employing a step-by-step approach to solve problems efficiently and effectively.

Today’s students have grown up with technology at their fingertips. Practicing CT transforms students from consumers of content into creators of content.

Advances in computing have expanded our capacity to solve problems at a scale never before imagined, using strategies that

have not been available to us before. Students will need CT skills to be successful. Students will need to learn and practice CT skills in order to take full advantage of rapid changes in technology.

Benefits for all students More and more educators are engaging in CT activities in their classrooms as early as kinder-

garten and in all of their classes, from math and art to music and Spanish. We know there’s a strong economic imperative to prepare the next generation of CT-literate students — a labor market opportunity to the tune of $1 billion. But this is about more than high-paying jobs. It’s about giving students the essential skills to create their own futures and helping them find meaning in the tech-powered world around them.

We believe that all educators should use CT concepts in their classrooms. To meet this interest and demand, the International Society for Technology in Education developed the CT Competencies to help educators integrate CT across all disciplines in order to prepare students with the skills needed to solve problems of the future. n Carolyn Sykora, Senior Director, International Society for Technology in Education Standards Programs

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Creativity and Science Go Hand-in-Hand Andy Weir, author of “The Martian,” talks about the importance of inspiring creativity and independence in kids as they are introduced to STEM topics.

Why is it important for students to be creative?

Creativity is a basic skill that is beneficial to literally any profession.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a physicist or a plumber. The physicist has to work out a creative way to get protons moving near the speed of light and the plumber has to work out a creative way to get the hot water line laterally across the house without cutting any holes in load-bearing beams. Creativity is a core component of all thinking.

Why is it important to get kids involved with science early in their education?

The most important thing is to expose them to STEM — not to try and force them into doing it all the time. The world needs scientists, but it also needs artists. The objective is to give the kids the information they need to find out what their passions are. STEM education — especially in the earlier grades — allows kids to discover if they have a love of science or not. If they do, that can be fostered.

What was your childhood exposure to STEM like?

My father was a physicist, so my role model was already a scientist. Back when I was a school student, there weren’t any specific STEM initiatives — I don’t know if the term STEM had even been invented yet. But I had math and science classes, like anyone else, and I loved them.

Don’t try to force an interest in your kid toward any specific thing. If they show an interest in science, foster it. If they don’t, they don’t. If you force a child to do something, they’re not going to develop a passion for it. You just have to let the kid decide on their own. ■

PHOTO: AUBRIE PICK

What’s your biggest piece of advice for parents looking to inspire their children?

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How Board Games Are Introducing Students to Intriguing Concepts in Science A STEM-based publishing company has found a playful way to make learning about challenging topics more engaging.

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enius Games founder and CEO John Coveyou still remembers the first game he created as a child.

“I was eight or nine, and it was made essentially out of notes and sketches on graph paper, and was set in a sci-fi world,” explains the

former teacher and engineer. “I convinced a bunch of my neighborhood friends to play it. Not surprisingly, that game was terrible, but it was a great experience for me.”

In 2013, Coveyou started his own company to make intimidating concepts more relatable.

“So many students come to the study of science with a lot of negative baggage. They’ve already decided it’s too hard for them, too geeky for them, too boring, so unless someone addresses these underlying influences, students do not find it fun.”

Imagining the possibilities In creating a game, Coveyou begins

with a concept that’s foundational to biology, chemistry or physics, and also fascinating to him.

“At the heart of each game is a particular science concept, with a fairly different type of gameplay featured. For example, ‘Cytosis: A Cell Biology Game’ takes place entirely inside a human cell.

To win, you have to accomplish what a living cell has to accomplish in real life.”

Instead of spending hours reading textbooks or memorizing flashcards, students can be inspired through play, and experience the delight in discovery.

“As a rule, kids have an intense, innate drive to explore the world

around them. I think, as teachers, we want to work with that drive, harnessing curiosity as much as possible.”

Seeing is believing Jason Bodnar, a high school chemistry teacher in Waterloo, IN, knows first-hand the value of incorporating games into lesson plans.

“I’ve used Ion to help reinforce ionic compound formation and naming, and Covalence to help students become more familiar with molecules. My AP chemistry students have specifically enjoyed playing Subatomic. Students of all ages enjoy playing

games a lot more than just listening to a teacher lecture.”

Coveyou started Genius Games because he believes integrating STEM into games and education is essential in battling stigmas and parental pressures that often leave students feeling incapable, or overwhelmed to the point of walking away.

