STEM Education Today (March 2018)

March 2018

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VR

Virtual Reality -

A New World

Science, Computing and Play Professor Pratim Sengupta

Feature Educator: Shiroji McDonald

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Camp Science

Science l Technology l Engineering l Mathematics

Grades 7 to 12

Be Bold.

Be Brave.

Be Ready.

OWN YOUR FUTURE West Island College Calgary

westislandcollege.ab.ca 403.444.0023 7410 Blackfoot Trail S.E. admissions@mywic.ca ®

@WICYYC

West Island College Calgary

OUR TEAM

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VR - Virtual Reality -

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Science, Computing and Play - Krista Malden

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Shiroji McDonald Educator

Charlie Cheung

Editor-in-Chief Publisher Co-Publisher Editor/Chief Motivator

Dr. Gina Cherkowski Krista Malden Wayne Carley Tracy Beairsto

Special thanks to: STEM Learning Lab’s Team Markus Salvador

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Camp Science

Zibusiso Mafaiti Suzanne Presinal Jenn Roznicki

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Calgary Campus Open Minds (CCOM)

Charlie Cheung / Writer Kerrie-Ann LeBlanc Wendy Hutchins / Kitchen Science

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Snack Ideas for Easter -

Kerrie-Ann LeBlanc

Copyright 2017 STEM Learning Lab Inc. All Rights Reserved. To receive a free monthly electronic issue of

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Understanding Computer Science - Wayne Carley

STEM Education Today, please contact: stemedutoday@stemlearninglab.com All advertisements are paid for by the advertisers. For ad information or content use in this issue please contact the Email address stemedutoday@stemlearninglab.com

About STEM Education Today STEM Education Today is a free resource that provides a platform where everyone can become a part of an ever-growing network of global innovation and change!

A note from our Editor-In-Chief, Dr. Gina Cherkowski How did STEM Education Today come to life?

As a Social Justice STEM Educator and Innovator, I am on a mission to ensure all students have access to high quality STEM learning experiences so they are aptly prepared for our technologydriven, dynamic world. Parents, teachers and community members are seeking ideas, resources, and inspiration so that they too can join this empowering movement. STEM Education Today is helping to expand academic focus on STEM , STEAM, and Making and invites everyone to learn, share, and create.

Current global distribution map -

VR Virtual Reality: A

New World Created for Dreamers

Long gone are the days where virtual reality was a dream of the future. Today in Calgary, companies and researchers are using virtual reality to create applications to increase safety in oil fields, train doctors, and visualize architectural design. This is an exciting time for technology and the possibilities of this “near reality” experiences are endless.

So what is virtual reality and how does it work?

by Charlie Cheung

and our new reality becomes the one that is virtually created. Delving into the world of VR allows us to immerse ourselves and interact with a computer-generated world. With such promise of interactivity, it is no surprise that one of the largest advocates for virtual reality are video games. Many popular gaming companies have begun creating games with the intent of being enjoyed through VR and incorporating

https://www.videomaker.com/videonews/2017/08/hp-announces-a-wearable-vr-backpack-but-itsnot-marketed-at-gamers It would be hard to explain virtual reality without talking about augmented reality or ‘AR’. In AR, computers use sensors and algorithms to track the position and orientation of a field of view. The technology then creates three-dimensional graphics as if the graphic were in the real world using those coordinates.

Virtual reality, or ‘VR’ creates computer generated scenarios that simulate a realistic experience. By presenting our senses with virtual information, our perception of reality changes

VR into older games as well. Users can explore foreign planets or travel back in time with only a headset and a couple of controllers.

Other applications of virtual reality include engineering data visualizations and work with aviation, military, and medicine. VR technology creates a safe environment to learn important skills and gain experience over live training with expensive equipment and dangerous situations.

Virtual reality technology requires a powerful computer capable of running high resolution graphics and a software application meant for development. These applications are known as an ‘Integrated Development Environment’ or IDE. The easiest to learn for developing in virtual reality is called Unity.

