Ross has been a Teacher Leader with CS4All, where he led the Intro to Physical Computing Course PD for two years. As a member of the CS4All Ingenuity Team, he supports the Exploring Equity in Computer Science series and other equity events. In 2023, he was invited to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to share his experience piloting the DAIly Artificial Intelligence Curriculum with his students. 

Lesson Plan: 

• Hip Hop and Ai  This lesson explores some of the issues with chatbots while also learning about the history of Hip Hop and local rappers.

• ChatGPT Debate This lesson asks students to argue if ChatGPT should be used in schools or not.

Kristi is passionate about building equity into units and lessons to meet the diverse needs of her students while making sure to bring culture and identity to the forefront of computer science. Kristi loves to share best practices with other educators, most recently at her CSTA 2023 presentation on how white identifying teachers can and should be doing equity work, especially within computer science. This year she’s excited to be working on a Barbershop Computing mini-unit within the AP CSP curriculum.

Lesson Plan: 

• Power On! Micro-Unit  Utilizing a graphic novel to teach students about diversity and inclusion in computer science and the collaborative work around  related social justice issues

• More Than A Glitch Unit  Exploring the bias that exists in technology and how that impacts society through the lens of a non-fiction text.

“I always felt like if I didn’t learn how to program, it would be like not learning how to read. The future would just be closed to me” -Bronwen Grimes of Valve for Computer Science is Changing Everything by code.org. 

After eight years of experience as a Library Media Specialist, Melissa now supports cohorts of teachers to deliver impactful and engaging computer science content to their students. She is honored to work with the most dedicated and uniquely talented educators in the NYC public school system. 

Lesson Plan: 

• Wu-Tang is for the Children  Integrate CS concepts with the philosophies and beats from Hip Hop’s most influential group, the Wu-Tang clan.

• PiLa-CS PLC Unit Design Co-written with Théa Williams. 

• Can You Hack It? Utilizing the Syncretic Literacies framework, this unit was designed with student inquiry as a starting point.

“ My passion to provide my students with CS opportunities so that they can be better prepared for the world they are living in motivated me to participate and become a CS teacher. I teach to give back to students who look like me.” – Donald Saint-Germain

Video: 

How Does Cyberbullying Affect Students?

AP Computer Science Principles

Blog Post: 

• Computer Science Absolutely Matters in Communities of Color. 

Gwynn’s main objective as an educator is to ensure that the Library Media Center is integrated into her school’s overall instructional goals. As the LMS, it is her duty to make sure the school library has a diverse collection of books available to students and staff. She was one of the recipients of the 2019 Excellence in School Technology awards for creating a Makerspace in her school library. Currently, she teaches computer science and trains her colleagues to integrate CS into their classrooms. As an Ingenuity Team member, she creates lessons that focus on CR-SE pedagogy. These lessons include social justice, racial literacy, activism, equity, Universal Design for Learning, and Translanguaging.

Lesson Plans: 

• Power On! Micro Unit Grades 3-5 Power On! is a graphic novel that follows a group of teenagers and their experiences with computer science. Each lesson will focus on a different chapter of the book with a mini project at the end of each chapter. 

• Celebrating 50 Years of Hip-Hop Micro Unit Students will learn about the five Pillars of Hip-Hop and will play a Trivia Coding Game at the end of the unit to become a Hip-Hop master!

• Voting: Voices of Change Grades K-2 Students will learn to encourage their parents to vote in school based elections, citywide general elections, and more, becoming future activists.

Théa began her teaching career in 2003 as a cohort 6 NYC Teaching Fellow. In 2014, she was awarded the NYIT School Building Leader Award. Théa pivoted to computer science education through CS4All’s SEPjr program, and became committed to equity as a member of EECS. She recently completed Hunter College’s CS Education program and received her CS Education K-12 license in July 2023. She has collaborated with teacher and EECS member Ashley Ufret to co-plan equity-focused CS lessons. She also co-designed a graduate level class at Brooklyn College (CUNY) for in-service teachers, which she teaches as an adjunct professor as part of the CSin6 program.

Lesson Plans: 

• CS & Equity: Leveraging Student's Identity & Interests

• #NYCSchoolsTech Summit 2022 SJ&CS Presentation

“I believe that Empowered Cultural Relevant Computer Science Concepts and Practices is a pathway for Equity and Access for our students. Passion and Courageous Conversations are the beginnings for many levels of incremental changes. Embracing diversity and inclusion, empowers and makes spaces for positive impact in our global society.”  –Patricia Wong

Lesson Plans: 

• Small But Mighty: Identify how children helped the civil rights movement.  

• Using Comics & Courageous Conversations to Support Culturally Relevant Education: Utilizing comics to navigate difficult discussions about social justice and identity with young students.