“Scientific inquiry and innovation isn’t just going to happen if the next generation of kids thinks and feels this way about science. The urgency to demystify science and make it fun and approachable is at the heart of what I do.” n Cindy Riley

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Using Drone Technology in the Classroom Drones are exciting and fun for people of all ages, but students can reap particularly useful benefits from learning to use them for practical applications in school.

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oday’s school teachers are constantly faced with the challenge of engaging their tech-savvy students. Finding user-friendly tools that enable project-based learning, differentiated instruction and common core standards-aligned lesson plans is time-consuming.

The use of drones in instructional activities gives students a concrete example of how STEM concepts can be applied and utilized in the real world. Drones hold students’ attention and engage them in an activity, so students

Introducing this technology into K-12 schools allows students to become experienced with the tools at an early age and gives them a head start in the job market.

can more effectively master and apply skills that they learned during instruction.

Benefits for all students The book “Drones in Education: Let Your Students’ Imaginations Soar” helps educators see the benefits of introducing the use of drones into the curriculum as a tool for improving student engagement.

One key benefit of using readily available, hands-on technology like drones in the classroom is that it provides student-centered,

technology-driven learning for girls and other underrepresented groups who may never have been exposed to it otherwise.

Real-world application Drones have become a powerful business tool in many sectors, including real estate, military, manufacturing, farming and transportation. They are being developed to use in countless areas of commercial and civil government applications. Goldman Sachs estimates the drone sector to be a $100 billion market by the

year 2020. A report released by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International projected more than 100,000 new jobs in unmanned aircrafts by 2025.

These industries need highly skilled people to lead them. More and more universities are developing drone degree and certification programs to meet these demands.

Introducing this technology into K-12 schools allows students to become experienced with the tools at an early age and gives them a head start in the job market.

Moreover, the technology offers a hands-on approach to teaching that is proven to be successful.

As more technologies find their way into the school curriculum, students will also become more experienced in problem solving and critical thinking skills that are essential to their future. n Dr. Christopher Carnahan, Dr. Laura Zieger, Associate Professors, Educational Technology Department, New Jersey City University

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Closing the Digital Gap Between Home and School As technology becomes a bigger part of our lives at home, work and school, educators are working to ensure that all students have access to the benefits of digital tools.

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any of the assignments students work on in their classrooms require, or are made easier by, the use of technology. This makes sense, because students will need to develop digital literacy in order to thrive in the future workforce.

However, some students are at a disadvantage because they don’t have access to the same technology at home. Students who don’t have a reliable internet

connection, or a device to access it, may have a more difficult time completing their homework. This can cause them to fall behind their peers who do have access to these technologies.

Technology at home In the 2017 SpeakUp Survey of Texas students, parents, administrators, librarians, teachers and technology directors, 49 percent of Texas teachers said

that “ensuring students have safe, consistent internet access outside of school is a significant barrier to implementing blended learning in school.” This isn’t just a problem affecting Texas students and educators. The ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning conducted a 2017 survey on this issue and found that 19 percent of students from underserved backgrounds report having access to only one device at home. When this device

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needs to be shared with other siblings and family members, it can be difficult for students to count on it as a reliable resource for completing their homework.

Providing access So what are the solutions? In areas where access to reliable internet is an issue, some schools have school buses that travel around from neighborhood to neighborhood, acting as mobile wireless hotspots.

In Texas, we have the Technology Lending Grants, which have made it possible for schools to apply for funding to implement a program that loans students the equipment necessary to access and use digital instructional materials.

These measures are steps in the right direction toward creating a more equitable future for all students. n Jennifer Bergland, Director of Governmental Relations, TCEA

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Teaching the Skills Students Need for the Future The current job market necessitates the use of technology as an important tool to advance students beyond traditional content mastery.

Innovative districts are leveraging the power of educational technology to transform schools into places that inspire the skills and dispositions essential for future success. The traditional model of school was designed for another time based on what society knew about learning, the type of knowledge and skills society thought it needed and the type of educational experience they could actually provide to students. Today, changes in what we know about student engagement, what present-day society needs from future graduates and advances in educational technology have made the traditional model outdated.

Teaching in the modern era We now know students are more engaged when they are allowed to give input on decisions about what they learn, how they learn it and the ways in which they demonstrate learning. Increases in student voice, choice and ownership spike engagement levels and accelerate learning.

As students progress through the educational system, the positive impact of increased autonomy over their learning has a cumulative effect and a positive social-emotional impact.