Unity can be used to create video games for computers, mobile devices, and of course, virtual

reality headsets. With only a bit of coding knowledge, Unity allows users to create VR games and applications with an easy to navigate user interface and numerous textures and shapes users can drag and drop into their application. But be aware that developing for virtual reality is in itself a virtual reality experience - when developing for virtual reality, start by sitting in a chair to avoid dizziness and move onto standing development when ready.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-OEpSZoiHI

Unity is easy to learn and great for encouraging children to begin learning visual and programming skills. The future of virtual reality shines bright with possibility and the ability to combine the talents of artistic and technical dreamers.

Get started with Unity and see what kind of reality you and your children can create.

The only limit is your imagination!

Self Directed Learning Member of the CCSDL Canadian Coalition of Self-Directed Learning

Our Students:

• Take Ownership

in the historic Currie Barracks

• Initiate Learning

• Develop Character

• Engage in Community

• Children benefit from flexible schedules, blended programs and a full time 10:1 ratio in a multi-aged setting from pre-school to Grade 12.

• Students enjoy project-based learning where the classroom expands into the world through field trips, volunteerism and internships.

• Students’ academic programs are built around their innate curiosity, interests, abilities and needs, focusing on exploration, opportunity and relationships.

• Students develop personal organization and purposeful learning skills.

OUR GOALS Increase the percentage of high school girls planning to pursue STEM careers Increase the percentage of young women pursuing undergraduate degrees in STEM fields Increase the percentage of women staying and advancing in STEM careers

Š Million Women Mentors For more information email millionwomen@stemlearninglab.com

Science, Computing

and

Professor Pratim Sengupta

Play

By Krista Malden

“Let’s make science and computing public!”, Professor Pratim Sengupta, PhD, Research Chair of STEM Education, University of Calgary Meet Pratim Sengupta (left); With a love for physics, music and education, Professor Sengupta has found a way to bring his passions to the forefront to help and encourage others to explore, teach and learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in hands-on, creative ways.

Sengupta moved to the University of Calgary on a dual hire with his partner, who is a Professor of Sociology.

Sengupta is the Research Chair of STEM Education and a Learning Sciences professor at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. Sengupta received his PhD in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University and has taught as a professor at Vanderbilt University, where he co-founded and chaired the Learning Sciences PhD program. In 2015,

in terms of accessibility and full, active, sensory participation. People need to stop looking at science as “the people in white lab coats, locked in a lab doing experiments,” explained the Professor. “Science and computing are for everyone!”

Sengupta believes that, like music and art, science and computing needs to be made public,

Sengupta and Dr. Maria-Claire Shanahan, a col-

league at the Werklund School of Education, wrote a paper called “Boundary Play and Pivots in Public Computation: New Directions in STEM”. They explain the importance of ‘‘public computation’’ as a genre of learning environments that can be used to radically broaden public participation in authentic, computation-enabled STEM disciplinary practices.

Tower at the University of Calgary. Students and visitors are invited to and have taken the time to play with the screens and one student even took the time to hack the systems presented on two out of three of the screens! Sengupta explains that this place is known as “’DigiPlay’, a prototypical public computation space designed at the University of Calgary.

Imagine going for a walk at lunch time downtown and seeing a giant computer screen with bright colors and designs in a public place that is accessible to you to actually interact with so that coding can be an experience that you can take part in. It’s not there to advertise anything, it’s not there to give you directions or news about today, it is placed there purely so you can play, hack the system and experiment!

This takes us back to Sengupta’s idea that STEM needs to be available to everyone to experience in ways that are meaningful to each individual, just like individual experiences of art and music.

Sengupta’s philosophy is that if we can make STEM available to people throughout the city, it will become a part of everyone’s daily life as an experience that will allow people to start looking at STEM in a different, more meaningful creative interactive way.

We argue that in such a space, public interactions with the code can be thought of as ‘‘boundary work and play’’ through which public participation becomes legitimate scientific act, as the public engages in the invention of novel scientific creation through truly open-ended explorations with (pivotal elements of) the code.”

