Transcript LessonsLearnedFromOutreach - Georgia Institute of Technology

Lessons Learned
from 9 Years of
Computing
Outreach
Barbara Ericson
Georgia Institute of
Technology
Georgia Tech’s Outreach
 Summer
camps for
both boys and girls
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Rising 4th – 12+
graders
Help others start
computing
summer camps
 Weekend
workshops with
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Girl Scouts
Black Girls Code
Georgia Tech’s Outreach
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Competitions
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Lending Library
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Scratch (27% female
and 45% URM)
Alice (30% female,
and 37% URM)
AP CS A
Robot kits
Cell phones
Teacher workshops
Policy work

AP CS A counts as a
science
NCWIT Aspiration Awards

Georgia Tech runs
regional awards

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Georgia and Puerto
Rico
Regional in all 50 states
Apply Sept 15 to Oct
31st
We hire winners to be
outreach assistants
http://ww2.ncwit.org/
award/award.index.p
hp
Outreach Lessons Learned
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Do hands-on, creative, open-ended, social
activities, and things that help others
Free software gets as good of results as
expensive items like robots
Show how the activities are related to jobs
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Don’t directly attack the stereotypes
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Can reinforce instead of dispel
Instead counter directly with the experience
Use both male and female helpers
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Dot diva website – http://www.dotdiva.org
Near peer as role models
Get parental support for computing careers
CS Unplugged - All
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Free activities that you can
use to teach computing
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Without a computer
In many languages
With videos and worksheets
http://www.csunplugged.org
What is CS video
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https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=voqghyZbZxo&featur
e=player_embedded#at=70
Girls vs Boys in Computing
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Girls have less experience
Girls have less confidence in their ability
Girls have a more negative view of
computing and less interest in a career than
boys
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Encouragement is more predictive for girls
than ability
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Boring, hard, typing, not relevant
Girls who leave have higher grades in
computing than the boys who stay
Helps to have parental and especially Dad’s
approval
LightBot 2.0 – 7 years+
 Free
online flash
game
 Program a robot to
light up a blue tile
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Has levels
 http://ice-
web.cc.gatech.ed
u/dl/?q=node/628
Scratch 1.4 – 8 years+
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Free 2D programming
environment from MIT
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Make music, art,
games, stories, etc
Free book
http://stwww.weizmann
.ac.il/gcs/scratch/scratch_en.
html
Must install 1.4 to use it
http://scratch.mit.edu/scratch_
1.4/
Scratch 2.0 – 8 years+
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New features
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Clones, uses camera,
cloud storage, better
copy, create new block
No installation
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Runs in the browser
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Flash – no IPads
http://scratch.mit.edu
Teacher website
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http://scratched.media.mit.ed
u/
Snap 4.0 – HS+
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Extension of Scratch
that runs in a browser
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Created by Berkeley
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Will work on Ipads
For an introductory
computing course
Beauty and Joy of
Computing – for HS
http://snap.berkeley.e
du
http://veritas.eecs.berk
eley.edu/courses/login
/index.php
Alice 2 – MS+
 Free
from CMU
 Create 3D movies
and games
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With drag and
drop programming
 Good
introduction
to object-based
programming
 Does crash, so
save often
Alice 3 – HS+
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Adds SIMS models
Better 3D models
Object-oriented
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Can export to Java
with Netbeans
Inheritance
Polymorphism
Guide
http://www.alice.org/3
.1/Materials/UserGuide
_PDF_Complete.pdf
App Inventor - MS+
 Free
from MIT
http://appinventor.mit.
edu
 Free book
 http://www.appinv
entor.org/projects
 Create Android
Apps
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Drag and drop
programming
Media Computation – HS+
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Free software from
Georgia Tech for teaching
computing
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Students write programs in
Python or Java to
manipulate media
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Pictures, sounds, movies,
