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Feature Article on Play.CLOH.org[]

More than a dozen of the region's best nonprofit sporting and social services agencies are joining together with the Citiparks and Pittsburgh Public Schools Athletics to champion a grant application to The Sprout Fund for $40,000 called Play.CLOH.org. Lead by Mark Rauterkus, a long-time swim and water polo coach presently at Obama Academy and recently at CMU, the project aims to serve 400 high school students to stress playing well with others within a quest of connected learning in a sports, technology and personal development pathway to digital badges from LRNG.org.

Letters of support from the assembled team are posted at Play.CLOH.org and include First Tee of Pittsburgh, the JCC, Venture Outdoors, Sarah Heinz House, City of Play and social service agencies such as Pittsburgh Project, Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center. Technology support is evident with letters from LiveCode.com of Scotland and a teacher in Los Angeles who represents educational outreach for LiveCode.

Pittsburgh's Power: Sports and Tech[]

School-based sports and school-based technology within the city get value-added support with Play.CLOH.org. Both athletes and non-athletes can opt-in to the various programs, playlists, plathways, and digital badges. High school athletes are recruited through introductions by way of their coaches, teams and schools, but anyone can join. All can benefit with an overhaul of the respective opportunities in sports and recreation as well as technology and personal development.

Pittsburgh is a sports town with rich traditions. Exceptional athletic triumphs can be found in some programs throughout the city and region. But, the great majority of the city's youngsters are not being exposed to quality experiences in sports nor technology.

Likewise, Pittsburgh has tremendous tech resources and some occasionally reach sub-groups of students.

Play.CLOH.org expects to make positive impacts upon athletes, sports teams, coaches, schools, recreational outlets and various institutions in the city. The sports culture needs to be addressed with better understanding of collaboration, competition, sportsmanship, hard work, independent determination and refined goal-setting practices. The sports realm helps to establish the habits of excellence that are transferable to further academic-and-workplace success. Sports are also an exciting place to introduce, develop and sustain technology. Sports venues and events appeal to the interests of many youngsters and can provide a valued "on-ramp" for crossing the digital divide and advancing sophisticated desires for computer science brilliance.

Combining technology and sports is meaningful.[]

Functional and insightful use of technology being promoted at Play.CLOH.org provides a competitive advantage to sports seasons and, in turn, life. Varsity squads are going to desire Tech Captains, even if on the bench, as they can make the difference between winning and losing.

The desire for learning HTML5 and animation and other technology skills becomes greatly enhanced as the athletes themselves are the subject matter within the technology outcomes. The kids embrace technology because they are intimately involved as characters in the process. The kids care more when it is about them.

Athletes, as early adopters for playlists, pathways and digital badges.[]

Quarter 1, Present[]

A formula for winning: Show up and score more points.

Winners must be present to claim their prize. You have to show up, be present. Plus, it helps to live in the present and not the past nor the future. The here and now is a classic sports psychology concept to help get into the flow and in the groove.

Mary Poppins said, "Well begun is half done." There is plenty to do before you arrive. Be prepared. Gather your gear. Do your research. Reflect and visualize. Then, be present. Unplug. Concentrate. Enjoy the moments. Play hard. Have fun.

The Play.CLOH.org efforts and options are explained in the HQ Orientation sessions. Attend one of those events as soon as possible.

Quarter 2, Play. Playing well with others.[]

Obviously, athletes care about play and sports. That is a given. The challenge is getting people out of their comfort zones to open up to more connected learning. Champion learners leave the safety, security and sanctity of their own sandlot settings. Athletes understand travel to other venues and "away games." Athletes value fellow competitors. Athletes appreciate collaboration, team play, program structures and rules. Often, athletes are leaders and trendsetters in the schools. As participants explore and approve, they can to establish awareness and acceptance for open-source software, LiveCode and additional students.

Quarter 3, Technology[]

The challenge with quarter 3, the technology realm, is to convert passions of connected play into that for technology. Caring about technology is heightened with direct applications to passions of sports and fitness. The convincing argument for mastering technology beyond its geek appeal is because these tech skills are crafted so as to aid performance in sports. Computer animation of plays, evaluation of training plans, understanding exercises and better tabulated results are only a few of the ways the the investment of time and energy into technology are sure to pay off in the athletic arenas. Smarter athletes and smarter teams are better.