Three large 80” screens, powered by desktops, have been set up in the lobby of the Education

Sengupta takes pride in his research and in his findings. He is pursuing his goals with the help of his colleagues, students and partners at the University of Calgary and the Telus SPARK Science Centre. On Jan 21, 2017, Hack The Flock was debuted at the Telus SPARK Science Centre. Hack The Flock is an open source, open science exhibit that consists of two stations, both of which allow visitors to interact with and modify computer simulations of flocking – simulated visualizations of complex systems in which larger scale patterns (flocks of birds, for example) emerge as each virtual bird performs simple interactions with neighboring birds.

Visitors code in DigiPlay as a “truly public experience” and create their own public artifacts through the interaction. In other words, it doesn’t have to be “formal science somewhere in a formal scientific environment” to be science!

Sengupta further explains: “Driven by our commitment to public education, a vision that is vigorously championed by our Dean Dennis Sumara and Vice-Dean Sharon Friesen, we began imagining and designing a new kind of “public” educational space for coding and STEM — a place that would really be in public,

and for public.” This is a vision that Sengupta would like to expand city-wide to show people science and STEM subjects are fun and not outof-reach, and that science is truly for everyone to experience. The rate of technological change has sparked further debate and research into answering questions such as: Are we teaching STEM subjects right? Are we focusing on the right aspects of STEM subjects? And are kids learning what they need to learn today so that they are not left behind tomorrow? “This is not new to anyone. We have focused on and pushed the STEM subjects before,” said Sengupta, but “now we need to ensure that we are focusing on the right direction and meaningful ways of engaging in STEM.” Let’s take a look at coding as an example of what Sengupta is talking about. Coding is becoming very common in our primary and secondary classrooms. Teachers are using coding as curriculum for all STEM subjects.

Sengupta states in papers, statements and podcasts “that the forms of coding that we expect children from K-12 to engage in are far removed from the kinds of coding that scientists, computer scientists and professionals engage in.”

Programming languages are simplified for children’s use, and this limits the complexity of programming.

“In the context of public education, education designers and researchers have developed specialized programming languages for young learners that certainly lower the threshold for learning programming, but are not powerful enough for professional use.” Is coding necessary to ensure that our young people are well prepared to go forward in their lives and careers? Or do we need to revisit how coding is taught and used? “There is more to coding than making a cat meow”, said Sengupta when discussing how and what people can do with programming.

“As a physicist, I used programing to help me visualize things I couldn’t see or touch. Coding should be used to help creativity and expand on our knowledge which means we need to look at the complexity of what we teach and how we teach.”

Sengupta’s work carries across many disciplines, from political economy, environmental sciences, engineering, and art. He will continue to work towards his vision of how to create technologies, learning and instructional practices in educational settings, as well as in public space and domains, which will make STEM subjects more relevant and secure in education, and at the same time accessible to all.

Pratim Sengupta received the NSF CAREER Award in 2012 for his research on developing programming languages for K12 science and math classrooms. He loves Jazz, playing squash, and working on old cars.

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EDUCATOR Educator Feature

“Imagine for a moment that all the water on Earth came from one well. One global well from which we draw our water. Water has the power to change everything!” -Rochelle Strauss “What is clean water and who needs water?”

Shiroji McDonald Shiroji McDonald’s Grade 2 students at Calgary’s Royal Oak School have embarked on a yearlong inquiry into water, from both social and scientific perspectives. Her students have delved into a year-long inquiry, ‘How can we understand and change how we view the impact and value of water, especially clean water?’

Through the visual provocation of representing all water on earth with 100 glasses of water, they were able to generate ‘I Wonder?’ questions to explore the preciousness of water as a resource so necessary in all lives. This journey has inspired a sense of global community, empathy and citizenship through the lens of water and the roles of water in our world.

Students were challenged with questions such as, “What is clean water?”, “Who needs water?” and, “Whose responsibility is it to care for our water?” Through the book, “The Water Princess”, students were empowered to engage in environmental stewardship and empathy, as well as develop an awareness of the role of water in global communities. Students provided their following thoughts on those questions.

“There will never be more water than there is today, and I am sad because of that! All living things need it, and we are not taking care of our planet so well and our water is getting dirty. We are spreading pollution into the atmosphere and it is hurting the polar bears and other Arctic animals. If they don’t have sea-ice, then they will have to hunt for feed more on land.

They won’t get as much fat in their diet from eating berries than seals. I want to know more about how I can help save the polar bears!”