The skillful use of educational technology can provide students the ability to increase ownership of learning, elevate their connection to learning goals and provide access to more authentic learning resources and audiences.

Dr. Brian Troop, Superintendent, Ephrata Area School District, AASA

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Implementing Classic Learning Models in Technology Training for Teachers

Educators are finding that the pedagogical methods we use for our students work just as well for adults who are learning to use technology in the classroom.

and adapt. But after more than two decades in education, my experience is that teachers are eager and willing to learn; they just need the time and space to plan and coordinate.

In 1996, the U.S. Department of Education issued its firstever educational technology plan, calling on educators to prepare students for the 21st century by integrating technology into teaching and learning.

At the time, few educators could have imagined the degree to which technology would affect our lives and the education community in such a short amount of time.

Though technology use has grown rapidly, many of the original recommendations from the 1996 report are still relevant for today’s educators, particularly the first goal to ensure that “all teachers in the nation will have the training and support necessary to help students learn to use computers and the information superhighway.”

Proven methods As supporters of strong education, we also need to support education leaders as they implement triedand-true pedagogical constructs when it comes to their own learning. We have instructional frameworks that help students move toward independence, guiding them to master skills and grow in their understanding.

Educators are no different. Like students, they need to see someone model a new practice or technology, then they need to practice with support and eventually work toward doing it on their own. Renowned educators Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey break this down into four components that are easily remembered as “I do it,” “we do it,” “you do it together,” and, finally, “you do it alone.”

What we know about adult learning is that the fundamentals are the same as the learning that happens in our classrooms. Education leaders can no longer afford to delay investing in training and support systems that will set educators and students up for success. ■

Resources for educators Today educators can easily replace computers and the information superhighway with a number of ever-changing devices and digital information access points, but what doesn’t change is the need to effectively train and support teachers who use and teach with technology in the classroom. We’ve heard the oft-repeated myth that educators aren’t tech savvy or are too obstinate to learn

Ronn Nozoe, Interim Executive Director and CEO, ASCD

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Enhancing the Classroom Experience With Educational Technology The field of education is exploding with new forms of technology that can empower students of all backgrounds to learn and help teachers make a greater impact.

Nidhi Tassone Commercial Marketing Manager, Acer America

John Copeland Director of Education Sales, Barco USA

Charles Foley Boxlight Advisory, Board

What will be your company’s main focus areas for education technology (ed-tech) in 2019?

engaged through hands-on learning. We will also continue to support educators by providing the resources they need to bring playful learning to life for all students.

Nidhi Tassone: We will continue to partner with schools in expansion of oneon-one student device programs and also focus on helping schools launch their esports programs.

Bethlam Forsa: Our primary focus is on delivering one seamless learner experience within our Realize platform, enabling students to find all their content in one place. We are also keenly focused on giving teachers maximum flexibility to customize lessons to fit their students’ needs, and ensuring that Realize easily integrates with others like Google Classroom.

John Copeland: Barco delivers solutions for education that enhance teaching and learning experiences within and beyond the classroom. Our focus is on our full product portfolio, including wePresent for wireless interactive collaboration, weConnect to bring interactive engagement across and beyond the campus and Overture, which improves monitoring and control of audio-visual equipment.

Charles Foley: Building on Boxlight’s interactive classroom leadership, we’ll leverage richer content and learning into the environment. Mimio MicroCloud vastly expands resources available in the classroom, increasing the depth of the interactivity already enabled. STEM and robotics are a target area. Our MyBot Education platform helps students from kindergarten and up learn about programming.

S ilver M c Do n ald: Wit h t he most compelling and creative STEM learning solutions, LEGO Education will continue its focus on delivering stimulating learning environments where students from pre-K all the way up to grade 12 are inspired and

How can ed-tech make learning more inclusive and accessible?

NT: Ed-tech-based curriculum can help model digital citizenship, which is a critical skill for students to learn. Also, immersive technologies make student experiences like virtual college tours accessible for all students.

JC: Including every student wherever they are physically located makes learning more accessible, and providing technology that allows sharing information on any device for collaboration should be the norm. The use of online and distance learning can bring participants to the classroom from anywhere in the world and provide them with a collaborative learning environment.

CF: Educators now realize how different students benefit from different modes of learning. Ed-tech that allows students to engage more senses provides the potential

Silver McDonald Head of LEGO Education, North America

for collaborative learning and enriches the learning experience for everyone.