Blending computer science with other interests provides rich opportunities for learning. Students with an interest in sports, for example, can buck up and become eager connected learners about science, nutrition, biology, psychology, physics and journalism through a sports-first approach.

Tech and sports expand the students' understanding of ourselves as biological systems and of our relationships to the world around us. These advances, in turn, drive the need for educated individuals who can bring the power of computing to help solve complex problems.

Quarter 4, Development. Personal and Career Development[]

High-energy lifestyles are desired for all young adults. While in high school, connected learning in sports and can lay a foundation for wellness and challenges in fitness and recreation for later years while in, out or beyond college.

For some ages 10 and older, a college-sports scholarship is a cherished goal. Getting scholarship offers takes years of preparation, hard work and discipline, in-and-out of one's game-day uniform. Those not able to, nor interested in becoming NCAA and NAIA athletes, should be prepared to consider playing club sports, intramural sports and recreational sports. An appreciation of the outdoors needs to be cultivated and coached too.

The challenge for the fourth quarter realm is to get students 13-and-older to get the skills and habits so they can thrive after high school graduation in both sports and career. Thinking and acting as champions and being literate Olympians matches our expectations, and offers much more than being suitable employees.

The Digital Badges/Goals protocol has been designed to help students improve their rate of goal accomplishment. The specific reason to teach goal orientation and self-regulation skills to the participants in this project is based on a comprehensive assumption: An individual will be more successful in accomplishing something he/she wants to do (reach a goal) if he/she:

  1. intentionally sets the goal, and then
  2. through purposeful visualizing, releases the personal energy to do the work needed to reach the goal, i.e.: makes the commitment and follows through with the work that is needed.

Embedded in this process is both a knowledge base and the commitment to do the work. Without the presence of either of these elements, the work will not happen.

In a recent study conducted by the School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, goal orientation was identified as a predictor of "self-care agency." (Zaldonis J, Alrawashdeh M, Atman K, Fatigati, A, Devito Dabbs, A and Bermudez, C. Predictors and Influence of Goal Orientation on Self-Management and Health-Related Quality of Life After Lung Transplant. Progress in Transplantation, 2015;25(3): 230-235, 242.) To maintain a healthy transplant following surgery, the recipient must demonstrate a willingness to "do the work" of following the regimen prescribed by the surgeon. If the work is not done, the transplant will fail. Data from this study indicate that an individual's level of goal orientation was a significant factor in the recipient's 'willingness to do the necessary work' in other words, to do the work of taking care of him/herself by following the recommended regimen (the actualization of "self-care agency.")

Digital Badges/Goals program links a simple goal-setting process and its outcome of work accomplished to the larger issues of health, wellness and both athletic and academic success. This integration is accomplished by tying together inter-generational activities with a sustained, focused and supportive commitment to personal behavior and executive function development buttressed by goal-setting and self-regulation skill enhancement.

Profound impacts[]

Technology[]

Computers and mobile phones have transformed the world and the workforce in many profound ways.

Computer science and technology are at the heart of the Pittsburgh economy. Tech helps to drive the way most Americans live their lives. To be well-educated citizens in a computing-intensive world, and to be prepared for further education and careers, our students must have a clear set of opportunities that are engaging and provide the understanding of the principles and practices of computer science.

An understanding of computer science enables citizens to be both educated consumers of technology and innovative creators capable of designing computing systems to improve the quality of life for others.

It is no longer sufficient to wait until students are in college to introduce computer-science concepts. All of today’s students will go on to live a life heavily influenced by computing, and many will work in fields that directly involve computing. They must begin to work with algorithmic problem solving and computational methods and tools in K–12.

Play.CLOH.org comes as a response to pressing personal and community needs.

Tech facilitates efforts to solve pressing problems. Technology can make profound leaps of innovation and imagination possible. Students enjoy the sense of mastery that programming provides. Students are drawn to the combination of art, narrative, design, programming, and sheer enjoyment that comes from creating their own virtual content.

