Tech EDGE: CS4NE - Code.org with Special Guest, Andy Teipen

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08/21/2024 Added

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CS4NE, Computer Science for Nebraska - Code.org with Special Guest, Andy Teipen. University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Technology (Tech) Education In Digital and Global Environments (EDGE) Innovation in Teacher Education College of Education and Human Sciences | Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education

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[00:00:00.270](upbeat music)
[00:00:06.150]Hi, my name is Guy Trainin.
[00:00:07.680]And I'm Kimberly Ingraham-Beck.
[00:00:09.000]And this is CS4NE.
[00:00:11.340]And today we're talking about code.org.
[00:00:13.650]We are the regional partner,
[00:00:15.000]so I love talking about code.org,
[00:00:16.950]but this actually came from an interview
[00:00:19.800]you did with code.org at ISTE.
[00:00:22.410]Can you tell me about, even about the booth
[00:00:25.020]that code.org had at ISTE?
[00:00:26.640]Oh man, they had a huge booth.
[00:00:29.250]They had a bunch of live demonstrations that they had.
[00:00:33.060]They had a whole bunch of the curriculum developers there
[00:00:35.790]that you could talk straight with.
[00:00:37.350]And it was, yeah, it was really cool.
[00:00:39.780]It was delightful.
[00:00:40.950]And again, what I love about code.org
[00:00:43.560]is code.org supplies the curriculum for free.
[00:00:47.280]And in a previous show we talked about Code HS.
[00:00:50.640]There's a free version and a paid version.
[00:00:53.160]Code.org supplies everything for free
[00:00:55.650]and does a lot of professional development for teachers
[00:00:59.970]to get them to where they need to be.
[00:01:01.590]And this is what we wanted to talk to them about.
[00:01:04.800]So here's our interview.
[00:01:06.900]So if you wanna give a quick
[00:01:08.010]rundown of who you are and code.org.
[00:01:11.896]Yeah, I'm Andy Teipen,
[00:01:13.650]I am a district and school growth manager with code.org.
[00:01:19.110]Awesome.
[00:01:19.943]So what curriculum do you guys have?
[00:01:22.123]So we have a pathway of K 12 curriculum.
[00:01:26.820]So we have grade level differentiate curriculum.
[00:01:30.870]All of the curriculum can be standalone courses
[00:01:34.950]that teachers could teach at their grade level
[00:01:36.840]from start to finish.
[00:01:38.940]But the curriculum is also modular,
[00:01:40.920]so teachers could pull out lessons
[00:01:43.350]and things that they want to focus on.
[00:01:46.380]A couple of quick highlights in the curriculum
[00:01:49.140]for third through fifth grade is our CS connections,
[00:01:53.160]which are one week units that align to core subjects
[00:01:59.610]like math, social studies, science.
[00:02:02.400]So those have been wildly popular.
[00:02:05.130]We also just launched Music Lab.
[00:02:07.470]So Music lab is kind of think of Garage Band meets code.org.
[00:02:12.900]So students can go into, create a new project,
[00:02:16.050]use the coding platform that they're familiar with,
[00:02:18.570]but use, create beats samples that are already there,
[00:02:22.080]create their own, use music from popular artists
[00:02:25.320]that we've licensed music with
[00:02:26.610]that they can remix the music as well.
[00:02:29.100]So that's been very popular.
[00:02:31.140]Awesome.
[00:02:32.220]What are the unique features of your curriculum?
[00:02:35.640]Yeah, unique features.
[00:02:37.110]So with all of our courses, all of our lessons
[00:02:39.810]we really try to support the teacher in the classroom
[00:02:43.050]with everything they need.
[00:02:44.010]So all the way starting at the beginning,
[00:02:46.590]if teachers are not familiar with code.org
[00:02:49.110]we have self-paced professional learning modules
[00:02:55.020]to go with each one.
[00:02:56.880]They range in time from about two hours
[00:03:00.270]to maybe about five hours,
[00:03:01.260]depending on the course and the complexity.
[00:03:05.040]They do end in a certificate.
