In this episode I ask Bard and ChatGPT what the future of education looks like and probe these platforms to get a pulse on what computer science education looks like according to responses from large language models.
Read MoreIn this interview with Michael Horn, we discuss computational literacies vs computational thinking, power in literacy, cultural imperialism, the impact of programming language on identity, the intersections of music and CS, and so much more.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Bao & Hosseini’s (2023) publication titled “Mind the gap: The illusion of skill acquisition in computational thinking,” which compares learning, perceptions of learning, and confidence among adult learners participating in interactive, video-based, and text-based learning.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Welsh’s (2023) publication titled “The end of programming,” which asks when generative AI will replace the need for knowing how to program.
Read MoreIn this interview with Roxana Hadad, we discuss the blurring of formal and informal learning within makerspaces and culture, how Roxana’s understanding of education evolved over time, feeling lost when having too much choice with one’s learning, the intersections of makerspaces and equity, problematizing discourse and definitions around computational thinking and computer science, preventing burnout while working on many different projects, feeling a lack of agency in education, the future of communication for academics, and so much more.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Proctor, Bigman, and Blikstein’s (2019) publication titled “Defining and designing computer science education in a K12 public school district,” which serves as a case study of a district’s processes and tensions developing a plan for implementing computer science across K-12.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Mills et al.’s (2021) publication titled “Computational thinking for an inclusive world: A resource for educators to learn and lead,” which is a white paper that provides strategies for integrating CT into disciplinary learning for for developing capacity for computational thinking.
Read MoreIn this interview with Sara Vogel, we discuss changes in CS education since Sara was last on the podcast, the impact of COVID on learning, some of the problems with computational thinking, the importance of modifying curricula to make it more culturally and historically responsive, deficit language and racism around bilingual students, the importance of understanding translanguaging pedagogies, what apprenticeship and joint work can look like in education, and much more.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Chongo, Osman, and Nayan’s (2021) publication titled “Impact of the plugged-in and unplugged chemistry computational thinking modules on achievement in chemistry,” which investigated achievement outcomes between a chemistry unit in three groups: 1) chemistry classes integrated with Scratch projects, 2) chemistry classes integrated with both unplugged and Scratch projects, and 3) chemistry classes with no focus on computational thinking.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Lewis’ (2017) publication titled “Good (and bad) reasons to teach all students computer science,” which problematizes common rationales/myths for teaching computer science in K-12 schools.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Kafai and Proctor’s (2021) publication titled “A revaluation of computational thinking in K–12 education: Moving toward computational literacies,” which summarizes three key framings of computational thinking and proposes computational literacies in place of computational thinking.
Read MoreIn this interview with Jorge Valenzuela, we discuss the importance of engineering in STEM, situating computational thinking within a problem, getting started with computational thinking and computer science, project-based learning, incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom, Jorge’s approach to professional development, and much more.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Israel et al.’s (2015) publication titled “Empowering K–12 students with disabilities to learn computational thinking and computer programming,” which is a short article that provides some strategies to increase access and engagement among students with disabilities in CS education contexts.
Read MoreIn this episode I discuss some example questions we can ask to encourage kids to think deeper about computer science and computational thinking by unpacking two papers on using guiding questions in mathematics education. The first paper paper by Way (2014) is titled “Using questioning to stimulate mathematical thinking” and the second paper by Pennant (2018) is titled “Developing a classroom culture that supports a problem-solving approach to mathematics.”
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Denning’s (2017) publication titled “Remaining trouble spots with computational thinking: Addressing unresolved questions concerning computational thinking,” which answers three questions: what is computational thinking, how do we measure students’ computational abilities, and is computational thinking good for everyone?
Read MoreIn this interview with Shuchi Grover, we discuss the importance of having a variety of assessments in a CS class, why we need more research on computational thinking, why educators and scholars should read literature outside of the field, Shuchi’s new book titled “Computer Science in K-12: An A-To-Z Handbook on Teaching Programming,” and much more.
Read MoreIn this interview with Laurie “Mrs. Geeky” Green, we discuss advice for novice and veteran computer science educators who are integrating CS and technology in a variety of subject areas, what an engaging integration experience looks like, the importance of finding platforms and approaches that work for you and the kids you work with, helping administrators and educators understand what computer science is (and how it’s different than computational thinking), suggestions for integrating in online and virtual spaces, and much more.
Read MoreIn this interview with Stacie Mason and Peter Rich, we discuss recommendations for introducing and integrating computational thinking in the classroom, the importance of contextualizing computational thinking within coding practices, peer and family influence on learning to code and to think computationally, lessons learned by researching coding and computational thinking, our perspectives on whether computer science and coding should be a mandatory subject, and much more.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Werner, Denner, Campe, and Torres’ (2020) article titled “Computational sophistication of games programmed by children: A model for its measurement,” which unpacks how the authors updated the game computational sophistical (GCS) model to account for computational learning evident within 39 games development by pairs of middle school children.
Read MoreIn this episode I unpack Lee et al.’s (2011) publication titled “Computational thinking for youth in practice,” which provides examples of how middle and high school youth engage in computational thinking and introduces the “use-modify-create” framework (a three-stage progression through computational thinking).
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