SIGCT+Playground+2014

> SIGCT Playground for ISTE 2014 > (created 4/23/2014:11:00pm CT) The mission of SIGCT is to advance the practice of teaching computing and computer science in PK-12 education that meets needs both for all students and for those wishing to study some aspect of the discipline in more depth. ||
 * **SIGCT (Computing Teachers)**


 * The SIGCT Playground** is focused around ideas, issues and practical examples which support our mission of teaching and learning about computing. Our members come from a very diverse educational component – many are teachers in the classroom, but we also have teacher educators, media specialists, some in education services (such as consultants or providers of outside content). Our membership draws from many of the 22 ISTE SIGs. Our members are looking for ways to to encourage the creative use the technology including its modification and adaptation, by students to solve interesting, relevant and new problems in the classroom. In this way we meet our mission or teaching and learning about computing.

For ISTE 2014 our Playground will focus on Computational Thinking (CT). The knowledge, skills, dispositions and vocabulary are defined and exemplified in three documents from ISTE's Computational Thinking page of resources. (includes knowledge, skills and dispositions)

__Time and location:__ half day, Monday, June 30 from 9:30am-1:00pm, with a location in heavy traffic with wall space if possible, similar the last few years. __Area Layout__: We will have 2 presentation areas with interactive screens for projecting data along with an area for 6 tables used as project demonstration/ exhibit areas __Leaders:__ Joe Kmoch  and Karen North 
 * PLAYGROUND**

__Playground Title__: Computational Thinking in Computer Science, STEM, STEAM and CTE __Playground Description for Program:__ Interact with student teams showing projects highlighting core CT concepts. They represent programs such as 4-H, CyberPatriot, USFIRST Robotics. See the future in these students! __Purpose and Objective__

The purpose is to have each of our project teams (at least 8) identify both concepts and dispositions of Computational Thinking which their project highlights primarily and possibly secondarily. The mapping to the CCSM Mathematical Practices should be clear from this. Both informal education (ala 4-H, Boys & Girls Clubs) and formal classroom education will be seen. __Outline__ The participants in the playground will determine any short presentations they will make to visitors; by necessity, these will be short but informative to the visitors. The playground area is laid out in a kind of buffet-style where visitors can pick and choose who they want to talk to and what they want to see __Standards addressed__ There is a distinct and close mapping between the CCSM Mathematics Practices and the Computational Thinking Dispositions and Concepts. Through the student projects which will be primarily grades 6-12, the dispositions on display will be These are consistent and are mapped to the 8 CCSM Math Practices.
 * Confidence in dealing with complexity
 * Persistence in working with difficult problems
 * Tolerance for ambiguity
 * The ability the deal with open ended problems
 * The ability to communicate and work with others to achieve a common goal or solution

Plan (as of 4/21/2014)
 * Our plans now include at least two student groups, one high school, one middle school; one or two robotics teams from an Atlanta high school including a VEX robotics team; an exhibit from the Logo Foundation and its leader, the Spelbots robotics competition team and their outreach program, and a new start­up Play­-I with their cute robots for little kids. One of their foci will be to identify various elements of the Computational Thinking core concepts as the basis for their work.
 * We will have students demonstrating some high quality, free software from Autodesk. Electronic/Arduino programming and use will be freaured along with some applications involving 3D printing. We alsy may have some MakerSpace­type demonstrations involving these areas or others depending on time.
 * We will focus our Playground with the dual notions that this is all about Computational Thinking and that computing careers (largely computer science based) will make up about 70% of all new STEM jobs over the next half dozen years at least.
 * We anticipate that this half­day playground area would also include robotics teams (FRC, FTT and FLL teams) which are always very popular, project teams from Atlanta area schools. We hope to engage Georgia Tech in our efforts.