[00:03:06.570]It would help a teacher understand how to use a platform,
[00:03:09.390]how to create a classroom,
[00:03:10.950]how to get into some lesson specifics and go from there.
[00:03:13.020]So once we get into the curriculum,
[00:03:15.180]then we have the lesson plans there.
[00:03:16.830]There's actually, teachers can adjust the pacing
[00:03:20.070]for the course based on the time that they have
[00:03:22.488]to teach on a weekly or bi biweekly basis
[00:03:27.630]or daily if they're able to.
[00:03:29.880]But they can play with pacing to figure those out.
[00:03:32.550]We have videos inside the curriculum.
[00:03:34.740]We have assessments.
[00:03:36.900]We have a lot of LMS integration,
[00:03:39.300]so it makes it easier for teachers to do single sign on
[00:03:42.540]and roster sinking and things along those lines.
[00:03:45.510]And I saw you guys just announced today
[00:03:47.250]in an email that you're Canvas and Schoology.
[00:03:51.467]Schoology. Yes.
[00:03:53.176]Are now also being integrated.
[00:03:55.406]Schoology are the newest ones. Yeah, absolutely.
[00:03:57.072]So, so we're excited to do that.
[00:03:58.140]Our team will continue to develop those
[00:04:00.930]with other features like deep linking and grade passback
[00:04:04.867]and things that, that make it easier for our teachers
[00:04:07.230]to use our platform.
[00:04:08.790]Awesome.
[00:04:09.630]Do you have any Nebraska standard aligned curriculum?
[00:04:12.750]We do.
[00:04:13.583]And we're working on the documentation
[00:04:15.090]so that we can share that outward.
[00:04:16.500]So as soon as that is out
[00:04:17.610]we'll promote that across the state as well.
[00:04:20.460]Awesome.
[00:04:21.293]Are you currently working with anyone in Nebraska?
[00:04:23.190]We do.
[00:04:24.023]I don't have the list in front of me,
[00:04:24.930]but we do, we actually have a district program
[00:04:28.110]where we're trying to engage district leadership
[00:04:31.296]to help them understand what is available
[00:04:34.410]for our computer science education, AI education.
[00:04:38.250]And we have currently about 10 or 12 Nebraska districts
[00:04:42.210]that have signed up for that program.
[00:04:44.880]That does, that's not the breadth of all of the districts
[00:04:47.160]that use code.org, but those are,
[00:04:49.320]that's a new program that we wanna help promote
[00:04:51.840]supporting that leadership so they're more intentional
[00:04:54.030]about how they're expanding computer science
[00:04:55.830]across their districts.
[00:04:57.750]We have monthly webinar content for those district leaders
[00:05:01.320]where they can come and listen
[00:05:04.126]to a little bit of programming from code.org,
[00:05:06.360]our partners, but also get into breakout rooms
[00:05:08.730]with their peers across the country
[00:05:10.170]and talk about how are you addressing this,
[00:05:12.300]how are you overcoming these challenges?
[00:05:13.800]So we'd really encourage folks
[00:05:16.050]to check out the code.org district program.
[00:05:18.636]And I know you guys are partnered with
[00:05:19.827]the University of Nebraska at Lincoln
[00:05:21.246]and you guys do in-person trainings
[00:05:23.880]and professional development as well as-
[00:05:27.187]Yes.
[00:05:28.266]Yeah. Yeah, Guy Trainin and his team
[00:05:30.810]at the University at Nebraska Lincoln
[00:05:33.270]are our regional partners.
[00:05:35.130]They are amazing resource.
[00:05:37.500]Guy is a hilarious ball of energy as well,
[00:05:40.656]so highly, connect with Guy,
[00:05:44.520]but they are really our boots on the ground.
[00:05:46.470]So they are an extension of code.org
[00:05:48.240]in the state of Nebraska.
[00:05:49.830]They do the in-person training,
[00:05:52.260]they've got the ability to do some virtual training as well.
