Tag Archives: STEM

We need more women in tech. Here are a few things K-12 educators can do about it.

According to the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT), careers within the Computer and Information Sciences are projected to grow 19% by 2026, as compared to 7% for all occupations. Within that classification, every category of job role will see growth with the exception of a basic computer programmer. Further, NCWIT reports thatContinue reading “We need more women in tech. Here are a few things K-12 educators can do about it.”

Reflections on CSTA 2019

One of the things they don’t (or more likely, can’t) prepare you for as you move into teaching computer science is how alone you feel sometimes. As high of a demand as there is for computer science, both in the workplace and in schools, oftentimes you are the only computer science teacher in the building.Continue reading “Reflections on CSTA 2019”

Group Work That Works: Agile for Authentic Learning

The traditional, and widely-accepted, model of group work in the classroom encourages teachers to group students in teams of three to five, and to assign a role to each student. The reality is that, without fail, there’s always one student who ends up shouldering much of the work and there’s always at least one studentContinue reading “Group Work That Works: Agile for Authentic Learning”

Kickstart their love of coding: Two free resources and a gift idea!

As a middle school computer science teacher, I am often asked to recommend resources for kids who want to get their feet wet with coding. While it is my hope that one day, all students will have access to computer science as part of their everyday curriculum, the reality is that coding in the classroomContinue reading “Kickstart their love of coding: Two free resources and a gift idea!”

STEM? STEAM? Why the acronym doesn’t matter

I teach at a STEM magnet middle school where approximately 1/3 of our students are participants in a lottery-based magnet program. We’re essentially a school-within-a-school, where 1/3 of our students have access to cohorted classes that include PBL (project based learning) approaches to curriculum as well as special electives like the computer science classes thatContinue reading “STEM? STEAM? Why the acronym doesn’t matter”