Technology provides a catalyst.[]

On a personal level, students need to set goals, be fit, display sportsmanship and play well with others. Within our community, we need a greater sense of collaboration, leadership, volunteerism, and teamwork. The tools of technology help to speed along the progress of connected learning on both personal and community-wide levels.

Technology provides coherence.[]

Play alongside technology offers coherence among community sites and schools. Technology gives coherence on a personal level for the individual's academic coursework, growth, and mastery of fitness and digital tools.

Assumptions to prove in the months to come:[]

  • Play + Tech -> Better play. Better academics. Better careers.
  • Personal development + Tech -> Better goals.
  • School-based sports teams + Tech -> Improved school spirit.
  • Better play + Tech -> Wider play.
  • Wider play + Tech -> Community improvements.

With play alongside technology, the quest for an educated public that utilizes and builds more effective solutions for the benefit of society is more attainable. With play and technology bundled, best practices among teams can be preserved, refined and replicated. Connected learning within sports within the city could be a powerful enhancement for many students.

Coherence comes among participants at Play.CLOH.org.[]

Certain groups of kids in PPS are under-served in terms of opportunities for recreation, sports and fitness. Activities at Play.CLOH.org offer challenging, exciting alternatives. Kids that don't do school sports are encouraged to engage with Play.CLOH.org. Tech wizards are called to play along with athletes within a robust calendar of diverse activities.

Many reasons can influence school-sports participation with kids. Some may be academically ineligible, injured, or suspended from the school-based team. A necessary job may prevent full-time devotion to the varsity teams. Caring for younger siblings prevent some from joining teams. Others are not talented enough in that season's sport at that school. Other might love another sport not in that season or in that school at all. Many may never have had the chance to play due to expensive dues for club teams in younger years. Hundreds can opt in with Play.CLOH.org.

Athletes who experience school sports are often under-served in other parts of life. Athletes have a difficult time gaining internships and part-time jobs. Play.CLOH.org gives drop-in opportunities to mingle in sport-specific settings to many people in many walks of life.

Opening doors for students[]

Computer science and technology are subjects that can open many doors to productive lives, regardless of students' ultimate field of study or occupation.

Tech cornerstones at Play.CLOH.org[]

  1. open-source philosophy,
  2. Raspberry Pi 3 hardware, and
  3. LiveCode software.

Open-source Philosophy[]

A conscious effort is made to go, whenever possible, to open-source solutions. The philosophy, hardware, software, outcomes and events are, for the most part, open-source. The themes of playing well with others and connected learning are most pronounced with the open-source approach.

The student-created Play.CLOH.org projects made with LiveCode, as well as LiveCode Community, use the General Public License (GPL), version 3. This license allows anyone to use and modify the source code freely. All modifications and applications are released under this license. Other users of these applications can access source code. The access to source code allows others to see how things work. Plus, source-code access insures that the viable software and apps created by one set of students in one year are sustainable by others in the years that follow.

Exceptions exist.[]

Play.CLOH.org leverages technology with an effective philosophical approach that benefits society. The core software tool for many of the XPs is LiveCode Community, an open-source (GPL license) software development tool that is freely available. LiveCode is gratis for Play.CLOH.org and the rest of the world.

Intellectual property awareness is part of the mission and process of playing well with others. Proprietary code, materials that are protected by copyrights and various trademarks are part of the world and a few of them are included within a fraction of the lessons and XP elements at Play.CLOH.org. Contrasts are shown. Practicality wins in certain situations. Commercial app developers and authors with protected works are presenters in the Play.CLOH.org line-up.

  • The MilestonePod, an affordable digital device that goes on the laces of a sneaker, is not open-source.
  • Sports equipment, timing devices and plenty of other tools, such as the AutoCoach stop watch, are not free nor open-source.
  • PT Helper app that has a collection of exercises and is part of the Digital Badges/Exercises/Routines, is not an open-source product.
  • The LiveCode developers in Scotland have a dual-license model. A commercial version of its software is available under a different license for $1,000 per year. Many firms opt for that pathway as a business decision. The knowledge our students gain with LiveCode transfers fully to commercial settings.

A new computing tool: Raspberry Pi 3[]

The prime hardware element of operations with Play.CLOH.org is the Raspberry Pi 3, a Linux-based, open-source, computer about the size of a deck of cards.

