APPLY TO REVIEW AND REVISE THE TEXAS COMPUTER SCIENCE AND CYBERSECURITY STANDARDS
Calling all WeTeach_CS partners and educators in cybersecurity and computer science! We need your expertise to help define the knowledge and skills taught in Texas high school and middle school cybersecurity and computer science courses.
WeTeach_CS has been asked by the Texas Education Agency to assist in locating volunteers to review and adopt the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for cybersecurity and computer science courses. The selection body, the State Board of Education (SBOE), seeks a diverse group of cybersecurity and computer science volunteers across secondary education teachers, industry practitioners, industry training representatives and university and college educators. The review of cybersecurity and computer science courses will begin in February 2021.
Two work groups will be established:
Programming and Software Development Work Group Courses (4): Fundamentals of Computer Science and Computer Science I, II and III Members Requested: 20
Cybersecurity Work Group Courses (3): Foundations of Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity Capstone Members Requested: 10
Individuals can expect to be asked to serve in a series of two Saturday meetings per month from February through May. Estimated meeting time is 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM.
Submit your application today. Priority will be given to applications received by January 8, 2021. Please enter information in the application that best reflects your experience. Applicants do not need to be educators to apply.
For questions regarding this application or the TEKS review process, please contact the Curriculum Standards and Student Support Division at 512-463-9581 or teks@tea.texas.gov.
HONORING TEXAS COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATORS
During CS Education Week, we shined our social media spotlight on six amazing educators from across the state. Learn more about them below.
Sean Douglas from Cuero ISD Sean teaches Robotics, Tech Apps, and is expanding a Mobile App Development course that focuses on Python and Java. Texas could use more Middle and High school teachers like him!
Evi Rodriguez from Garland ISD Evi is a teacher at Garland High school. From partnering with students to launch a Girls Cyber Club to putting together a Gameathon to raise funds for the Children's Hospital in Dallas, Evi is having a phenomenal impact!
Dan Blier from Plano ISD A champion of growing PreK-12 CS access, Dan Blier has helped Plano ISD partner with USAA, Capital One, and Finastra to provide elementary and middle school students afterschool coding opportunities each month.
Sheri Remirez from Beaumont ISD Sheri is a Technology Interventionist at Caldwood Elementary in Beaumont, Texas. She runs an extracurricular group, Cub Coders, that explores graphical and text based coding, robotics and digital art on a deeper and more personal level.
Jose Luis Silva-Smith from Tornillo ISD Jose is a CS educator at Tornillo High School, a school that is just a few miles away from the US-Mexico border. A 1st year CS teacher, Jose has tirelessly worked so that his school can offer CS I, AP CS Principles, Robotics I, and Foundations of Cybersecurity.
Shaina Glass from Aldine ISD As Program Director of Tech Apps and STEM, Shaina excels at helping teachers dive into CS! She is the President of the CSTA Greater Houston Chapter and works to connect CS educators from across the region.
DEEP DIVE INTO JAVA PROGRAMMING WITH US
Join us for WeTeach_Java, a special online course being held Thursday evenings from January 14 through February 18, 2021. Prior programming experience is strongly recommended for this course. This introductory programming class combines live sessions with asynchronous work to provide teachers with foundational knowledge in Java programming. Concepts begin with simple output techniques to data types, operators, conditionals and loops, then move into complex data structures such as arrays and ArrayLists.
Do you have teachers on your campus looking to build their core CS content proficiency? Maybe they are interested in pursuing computer science certification? Start their CS teaching journey with WeTeach_CS and Texas Instruments' CS Jumpstart, a series of introduction to programming and physical computing sessions in Python! No prior programming experience required. Foundational approaches and hands-on learning from this training will ensure that teachers have the base knowledge to continue to master concepts and prepare for the TExES 241 or Praxis exam with WeTeach_CS Certification Prep. Synchronous Instruction will be the following Mondays/Wednesdays from 6-8pm CST:
January 18 and 20
January 25 and 27
February 1 and 3
Registration closes January 6. More details can be found here.
Past editions of the EPIC + WeTeach_CS Newsletter are available at our archive.
Interested in learning more about available professional development, online courses, and curriculum options from WeTeach_CS and our partners? Visit UTakeIt.