Ashley Ufret has been teaching for NYCPS since 2016, and has been a member of CS4All’s SEPjr program since 2018. She has a background in computer science and equity content integration for grades K-5. Ashley is an advocate working to extend her impact by bringing her experience and training to educators nationwide. In addition to being part of the Ingenuity Team, Ashley has participated in CS Equity advocacy as part of LatinX Digital Leaders Now, as a CS Equity Integration Specialist, an AmeriCorps Lead for America Fellow ('22 - '23), and a CSTA Equity Fellow ('21 - '22).

Lesson Plans: 

• CS & Equity: Leveraging Student's Identity & Interests

• #NYCSchoolsTech Summit 2022 SJ&CS Presentation

Brandie began as the P.S. 8 robotics coach during her first 15 years of teaching. Her students participated in the First Lego League robotics tournament which taught them to use computer science skills for a research project to imagine and propose solutions to pressing environmental and equity issues. As a CS Lead, Brandie introduced computer science to her students by piloting a computational thinking game with the New York Hall of Science and new curriculum with Code.org. In her new position as technology teacher, Brandie is exploring how to use technology and computer science as tools for creative self-expression that allow students to assert their ideas towards a more equitable society.

Lesson Plan: 

• CS For Good/CS Can Improve the World This asynchronous lesson teaches students how computer science can be used to solve global problems.

• Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence This asynchronous lesson introduces machine learning and artificial intelligence through Joy Boulamwini’s work on algorithmic bias.

Bonnie entered teaching as a NYC Teaching Fellow in 2006. As the founder of the STEM Small Learning Community at John Adams High School, she learned to teach CS to fill a need in the program. As she became more confident in the content, she began working with EECS to improve access and equity for her students.

Unit Plan: 

• Modified App Development Planning Guide

Student Projects: 

• Student Project 1 , Student Project 2 and Student Project 3

Wendy Grosso helped to build the P.S. 270 Elementary Computer Science Program in order to provide all students with a foundational CS experience. With a focus on algorithmic thinking, Ms. Grosso uses her knowledge of COBOL and FORTRAN to support her students in block-based coding. Her school’s program has grown to include physical computing, PBL and core fusion lessons, with art and hands-on projects to enrich understanding. In her work with the Ingenuity Team, Ms. Grosso is focused on ensuring equitable teaching practices within the Queens South Community.

Lesson Plans:

• HIP HOP HURRAY!  The Hip Hop Hurray Unit celebrates 50+ years of Hip Hop by using CS tools to emphasize Hip-Hop activism.

• K-2 CS Fire Safety Project The Fire Safety Unit teaches students to help their communities through development of CS safety products.

Ms. Morales teaches at P.S./I.S. 95 in Brooklyn. She serves as a SPOC and webmaster for her school. As an EECS member, she is focused on bringing equity into her classroom. She is an Ingenuity Team Social Media Strategist, where she helps promote the work of other EECS teachers and CS4All staff. Ms. Morales designs and modifies CS/STEM lessons within cross-curricular subjects. As a former Model Teacher and Peer Collaborative Teacher, Ms. Morales has facilitated many professional development sessions on ed-tech tools and equity in computer science. Her work with Pila-CS, a research alliance created to support bi/multilingual students, has been showcased by many educators across the five boroughs. Recently, Ms. Morales and her students have been featured in the Mouse Design League’s Emoti-Con Competition, as well as NYCDOE Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs.

Lesson Plan: 

• Power On! Middle School Unit This mini-unit integrates key components of the ELA curriculum in order to teach concepts in computer science and social justice.

• Pila-CS Translanguaging Unit This unit allows students to use their native languages, culture, and experiences to learn more about each other and make connections to computer science.

Dawn began as a CS4ALL member cohort in 2018 and eventually became a CS Lead for her school. As a member of EECS, she hosts CS events and promotes equity in her school.

Resource:

• Stream Challenges

After dropping her computer science major in college and graduating with a degree in communication, Rebecca joined NYCPS as a Cohort 5 New York City Teaching Fellow in 2002. Her passion for technology resurfaced and she began teaching elementary students to build their own web pages. After years of co-writing integrated curriculum as a STEM magnet resource specialist, she began teaching computer science in Staten Island through CS4All’s SEPjr program in 2018. She joined the inaugural EECS cohort during the summer of 2020 and now teaches computer science with a culturally-responsive lens.

Lesson Plan: 

• Crochet Craftivism Combining computer science and crochet, students explore the concept of algorithms while working to meet a community need through crafting.

Izagma has a BS in Math and an MS in Computer Science. She worked as a Computer Scientist for many years before becoming a teacher. She was in the first cohort to be certified in Computer Science in New York City. She has been teaching CS part-time since 2017 and full-time since 2020.

Lesson Plan: 

• African Fractals: Recursion in Python

Student Project:

• Minorities in Tech A website created by students using real data and Matplotlib in Python.