SM: Equity and access are core to our beliefs at LEGO Education. To be more inclusive, any given ed-tech solution needs to meet the children where they are on the learning curve and inspire a love of learning. We want to make it easy for educators to incorporate us into the classroom. Our carefully curated system of robust hardware, software platforms and standards-aligned lessons are designed for students of all learning levels to flex their creativity, practice teamwork and expand social and emotional intelligence while developing their foundational knowledge and skills.

BF: Inclusivity starts with personalization.

Enabling content and formative assessment capabilities to be delivered at the right place and time to positively impact student learning outcomes is critical. Furthermore, we know connectivity is not always a given, so designing solutions for both online and offline uses is our priority.

How can embracing modern ed-tech benefit educators?

NT: Modern ed-tech creates opportunities for students to be collaborative and more engaged in the classroom.

JC: Ed-tech allows educators to create a collaborative environment, driving more effective group collaboration and more engagement with course content. Educators can also offer their material in self-paced

Bethlam Forsa CEO, Pearson K-12 Learning Services

programs, or even foster competency-based programs. Ed-tech will increasingly be the primary method used to drive active learning in the classroom.

CF: The goal of most educators is to teach, so anything that enriches the experience for students helps drive this goal. With easy access to best-practice curriculum, richer digitized content and a more engaging teaching environment, teachers can bring much more to their efforts. Teaching is easier and learning is enhanced.

SM: Educators today face the challenge of fundamentally changing how they teach to keep up with an increasingly digital world and to keep their students motivated in learning. By embracing modern ed-tech solutions, educators can personalize learning to level the playing field for their students and keep them engaged by creating hands-on, active learning environments. We know the importance of supporting teachers and administrators through this journey to truly impact learning, which is why we focus on providing professional development and lesson plans along with support in implementation and planning.

BF: Embracing new technology means changing how we look at time spent in the classroom. If teachers can quickly pinpoint where and when students are advanced or challenged upfront, they have the opportunity to personalize instruction and remediation to support each learner individually.

Through technology, we can empower educators with timely and valuable insights. n

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Helping Educators Prepare Students With Computer Science Skills As knowledge of computer science becomes more important in the job market, it is imperative for educators to be well-equipped to teach these skills to their students.

Integrating the Principles of Engineering Design in STEM Education This group of educators advocates for teaching an engineering mindset in the classroom as a way to empower students with skills for critical thinking and problem solving.

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nabling all students to become STEM-literate is a very complex challenge facing K-12 educators. For more than a century, our educational system has focused on teaching the knowledge and skills necessary to master individual content areas including reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts and others. More recently, STEM education has been added to the mix for students to learn and excel in all grade levels.

Educational goals The International Technology and Engineering Educators Association strives to attain the goal of STEM literacy in all students. We support moving to a more aggressive approach that takes teaching engineering design as a foundational

skillset of STEM, and moves it into the realm of integrative STEM education (I-STEM). The end goal is to operationalize I-STEM education practices to empower educators to implement engaging and dynamic instructional practices in K-12 schooling to benefit all students.

I-STEM education is the application of technological and engineering design-based pedagogical approaches to intentionally teach the content and practices of science and mathematics education.

I-STEM Education is equally applicable at the natural intersections of learning within the continuum of content areas, educational environments and academic levels.

Practical applications Engaging all children in I-STEM education necessitates teaching tech-

nology and engineering through a real-world context, while introducing and reinforcing the appropriate math and science instruction to connect STEM learning throughout the lesson. This approach allows educators to fully integrate engineering mindsets such as systems thinking, creativity, optimism, collaboration, communication and ethical considerations. Exposure through I-STEM education builds confidence and competence in all children to not only understand STEM disciplines, but also to master critical thinking and problem solving. They learn to use their surroundings to create the necessary solutions to improve the world around them. n Steven Barbato, Executive Director and CEO, International Technology and Engineering Educators Association

As a former computer science educator, nothing was more frustrating for me than the lack of resources to help me build a strong curriculum for my students. This frustration is what led me to become involved with the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA). Our mission is to develop a strong community of computer science educators and encourage affiliate relationships with similar organizations in other countries.

As interest in computer science continues to grow and as more educators are being trained to help meet this demand, it’s important for organizations like CSTA to delineate a core set of learning objectives designed to provide the foundation for a complete computer science curriculum and its corresponding implementation at the K-12 level.

Academic standards CTSA standards outline ways educators can introduce fundamental concepts to students and incorporate computer science topics in a way that fulfills graduation requirements.

We are encouraging schools to offer additional course options to help interested students develop skills that will prepare them for college or the workforce. Our efforts are particularly concentrated on increasing the availability of computer science education to all students, especially those in underrepresented communities.