– Arrya McCracken “Every living organism needs water to survive.

Just like we need food. I was so surprised to find out that there are people in the world who can’t get to clean water. I would be too tired to do a long walk everyday like GieGie in ‘the Water Princess’! But some people don’t have a choice, they have to. I just turn on my taps!”

–Joey Beaudrow “Lots of things need water like trees, animals and people. I think it is everybody’s job to be responsible to be clean and people can stay alive and be healthy. Clean water is something that is transparent, and it doesn’t have any contaminants in it. People need potable water. I feel so sad for people that have to walk so far for water, and then sometimes even that isn’t clean. They have to boil it” – Ella Marchuk “To have clean water is to be alive and healthy.

There are people who live around the world who do not have clean water! They only can get dirty water. Sometimes they have to shut down their wells because they are not healthy.” –Hallie Stinson

“It is everyone’s responsibility to take care of our water here on earth because that is all the water that we can get. We can’t get or make new water, so we need to protect the water we have.

In the Arctic the water it is warming up because of climate change, and there is so much frozen, clean water there.”- Ayaan Arshad “Some people in Africa don’t have enough water, and some children have to walk to water holes for 6 hours or more! We need to help those people get clean water closer because some people are even dying or sick from bad water. My family is from Africa, but I am lucky to live in Calgary because I don’t have to worry about dirty water.” –Emmanuella Adewumi “Some people in deserts don’t have a single bit of water. My family is from Afghanistan, and it is a desert there. Because of war, they have to reach water by walking to wells really far away.

And it is very precious to have and sometimes scary to find.” – Jawad Gholam-Hassani “Whose responsibility is it to care for our water?”

“I think it is humans’ responsibility to care for our water. I think one of the biggest problems is climate change, for example the water is getting warmer, the snow is melting and floods are happening. When floods happen, the Inuit people and animals like polar bears and seals are affected. We need to help! We can save energy by turning off our lights, we need to stop making pollution and smoke! Maybe we can invent or build something that cleans away bad gases!”

- Gabriel Dale As Ms. McDonald pointed out, “through utilizing experts, such as a water resource engineer, an environmental scientist, and a water filtration engineer from the City of Calgary Waterworks Department, students have been identifying relationships between our global and local communities.

We have further explored these areas with multiple field trips to our very own Royal Oak Wetlands. These experiences have been further catalysts in our engagement in empathy, stewardship and the connections between our communities and the precious resource of water.

Through the, ‘we do care’ framework, students have been researching our Calgary Wetlands, and the animals impacted by the growing infrastructure in our city. We have focused on what water contaminants are and inquired into how some are more harmful than others. Students have used the Scientific Method to test a wide

variety of water filters including moss, sand, sieves, rocks, pebbles, charcoal, cheesecloth, and cotton balls. We have compared our filters to see which has brought the turbidity down the most. This has expanded into conversations around filtered vs. potable water.”

In class, students are applying their experiential knowledge of the scientific process to each design a water filtration device that demonstrates their commitment to environmental stewardship in our community.

More about Shiroji McDonald: Why did you decide to do a water project that incorporates both social and science?

Grade 2 curriculum involves the scientific investigations of ‘Liquids’ and ‘Hot and Cold Temperatures’ as well as understanding how communities across Canada are connected in Social Studies. Through the lens of empathy and change, I like to consider Science from the perspective of the Humanities. This includes assessing how Science is practiced, and how Science shapes the relationships between nature and society. I find it powerful to use stories from around the world to appeal to their sense of social justice.

How long have you been teaching?

I have been teaching for 8 years, and a Learning Leader for 2 years.

Why do you think it’s important to talk about community and global issues and solutions with young children?

I think it is critical to foster inquiry approaches that appeal to a child’s natural sense of empathy and open up opportunities where they can feel they have a voice, and a chance to help and affect change through their own ideas. By engaging students to think critically, they are using their own knowledge and creativity to problem solve.

HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE WORK THROUGH THE CHALLENGES OF GETTING OFF THE STREET

Steps off the Street 2018 Sunday April 8 2018 @ 10AM 3K or 5K Run/Walk | Eau Claire Register www.thedoorway.ca

Empowering Minds: Empowered U

For leadership and personal development There is no greater journey … than the one that you take to discover who you are.