After the orientation XP, all the students get their own Raspberry Pi 3. Homework and other school assignments can be done on the Pi. Some students in some schools don't have access to computers at home. Furthermore, deep diving into computer programming and software development on a family's home computer, mission critical for others in the household, is sure to be be frowned upon. Likewise, using networked computers at schools and libraries is not a viable long-term solution.

The Raspberry Pi 3 is a convenience. Its use isn't mandatory. Other computers can be used too. Some will use other computers for hard-core programming and then use their Raspberry Pi 3s for documentation, testing, file transfers or making other gizmos. The Raspberry Pi 3 can help students better manage their XPs, LRNG digital badges, time and calendars.

LiveCode[]

With LiveCode, everyone in the greater community, (students, teachers, coaches, volunteers) can embark to learn just one computer language. The LiveCode software can create apps that run on billions of devices. It’s easy to learn and free to use for as long you want.

A majority of the XPs in the Technology wave at Play.CLOH.org connect with LiveCode. See the letters of support, 1 and 2.

Summary[]

To its core, Play.CLOH.org is open. The tools are sustainable and scalable. The connected learning projects can be advanced throughout the seasons and years to follow. Successful outcomes can be duplicated and replicated in other communities. With this open framework, participants at Play.CLOH.org can extend challenges around the world and obtain assistance from anywhere.

A bold claim, "Efforts at Play.CLOH.org serve the greater good," is made in confidence, as source-code is included from LiveCode projects among teachers, coaches, students and anyone else in the community.

Play.CLOH.org seeks to apply to a second grant, DML Competition.

Play.CLOH.org's organization of the quagmire known as technology and computer science.[]

Technology includes nearly everything under the sun.[]

To function in society, every citizen must understand some principles of computer science. Students need a broad public understanding of technology. Students need help to meet the growing needs of an international workforce.

Computers have enormous impact on the way we live, think, and act. It is hard to overestimate their importance in the future. In fact, many believe that the true computer revolution will not happen until everyone can understand the technology well enough to use it in truly innovative ways.

We live in a digitized, computerized, programmable world, and to make sense of it, we need computer science. An educated citizen using a voting machine or bidding in an online auction should have a basic understanding of the underlying algorithms of such conveniences, as well as the security and privacy issues that arise when information is transmitted and stored digitally. Computers are fundamentally different from other technological inventions in that they directly augment human thought, rather than, say, the functions of muscles or senses.

Unfortunately, computer science concepts and courses in K–12 curriculum have not kept pace with other academic disciplines in the United States. As a result, the general public is not as well educated about computer science as it should be. Since discrete computer science courses are fleeting, we need to address topics through other sources and subjects.

Pittsburgh cannot afford to let the current situations continue. Failing to establish high standards and failing to implement effective interactions, PPS students are finding themselves unprepared to work in technologically sophisticated world in which they must compete.

Technology, a global concept here, can be interchanged with tech, computer science, coding and a host of other terms. Drilling down to specific disciplines and outcomes in the larger realm of technology happens in various XPs, in due time.

Play.CLOH.org does not claim to uphold a comprehensive standards for K–12 computer science education. Nonetheless, our XPs are being crafted after consulting standards and many practitioners. Play.CLOH.org aims to strengthen computer science competency, literacy, fluency and brilliancy.

Tech Goals of Play.CLOH.org[]

  • Increase the availability of computer science for students, especially of under represented groups.
  • Increase the knowledge of computer science for all students, especially of underrepresented groups.
  • Allow and encourage the interested students to make in-depth study on specific topics to solve real-world sports challenges.
  • Prepare students for entry into the work force and college.
  • Introduce the fundamental concepts of computer science to all students.
  • Emphasize the linkages between computer science, innovation across all disciplines, and sports.
  • Learn why Computer Science is intellectually important.

Play.CLOH.org's pathway implements four stages to the Tech Captain digital badges.[]

From the start, students become competent, then literate, then fluent and finally, brilliant. The first three stages, competent, literate and fluent are part of teh 2016 plans and the fourth, the brilliant stage, is slated for 2017. All stages have various experiences.