To help set computer science educators up for success, CSTA is partnering with the International Society for Technology in Education to refresh the standards for computer science educators. Collectively, we strive to develop a set of standards that provide clear guidelines on what computer science educators should know and be able to do in the classroom, and serve as aspirational goals for educators to guide their professional learning and stretch their teaching practice. We are establishing benchmarks for professional development providers as they craft computer science experiences for students.

Jake Baskin, Executive Director, CSTA

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Using Online Platforms to Reach Kids Who Need Help Today’s kids are more likely to trust the internet than the adults in their lives when it comes to seeking help for mental health problems.

If you can remember the advent of online social profiles and learning to use them, you probably belong to the millennial generation or an earlier generation. Those of us who learned to use technology as it was introduced are known as “digital immigrants,” as opposed to today’s youth, who were born into an online world and are known as “digital natives.”

Mental health issues These digital natives never made the decision to establish an online

footprint themselves; their parents created entire albums, pages and websites dedicated to documenting their lives from the moment they were born. So it’s no wonder that young people often trust Google and other online resources more than the adults in their lives, and are willing to reveal things behind the veil of anonymity. One such thing is the admittance of depression or anxiety, and feelings of doubt and loneliness.

These are all major topics of concern for today’s teenagers. As problems with bullying and drug addiction continue to increase, suicide has become the second leading cause of death among teens. On average, 1 in 5 teenagers has contemplated suicide, and suicide rates for U.S. middle

school students have surpassed the rate of death by car crashes.

Seeking help online Children and teens may turn to a community online to put words to their struggles. When they do, they may use slang phrases on forums like Reddit, Quora or Google — even accessing suicide instructions or penning suicide letters on school-owned devices — without ever overtly using these terms.

This is of particular concern for schools, who are tasked increasingly by state governments with screening for and delivering mental health services. That’s why many education technology companies have become more proactive in supporting mental

health efforts in schools. Student safety once meant ensuring physically safe campuses. Today, that scope has become more complex and intertwined with digital citizenship issues.

D estigmatizing mental health while extending an early hand is where schools can have a substantial impact on students who may be looking for help. This is why it’s important for educators and children’s mental health professionals to meet kids where they are, speak their language, understand the platforms they are using and know that they may be more likely to trust the voices at the other end of the search engine than at the other end of the table. n GoGuardian Team

MEDIAPLANET | 15

4 Ways to Keep Kids Safe Online

Today’s kids might know more about using the computer than their parents do, but parents still maintain a responsibility to teach their children that ethical behavior is just as important online as it is in the real world.

It’s no secret that technology is everywhere these days. From mobile devices to educational websites, our children have access to ideas and innovations we never would have dreamed possible when we were their age. In the classroom, teachers are harnessing technology to bring learning to life and deliver personalized instruction to students, while students use it to research subjects and connect with people and places around the world.

Knowing how to use technology is now critical for students to develop the skills they need to be competitive and thrive, but it has also made parenting more complex. New opportunities bring new concerns. As parents,

we want our children to learn, connect and have fun through technology, and at the same time, act safely, responsibly and thoughtfully online.

Here are four ways to help your children stay safe online: 1. Have a conversation Have proactive, open and ongoing conversations with your children about digital safety and the use of social media and technology.

Devices, sites, games and apps

will change as our children grow, and so will rules and guidelines.

It is important to revisit the conversation regularly.

2. Show common courtesy Teach your children that the rules of life also apply online.

J u s t a s we t e l l t h e m t o s a y “please” and “thank you” in daily conversations, we should also make sure our family values are reflected in the way our children behave online.

3. Teach proactive self-protection Help your children build good digital habits and ensure they have the skills they need to be responsible. Just as we teach them to look both ways before crossing the street, we should also be teaching our children that “123456” is not a safe online password and should never be used.

4. Model good digital habits Monitor your own device use, like

not bringing your phone to the dinner table, never driving and texting or turning off all devices and storing them in a common area well before bedtime. Kids follow what adults do, and they benefit greatly when expectations and good digital habits are modeled for them.

We owe it to our children to give them the tools to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

We must show them how to be mindful of their online presence and footprint, and how to meaningfully interact with social networks, games and apps. We must model the ways they can protect themselves and their identity and help them learn to balance their time online within their daily life. Together, we can succeed in ensuring our children become extraordinary citizens — in the digital world and the real world. n Jim Accomando, President, National PTA

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