Saturday, June 2 & Sunday, June 3, 2018 Saturday, June 23 & Sunday, June 24, 2018

Saturday, Sept. 15 & Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018 Friday, Oct. 26 & Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018

Saturday, Nov. 10 & Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 Friday, Nov. 23 & Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018

Saturday, Dec. 1 & Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018

Time:

Day 1 8:00am-10:00pm (2 meals + snacks included) Day 2 8:00am-6:00pm (lunch + snacks included)

Location: Camp Chestermere (1041 E Lakeview Rd) For details: www.empoweringminds.org

Camp SciencE With this issue of STEM Education Today getting you ready to think about summer camps for your STEM kids, we though about some awesome STEM things to do while camping.

How about a fun activity that can change a rainy day when cooped up in a tent or camper?

What about one that can help get rid of those stale marshmallows after making great s’mores the night before?

Last time in Kitchen Science, we introduced the concepts of accuracy and precision. One way your STEM kids of all ages can be challenged is to try their hand at catapults. A perfect catapult activity for camping includes some things you may be bringing with you anyway and very minimal additional materials – Marshmallow catapults! This idea comes from mom, Autumn at https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/ To make a marshmallow launcher catapult, you need 4 large marshmallows, 7 bamboo skewers, a thin rubber band, a plastic spoon, and masking tape. You will also want to have something for them to launch such as mini marshmallows, Cheerios, or small candies.

If you build with fresh marshmallows, you have to be very gentle launching your catapult, but waiting a day will allow the marshmallows to dry out and the catapult to be more sturdy for over-enthusiastic shooters. Or, after an evening making s’mores around the campfire, leave some out to dry overnight for building the next day. Start your STEM kids building by making a triangle base with 3 marshmallows and 3 skewers. Insert 3 skewers into the remaining marshmallow and attach their free ends to the base ones. Slip the elastic over the top marshmallow.

On the last skewer, tape the handle of a plastic spoon tightly using the masking tape, then

insert the skewer end through the elastic into the base marshmallow opposite from where the spoon was inserted.

Ready, load, aim and fire. Protect youngest builders from the sharp skewer end by trimming them with scissors. Challenge your older STEM kids to see if they can come up with catapult modifications that work even better.

Create a target area on the floor and challenge them to accuracy, precision, distance and other challenges that they can think of. I think we can guess where this may end up going though, don’t we?

Can they make their own snacks? If you put some apple slices covered with some peanut butter on the target area, can they build these?

Accuracy and Precision at work. Yes, eat it all up when done. Have a great rainy day!

Calgary Campus Open Minds (CCOM) Calgary Campus Open Minds Calgary Campus Open Minds (CCOM) is a non-profit program in which all schools in Calgary, regardless of socio-economic status, private, public or Catholic school designation may participate for week-long learning transformational experiences for interested students. _____________________________

CCOM

STEM Learning Lab will be offering two new CCOM experiences: Social Enterprise School and STEM/Tinker School. _____________________________ Social Enterprise School

During this week, students utilize the Design Thinking process to develop innovative solutions to social and economic problems experienced in Canada and around the world. Along with developing their ideas, students will also learn how to convert these social change ideas into viable social enterprise businesses, thereby equipping them with entrepreneurial skills that will not only inspire the students but that could also lead to actions that could change the world! _____________________________ STEM/Tinker School

During this week, students will create novel inventions or recreate already existing solutions to explore and experiment with technology and digital literacy. This program seeks to inspire curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and innovation as students explore 3D printing, coding, robotics and more!

For more information on CCOM email info@ stemlearninglab.com

Imagine students exploring worlds; finding passion and purpose; inspiring each other; reaching beyond Imagine teachers energized, equipped, empowered; working together; learning along with their students; sharing what if‌ and wow‌!

