What do late-night host Jimmy Fallon, actor Ashton Kutcher, and Black Eyed Peas cofounder will.i.am have in common? They all learned computer programming. In fact, will.i.am calls programmers the “real rock stars.”

Inspire your students to explore this creative field by joining tens of thousands of schools, libraries, and other organizations around the world to celebrate Computer Science Education Week from December 6 to 12, 2021.

This year’s theme – #CSisEverywhere – emphasizes the impact of computer science in industry, innovation, art, and medicine. Computer science is built into our phones and the internet, helps us combat the coronavirus, and enables humans to explore space. Check out CSEdWeek’s week of events.

Or host an Hour of Code. This year’s offerings include a new curriculum to help students see the connection between computer science and math, language arts, and other subjects.

Dubbed the “largest learning event in history” – with millions of students and teachers in 180 countries participating annually – Code.org’s online library includes such free resources as Star Wars-based tutorials for beginners as young as four, a way-finding with code lesson from Disney’s Moana, a Minecraft  Hour of Code adventure for student in grades 2 and up, and a create a virtual pet activity from Grok Learning.

No computers? No problem. Computer Science Unplugged offers a library of free resources for teaching computer science through engaging activities and games. There’s also a new massive open online course – Teaching Computational Thinking – for teachers of students ages 7 to 12.

The National Science Foundation-sponsored Computer Science for All Teachers offers free resources, teaching tips, help desk, blog, and event calendar with webinars, hackathon challenges, and contests.

No computer science teacher at your school? Edhesive offers a free AP Computer Science massive, open online course (MOOC).

Seek more information? The September 2013 eGFI Teachers newsletter focused on computer engineering activities. Cybersecurity was the theme of the October 2015 eGFI Teachers newsletter. And check out the eGFI Teachers’ list of computer science education resources.

Meanwhile, states are moving to adopt new computer science education standards based on the K-12 Computer Science Framework. According to the Atlantic magazine (October 19, 2016), Arkansas, Indiana, and Florida have made major computer-science pushes at the K-12 level, as have cities like New York and Chicago. Today, all 50 states have policies promoting computer science education, according to the latest State of Computer Science Education report. Half of all high schools now offer computer science – up from 35 percent just a few years ago – and 90 percent of high school students can use computer science to meet graduation requirements. (Watch the YouTube video of presentation.) However, the subject is far less likely to be offered in rural schools or those that serve predominantly low-income or racial minority students than in affluent districts.

Download the full standards or get tips for integrating computer science into literacy, math, and science instruction from the Computer Science Teachers Association, which developed the standards. Also check out “Cracking the Code,” an Education Commission of the States policy brief on lessons from states with successful computer science education programs.

Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans, Special Features, Web Resources

Tags: computer science education week, computing, hour of code