For Students
How I discovered six pioneering women who helped create modern computers — and why we should never forget them
When I was a college student in the mid-1980s, I discovered something important about myself: I loved to program and I loved programming projects. But there was one problem. As I continued taking computer-science courses, I noticed that the number of women dropped dramatically. By the time I reached the advanced classes, there were just one or two women in the classroom — including me. I wondered, Did women belong in computing? Did we have any role models? To read further, please visit https://ideas.ted.com/how-i-discovered-six-pioneering-women-who-helped-create-modern-computers-and-why-we-should-never-forget-them/
Expansion of AP computer science courses draws more girls and minorities
Ten years ago, girls were so scarce in high school computer science classes that the number of female students taking Advanced Placement tests in that subject could be counted on one hand in nine states. In five others, there were none. Latino and African American students were also in short supply, a problem that has bedeviled educators for years and hindered efforts to diversify the high-tech workforce. To read further, please visit https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/expansion-of-ap-computer-science-draws-more-girls-and-minorities/2018/01/08/cd5932d8-e040-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html?utm_term=.f8ace658e894.
Girl Scouts earn merit badges for coding
A 2012 study from the Girl Scout Research Institute found that 74 percent of teen girls are interested in science, technology, engineering and math fields, but the perceived gender barriers to study in those areas make it difficult for girls to find paths to those traditionally male-dominated jobs. To read further, please visit http://www.govtech.com/data/Girl-Scouts-Earn-Merit-Badges-for-Coding.html.
Legislature debates expanding computer science in high schools
Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana’s burgeoning tech sector say offering all high school students the chance to take a computer science course could be key to filling the pipeline of workers for the growing number of tech jobs. A Senate bill moving through the General Assembly would require all Indiana public schools to include computer science in their K-12 curriculum and require high schools to offer it as an elective course by 2021. Holcomb included the proposal in his 2018 legislative agenda. The bill’s author, Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Centerville, said he wants to “make sure students have the computer-savvy skills to compete in the workforce today” and “help put the spotlight on the needs for the future.” To read further, please visit https://www.ibj.com/articles/67092-legislature-debates-expanding-computer-science-in-high-schools.
Innovator to Innovator: Apple CEO Tim Cook Interviewed by High School Senior Rebecca Kahn
Inspired by the upcoming 2018 AiC Award celebrations, Apple and NCWIT present a new series of personal essays and stories of innovation, as told by NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Community members by way of conversations with Apple executives. The link below takes you to the inaugural edition of “Innovator to Innovator,” where NCWIT AiC Community members have the opportunity to talk with Apple executives about their personal philosophies, past experiences, and pivotal influencers — and to discuss their shared mission to increase the meaningful participation of women in computing. To read further, please https://www.aspirations.org/blog/innovator-innovator-apple-ceo-tim-cook-interviewed-high-school-senior-rebecca-kahn?utm_source=NCWIT+Aspirations+in+Computing&utm_campaign=4c33a20da1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4df89a65c2-.
Falling Behind
Inside Higher Ed
Job growth in the computing field is far outstripping the supply of students earning bachelor’s degrees in computer science and similar disciplines, according to a new report from the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. “Strains on educational institutions are significant,” the report says. “There is a growing sense of an impending crisis in many universities.” The academies recommend colleges and universities consider channeling more resources into computer science departments to address professors’ mounting workloads, while also teaching courses creatively with more emphasis on technology for “high-quality instruction.” To read further, please visit https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/10/27/even-booms-student-enrollment-not-enough-degrees-keep-jobs-computer-science.
A New Spotlight for the FIRST® Community
Introducing FIRST® Stories: our new showcase of narratives from members of the FIRST community. FIRST Stories features profiles on innovation, transformation, and more. Read how FIRST redefines students’ idea of success, how FIRST provides opportunity to those who need it most, or share your own FIRST story.
UC San Diego Computer Scientist Welcomes New Jobs Partnership with Tech San Diego
UCSD News
A new initiative in San Diego will help find more interns and full-time employees for technology companies from among students in college or getting ready to graduate. The non-profit organization Tech San Diego announced that it is boosting regional talent efforts by hiring a director for its recently-launched University Talent Initiative. The effort starts out as a partnership with the University of California San Diego to improve the local talent pipeline, from talent access to internships, research and collaborations, while building tools to help local companies find qualified workers. UC San Diego is the pilot university for the University Talent Initiative, which is primarily funded by a grant from the Legler Benbough Foundation. The non-profit Tech San Diego plans to develop relationships with key faculty in the Jacobs School of Engineering as well as key student organizations. Case in point: Tech San Diego already has an agreement with the UC San Diego Data Science Club to highlight the growing data science and analytics cluster. Tech San Diego plans to hold on-campus events at UC San Diego to offer a mix of compelling and career-helpful activities that highlight the regional tech economy. The organization has also implemented a new student event initiative to allow UC San Diego students to attend select Tech San Diego events. To read further, please visit http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/uc_san_diego_computer_scientist_welcomes_new_jobs_partnership_with_tech_san.
For Educators
U.S. tests strategies to interest girls in computer science
As the technology sector works to solve its diversity problem it must grapple with a puzzle: why fewer women studying computer science? Today, less than 20 per cent of computer science graduates in the US are female, compared with more than a third in the mid-1980s. To read further, please visit https://www.ft.com/content/1009cbda-fb7e-11e7-9bfc-052cbba03425
3 reasons to learn to code in 2018
2018 is nearly upon us, and if you’re like most, you’ve spent some time considering how you’re going to ring the new year in strong. Of course, there are the tried and true resolutions, like shaving off a few pounds or saving up the cash to travel abroad. While these goals are certainly positive (and maybe a tad ambitious), they can fall through the cracks if you’re not careful. To read further, please visit https://boingboing.net/2018/01/09/3-reasons-to-learn-to-code-in.html.