[00:05:55.230]We know that sometimes it's hard for teachers to travel
[00:05:58.560]and they're just a great resource in general on all things
[00:06:01.410]code.org, but especially around professional development.
[00:06:05.640]And what is the cost structure?
[00:06:07.020]Do you use code.org?
[00:06:08.430]Yeah, so as far as our curriculum goes,
[00:06:11.400]it is code.org's mission that we provide
[00:06:14.940]high quality curriculum that is free forever.
[00:06:17.160]So that doesn't mean that it's not high quality.
[00:06:19.956]We have very gracious donors that keep us going
[00:06:23.190]and keep us to where our team can continue
[00:06:25.886]to refresh your curriculum and make it better.
[00:06:29.490]Launch things like Music Lab
[00:06:31.650]and kind of the the fun tools along those lines.
[00:06:35.430]As far as the self-based professional development,
[00:06:38.070]again, those resources are free,
[00:06:40.740]the district program is free.
[00:06:43.080]The only real pay that comes that's associated
[00:06:46.950]with code.org would be professional learning
[00:06:49.800]because the professional learning that Guy and his team do
[00:06:52.860]go through facilitators.
[00:06:54.030]We've got a network of facilitators across the state.
[00:06:56.280]Those facilitators are teachers in the classroom
[00:06:59.490]teaching code.org all day, every day.
[00:07:00.960]So they are absolute experts,
[00:07:03.330]but we do wanna compensate them for
[00:07:04.920]that expertise and that time.
[00:07:06.547]But all of that runs through Nebraska at Lincoln.
[00:07:10.290]They will give them details on what's available.
[00:07:13.650]There's often grant funding or scholarship funding
[00:07:16.950]for professional learning available to offset any cost, so.
[00:07:20.490]Awesome.
[00:07:21.323]Well thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me.
[00:07:23.016]Absolutely, thanks for having me.
[00:07:25.230]So thank you code.org for that great interview
[00:07:27.780]and really taking the time to talk to us.
[00:07:30.300]Absolutely.
[00:07:31.133]So now we want to see what code.org has created
[00:07:35.790]specifically for Nebraska.
[00:07:37.230]So we have talked about this,
[00:07:38.370]but we will talk about this again,
[00:07:39.870]there's legislation, there are clear requirements
[00:07:42.690]by the Nebraska Department of Education
[00:07:44.700]and code.org went backwards,
[00:07:46.770]looked at those requirements
[00:07:48.180]and built a course and professional development
[00:07:51.240]that is ready for Nebraska.
[00:07:54.060]So can you show us some?
[00:07:55.200]Absolutely.
[00:07:56.370]So one of my favorite parts is that for the first unit,
[00:07:59.640]you have four options that they have already given you.
[00:08:03.150]So if you already have some micro bits for your school,
[00:08:06.510]for example, there is a unit here
[00:08:08.520]that you can use for those.
[00:08:09.840]If you don't have those,
[00:08:11.610]maybe you can do something with Circuit Playground.
[00:08:13.770]If you don't have any devices at all, you can just do this
[00:08:17.130]Option C, the problem solving computing.
[00:08:20.070]So lots of options and I love options.
[00:08:23.100]And it also goes back to the comfort you have
[00:08:26.640]working with devices and comfort with the curriculum.
[00:08:31.500]And so you have the choice as a teacher, first time teacher,
[00:08:34.920]I wanna be really safe, I'm gonna choose option C.
[00:08:38.010]I've played with the Circuit Playground, I have,
[00:08:41.340]those are delightful.
[00:08:42.480]I wanna play with those some more.
[00:08:44.160]I'm gonna choose that option.
[00:08:45.720]That is a great way to create something
[00:08:48.900]that is based on what is required,
[00:08:50.940]but still allows some freedom.
[00:08:52.770]Absolutely. In the way.
[00:08:53.790]Yeah. All right.
[00:08:54.930]So after those units,
[00:08:56.460]then we have specifically written out units.
[00:08:59.250]So here we have representing information,
[00:09:01.950]artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
[00:09:04.140]And this unit is pretty cool
[00:09:05.760]because the students get to actually manipulate
[00:09:08.820]some of the machine learning algorithms
[00:09:10.530]and create their own.