Competency Stage[]

  1. Newbie
  2. Explorer
  3. User (Advanced, Proficient, Accomplished)

Literacy Stage[]

  1. Customize
  2. Craft
  3. Produce, especially Digital Media
  4. Begin to Program

Fluency Stage[]

  • Independent learning
  • Computational thinking
  • Mindful & meaningful computing
  • Scientific discovery

Brilliant Stage (for 2017 and beyond)[]

  • Integration
  • Expert leadership
  • Inclusion
  • Innovation

Learning competency in technology[]

The pathway in the competency stage within the technology wave includes a range of experiences / XPs:

  • Set up, turn on, and send an email from your Raspberry Pi 3.
  • Read, research, report, and be responsible on the internet and with your messages and digital footprints.
  • Begin to explore computer science. Computer-science students learn logical reasoning, algorithmic thinking, design and structured problem solving — all concepts and skills that are valuable beyond the computer-science classroom.
  • Gain awareness of the resources required to implement, test, and deploy a solution and how to deal with real-world constraints. Tech competency skills are applicable in many contexts, from science and engineering to the humanities and business, and they enable deeper understanding in these and other areas.
  • Discover and begin to understand computer simulations. Simulations are essential to the discovery and understanding of the fundamental rules that govern a wide variety of systems, from how ants gather food to how stock markets behave. Sports simulations, decision making and evaluation are core elements for being competent. Watch, review and begin to craft simulations to speed learning in visual presentations.
  • Using Digital Media happens as digital media engages students and easily integrates with learning goals. With Digital Media, students get to splice and mix digital sounds, photos and videos. Tasks are more exciting with music, pictures, and themselves. Increased engagement, less attrition, more context, higher interests and motivations with somewhat simple programs can generate fun, tangible result.
  • Editing and story-telling with digital media roles, such as wiki editor, op-ed writer, online jouralist, and digital-media producer becomes possible.

Literacy to Fluency[]

Technology literacy is the capability to use today’s technology in one’s own field, the notion of IT fluency adds the capability to independently learn and use new technology as it evolves throughout one’s professional lifetime.

Moreover, fluency also includes the active use of computational thinking (including programming) to solve problems, whereas literacy does not.

Computational thinking is an approach to solving problems in a way that can be implemented with a computer. It involves the use of concepts, such as abstraction, recursion, and iteration, to process and analyze data, and to create real and virtual artifacts. IT fluency marks a minimum standard that college students should achieve by the time they graduate.

Fluency Stage[]

Computer science is one of the disciplines helping us understand how the human mind works, one of the great intellectual challenges of all time. Thus, much computer-enabled innovation lies ahead of us and computer science is an essential tool for achieving our vast potential.

The computer scientist thinks about reflective use of computer time and shared resources. Building a system is a creative process that also requires scientific thinking. With each fix of a bug or addition of a new feature, there’s a hypothesis that the problem has been solved. Experiments are designed, data are collected, results are analyzed, and if the hypothesis is untrue, the cycle repeats.

A computer scientist is concerned with the robustness, the user-friendliness, the sustainability, and above all the correctness of computer solutions to business, scientific, and engineering problems. These issues often require both intense analysis and creativity.

Tech and Fitness Can Engage All Students[]

  • All students should have access to rigorous and culturally meaningful technology.
  • All students should be held to high expectations for interacting with others in play and in professional roles.
  • Diverse experiences, beliefs, and ways of knowing technology should be acknowledged, incorporated, and celebrated in various sports settings.
  • The integration of different interpretations, strategies, and solutions that are computationally sound enhance discussions and deepen understandings.
  • The resources needed for teaching and learning computer science should be equitably allocated across groups of students, classrooms, teams and schools.
  • Our Play.CLOH.org learning communities should foster an environment in which all students are

listened to, respected, and viewed as valuable contributors to the learning process.

  • Ongoing reflection about sportsmanship, teamwork, belief systems, assumptions, and biases support the development of models of best-practices.

Try-outs[]

Computer programming has the same relation to studying computer science as playing an instrument does to studying music or painting does to studying art. In each case, even a small amount of hands-on experience adds immensely to life-long appreciation and understanding, even if the student does not continue programming, playing, or painting as an adult. Although becoming an expert programmer, violinist, or oil painter demands much time and talent, we still want to expose every student to the joys of being creative.

