SDCOE has designed sector collaborations for career technical education teachers to work with CS teachers in the Information and Communication Technology pathway. Plan for your winter and spring activities and make some new friends from 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 3.

Elementary teachers and administrators who see exciting things happening with computer science, but don’t have experience or know where to start are encouraged to participate in SDCOE’s intro course: Get Ready for CS Education Week. You don’t have to be a programmer to start teaching computer science! This one-hour introduction from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 12 will walk through the process of planning an Hour of Code activity during CS Education Week from Dec. 7 to 12. Register and learn more about the prep course.

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!.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond appointed SDCOE's chief technology officer (CTO) to the board of directors of a statewide nonprofit that supports students and communities across the state with online access. Terry Loftus will serve on the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) board of directors through June 30, 2022.

Loftus currently serves as assistant superintendent and CTO for SDCOE, where he leads the Integrated Technology Services division and has been a strong advocate on student connectivity, data privacy, and cybersecurity issues in education. Click to read the full story.

The SDCOE CS Team has developed an online reference of the CS standard set using Padlet. In the leftmost two columns you’ll find references for the standards and the framework practices (based on the national CS movement) grouped in many ways. Scroll down the column and find other ways to view the information. The other columns contain various articles and links of interest.

If you’re wondering how you might integrate CS with other subject fields, another Padlet has been created to underscore these possibilities. It’s a great place to kickstart your creativity and imagine what we can create. At each grade-level band post you’ll find another Padlet with ideas grouped by standard concept bands.

The SDCOE Curriculum and Instruction department spent the summer developing distance learning curriculum as supplemental units for grades K-12. The best part is that every grade level unit includes CS! Grades K-5 work on an integrated model and include lessons and activities from California Standards for core subjects and the arts, to English language development, computer science and physical education. Grades 6-12 are thematic units with each discipline covering its content but also addressing a unifying concept or question. Another fun opportunity is the CS page from the Learning at Home Bingo series, which was a partnership between SDCOE and The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Want to offer your younger students a creative journey into the world of programming? Start your own explorations with Scratch, a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.

This is one of the first “block based” coding systems ever developed and used by millions of students. Scratch is an open-ended platform, available in multiple languages, and it allows students to learn coding fundamentals while exploring their own creativity. Whether you’re looking for an Hour of Code activity for December or creative integrations into other content area activities, Scratch is an intuitive tool your students can learn to use quickly.

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.

Get to know other CS teachers at the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) of San Diego monthly meetings. The virtual CSTA Happy Hour Series is from 5 to 6 p.m. every third Thursday of the month, with the exception of next month when there will be no meeting and participants are encouraged to attend the CS Listen Up Conference from 4 to 6 p.m. on Nov. 18. This series of fun and informative meetings is designed for teachers of all grade levels.

There’s still room to sign up for the Fleet Week Student Virtual STEM Day. The event is a great opportunity for students to experience the CS industries we have right here in San Diego County. The dates are coming up so be sure to register your class or school today.

Through a partnership with DonorsChoose, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has set aside $250,000 of shareholder funding to match donations that help support local teachers with distance learning and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) projects for under $1,000. Teachers can visit the DonorsChoose website to apply, and also view the matched projects at DonorsChoose.org/SDGE. The match program will run until funds are exhausted or through Dec. 31. Download an informational flyer.

Distance learning has been challenging for everyone. You’ve undoubtedly had students without access to devices. Many communities in our county are experiencing this with a large number of students. SDCOE has partnered with Computers 2 San Diego Kids on a “Meet the Need” computer drive. Here’s an article that describes the drive, which runs until October 31. Share this with members of your community.

If you're feeling tired, burned out, or stressed, you're not alone. It's important to take care of yourself, so you can continue to be there for students. This mental health webpage has tools and information to help adults and students with mental and emotional well-being during the pandemic.

High school students interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can apply for a paid, eight-week internship in the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) offered at various Department of Navy laboratories. For detailed information, including the potential impact of COVID-19 on in-person internships for next summer, visit the SEAP website. The online application closes at 7 p.m. Nov. 30.

Sony Electronics, in partnership with SDCOE and Classroom of the Future Foundation, is offering a free virtual teacher professional development workshop from 3 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 22 for their KOOV all-in-one robotics, coding, and design kit. For more information visit the SDCOE KOOV Academy website.

Look for the next issue of Bit Blast! in December. We'll see you soon!

If you have any questions or comments about the Bit Blast! newsletter, please contact Mark Lantsberger.