Friday, April 11, 2014

CS4HS course offerings through UNI

The department of computer science at the University of Northern Iowa is pleased to announce it's fifth year of participation in Google's CS4HS program which has the goal of training K-12 teachers OF ALL DISCIPLINES in ways to incorporate computer science in to their classrooms.

http://www.cs.uni.edu/~schafer/outreach/cs4hs2014/

This year they will be teaching two summer content courses and one fall implementation course. Each of these tracks will be taught via online materials including instructional videos, guided "laboratory" activities, and programming assignments. Course facilitators will be available via email and online video chat during the duration of the courses to help with activities and answer questions. Each track will consist of several modules of instruction and require approximately 20 hours to complete. Course requirements may be met based on each participant's schedule but must be completed during the two weeks that track is being offered.

Introduction to Programming with Scratch
(Available online between June 16 - 27, 2014)

Scratch is a free, online, graphical programming language/learning environment that allows students to learn about computer programming and computational thinking without worrying about complicated syntax. It was created by the Lifelong Kindergarden Lab at the MIT Media Lab and is designed for students aged 8-18 but is used by programmers of a variety of age and experience levels. This workshop is appropriate for teachers of all disciplines who teach 4-12th grade. Participants will learn how to use Scratch for interactive art, animated storytelling, and game development. Previous programming experience is not a requirement for this course.

Programming with AppInventor for Android
(Available online between July 21 - August 1, 2014)

AppInventor is a free cloud-based programming environment which allows users to develop applications for the Android operating system right from a web browser. Students use drag-and-drop objects to create apps while being exposed to a wide range of computing concepts in a way that is motivational and fun. Participants will learn how to setup and program with AppInventor, how to access and use your mobile device's sensors and how to deploy programmed apps. This workshop is appropriate for teachers of grades 6-12. Previous programming experience is beneficial but not required. Access to an entry-level Android tablet or smartphone (cost~$50) or better is also recommended, but not required.


Classroom Implementation Project
(Fall, 2014)

Participants who complete a summer track (or have participated in a prior offering of CS4HS at UNI) are eligible to participate in an additional implementation course offered during the fall semester. Participants will use the material learned in their summer course to develop and use a set of in-class activities for at least one of the classes they teach in their home district during the fall of 2014. In addition to the implementation project requirements, participants will be placed in a small cadre with fellow course participants. Cadre members will share drafts of their lesson plans with each other and participate in two online video conferences to discuss and critique these materials. Participant will have flexibility to incorporate their projects based on their individual classrooms. However, all requirements will be completed by the end of the fall semester (December 12, 2014).

Cost
Students may enroll in any of the three courses described above in two different modes:

Audit - Students who take the course in audit mode are taking the course for personal interest only. Students have full access to all materials and assistance from the course materials but will not receive formal credit for the course. Students who enroll in audit mode may take the course completely free of charge. Letters of completion are available.

Graduate Workshop Credit - Students who take the course in this mode will receive one hour of graduate workshop credit for each course through Continuing and Distance Education at the University of Northern Iowa. This credit should be appropriate for pay scale advancement and license renewal requirements in the state of Iowa. Participants from other states should check with their local agencies to confirm that the credit is transferable. The cost is $75 per course/credit.

For more information about any of these programs contact UNI's CS4HS coordinator Dr. Ben Schafer at schafer@cs.uni.edu or (319) 273-2187.


The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value

No comments:

Post a Comment