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College of St. Scholastica and Trinity College to Participate in 2018 NSF’s STEM for All Video Showcase to Highlight Innovation in STEM Education

Mobile Computer Science Principles (CSP) from College of St. Scholastica and Trinity College will be featured May 14^th-21^st at http://stemforall2018.videohall.com. Video Mobile CSP’s video and vote today: http://stemforall2018.videohall.com/presentations/1121

Hartford, CT, 2018 — Pauline Lake, Teaching Consultant at Mobile CSP will be featured in the 2018 STEM for All Video Showcase funded by the National Science Foundation.  The event will be held online May 14^th -21^st at http://stemforall2018.videohall.com.

The presentation, entitled “Mobile CSP: Using Mobile Apps to Engage Students in CS,” looks at how engaged students are when learning about Computer Science (CS) through a lens that they are familiar with: Mobile phones! Mobile CSP began, officially, in 2013 with an NSF grant at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Since then the project is now serving more than 600 teachers and 10,000 students nationwide!. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation.

Now in its fourth year, the annual showcase will feature over 200 innovative projects aimed at improving STEM learning and teaching, which have been funded by the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. During the weeklong, event researchers, practitioners, policy makers and members of the public are invited to view the short videos, discuss them with the presenters online, and vote for their favorites.

The theme for this year’s event is “Transforming the Educational Landscape.” Video presentations cover a wide range of topics including science, mathematics, computer science, engineering, cyberlearning, citizen science, maker spaces, mentoring, informal learning, professional development, research and evaluation, NGSS and the Common Core. The videos highlight initiatives for students of all ages – kindergarten through graduate school, as well as those for adult learners.

Last year’s STEM for All Video Showcase is still being accessed, and to date has had over 51,000 unique visitors from over 189 countries.

The STEM for All Video Showcase is created and hosted by TERC a non-profit, research and development organization, located in Cambridge MA.  TERC partners with six NSF funded resource centers MSPnet, CADRE, CAISE, CIRCL, STELAR, CS for All Teachers. The Showcase is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (#1642187)

A team of students from Frank Scott Bunnell High School in Stratford, Connecticut, under the leadership of Mobile CSP teacher, Rachelle Pedersen, was featured recently in a nice story on WTHN out of New Haven, Connecticut (View the story).

The story was part of WTNH’s What’s Right with Schools series and featured students using App Inventor to “create technology that affects and improves people’s lives,”   a key feature of the Mobile CSP course.

According to the story, the Mobile CSP class is a favorite among students.  Ms. Pedersen is a first-year CS teacher who attended the 2017 Mobile CSP Professional Development course at Southern Connecticut State University in summer 2017.   (Information on the 2018 PD program.)

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that by 2020, there will be more than 1.4 million computer-related job openings in the United States. At the current graduation rate though, only about 30 percent of those jobs will be filled with U.S. computing bachelor graduates.

To increase interest and graduate numbers, Mobile Computer Science Principles (CSP) is helping high school teachers and students see how fun, easy and engaging computer science education can be for most anyone.

“I like teaching Mobile CSP because it opens my students’ eyes to how technology influences almost everything around them,” said Scott Kaminski, a teacher at Trumball (Conn.) High School who has introduced more than 130 students to the course. “This curriculum covers a wide range of topics, which makes it easy for teachers to reference current events and the interests of their students. This creates something real for students, which makes the topics and concepts more accessible for them.”

Mobile CSP is a College Board endorsed AP Computer Science Principles course that works to engage high school students, enhance writing and communication skills and foster collaboration and creativity. In 2017-18 alone, there are more than 600 teachers and 10,000 students using Mobile CSP curriculum.

With an extra push to get teachers and kids excited about the program, Mobile CSP is participating in CSEd Week, Dec. 4-10. According to the csedweek.org website, only 35 states allow students to count computer science courses toward high school graduation. There are currently 486,686 open computing jobs nationwide but only 42,968 computer science students graduated into the workforce last year.

“…perfect course for kids who like using the computer but are nervous about computer science.”

Mobile CSP is working to change those numbers, starting with encouraging teachers to bring an accessible version of computer science into the classroom.

“It’s a perfect course for kids who like using the computer but are nervous about computer science,” said Sarah Spaunhorst, a teacher at Visitation Academy, St. Louis, Mo. “It does such a good job of explaining the main concepts of computer science without pressure.”

