The Computing Educator Diversity Initiative (CEDI) is currently recruiting in-service teachers of color who will work within a community of practice as together they deepen their CS content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and equitable strategies and be supported to obtain their high school CS teacher certification. Participants will be awarded a $1,200 stipend upon completion of the program!
The annual Computer Science State Policy Forum brings together legislators, education officials, state advocates, industry, national organizations, and representatives from state executive offices committed to K-12 computer science education. This year the forum goes virtual and is having state specific convenings in addition to their main sessions.
We encourage you to register for the Texas session, which will be held on October 15th from 2:00 to 3:00 PM CST. All are welcome and the event is free.
TACC's EPIC Cyber Range pilot launched this week with 17 secondary schools throughout Texas. The cyber range is an environment where virtual machines are used to work on and learn about various tools, techniques, and systems in a secure network to simulate real-world challenges faced from hackers.This one-year pilot is now available thanks to a U.S. Department of Education grant called Lone Star STEM, which is a partnership between The University of Texas at Austin, the Texas Education Agency, and Jobs for the Future. The partnership is designed to help schools develop and support rigorous pathways in cybersecurity and computer science that will lead to industry certifications and post-secondary success.
For the past few years, WeTeach_CS has analyzed the statewide course-taking data for all Texas high school students to produce reporting on access and participation in computer science coursework. Our newest version contains data from the 2018-2019 school year.
New to teaching Cybersecurity? Join EPIC Cybersecurity Education Specialist, Nikki Hendricks, for Cybersecurity Basics to increase your knowledge of the TEKS and Cybersecurity concepts. All sessions are offered at no cost and must be registered for individually. Each webinar is from 6-7pm CST.
With budget uncertainties looming in the 2021-2022 school year, WeTeach_CS is offering a CS1 and AP CSA curricula special. Purchase a curriculum in 2020-2021 and get the 2021-2022 subscription for free!
WeTeach_CS is holding a virtual certification prep workshop from July 27 through July 29. It will provide an overview of the educator competencies required of all teachers to become certified in Grades 8-12 Computer Science. This certification is necessary to teach courses such as Computer Science I, II or III, and AP Computer Science A. It can also be used to teach Fundamentals of Computer Science and AP Computer Science Principles. Course instructors will address several competencies in depth and link attendees to additional resources that will help to prepare them to challenge the TExES CS 8-12 (241) certification test.
Is your district planning to offer Fundamentals of Computer Science and AP Computer Science Principles but you're struggling to find a curriculum and resources to get your teachers prepared? Code.org curriculum, online student learning platform, and access to support from the teacher and code.org community are available to all schools year round. The University of Texas at Austin is accepting applications through June 30th for the 2020-2021 Professional Learning Program.
As advocates for educational equity, we stand today and every day in solidarity with the fight against systemic racism. We acknowledge that simply making this statement is not enough, and we must follow up with concrete actions. Follow us on Twitter (@WeTeachCS) to stay connected with our progress toward building initiatives targeted at promoting diversity.
The WeTeach_CS team at UT Austin’s TACC is excited to announce the launch of our EPIC Cyber Range (ECR) for the 2020-2021 school year. The EPIC Cyber Range will be a resource for Texas schools that are offering courses in the Cybersecurity Program of Study. The EPIC Cyber Range will be a web-accessible portal for students to practice their cybersecurity skills using virtual machines in a safe and secure environment. The ECR will be available as a pilot version for FREE to 20 Texas schools during the 2020-2021 school year. Schools must apply to participate in the pilot by completing this form no later than June 29, 2020.
Given the unknowns, The University of Texas at Austin is restructuring the CS Discoveries and CS Principles workshops to a virtual online experience during the same weeks: July 13-17, 2020 and July 20-24. Our intention is to offer follow-up school-year sessions that will include virtual and in-person options.
It is with heavy hearts we must announce the cancellation of all WeTeach_CS in-person professional development slated to occur this June. This includes the 2020 WeTeach_CS Summit, scheduled for June 22-24, 2020 at the Georgetown Sheraton. In light of the spread of COVID-19 and the uncertainties presented by this extraordinary pandemic, we cannot move forward with any confidence that such a gathering would be safe or permissible at that time. However, we are converting several of our in-person workshops to virtual learning opportunities.
The WeTeach_CS team would like to offer a huge THANK YOU to the classroom teachers and administrators who are working overtime to support K-12 students and families who are no longer attending school in-person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Find online teaching resources in this newsletter including information on: WeTeach_CS AP® CS A Curriculum, WeTeach_CS for HS Curriculum, the WeTeach_CS YouTube channel, and the Foundations of CS for Teachers and Students online course.
WeTeach_CS is thrilled to announce our 2020 WeTeach_CS Summit keynote speakers. The speakers will present on topics such as engaging women in the field of computer science, integrating computer science across other subjects, and building bridges between artificial intelligence(AI) and social good.
This week we have curated professional development opportunities to enhance the lives of you and you and your students. Find applications for elementary pedagogy training, information about #Picademy, and discover the benefits of establishing a CS honor society in your school.
Inside this week's newsletter are amazing opportunities for girls in computer science and an exciting announcement concerning techology course legislative changes.
A new year is upon us, and we are thrilled to announce registration for the 2020 WeTeach_CS Summit is now open! This newsletter is dedicated to all things Summit - so make sure to save it somewhere special. Find links to Summit registration, hotel block information, scholarship applications, Change Maker award nomination forms, and Summit Deep Dives registration inside.
As 2019 draws to a close and a new decade begins, we’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy, festive holiday season from everyone at EPIC. We look forward to empowering your professional growth in 2020!
EPIC is excited to share information about the WeTeach_CS Summit 2020, the Texas STEM Coalition Summit, scholarships for high school students, and the RGV STEM Education Conference.
The WeTeach_CS program is amping up for the coming calendar year! We currently have over 15 in-person workshops, 5 online courses, and 2 curricula available for registration. Many of our in-person events are offered for free through our partner organizations and we offer previews for some online courses and curricula. Check out our full list of professional development on the UTakeIt website today.