and text
Girls succeed at the same
rate as boys
http://mediacomputation.o
rg
Media Computation
 Resources
at
http://coweb.cc.g
atech.edu/media
Comp-teach
 Python version is
used at West Point
for a required
course
What do they create?
EarSketch – Georgia Tech HS+
 Remix
music using
Python and Reaper
 A CE21 grant from
NSF
 http://earsketch.gate
ch.edu
 Reaper discounted
license is $60
Greenfoot – HS+
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Free software for
building 2D simulations
and games in Java
http://www.greenfoot.or
g
Can do Karel the Robot
and GridWorld in
Greenfoot
Teacher site:
 http://greenroom.gree
nfoot.org/door
Can use Kinect too
PicoBoard – 8+
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Sensor board that you can
use with Scratch 1.4
Can do PicoCricket type
activities with it
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Musical pickle
Can create a tilt sensor,
drum kit, and more
$45 or $41 if > 10
https://www.sparkfun.co
m/products/10311
Pleo Robots – 8+
 Robot
that acts like a baby
dinosaur
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http://www.pleoworld.com
 But,
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you can program it as well
MySkit
 Cost:
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$470
Extra rechargeable battery $50
LEGO WeDo Kit – 7+
 Starter
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kit for LEGO robots
USB hub with 2 ports
Tilt sensor, distance sensor,
and motor
http://www.legoeducation.u
s/eng/characteristics/Produc
tLine~LEGO%20Education
%20WeDo
Cost: $130
 Can
use with Scratch 1.4
LEGO NXT – 8+
 Kit
used in the FIRST
LEGO League
 http://www.legoeducati
on.us/eng/product/lego
_mindstorms_education
_nxt_base_set/2095
 Cost: $280
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Software is extra
We recommend buying
the resource kit too
LEGO NXT Resource Kit
 Turns
2 education base
sets into retail kits
 $99.95
 Great project ideas at
http://nxtprograms.com
 Make a robot dance
LEGO EV3 – MS+
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New set shipping in
Aug 2013
$340 for base set +
$100 for software
Can be used for FIRST
Lego League
Software comes with
48 tutorials
http://www.legoeduca
tion.us/eng/characteris
tics/ProductLine~LEGO
%20MINDSTORMS%20E
ducation%20EV3
LEGO Tetrix – High School
 Kit
used in high school
FIRST Tech Challenge
 Cost: $600
 http://www.legoeducati
on.us/eng/categories/pr
oducts/highschool/tetrix
Cell Phones / Tablets
 Companies
phones
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may donate
Especially older models
 Ask
kids to donate old
phones too
 Android tablets
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http://reviews.cnet.com
/best-tablets/best-5android-tablets
 Nexus
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7
about $200
Finch Robots – MS+
 From
http://www.finchrobot.c
om
 $99 each
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Discounts for 5+
 Work
with lots of
environments
 Can add pen to tail for
drawing
IPRE Robots – HS+
 Scribbler
robot plus fluke with camera
and bluetooth
 http://www.betterbots.com
 Robot is $110
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Fluke is $100
 Book
at http://www.roboteducation.org
 Requires batteries
High School Courses
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Exploring Computer Science
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CS Principles
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Introduction to computing for all high school
students - http://www.exploringcs.org
New AP by 2016-2017 (10,000 teachers)
Big ideas in computing for the college bound
http://www.csprinciples.org
AP Computer Science A
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Equivalent to a college level CS1
Program in Java
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public
/courses/teachers_corner/4483.html
Exploring Computer Science
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Introductory
computing course
intended for
everyone
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Started in Los
Angeles
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Free curriculum
Inquiry based
Equity based
Spread to Chicago,
Wash D.C., Utah,
and Oregon
www.exploringcs.org
Other Resources
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National Center for Women in Information
Technology (NCWIT)
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Computer Science Teachers Association
(CSTA)
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http://csta.acm.org
Free to join CSTA
CS-10K Community Website
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http://www.ncwit.org/resources/girls-it-facts
http://www.ncwit.org
Materials for ECS and CSP
http://cs10kcommunity.org
Georgia Tech’s distance learning site
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http://ice-web.cc.gatech.edu/dl/
Summary
 Lots
of free tools to use to teach
computing

Get just as good of results as with expensive
robot kits
 Need
to increase confidence with
activities that anyone can do
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But, have challenges for those who can go
further
 Need
to show that computing is social,
creative, and useful to others