In celebration of CSEd Week, Mobile CSP is offering a new Hour of Code activity called Play That Tune. For the activity, students will build code to play the tunes given in puzzles, and after all levels are completed, students can create their own tune. Finally, the code can be packaged as an Android app. Participants can also try MIT App Inventor. By requesting a kit from Mobile CSP, teaches will receive stickers, posters, handouts and promotional information.

Coding and Mobile CSP isn’t just about having fun though. With Mobile CSP, students build apps with real world solutions to local community problems. For example, one group of students built an app to report gang activity in their community. And, for some students, it could change their career path or outlook.

“Fun, easy to pick up, and rewarding.”

“The feedback that I receive about the class is that it is fun, easy to pick up, and rewarding. I have had a handful of students say that they may pursue computer programming as a career now because of this class,” said Griswold (Conn.) High School teacher Andrew Meislitzer, who has taught about 20 students Mobile CSP.

Mobile CSP offers continuing education for teachers either online or at regional sites around the country, including The College of St. Scholastica (Duluth, Minn.). Once teachers have completed the course, they are ready to share the added knowledge with their students.

To find out more about Mobile CSP or how to sign up for the course and materials, visit mobile-csp.org.

As 2017 draws to a close, teachers are beginning to advertise and recruit for their 2018-2019 courses. Mobile CSP is excited to release 7 new student recruitment flyers to help get the word out about CSP.

Teacher are welcome to download, customize (add course title and contact information), and share the flyers (found here: Student Recruitment).

Looking for more information about how to recruit students to your Mobile CSP course? View the tips below to get started.

Invite Students to Join Your Course

“You would be a great fit for this course.”

One of the most effective strategies teachers can use when recruiting students to their CSP course is to directly ask students to sign-up. By directly approaching students, teachers can empower those who may not have previously considered a CS course. Teachers have the power to show students that they too can be a computer scientist. 

Approach students and ask them to sign-up for your Mobile CSP course:

• “I think you would excel in this course and would like for you to consider joining.”
• “The CSP course really focuses on helping students develop creativity and collaboration. You would be a great fit in this course.”

Promote Bring a Friend

“…students will have an opportunity to hear authentic stories and experiences from their peers.”

Ask students to bring a friend with them to class or ask them to encourage a friend to join the course. This strategy will build class numbers, encourage students from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels to sign-up,  and create a welcoming environment where students feel comfortable exploring and asking questions. When students promote the course, others will have an opportunity to hear authentic stories and experiences about Mobile CSP.

• Host a “Bring a Friend” event with your current class.
• Encourage students to share their apps and CSP experience outside the classroom with their friends and family.

Host Information Sessions

 “The skills I’m learning from this course could be used for my job… I’m planning on being a psychologist.” 

Mobile CSP Student

Information sessions are a great way to get students, teachers, administrators, counselors, and parents/guardians on board with CS education. Host an information session that highlights the potential of Mobile CSP and the skills students will develop from taking the course. Consider inviting past students to share their experiences and the apps they have created.

Let’s get started! Mobile CSP has loads of valuable information on our website to help you get started in planning an information session. Contact Mobile CSP (info@mobile-csp.org) for additional resources and information.

Ask Others to Promote the Course

“If you’re not into math or logic but you’re into art and the creative side, this class could help you (improve those areas).”

Mobile CSP Student

Target courses and classes that all students are required to take (i.e. English, Math, Science courses) and ask teachers to share information about the course. Alternatively, ask to speak for a minute at the end of the class. Using this method gives you exposure to all students.

Advertise, Advertise, Advertise!

It is important that teachers advertise the opportunities and benefits associated with taking Mobile CSP. Share flyers, posters, videos, and presentations with students, administrators, and parents.

Download, customize, and share the Mobile CSP flyers with your students today! The flyers can be found here: Student Recruitment.

Cassandra Broneak

Mobile CSP | Data Specialist

cbeckworth@css.edu | research@mobile-csp.org

This year, in the fourth year of the program, Mobile Apps for Hartford interns (students from HMTCA and Pathways) had the pleasure of working with the Connecticut Science Center to build a mobile app for the new Butterfly Encounter. For the full story and a video, please see the article posted by Trinity College.

http://www.trincoll.edu/NewsEvents/NewsArticles/pages/MobileAppsForHartfordCTScienceCenterSummer2017.aspx

Thank you for your continued support of the program and congratulations to the students!