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Jan. 12, 2023
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Bit Blast a computer science periodical
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Winter is with us! We hope you had a great winter break and took time to relax and enjoy your family and friends.

And, it started with a bang back in December when we all celebrated CSEdWeek. Hearing so many great stories from our community really warmed our hearts in preparation for the holiday season. And the energy just continues!

This month, we offer many upcoming professional learning opportunities, an insight into the national landscape, maybe some help for those in need, rolling into recognition award season, and a jumpstart for your curiosity lens. We hope you enjoy the news!

If you’d like more up-to-the-minute computer science news and events, follow @MarkLantsberger, where I share all things computer science in San Diego County for TK-12 educators. You can also find more information on the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) computer science webpage. More direct inquiries can be made to Mark Lantsberger or Maria Hynes. If you have comments or suggestions for future issues, please fill out this Google form.

Know someone who might enjoy what you’re reading? Please share this link so others can sign up for future issues of Bit Blast!.
 
SDCOE Computer Science Coordinator
National Landscape Survey Results Published
A new landscape study of PreK-12 computer science (CS) teachers in the U.S. examines their professional development needs and the institutional changes required to transform CS classrooms to be more identity inclusive. Kapor Center, Computer Science Teachers Association, and Alliance for Identity-Inclusive Computing Education conclude that we must collectively commit to expanding and better equipping the current CS teacher workforce before we can realize a technology ecosystem that is more just and reflective of society. The report concludes with a set of five recommendations and aligned action steps for teachers, administrators, policymakers, content providers, and other community members to move closer toward equity within computer science. See the report here.
Share and Collaborate with Educators from Across California
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the California Educators Together website. This is the latest phase of the California Educators Community of Practice and has various content groups of interest you can join. The Computer Science Statewide group is open to classroom teachers, grade-level cohorts, content coordinators, and instructional leaders to exchange ideas and resources focused on topics related to this unique subject area. An account must be created; then select Groups, Computer Science, and Join! You can help contribute resources to this group as well as find other useful ones.
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Registration Deadline Looming! The CS Equity Workshop for School Leaders is coming in the Winter of CS, Jan. 24
This is an introductory excursion into how districts offer CS and for those who are trying to consider that in an equitable way. This full-day workshop Jan. 24 is designed for school administrators representing their local educational agency as a site, district, or county lead for CS, and interested in learning how to scale and sustain equity-minded computer science education as part of an ongoing professional learning community. The workshop was co-developed by UCLA Center X and the CSforCA advocacy group; it should be a powerful day! Consider finding a team of colleagues to join us on that day as it will offer opportunities for you all to look at your system as a whole and find ways to move CS forward to best serve all of your students. Registration information can be found at the Winter of CS website.
Spring into CS Is Coming!
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Plans are brewing for the first annual Spring into CS professional learning season! A special in-person session is being planned for our wonderful counselors in San Diego County in partnership with the National Center for Women in Technology and UCSD CREATE. However, we’d love to hear from you about what your needs may be. Please visit the Spring Into CS website and click on “Register Your Interest.”
SDCOE Launches a Computer Science Professional Network for Elementary TOSAs
SDCOE has launched a new professional network specifically designed for elementary teachers on special assignment (TOSAs) to further engage with computer science. STEM, STEAM, math, and science TOSAs are invited, but a warm welcome awaits for arts, English language arts, and general TOSAs as well as any others who support elementary educators in implementing CS or instructional coaching. The network's goal is to expand understanding and implementation capacity around the California Computer Science standards, learn from each other about successful (and challenging) practices, and explore/play with interesting technologies and ideas. Most importantly, have a space to share with people who are experiencing similar things as you. The next meeting is Jan. 23. If you are a district administrator or a classroom teacher, please consider forwarding this invitation to anyone in your organization who may be interested. 
 
SCRIPT has Arrived in San Diego County!
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Is your district considering beginning or expanding the computer science instruction being offered? That’s a big question for administrators! What do we want for our students in offering CS? What structures do we already have in place? What specialized needs does this type of instruction require? Do we have the capacity to DO this? SDCOE can help you find your answers to these questions!

The Strategic CSforALL Resource and Implementation Planning Tool, a.k.a. the SCRIPT, is a framework to guide teams of district administrators, school leaders, and educators through a series of collaborative visioning, self-assessment, and goal-setting exercises to create or expand upon a computer science education implementation plan for students. 

SDCOE can facilitate a multi-day visioning workshop using the SCRIPT when you’re ready, and it includes support for a full year. Email your inquiries to mark.lantsberger@sdcoe.net to start thinking about how to assemble your team.
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This section spotlights CS educators, administrators, and organizations making a difference for their students. If you have a CS hero in your system, tell us about it in this Google form for possible inclusion in a future edition of Bit Blast!.
Hats off to Shirley Miranda!
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BitBlast! would like to highlight the work of a very creative and powerful teacher, Shirley Miranda. Shirley works in the San Diego Unified School District with the CCTE department and creates computer science experiences for transitional kindergarten through 12th grade students. A graduate of Morse High School, where she has returned to teach (super cool!), Shirley earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from UCSD and a master's with a technology focus from USD. Shirley started her career in industry as a front- and back-end software development engineer for business software. Through volunteer work with the ​​Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF), she discovered her passion for the learning of others and their curiosity, wonder, and joy. If you ever have the chance to see her work with people learning, you’ll know right away she’s found her niche! Can you say awesome?