The goal for teaching computer science should be to get as many students as possible enthusiastically engaged with every assignment. We can provide students with the tools to design and write programs that control their cell phones or robots, create physics and biology simulations, or compose music. Students will want to learn to use conditionals, loops, parameters, and other fundamental concepts just to make these exciting things happen.

In a fast-paced field such as computer science, we are all challenged to keep up with our peers and our students. Technology changes rapidly, and students are sometimes more likely than teachers to be familiar with the latest incarnations. No teacher should be apprehensive of learning from her or his students. Real learning involves everyone in the room living with a sense of wonder and anticipation. We know that teaching computer science involves some unique challenges and that none of us has all of the answers.

Soft skills[]

Being able to communicate. Being able to work as a team.

Computer Science is Intellectually Important[]

Students learn logical reasoning, algorithmic thinking, design and structured problem solving --— all concepts and skills that are valuable well beyond the computer science classroom.

Students gain awareness of the resources required to implement and deploy a solution and how to deal with real-world constraints. These skills are applicable in many contexts, from science and engineering to the humanities and business, and have already led to deeper understanding in many areas. Computer simulations are essential to the discovery and understanding of the fundamental rules that govern a wide variety of systems from how ants gather food to how stock markets behave. Computer science is also one of the leading disciplines helping us understand how the human mind works, one of the great intellectual questions of all time. There is much exciting work that lies ahead of us.

  • Computer Science Leads to Multiple Career Paths
  • Computer Science Teaches Problem Solving

Artists, philosophers, designers, and scientists in all disciplines are united in the intensely creative activity of problem solving.

The users and clients have to think about how the system will be used in day-to-day life and anticipate use in the future. Computer specialists draw on their training and experience to avoid problems and to create the best possible solutions.

  • Computer Science Supports and Links to Other Sciences
  • Computer Science Can Engage All Students

Sustainable regional growth needs to improve living standards for all.[]

Economic inclusion must be a priority. If the next generation of workers is not prepared to meet the needs of major employers, that will stifle industry productivity, expansion, and retention. If people are unemployed or underemployed, they cannot purchase many of the goods and services the economy produces, hurting small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Focus support on industries that deliver good jobs.[]

Not all jobs are created equal. Almost one in four working American adults in the United States has a job that pays less than a living wage, and the share of low-wage jobs in the national economy is increasing. According to a report by the National Employment Law Project, 2.3 million more workers are employed in low-wage industries now than at the start of the recession, while 1.2 million fewer are employed in middle- and high-wage industries. Economic inclusion for all groups begins with the availability of jobs that can lift a worker out of poverty; jobs that fail to do so will also fail to close racial gaps or increase economic mobility. To promote inclusion, leaders must prioritize industries that provide good, family-sustaining jobs that raise per capita incomes.

Promote innovation and trade within advanced industries that are the most R&D and STEM-intensive.


Tech careers[]

The nation faces a serious shortage of computer scientists at all levels that is likely to continue into the foreseeable future. Students should have an overview of computer science as an academic and professional field, including distinctions from the management of information systems (MIS), information technology (IT), mathematics, and the other sciences.

Computer science is an established discipline at the collegiate and post-graduate levels. It is best defined as “the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their applications, and their impact on society.”


Support for entrepreneur-connections to capital and facilitated relationships among interrelated businesses[]

  • Contribute to the formation of more companies.
  • Collaborations strengthen core industry clusters, increasing the number of family-sustaining jobs in a region.
  • Invest in people, including through apprenticeships.
  • Family-sustaining jobs can only benefit those with the skills to obtain them; correspondingly, economic inclusion requires a deeper commitment to skills development.

Example[]

      • “There is a growing disconnect between employer demand for certain knowledge and skills – largely driven by the infusion of new technologies in the manufacturing workplace – and what is being taught in the classroom,” said Emily Stover DeRocco, education and workforce director, LIFT. “The goals of our Externship are to remove the negative stigma surrounding manufacturing employment and to provide educators and students with the knowledge and expertise needed to meet current and future employer demand.”
  • Elsewhere, firms support paid apprentices with part-time work and community college credit.