Competencies for learning and leading

Imagine parents participating with confidence; enriching and being enriched by what the family is learning Imagine leaders inspiring possibilities and sharing insights; modelling, supporting and scaling

Creativity & innovation

New ideas and bold possibilities

Critical thinking

Fresh insights and durable solutions

Collaboration

Partnerships that work

Communication

Making sense and expanding perspectives

Character

Reaching higher and growing stronger

Culture & ethical citizenship Sharing what we value

Computer & digital technologies Transforming how we learn and lead

Imagine a new generation...

Explore the 7Cs at C21canada.org

Science Turn Milk Into Plastic Created By:Samantha Mcnab Science Turn Milk Into Plastic

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Created By:Samantha Mcnab

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Materials

Materials

Materials ● l ●● l ● ● l● ●● l ●● l

6 cups 2% milk 24 6 cups 2% milk 24 teaspoons of vinegar teaspoons of vinegar 22 large largebowls bowls A fine (small holes) holes) A finestrainer strainer (small Paper towel Paper towel

Resources Consulted Resources Consulted

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/project-ideas/Chem_p101/chemistry/turn-m https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairinto-plastic

Resources Consulted

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science projects/project-ideas/Chem_p101/chemistry/turn-milkprojects/project-ideas/Chem_p101/chemi into-plastic into-plastic 1) Direct Instruction (10 min, all these times can be adjusted as needed):

1) Direct

1) You will need to heat up the 6 cups of milk to hot but not boiling in a micro 2) Add the 24 teaspoons of vinegar to the milk 3) Stir them together for about a minute and watch what happens 4) Pour mixture(10 through over another Instruction min,strainer all these timesbowl can be adjusted as n 5) Let cool a bit and shape the plastic

Direct Instruction

(10 min. and times can be adjusted)

1. You will need to heat up the 6

cups of milk to hot, but not boiling, in a microwave.

2. Add the 24 teaspoons of vinegar to the milk.

3. Stir them together for about a minute and watch what happens.

4. Pour mixture through strain-

er over another bowl.

5. Let cool....and shape the plastic.

6. You may need paper towels to dry it off.

Easter

Snack Ideas for

From the Juicy Body Transformation Easter Cookbook All recipes are from Juicy Body Transformations Easter cookbooks.

For More information please contact Kerrie-Ann LeBlanc, former teacher, Mom of two and JBT Senior Sales Coordinator. kerrieleblancycc@gmail.com

BOUNTY BITES

EASTER NEST

Ingredients: 1 cup of coconut milk 4 tbsp rice malt syrup or 3 tbsp maple syrup 3 tbsp coconut oil 2 cups desiccated coconut 1 tsp real vanilla extract Pinch of pink salt 250g melted 85% chocolate or home made raw chocolate to coat

Ingredients: 2 cups of preservative free shredded or flaked coconut ½ cup raw cacao powder or cacao liquor ½ cup cacao butter or coconut oil ¼ cup maple syrup (or to taste) Pinch of pink salt

TIP:throw in some dried raspberries or cherries …. Yum! Method: 1. Place the coconut milk, syrup and coconut oil in a medium size saucepan, over a low heat and stir the ingredients togethers 2. Remove from the heat and mix in the salt, vanilla and coconut 3. Refrigerate until the coconut filling starts to set 4. Roll the coconut mix into balls or eggs or desired shape, then place in the freezer to harden 5. Meanwhile melt or make a batch of chocolate.

6. Roll coconut balls into the chocolate 7. Place on a tray lined with non-stick paper and set in the fridge

Method: 1.Mix all the chocolate ingredients in a bowl placed in a larger bowl of boiling water, stir until melted together (adjust flavours if needed) 2. Line a tray with non-stick paper 3. Use an ice scream scoop to shape the macaroons into nests 4. Place in the freezer until set 5. Meanwhile make the eggs Mix the coconut butter and maple syrup together.

If the butter is too hard to stir, let the bowl sit inside a larger bowl of boiling water to soften.

Add a dash of coconut oil only if needed.

Separate the mix into 3 small bowls and mix in desired colors. Roll into small eggs and set in the freezer. *If your mix is to runny to roll sit it in the freezer until it is the right consistency.

Slightly wet hands work well for rolling. Let the kids add eggs to their nest.