Shirley’s current work at Morse focuses around the Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab she’s established there, one of a handful in our county. She instructs her students with CS and engineering experiences, providing them exposure to what those fields really look like. Shirley served on the board of directors for the GSDSEF from 1999 to 2016, has been recognized by National Council of Women and Information Technology with the Educator Award for her contributions to computer science education in 2014 and 2018, and was appointed by the state superintendent of public instruction to the Computer Science Implementation Plan Panel, which submitted the plan to roll out K-12 computer science education in California in 2018. 

In her spare time (Really? She has that?), Shirley loves to hang out with her husband Greg (a lecturer at UCSD in the CSE department) and daughter Abby (in 3rd grade and a tae kwon do black belt). They reside in San Diego. Shirley also loves to write stories. She has a published series of books called Bits and Pieces, which includes four titles: Falling, Winter Solstice, Wintering, and Springing. She is currently working on the fifth book of the series.

BitBlast! is happy to “tip our cap” to a dynamo in our midst, Shirley Miranda! Shirley, thanks for all of your hard work and for being such a dedicated, warm, and enthusiastic member of our San Diego CS community.
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The Microsoft Technology Education and Learning Support Program Is Rebooting in San Diego

Is your high school ready to offer CS, but maybe your teachers don’t feel quite ready? What if they had a “hands on” mentor working with them multiple times during the week? What if that program was free to you and your school? Wow!

Technology Education and Learning Support (TEALS) is a Microsoft Philanthropies program that builds sustainable computer science programs in high schools. TEALS helps teachers learn to teach CS by pairing them with industry volunteers and proven curricula. Supports exist for courses that are likely already in your catalogs; such as intro to CS, AP CS principles, and AP computer science. Visit the TEALS website for more information about the program.
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This section contains information about CS community groups and their gatherings. If you’d like to share an upcoming event or happening with Bit Blast!, please fill out this Google form.
Counselors for Computing Kicks off CSEdWeek Early 
We were so excited about CSEdWeek in December that we kicked it off early! We started the festivities Dec. 2 with an awesome workshop for counselors led by counselor super-titan Adrianne Murphy and legendary CS mega-mind Shirley Miranda (see above). Was it grand! The actual week was a flurry of activities happening from Oceanside down to South Bay Union, and all points between. Many teachers led their first experience with an Hour of Code, while others had their students visit different classrooms on campus to run mini-lessons. One student team “hijacked” the morning announcements. Still other teachers had their first professional learning opportunity about computer science to prepare the way ahead. BitBlast! loves celebrating CSEdWeek. If you took pictures and haven’t Tweeted them yet, tweet away! And don’t forget to blast @MarkLantsberger to help our community celebrate through the winter months.
Teach This Summer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center on the UCSD Campus
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Did you know San Diego has been a hub of supercomputers since 1985? Are you a current teacher within San Diego County? The San Diego Supercomputer Center StudentTech Summer Program is seeking computer science teachers to teach CS courses for their summer camp program in 2023. 

For more information, contact Ange Mason, SDSC Education and Outreach, at amason@ucsd.edu. Visit the supercomputer website to see everything that goes on there.
Last Chance for Seniors to apply for the ACM Cutler Bell Prize
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The Computer Science Teachers Association has opened applications for the 2022-23 Cutler-Bell Prize, which looks to recognize up to four high school senior students residing in the U.S. for their projects in CS. Winners will receive a $10,000 prize to go to their college/university of choice. Applications are due by Jan. 27. Share the application with your students. Have questions about the award? Join the CSTA Awards committee on Dec. 15 for a question-and-answer session about the award. 
CS Teaching Excellence Award Applications Are Now Open
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The CS Teaching Excellence Awards are designed to recognize outstanding teaching by K-12 computer science teachers. Winners excel in inspiring students to explore the computer science field, engaging students in learning rigorous standards-aligned computer science content, and broadening the participation of underrepresented students in computing. The Computer Science Teachers Association will select at least three K-5 CS teachers and three 6-8 teachers of the 15 national winners. These awards were made possible by a grant from Infosys Foundation USA.

This year, the program has been expanded to recognize over 48 teachers, including 15 national winners, five national honorable mentions, and 28 regional winners. Know an outstanding Computer Science teacher? Nominate them to apply today. 
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Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead — Warren Berger
Here’s a great read that’s a real perspective bender! Have you ever lost motivation because everything around you at the time seemed dull and all predictable? Sometimes I find that feeling even in the midst of a chaotic situation. Berger’s The Book of Beautiful Questions has some wonderful insights in turning the mundane into the amazing. Whether it’s things happening in your classroom, on your campus, or in your life, this book has ways to gain a fresh outlook by asking fundamental questions of our base assumptions. And can the possibilities open up! This book is too much good stuff to read just once.
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And there it is! We hope you’ll avail yourself of the opportunities included this month. We’d love to see you at future events! And as we settle into a vibrant, productive winter, may your processors warm quickly and the code bugs be easy to find!

BitBlast! returns in March in preparation for Spring Into CS! See you then.
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If you have any questions or comments about the Bit Blast! newsletter, please contact Mark Lantsberger.
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