[00:09:12.330]So we have this one here,
[00:09:14.610]or we have classification models
[00:09:16.110]where students get to work on image classification.
[00:09:21.427]Then we have networks and internet,
[00:09:24.090]cybersecurity and global impacts.
[00:09:26.160]And then finally we have the programming unit.
[00:09:29.190]And if you look at the programming unit,
[00:09:32.250]it's just an introduction to programming,
[00:09:34.110]which is enough based on what Nebraska requires.
[00:09:38.160]And remember that coding, even though it's called code.org,
[00:09:42.570]coding is not everything that we want to talk about.
[00:09:45.060]It's just a piece of a much bigger pie.
[00:09:48.300]And definitely that inclusion of AI as an emerging area
[00:09:52.680]and something a lot of people are talking about
[00:09:55.050]and excited about is really, really fun.
[00:09:58.080]Can you show us one of the activities inside?
[00:10:00.750]Absolutely, so this is the coding part.
[00:10:04.350]And so here where you learning to use turtle graphics?
[00:10:07.530]So this is called a turtle, this little icon.
[00:10:11.190]And so students are, this is drag and drop coding.
[00:10:15.060]This is the the blocks.
[00:10:16.650]But you can also just have script if you would rather have
[00:10:20.100]your students script or if they want to try and do it.
[00:10:23.310]And so what you can do is you could just drag some code out
[00:10:26.010]here and then you can run.
[00:10:29.490]So, so it turned left. It turned left.
[00:10:33.720]Can we walk a little bit?
[00:10:34.950]Let's move forward.
[00:10:35.940]Yeah.
[00:10:36.773]Can we tell it how much to move forward?
[00:10:38.940]Nope.
[00:10:40.020]Okay.
[00:10:40.853]Not yet, not yet. Yes, okay.
[00:10:42.810]Eventually.
[00:10:43.643]Yes, so this would be just one unit up?
[00:10:47.736]Mmmmhhm. One unit left.
[00:10:55.020]I actually love the fact that it's happening
[00:10:57.210]a little bit slowly because it really shows the connection
[00:11:00.990]between the command and what's happening in the screen.
[00:11:04.710]And it's not happening so fast
[00:11:06.120]because it can happen almost instantaneously.
[00:11:08.820]And then you can't see what's what's going on.
[00:11:11.370]So that is a really nice feature.
[00:11:13.020]And it's great for troubleshooting.
[00:11:14.580]If a student says, wait, it was supposed to go up again.
[00:11:17.850]Now they can, they had some time to see
[00:11:20.430]where the codes were being acted on
[00:11:23.700]and so they can go back through and change it.
[00:11:26.310]So this is how block coding works on this platform.
[00:11:30.390]There's lots of block coding out there.
[00:11:32.490]And that's a great way to introduce coding
[00:11:34.920]because then misspellings
[00:11:37.440]and did you put the semicolon in the right place,
[00:11:39.960]and all of these things, and some languages
[00:11:41.910]are more forgiving and some are less and that's fine.
[00:11:44.400]But it's still much, much easier to work with block coding
[00:11:47.280]as you're introducing the idea.
[00:11:49.110]I love the fact that kids can start with writing,
[00:11:52.170]especially if you've got kids who move through the grades
[00:11:55.440]and actually know a lot about programming
[00:11:59.130]and they want to do more.
[00:12:00.300]There's an opportunity here to go beyond
[00:12:03.030]what is available with the blocks.
[00:12:04.620]Absolutely.
[00:12:05.820]Alright, so thank you.
[00:12:07.560]Today we talked about code.org
[00:12:09.570]and some of the specialized programs
[00:12:11.640]that they have for Nebraska,
[00:12:13.200]and we'll see you next time on...
[00:12:15.433]CS4NE.
[00:12:17.016](upbeat music)

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Tech EDGE: CS4NE - Code.org with Special Guest, Andy Teipen

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