Patti began her teaching career in 2000 as a special education teacher in Halsey JHS 157 teaching core subjects including: reading, science and math. In 2014, she trained with the first cohort of NYC Software Engineering Pilot Program (SEP) with a colleague. In 2016, she took over her school’s computer science program in general education. She was a third cohort member of the Hunter College Advanced Certificate in Teaching Computer Science. She is also the recipient of the 2014 NYC Excellence in School Technology Award. Currently, her 8th graders are using HTML, CSS, and p5.js to express their cultures visually (for example, national flags, cultural symbols, and food).

Courses taught include: Scratch, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, Python, LegoRobotics, and Physical Computing.

Lesson Plan: 

• p5 Cultural Project A project using shapes to create something culturally relevant to students' backgrounds

Student Projects: 

• Sample 1, Sample 2,  Sample 3

Richard has worked for NYC Public Schools for almost three decades. He has been working with Computer Science for All and EECS since 2019. Richard leads the computer science program at P.S. 220. He is also the school's SPOC and webmaster, and assists with CBT testing. He provides technology support and professional development for the staff. As an EECS educator, he focuses on bringing equity into computer science at his school.  

Lesson Plan: 

•  Digital Storytelling with Scratch

Leslie has worked as a science teacher for both elementary and middle school since 1995. She has also maintained a position for the last forty years as an adjunct College Laboratory Technician in the Chemistry Department at the College of Staten Island. In September of 2016, she began working as a STEM/computer science cluster teacher at P.S. 22 in Staten Island. She is a member of SEPjr Cohort 4, EECS Cohort 2 and is currently a CS Lead and Teacher Trainer. Leslie integrates computer science into project-based learning, and enjoys challenging students to learn about equity while giving them the platform to use their own voice. 

Lesson Plans: 

• Power On! & Good Trouble

• Annie Easley

In collaboration with SEPjr and CS4ALL, Ms. Luna integrates CS into ELA, math, and project based learning. Ms. Luna has collaborated with Ms. Rivera, Ms. Regina, Ms. Mason to develop lessons to support culturally responsive-sustaining education (CR-SE). As a leader and role model both inside and outside the classroom, she teaches through example by directly involving herself in committees and initiatives that support her students, colleagues, and community. In her capacity as a Model Teacher for Teacher Career Pathways (TCP), and as a CS4All Teacher Trainer, she actively engages in leading adult learning through her laboratory classroom.

Lesson Plans: 

• Making Space For Change Slide Deck

• Making Space for Change Lesson Plan

Ms. Mason has been teaching elementary students of the South Bronx for over 20 years. Since 2016, she has taught computer science in collaboration with her colleagues at P.S. 43 and P.S. 300 in the Bronx. She currently participates in CS4All, SEPjr, EECS, and the Bronx CS Teacher Community. She is focused on creating CS lessons and projects with her students.

Lesson Plan: 

• PBL Girls Who Game

Ms. Morrison has been an elementary school teacher for over 20 years. She is passionate about engaging students with computer science and focuses on integrating CS into the elementary curriculum. Through art, science and social studies projects, her students apply computer science concepts to enrich learning. Ms. Morrison teaches her K-2 students to use Scratch Jr. and Code.org to explore core CS concepts like decomposition, sequencing, loops, and algorithms to meet elementary standards in computer science. She also uses unplugged activities to support socio-emotional learning.

Lesson Plans:

• Creating Pixel Art

• Science and Computer Science Integration for 1st Grade

Bettie focuses on creating equity using physical computing in order to improve the environment. Her students were selected to present their social equity environmental STEAM project to Dr. Jane Goodall at a NYC Department of Parks event. As a CS Lead and EECS member, Bettie has collaborated with other schools in her district to expand computer science, developed workshops for CS4All and created curricula for the City University of New York and the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Currently, she is helping CUNY professors and undergraduate student teachers integrate computing technologies into their curricula.

Lesson Plan: 

• Afrofuturism & CS

Christina has been teaching for NYCPS for over 20 years. At her school, she serves as a Sustainability Coordinator and CS Lead. She is also a member of the Urban Advantage Program, and is a web administrator for ThinkCentral, Myon, Echalk, and Remind. She is a past recipient of the Andrew Lanza Teacher of the Year Award and was a top ten finalist for the Big Apple Teacher Award. She recently participated in the first cohort of the CSin6 program and earned a micro-credential in Instructional Technology. Christina focuses on increasing computer science culture in her school through professional development workshops and family events. 

Lesson Plan: 

• John Lewis Unit Grades 3-5

• Power On! & Good Trouble

A District Instructional Coach for Amazon Future Engineers BootUp PD, the CSTA NYC Chapter K-5 elected Teacher Leader,  Mouse.org 2020 Distinguished Educator for Diversity in Tech. 

Presentation: 

• Culturally Responsive Project Based Learning K-5. If you'd like to find out how CRSE and PBL amplify rigorous and equitable education, take a deep dive into this presentation!