ECS for CPS PD, August 2-4 2011

Evaluation forms, daily links

Please choose the correct form for each day of the Professional Development

Tuesday 8/2

        Evaluation Form

        Homework: Read the Resnick article on Programming using Scratch

Wednesday 8/3

Scratch download page.  Search for the Sonic Game Engine Beta 2.4 on the Scratch gallery tab.  

Take a look at some of the Scratch tutorials. One starting point is the

Scratch Support page, that includes a nice Getting Started Guide (pdf) and a Reference Guide (pdf). Another good one is David Malan's Scratch for Budding Computer Scientists.

Evaluation Form

Thursday 8/4

        Final Evaluation Form

Useful Links

• • Exploring Computer Science ECS Curriculum

• CS Unplugged

  • Programming using Scratch.  Related to this, note that Chicago CSTA has lab kits you can borrow to use along with Scratch for picoboards as well as a set of 15 phones to use with AppInventor.

  • Sign up for Chicago CSTA, where Chicago-area Computer Science teachers get together. We are a chapter of the national CSTA.  We have meetings every month or so.  If you sign up, we'll send out an email reminder.

Questions? Need help? Got great ideas to share?  Contact us via email

                                                         (Remove the extra spaces)

Brenda Wilkerson, CPS CTE/IT            bdwilkerson @ cps.k12.il.us

Gail Chapman, UCLA, ECS author        chapgail @ gmail.com

Don Yanek, CSTA President, CPS        DGYanek @ cps.edu

Jeff Solin, CSTA Secretary, CPS           jbsolin @ cps.edu

Dale Reed, CSTA treasurer, UIC            reed @ uic.edu

Summary of the content and instructional strategies we experienced together

Content:

• 1. Analyzing/ Understanding Data (List and picture of room items)

  2. Following instructions

     1. Quiz questions ("Read ALL the instructions prior to starting...")

     2. Writing instructions for making a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

  3. Computer Intelligence (Turing Test)

  4. Binary Number Systems 

• • 1. Using large flash cards to make a binary number)

    2. "Magic Squares" used to motivate a desire for learning binary

• 5. Problem Solving

• • 1. UPER: Understand problem, Plan, Execute your plan, Review/Reflect

    2. Hand-shake activity: How many handshakes total if everyone shakes everyone else's hand exactly once?

• 6. Searching: Linear & Binary

  7. Sorting (using paper bags with rice, different sorting techniques)

  8. HTML Basics and Web Design

  9. Programming using Scratch (example of marble racer game)

  10. Networking: Min. Spanning Tree (Muddy City activity using M&M's to connect network of houses)

    Ideas for integrating ECS curriculum with Microsoft Office, creating meaningful contexts for Office assignments:

• • 1. Use spreadsheet for sorting/searching

    2. User Powerpoint (PP) to create storyboard for web site, or use PP to create scene for muddy city

    3. Use a large document to teach searching

    4. Use Word for web design

    5. Use Word for journaling

    6. Programming, using Excel and macros

Instructional Strategies:

Ready

• • 1. Classroom Management: Have class in groups with an assigned leader.  Questions go first to group, then if unanswered group leaders take question to teacher

    2. Activate prior knowledge

    3. "Bell-ringer": Post review of what we've done and learned so far to help students in new activities / concepts

    4. Assess prior knowledge before moving on to new material

    5. Choose topics that have connections to our lives

    6. Modeling: Have demonstrations by both teachers and students

Set

• • 1. Use Inquiry-based Experiential Learning, where students have questions/problems they are motivated to solve

    2. Collaboration / Cooperative Learning

       1. Design activities that require multiple people to complete

       2. Use large flip charts so groups can work together on it, and then present to the class

    3. Use different grouping configurations to engage all students

• • • 1. Individual work

      2. Pair-share / Elbow partner

      3. Small groups with / without assigned roles

      4. If roles are assigned, part way through have group members switch roles

      5. Group by skill levels.  Ask students to self-identify as expert / OK / Need help, then sprinkle the groups with a mix of skill level

• • 4. Lectures / Direct Teaching should be short, 5-7 minutes

Go

• • 1. Discussion / Brainstorming

    2. Games / Competitions / Puzzles to motivate interest and participation

    3. Adopt open-ended solutions, allowing  students to work on problem to various levels

    4. Physical activities where students stand up and move around the room

    5. Manipulatives / props (e.g. bags with rice, M&M's, legos)

    6. Visual information to help visual learners

       1. Handouts / worksheets

       2. Flip Cards

       3. Posters / Pictures

       4. Post-its

       5. Power Point

       6. Interactive Websites

    7. Use storyboards to layout and plan content or activity

    8. Restraint: let the students discover

End

• • 1. Reflection / Review / Formative Assessment

       1. Review Content and Instructional Strategies separately

       2. Writing in journal.  Possibly follow journaling with small/large group discussion

       3. Verbally with partner / small group / large group

       4. Repetition: make connections to previous content

    2. Check for understanding with exit questions