Refining Perspectives on Computer Science and Information Technology Instruction

Without a doubt, information and communication technologies are evolving and converging rapidly. It is hard for organizations, individuals and educational institutions to keep up with the changes and realize their benefits. Our society and economy depend on computer science and technologies for connectivity and productivity. Because of that, our ability to develop, maintain and use technologies are of tremendous strategic importance, to:

  • Local, State and National Economies
  • Individuals Seeking Career Advancement
  • Organizations in Accomplishing Their Missions

As important as they are, computing and computer science are subjects that are not included as a core part of the framework for mathematics and science K-12 education. Computer “science” is not recognized as a “natural science” and not included in the National Science Framework or the Common Core Standards.

According to a recent report, entitled: Running on Empty: The Failure to Teach K-12 Computer Science in the Digital Age , K-12 education in the United States has fallen woefully behind in preparing students with the fundamental computer science knowledge and skills they need for future success. According to the report, there is a “swirl of terms and curriculum” related to computing, technology, and computer science. At the recent Information Technology (IT) Summit held in Sacramento California, there was general agreement with this concern.

Information and Communications Technologies

No other subject will open as many doors in the 21st Century, regardless of a student’s ultimate field of study or occupation, as computer science. However, as a relatively new and emerging discipline the lack of agreement or understanding of common terms makes it difficult to properly focus and align curriculum and career pathways.

In fact, the many subjects and applications of technologies in this field are inter-related and inter-dependent. One global term that is used internationally to describe the convergence and interrelation of technologies is “Information and Communications Technologies”. Special thanks to James Jones, Executive Director of the Mid-Pacific Information and Communications Technologies Center (MPICT), for the following illustrations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The technologies illustrated above can stand alone as subjects, but ultimately depend upon each other to proper function. For example, a computer requires both software and hardware to process data, and without a network the Internet cannot function.

The foundation for computer science is rooted in math and science, but the ultimate benefit is expressed in the modern technologies we rely on for many applications found in every career and business. It takes skill to use technology and technology tools, like a computer, but it takes different skill sets and understanding to design and develop computer hardware and other skills to program the computer and the computer applications.

Because computer science and the technologies it enables lie at the heart of our economy, our daily lives, and scientific enterprise, the challenge for educators is to prepare students with the fundamental computer science knowledge and skills they need for future success in their individual academic and career goals. California does not currently have a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Computer Science. Subject matter competency for Information Technology is assessed under the Business Single Subject Teaching Credential. The education agency responsible for hiring will determine when a Single Subject Credential is appropriate or if a Designated Subjects Career Technical Education Credential is a better fit.

Transforming High School

If we are to maintain a globally competitive IT workforce that leads to innovation, there is no stage in the academic pipeline more crucial than high school. How do we engage students, and deliver instruction that has sufficient rigor to make them ready for college and careers at levels that will sustain United States leadership in this area? Recent initiatives are addressing this question with tangible results. The two courses discussed below will help provide the foundation for transforming computer science in the high school classroom and will enable students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education to achieve their individual academic and career goals.

California is distinguished in that the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has developed an a-g and Career Technical Education (CTE) approved Exploring Computer Science (ECS) course for all students. The ECS course was designed to introduce students to the breadth of the field of computer science and develops in students computational thinking practices within the context of problems that are relevant to the lives of today’s students. Over 1200 students are enrolled in ECS this school year, quadrupling participation after two years of implementation in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest district in the country.

ECS is committed to addressing the injustices of a historically denied computer science education to underrepresented populations while also providing students with an engaging yet rigorous experience. The ECS curriculum is committed to engage a culturally, linguistically, and socially diverse group of students. This project has received national and state-level recognition as an exemplary and innovative course that is appropriate at an exploratory or introductory level. This is a course I highly recommend for adoption.

The College Board, with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), is developing the framework for a new Advance Placement (AP) Computer Science Course. This course will not be programming-centric, but will focus on the underlying principles of computation involving problem solving, abstraction, algorithms, data and knowledge creation, and programming, as well as the limitation of computation, and its breadth of application. The course will expose students to related issues of society, culture, and ethics. It will be engaging, accessible, inspiring, and rigorous.  This new AP Computer Science course is expected to be ready by 2015 (possibly 2014)

What level of knowledge and skills are taught?

In California, teachers are challenged to deliver student-centered instruction that is relevant and rigorous to highly diverse student populations in highly diverse communities. As lesson plans, curriculum and courses are developed, it is with an intention to teach to students a particular depth of knowledge in a particular subject and to help students develop particular skills. The “what” that is taught may be aligned to the levels in the illustration below with the understanding that we want all students to be skillful users of technology; and we want to provide programs of study or pathways for all students whether their goal is to advance in technical or scientific knowledge and skill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effective users of technology know how to use existing modern technologies like computers and whiteboards and phones, and how to use particular computer “applications” like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or website development applications like Adobe Dreamweaver.

Effective enablers of technology know how to install, repair, maintain and configure hardware and software to enable and deploy modern technologies. They require a greater depth of knowledge than users of technology.

Effective creators of technology know how to apply basic principles of mathematics, science, and engineering to produce new scientific discoveries and technologies like the “touch screen” on the new iphone and ipads or the “Ethernet” protocol that enables networking.

Call to Action

The California Computing Education Advocacy Network (CCEAN) was recently formed as a “call to action” to address many of the issues listed above. This group includes representatives from the University of California, California State University, California Community Colleges and K-12. Other important initiatives include creating school to college articulation through collaboration with the Statewide Career Pathways and a new Information and Communications Technologies Collaborative.