SUMMER CAMP Registration online at

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ANIMAL passion animal SCIENCE starts on the

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Understanding Computer Science

by Wayne Carley / A U.S. based survey by Google and Gallup Polling

Computer science1. The science that deals with the theory and methods of processing information in digital computers, the design of computer hardware and software, and the applications of computers.

“Computer Science is differe

Science; noun 2. The systematic accumulation of knowledge.

3. Systematized knowledge in general.

Even Webster’s Dictionary falls short of the “best, complete” understanding and definition of “computer science” in the 21st century.

Many students, parents, teachers and school administrators do not properly distinguish between computer science activities and general computer literacy. It’s important for students to understand the breadth of computer science and the value of computer science skills so they can make informed decisions about class selection. It’s equally important for school leaders to understand what constitutes computer science as they try to engage students in developing these foundational skills.

Courses that administrators consider to be computer science often lack programming and coding – key elements of computer science.

Observations from students and parents suggest that TV and film media portrayals, as well as personal perceptions among students, parents and educators, often reflect stereotypes about people who engage in computer science. This has the potential to limit participation among certain student groups.

Students and parents perceive that there are few portrayals of women, Hispanic or Black computer scientists on TV or in movies. These groups are much more likely to see White or Asian men engaged in computer science. They also often see computer scientists portrayed wearing glasses.

Students, parents and teachers are more likely to say boys are more interested in learning computer science than girls, and that boys are more likely to be successful in their learning. Hispanic parents are less likely than Black and White parents to share this view. In fact, a larger percentage of Hispanic parents say girls (39%) are more likely than boys (29%) to be successful at learning computer science.

ent that computer literacy”

Computer science careers are viewed favorably by many students, parents, teachers and administrators in the U.S. Most students, parents and teachers perceive computer science work to be fun and exciting, and most students, parents and principals say people who work in computer science make things that help improve people’s lives. All groups also believe computer science can be used in many different types of jobs. Two-thirds of students and 79% of parents further agree that most people who work in computer science have good-paying jobs.

Although more than six in ten in every group think that most computer science jobs pay well, Hispanic students and female students are less likely than their counterparts to believe this.

Parents in lower-income households and teachers at schools with a greater percentage of freeor reduced-lunch-eligible students are most likely to value formal computer science education. Parents in lower-income households are most likely to think computer science learning opportunities are more important to a student’s future success than required classes, such as math, science, history and English.

About half of all students say they’ve learned some computer science, either in school or somewhere else. However, students who are Hispanic, female or from lower-income households are less likely than their counterparts to have learned any computer science. Male students are generally more confident in their ability to learn computer science and are more likely to think they will learn computer science or have a job involving computer science in the future. Hispanic students are generally less confident than Black and White students in their ability to learn computer science. Students who are more confident in their ability to learn computer science are also more likely to say they will learn it in the future.

Teachers in schools with a larger percentage of students eligible for free or reduced lunch are more likely than other teachers to think computer science learning opportunities are more important to a student’s future success than other elective courses, but their schools are less likely to have computer science available.

Among all teachers, three in four also say they would be interested in learning more about computer science if given the opportunity.

It’s interesting that polling shows that the higher up the education ladder you go, from classroom teacher to principal to superintendent, the less important and necessary computer science in the lives of our children is.

The widespread support for computer science learning from all stakeholder groups is encouraging.

However, inequitable access to learning opportunities and ingrained stereotypes may hinder some students from participating, particularly females and underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities. Broadening computer science role models, as well as creating accessible learning opportunities that appeal to diverse youth, could help increase participation.

Equally important is ensuring that all groups have a common understanding of what computer science is and how it can help students become better-informed consumers of technology.

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Dedicated specialists in Phys. Ed, French, Drama, Music & Art

Coding across the curriculum in partnership with STEM Learning Lab

Innovation and Entrepreneurialism: developing the skills for creative problem solving integrated within the curriculum, including a 1:1 iPad program in Grades 4- 6

FIND OUT MORE AT RIVERVALLEYSCHOOL.CA

CONNECTING EMPOWERING EDUCATING cREATING

Thank you SHELL CANADA for being a STEM EDUCATION TODAY Sponsor www.stemlearninglab.com

stemedutoday@stemlearninglab.com