[]

Pair Programming[]

In pair programming, two programmers work together at one computer, collaborating on the same design, algorithm, code, or test. A driver actively types and a navigator watches the work of the driver and attentively identifies problems, asks clarifying questions, and makes suggestions. Continuous brainstorming happens with both partners. Some universities and high schools use pair programming.

Generally, students prefer to collaborate than to work alone. The two can generally figure out most problems and can avoid pesky syntax errors.

Educators who have used pair programming report higher retention and student success in the courses, higher enrollment in future computer science courses, happier and less frustrated students, and equal or higher grades on exams and projects.

Computational Thinking[]

source: Klaus Sutner, Carnegie Mellon University

Computational Thinking requires a type of thinking and involves a clear focus on tangible problems. Proven techniques (abstraction, decomposition, iteration, and recursion) help in understanding of the capabilities of humans and machines alike. A keen awareness is the cost of it all.

Computers and the Visual Arts[]

Computer technology and graphic arts have developed in parallel. Standard computer paint programs are within LiveCode and can be used to illustrate how images can be represented digitally.

Different file types (.jpg, .png, .pdf), geometric images and loops and if statements can create geometric patterns. Visual methods, generative systems, complex images are involved.

Computers and Molecular Biology[]

Molecular biology introductions include talk of sequencing of the human genome, DNA, genetic heritage, fragment assembly problem (a central computational task used in sequencing the human genome), no efficient solutions.


[]

Class: Applying concepts and creating real-world solutions[]

Three courses. Students master computer science concepts and apply them to develop real-world, sports artifacts. The learning experiences explor real-world problems and the application of computational thinking to the development of solutions. Collaborative learning, project management, and effective communication.


Computer Science within the Play.CLOH.org Community[]

  • Recommended for all students, adults, coaches, volunteers.
  • Goal: Understanding computer science principles and practices so everyone can make informed choices and use appropriate tools and techniques in any career pursuit.
  • Begin to appreciate the breadth of computing and its influence in life.

Understand the social and ethical impact of various choices when using computing technology in sports, school, work and personal lives.

Be aware that many choices have already been made for them by those who develop the technologies they use.

Science Concepts and Practices[]

  • Recommended for grades 10 and 11.
  • More in-depth study of computer science and its relation to other disciplines.
  • Contains algorithmic problem solving and related activities. One way to realize this course is by following the Computer Science Principles course http://www.apcsprinciples.org.
  • Understand computational thinking to real-world problems.
  • Work collaboratively to solve a problem
  • Use modern collaboration tools during that work.

Topics in Computer Science[]

  • Recommended for grades 11 and 12.
  • Get depth of study in one particular area of computing.
  • Can be a projects-based course focusing on a single facet of computing

More than programming[]

Computer science has been hampered by the perception that it focuses exclusively on programming. For some, code writing's limited scope is negatively perceived by students.

Perception: computer science is not a solitary pursuit. CS is connected to the world. CS concerns students.

  • computational thinking;
  • collaboration;
  • computing practice;
  • computers and communication devices; and
  • community, global, and ethical impacts.
  • Hosting Raspberry Jam (event)


Schools[]

Schools have serious constraints and face an up-hill battle in training students in computer science give their host of other priorities, time and budget constraints.

The Play.CLOH.org effort with digital badges in Technology have been designed after an examination of recommendations on curriculum. This pathway intends to provide support for a long-term evolution of computer science in high schools.

Follow-up efforts to sustain the momentum we hope Play.CLOH.org generates is expected with teacher training, playlist innovation, in-class testing, textbook and Web site development, and community dissemination with Play.CLOH.org newsletters, etc.




Long term plans[]

XPs can offer computer science knowledge and skills that students should have to enable them to thrive in the global information economy.

Pending XPs, Playlists and Digital Badges might include:[]

  • Computer Science in the Modern World
    • Round-table discussions
    • Content that should be mastered by all students.
  • Computer Science Principles
    • For students with special interest in computer science and other computing careers, whether college-bound or not.
  • Topics in Computer Science
    • For students with special interests.
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