Beazley Computer Science & Fine Arts Project 

Established in 2018  

Integrating Computer Science into the Fine Arts

Beazley's Art and Music Department teamed up with the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher to plan art and music classes designed to foster computational thinking, creative expression, and skills for building an inclusive and diverse computing culture. 

5th Grade Art Classes

Learn about computer science and Scratch, using loops, events, and sequencing to design and animate their very own Google Logo!

Mrs. Skogen & Ms. Audino, ITRT

4th Grade Music Classes

Bring the letters in their name to life through block programming animation, sound, and music using Scratch to develop a computational artifact!

Mrs. Duncan & Ms. Audino, ITRT

Fine Arts Standards of Learning

Visual Arts4.2 The student will demonstrate craftsmanship in personal works of art. 4.3 The student will use imaginative and expressive imagery to create works of art. 4.4 The student will create works of art that connect ideas, art forms, or cultural themes to personal experiences. 5.9 The student will use contemporary media to create works of art.Music5.3 The student will create music by using contemporary media and technology 

Fostering an Inclusive Computing Culture 

Students will develop skills for building an inclusive and diverse computing culture, which requires strategies for incorporating perspectives from people of different genders, ethnicities, and abilities. Incorporating these perspectives involves understanding the personal, ethical, social, economic, and cultural contexts in which people operate. Considering the needs of diverse users during the design process is essential to producing inclusive computational products. 

Collaborating Around Computing 

Students will develop skills for collaborating around computing. Collaborative computing is the process of performing a computational task by working in pairs and on teams. Collaborative computing involves asking for the contributions and feedback of others, effective collaboration can lead to better outcomes than working independently. Collaboration requires individuals to navigate and incorporate diverse perspectives, conflicting ideas, disparate skills, and distinct personalities. Students should use collaborative tools to effectively work together and to create complex artifacts. 

Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems 

Students will develop skills for recognizing and defining computational problems. The ability to recognize appropriate and worthwhile opportunities to apply computation is a skill that develops over time and is central to computing. Solving a problem with a computational approach requires defining the problem, breaking it down into parts, and evaluating each part to determine whether a computational solution is appropriate. 

Developing and Using Abstractions  

Students will develop skills for developing and using abstractions. Identifying patterns and extracting common features from specific examples to create generalizations form abstractions. Using generalized solutions and parts of solutions designed for broad reuse simplifies the development process by managing complexity. 

Creating Computational Artifacts 

Students will develop skills for creating computational artifacts. The process of developing computational artifacts embraces both creative expression and the exploration of ideas to create prototypes and solve computational problems. Students create artifacts that are personally relevant or beneficial to their community and beyond. Computational artifacts can be created by combining and modifying existing artifacts or by developing new artifacts. Examples of computational artifacts include programs, simulations, visualizations, digital animations, robotic systems, and apps. 

Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts 

Students will develop skills for testing and refining computational artifacts. Testing and refinement is the deliberate and iterative process of improving a computational artifact. This process includes debugging (identifying and fixing errors) and comparing actual outcomes to intended outcomes. Students also respond to the changing needs and expectations of end users and improve the performance, reliability, usability, and accessibility of artifacts. 

Computer Science for ALL!

Equity 

The Computer Science standards were developed with the intent of equity, in the form of computer science for all, as a core belief. While equity was a core belief in the development of the Computer Science standards, additional effort at the local and state level with policies and at the school level with curriculum, instruction, and classroom culture is also necessary for equity to play a role in computer science education. The intent of equity in computer science is not to prepare all students to major in computer science at the higher education level and then pursue careers in software development or database management. The intent of equity is to ensure that all students have the basic knowledge that will allow them to productively participate in the world and make well informed decisions about their lives.