Middle school students see computer-coding lessons take flight
As a teacher, you know you’re doing something right when your students are so excited about what they’re learning that they beg to stay after the bell rings. That’s the situation Howard Schulz, a technology teacher at McManus Middle School in Linden, found himself in recently when his students applied what they were learning in his computer coding class to flying drones. To read further, please visit https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/education/in-our-schools/2018/01/08/mcmanus-middle-school-students-see-computer-coding-lessons-take-flight/1006888001/.
4 Ways to Truly Expand #CSforAll
Despite continued debate over what “computer science” encompasses, politicians, corporations, non-profits, school leaders, teachers and families have all been pushing to teach more of it in U.S. schools. Unfortunately, supply hasn’t kept up with demand. According to a 2016 poll by Gallup and Google, more than 90 percent of parents think computer science is a good use of school resources, but less than half of schools offer even a single class. Although an improvement from previous years, this still pales in comparison with the emphasis on so-called core subjects like math and reading. To read further, please visit https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-01-23-4-ways-to-truly-expand-csforall.
North Dakota Education Department Partners with Microsoft for More Computer Science Classes
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction is partnering with Microsoft to expand computer science offerings. On Monday, State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler announced schools can participate in a Microsoft program called Technology Education and Literacy in Schools, or TEALS, which pairs professionals in computer science fields with classroom instructors to offer computer science education. To read further, please visit http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4391971-nd-education-department-partners-microsoft-more-computer-science-classes.
Google CEO: Tech education Should be More Than Just Coding
Coding is a vital component of tech education, but it won’t be enough to sustain the next generation of workers. With a rapidly evolving tech world, employees will require continuous training in basic digital skills, according to Sundar Pichai. The Google chief executive explains in an opinion piece published Thursday by NBC News THINK that the notion of getting a traditional education that will provide a lifetime of job skills is a remnant of yesteryear. To read further, please visit https://www.cnet.com/news/google-ceo-tech-education-more-than-just-coding-sundar-pichai/.
UCSD Computer Scientist Wins 2017 MacArthur Fellows Honors
The MacArthur Foundation recently announced its 2017 MacArthur Fellows – 24 individuals whose achievements show “exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishments, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.” The MacArthur Fellows program grants each recipient a no-strings attached stipend of $625,000 in order to support his or her own creative and professional ambitions. The program features scientists, artists, historians, and writers. The 2017 Fellows class features two computer scientists: Regina Barzilay, Delta Electronics professor and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stefan Savage, professor of computer science and engineering at the University of California, San Diego. Stefan Savage Dr. Savage researches cybersecurity and cyber crime, using an interdisciplinary method that considers the economic and social context of crime, in addition to technological solutions. One of Dr. Savage’s projects focused on email spam – rather than try to prevent spam emails, he focused on preventing profitability. After finding that a small number of banks were involved in processing these transactions, the various stakeholders were able to track and shut down these bank accounts. Dr. Savage was also a recent participant in the CCC workshop series on Sociotechnical Cybersecurity. Learn more about why the MacArthur Foundation chose these two accomplished computer scientists and read about all the remarkable MacArthur Fellows by visiting https://www.macfound.org/programs/fellows/.
Expanding Computer Science in Schools is a Bipartisan Opportunity
The Hill
A bipartisan idea is a rare creature in Washington these days, but there is one issue that brings the parties together: the need to expand computer science education in America’s schools. President Obama proposed spending an additional $4 billion, and President Trump released a more modest proposal. But despite these efforts, schools are still waiting for additional funding. That’s a shame because computer science skills hold the keys to economic opportunity for students. Just as important, the benefits don’t just accrue to students themselves. Rather, these are competencies that will be increasingly important to American competitiveness in the 21st century. To read further, please visit http://thehill.com/opinion/education/356451-expanding-computer-science-in-schools-is-a-bipartisan-opportunity. http://thehill.com/opinion/education/356451-expanding-computer-science-in-schools-is-a-bipartisan-opportunity.
California Voters Strongly Back Expanded K-12 Science and Computer Education, Poll Shows
EdSource
Californians overwhelmingly support expanding science and computer education starting in elementary school, according to a Berkeley IGS/EdSource poll. The online survey of 1,200 registered voters in California found that 87 percent favored schools putting “greater emphasis on integrating science as part of the entire public school curriculum.” Although by far the majority of respondents said they had never heard of the Next Generation Science Standards, the new science standards adopted by the state in 2013, 68 percent support the concept once the standards were described to them. The poll was conducted from late August to early September. To read further, please visit https://edsource.org/2017/california-voters-overwhelming-support-expanded-k-12-science-and-computer-education-poll-shows/588714.
An MIT Media Lab startup is creating beautiful wooden toys to teach children the basics of coding
Kimberly Smith was a master’s student in the MIT Media Lab’s social computing group when she first began dreaming up wooden toys to teach children how to code. At the time, the lab was looking into small-scale solutions in education, agriculture, and transportation “that would make cities stronger and better and more livable,” says Smith. “These were things like small-scale parklets or micro permaculture farms.” The idea was to “use the small scale model to affect big change.” While working on a project to create a new model for education, Smith, who comes from a design background, grew fascinated with the Montessori method. The century-old, child-led approach focuses on fostering a child’s natural curiosity through tactile objects and play sets designed to teach concepts like object permanence, decimal numbers, and world geography. Within these sculpture-like materials, Smith found the inspiration for what would become her venture, To read further, please visit https://qz.com/1069716/an-mit-media-lab-startup-is-creating-beautiful-wooden-toys-to-teach-children-the-basics-of-coding/.
