The Capital Region Academies for the Next Economy (CRANE) has partnered with the creators of the Exploring Computer Science course to offer the 2015 Exploring Computer Science Northern California Summer Institute at the Placer County Office of Education Seavey Center in Rocklin from June 8 to June 12. This week-long opportunity will connect teachers into a learning community of other computer science educators in the Sacramento region and throughout the nation.
Exploring Computer Science is a year-long introductory course to the world of CS and problem solving and aligns well with many of the CRANE pathways, including: Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, Health, Agriculture and Information and Communication Technologies. The course aligns with the Standards for Mathematical Practice and the Modeling and Statistics and Probability standards of the Commons Core Standards in Mathematics. Moreover, ECS is approved as a “G” elective with Career and Technical Education credit by the University of California Office of the President.
While the rigorous curriculum – structured in six, six-week units may be viewed for free at exploringcs.org, it is critically important to involve new ECS teachers in a comprehensive professional development program. Hundreds of teachers in Los Angeles Unified School District teach ECS; thus, most of the professional development offerings take place in Southern California.
Computer Science (CS) underlies most innovation today – from biotechnology to engineering to national security. Jobs in CS are plentiful, interesting, flexible and lucrative. Computer scientists also enjoy a wide range of strong career prospects, since all industry sectors involve computing (health care, manufacturing, agriculture and the arts, to name a few). Yet many schools in our region and throughout California do not offer a CS course to students. Fortunately, there is a curriculum and a professional development program that will allow you to integrate CS into your school in the 2015-2016 school year.
New ECS teachers must complete the Summer Institute Application (http://goo.gl/qVeqyO), as space will be limited. If you are interested in more information about integrating Exploring Computer Science into your school or district, please contact Jared Amalong, CRANE ICT Sector Coordinator at jamalong@placercoe.k12.ca.us or 530-488-0658.
Special thanks to Jared Amalong for sharing this information.