How did you get into CS?

The elementary school where I teach in Baltimore County is large enough that we had a need for a fifth Special. This course started as makerspace, but gradually transitioned into a CS-focused Special area called CSI (Computer Science and Innovation) after my county developed a curriculum to address the Maryland Computer Science Standards. My course addresses the standards and uses the Engineering Design Process and makerspace elements to weave in content across the regular curriculum. My school administration has been super encouraging and supportive, and Jennifer Weaver, in our county’s central office, has provided the professional development and support to help establish and grow our program. Having that support has made it really easy- plus, our families love it! Originally our course was just for 2nd and 3rd grade, but the program has expanded each year! This year I teach every grade except for 4th; next year, it will be the entire school.

What are some successes and challenges you’ve experienced along the way?

I started a STEM Showcase for the school last year. The PTO paid to have the Maryland Science Center come and do engineering stations for the kids, and then every student had a Maker or Computer Science project to showcase that was created in CSI. The students displayed Hummingbird robots, Edison marker bots, cardboard Makey Makey Instruments, and Code and Go Mice with which families could interact. I loved seeing the students share their hard work with their families! This year, the robotics team from a local middle school came and facilitated coding and robotics stations with the kids. We were also able to get one of the high school magnet programs in the county to bring an AI dog to show them. It was really cool to let the kids see what kinds of opportunities they have to look forward to in middle and high school if they pursue computer science.

Our 5th graders just finished using the Hummingbird robotics kit to build cardboard robots that were sensing, thinking, and acting. All students were able to construct and code a robot from their own design that used distance, light, or sound sensors, servo motors, and LED lights, which felt like a big success. After they finished, the whole fifth grade put the Hummingbird projects out in the cafeteria and got to walk around and look at each other's, talk through the process, and vote for their favorites in a variety of categories.

One thing I'm trying to focus on is adapting the curriculum for ESOL students. Code.org and Scratch can be accessed in multiple languages, but I am trying to develop additional supports for these students.

What do you find compelling about CS?

It’s a good way to teach the whole child. Kids who excel in art, music, and PE have a place to grow those skills in the special areas; I feel like my class is a way to light up kids who really excel with logic and computational thinking. It’s also such a growing field in the world, and it is important to develop computational thinking literacy and digital citizenship skills early in order that digitally connected kids can interact with technology effectively and responsibly.

What’s going well for you now?

I just finished the MCCE Elementary Computer Science Ambassador program! I enjoyed learning from the experiences of other teachers involved in computer science education throughout the state of Maryland! I was also just nominated as my school’s Teacher of the Year! While I didn't win for the county, I was proud to represent my school and to shine a light on computer science education. My school also won the CS100 Award last year for providing Computer Science school-wide! 

Do you have any advice to share?

For advice, I would say if you are just starting to integrate CS at your school, just jump in. This is a subject where there's so much to know- but you don't have to know everything to begin providing meaningful experiences for the kids. There is a steep learning curve, but there are so many great resources to help you along the way!