Suggested Considerations: 

• What are your district's goals for CS? 

  • In a district's first year of establishing a CS Pathway, focus on raising awareness of CS and having a few teachers try activities in classrooms while you determine your scope and sequence. You might also include exploring curriculum options by trying different PD opportunities to inform the development of your scope-and-sequence.

  • Once you have a scope-and-sequence for CS, identify what teachers need what content aligned to the scope-and-sequence. 

    • Elementary (grades K-5) -- will it be generalist teachers or specialists or some combination?

    • Middle school (grades 6-8) -- will it be a CS course or integrated in particular content areas? All grades or just 1 or 2 grades? Required or elective?

    • High school (grades 9-12) -- will it be one or more CS elective courses or integrated in particular content areas?

• What are individual teacher goals for CS?

  • See CSTA's Guidance for Teachers to help determine goals 

  • Teachers can complete the Self-Reflection Checklist included in the guidance and identify areas for improvement -- both content and pedagogy focused

  • What formats and timeline are teachers able to participate in PD? Will you needs subs to cover their classroom?

• How do you allocate funding?

  • Prioritize PD aligned to district goals and the scope-and-sequence

  • Identify opportunities that meet teacher goals and needs

  • Select PD that focuses on CS content and pedagogy (i.e., not ed tech in general)

  • If your basic scope-and-sequence goals are met, then consider goals related to pedagogy and equity and opportunities to close gaps

  • Northern Lights Collaborative will fund the PD and curriculum listed below; all other PD (registration, travel, stipends, etc.) should follow your district processes.

• Note: Northern Lights Collaborative does not need to review and approve PD opportunities as long as they support the district and teacher goals and are definitely CS. If you have questions about any of that, however, please contact one of us.

The Northern Lights Collaborative staff offers free PD to participating districts in areas aligned with the grant outcomes, including:

• What is CS and Why CS? (1-4 hours)

  • Build staff awareness + buy-in

  • Try hands on CS activities to build confidence, i.e. "I think I can teach CS"

• Introduction to Computer Science and Computational Thinking

  • A more in-depth introduction to computer science education and computational thinking skills and mindsets

  • Online course through Canvas, with a mix of synchronous meetings as well as asynchronous learning content

  • Participants implement a computer science lesson, and complete a reflection on the lesson implementation

• UDL4CS Strategies 

  • Universal Design for Learning strategies as applied to CS learning

• Indigenous Education 4 Computer Science

  • Provide a background on Minnesota's tribes and history with the education system and U.S. government to ground the workshop

  • Explore a wide variety of authentic sources (form Native authors) to learn more about Native contributions and knowledge systems

  • Hands-on computer science lessons aligned to standards

  • Participants implement a computer science lesson, and complete a reflection on the lesson implementation

• K8 CS Integration (6 or more hours + implementation)

  • Includes an overview of computational thinking, computer science terms

  • Everyone completes an initial programming activity

  • Breakouts based on grades and subject areas with K-8 lesson repository (will be added to over the grant as well)

• Counselors for Computing (with NCWIT)

  • 1 day-long (~6 hours) + quarterly 1 hour meetings online

  • Targeting secondary (especially high school) counselors

• Other PD:

  • Scratch using Creative Computing, Getting Unstuck, or CS First curriculum 

  • Elementary literacy + Code and Go Mice

  • Particular technology such as Spheros, Microbits, e-textiles

  • Other needs? Reach out and discuss with the Northern Lights Collaborative team

Northern Lights will issue stipends directly to educators for:

• PLN meeting attendance - at the end of each school year in June (deadline by when we need this -- May 1st)

• PD offered by Northern Lights (see below) -- deadline determined by each PD

Information needed:

• Submit form with your information so we can set you up as a supplier

• W-9 form and email to nlcollaborative@umn.edu with subject line "K12 CS Pathways W9"

Stipends are estimated at $50 / hour. If a set amount is being issued for a PD opportunity, it will be communicated with the opportunity.

• CSTA Accredited PD

• BootUp PD (AFE)

• CSTA PD Opportunities

• Code Savvy

• Science Museum of Minnesota

• createMPLS

• Infosys Pathfinders

• Amazon Future Engineers

• Graduate courses:

  • CSS Certificate in CS Education

  • UCSD Courses - or this one? https://online.ucsd.edu/programs/ab8303f1-8a8c-4cef-be8e-c0c9abd07317/about 

  • UN-Omaha MS in CS Education

• Fields of CS

  • Teaching AI

    • MS AI Curriculum

  • Teaching Cybersecurity

  • Teaching Data Science

  • Teaching Quantum