“Everyone in this country should learn how to program... Because it teaches you how to think” ~ Steve Jobs
Here is what you can do to advance Computer Science Education.
Technology plays a role in nearly every aspect of our lives today —it’s how we connect with friends and family, discover the weather forecast, find jobs, play, and importantly learn. Yet too few of us, from our youngest to our eldest Americans, are going beyond being a ‘user’ of technology to becoming a maker, coder, discoverer, tinkerer, designer and harnessing the power of computing to solve new challenges and make everyones’ lives healthier, safer, more efficient, better informed, and more fun.
"Computational literacy” —being able to code, script, design, program, debug, and understand computer science—is rapidly emerging as an essential skill for today’s students. Many jobs in the 21st century will require the type of problem-solving ability that is advanced by training in computer science. In fact, it is projected that by 2020 information technology (IT) skills and computational thinking will be needed in more than half of all jobs and greater than 50 percent of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) job growth over that time period will be in computer science fields, leading to a shortage of more than one million IT-skilled Americans. In addition to IT professionals, people employed in most STEM jobs in the coming decades will require some level of sophisticated computational skills and many jobs in the 21st Century will require the type of problem-solving ability that is advanced by computational thinking.
It’s time to ramp up our efforts to engage the next generation in these growing opportunities. Other countries have recognized the demand for a computational literate workforce and several, notably England, and are moving to offer computer science to all students, starting in early elementary school. However, in the United States, only 26 states allow students to count computer science toward high school graduation. In most U.S. schools, computer science is offered as an elective or not available at all. ~Whitehouse.gov
Teaching Computational Literacy
Stephen Wolfram, CEO of Wolfram Research and chief designer of the Wolfram Language, reflects on the evolving role of computational literacy and AI in education.
As technology advances, so must the ways in which we are taught to interact with it. And these new skills should be taught in schools, says computer scientist and physicist Stephen Wolfram, chief designer of Mathematica, the Wolfram Alpha answer engine, and the Wolfram Language.
“At any moment in history there is certain amount of knowledge that is worth teaching ... and there is another part of knowledge that should be automated,” says Wolfram. Many skills that used to be taught — writing with quill pens or using typewriters, for instance — are not anymore, because these skills have been "submerged" by technology. "I think the question is, what makes sense to teach now, and how to fit it in?" he says.
One thing that definitely has a place in schools, says Wolfram, is computational thinking or computational literacy — the way in which one formulates thoughts to communicate to a computer in order to get that computer to help you reach a desired result. This "dialogue with a machine," which involves critical thinking and communication skills, is something that can easily be incorporated into existing classwork, similar to the way many different academic subjects incorporate written essays. And an effort really needs to be made to do just that, says Wolfram ~Harvard EdCast SoundCloud AI and Education
learn how computers work - everything from what makes something a computer in the first place, how computers use electrical circuits to store and process information, and the ways hardware and software work together.
The Internet is part of nearly everything we do on a daily basis. But do you know how it all works? From WiFi to IP addresses to HTML to keeping information safe online, there’s a lot of important stuff going on that most of us don’t have the opportunity to learn more about. In six short, introductory videos, you’ll get an inside look into foundational concepts of everything from wires to websites, taught by guest lecturers including the actual “Father of the Internet” Vint Cerf, Tumblr founder David Karp, and creators on teams at Google, Spotify, XBox, Symantec, and more.
In this learning playlist you will be introduced to the key concepts you'll need to grasp in your journey to become a telecommunication engineer. The content in this video series is based on standard books on the subject and has been created in consultation with experts in the telecommunications field. Since this field undergoes rapid technological changes continuously, we have tried our level best to present the latest technologies. By the end of this video series, you will be able to:
*Gain a deep understanding of all the major telecommunication technologies; namely cellular technology, antenna technology, network security, satellite technologies.
*Explain why and when satellite and optical communication technologies are used.
*Understand the physics behind various telecommunication equipment; namely wave propagation, total internal reflection and modulation.
*Understand the future trends in the field of telecommunication.
"Sphero Edu" Software
"Sphero Play" Software
Check out the following resources to get started with Robotics and Programming.
Additional Resources
Cybersecurity Guide for BOLT (free)
Watch one of the MDOE Sphero Webinars!
Click here to access the MDOE Sphero BOLT webinar recording.
Click here to access the MDOE Computer Science Mobile Labs - Webinar
Check out the following resources to get started with Coding and Hardware
Watch one of the MDOE Lego Webinars!
Click here to access the MDOE Lego Spike Essentials (Elementary) webinar recording.
Click here to access the MDOE Lego Spike Prime (Secondary) webinar recording.
The first generation of LEGO MINDSTORMS was born in 1998. July 2006 brought the second generation on board with the NXT. The EV3 (the third evolution of LEGO robots) became available in September of 2013. And, believe it or not, SPIKE Prime has been roaming around mats since January of 2020. So if you do the math, LEGO releases a robotics system approximately every seven years. SPIKE Prime was right on target.
Invent Everywhere!
Ready to start inventing?
First set up takes seconds. Start out easy with a banana piano. Then create game controllers, invent musical instruments, make voting machines, and light up paper circuits. Connect Makey Makey to the world of things around you, and the possibilities are endless!
Introduction to DJI Mini 4 Pro features both an omnidirectional vision system and a 3D infrared sensing system; it is capable of hovering and flying indoors and outdoors, and can automatically Return to Home while sensing obstacles in all directions. The aircraft also boasts a foldable and compact design, weighing less than 249 g. The aircraft has a maximum flight time of 34 minutes when used with the Intelligent Flight Battery, and 45 minutes with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus.
Gimbal and Camera: With a fully stabilized 3-axis gimbal and a 1/1.3′′ sensor camera, DJI Mini 4 Pro is able to shoot 4K 60fps HDR and 4K 100fps video and 48MP photos. It also supports switching between Landscape mode and Portrait mode with one tap in DJI Fly. The newly added 10-bit D-Log M color mode brings a more convenient experience for post-production color correction, while HLG provides better dynamic range and color display performance.
Video Transmission: With DJI’s long-range transmission O4 technology, the aircraft can offer a maximum transmission range of 20 km and video quality at up to 1080p 60fps from the aircraft to the DJI Fly app. The remote controller works at 2.4, 5.8, and 5.1 GHz and is capable of selecting the best transmission channel automatically.
Intelligent Flight Modes: With the Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS), the aircraft can quickly sense and bypass obstacles in all directions while the user is operating the aircraft for a safer flight and smoother footage. Intelligent Flight Modes such as FocusTrack, MasterShots, QuickShots, Hyperlapse, Waypoint Flight and Cruise Control enable users to capture cinematic videos effortlessly.
First Person View (FPV) drone racing is a competition where pilots control drones equipped with cameras while wearing goggles that stream the live video feed from the drones so they feel like they’re flying from inside the drone. The goal is to complete a complex race course as quickly as possible and ahead of the other pilots in the heat. Competitions are held in stadiums around the world and also with pilots flying virtually in the true-to-life drone racing simulators.
“Drones overall will be more impactful than I think people recognize, in positive ways to help society.” ~ Bill Gates