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Blackbird Releases K-12 Computer Science Pathway

PORTLAND, July 13, 2021 – Blackbird, bridging the gap in Computer Science curriculum, today announced the availability of their K-12 Computer Science Pathway, designed to help school districts prepare students with the computer programming skills necessary to enter the workforce – or continue their education at the university level. Designed specifically for districts who have not yet implemented a comprehensive computer science course pathway, Blackbird’s pathway highlights tools and lessons from Code.org, Blackbird’s own intermediate code education platform, and the College Board. This pathway outlines CS opportunities at every grade level while providing students with the skills, facilities and options they need to become professional developers.

To download Blackbird’s K-12 Computer Science Pathway, please visit: www.BlackbirdCode.com/pathways

“This pathway was designed to enable students to graduate High School with the computer programming skills necessary to enter the workforce, or continue their education at the university level,” said Mike Lynch, Director of Education, Blackbird. “The pathway starts students early in elementary school with basic concepts and games, then to text-based programming using Blackbird in middle school, and ends with two years of advanced programming utilizing a hybrid of Blackbird and other platforms in high school.”…Read More

Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center Named 2021 CODiE Award Finalist for Best College & Career Readiness Solution

Infobase, esteemed provider of the Infobase Media Cloud and the Infobase Learning Cloud, today announced that Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center was named a 2021 SIIA CODiE Award finalist in the “Best College & Career Readiness Solution” category. CODiE Award finalists represent applications, products, and services from developers of educational software, digital content, online learning services, and related technologies across the PreK–20 sector.

Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center is a vital college and career readiness resource with unparalleled range and depth of information. Users in middle school continuing all the way through adulthood will find valuable and actionable information for their professional lives. Whether users are looking to assess their career goals and interests, plan their education, explore professions, learn workplace skills, find apprenticeships and internships, or conduct a job search, Ferguson’s delivers the appropriate experience. 

The database’s wealth of proprietary content includes hundreds of video interviews with working professionals and directories of apprenticeships and internships that can’t be found anywhere else. Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center also features a fully responsive, mobile-friendly platform, with improved accessibility that includes a new VPAT to ensure a comfortable user experience for all users. It was built with 21st-century trends in careers, education, and employment top of mind. It is an excellent starting point and an excellent touch point to come back to over time, as users’ interests, goals, and personal needs change.…Read More

Tips for using social media with educators

Social media is an essential marketing tool for educational publishers. But the changing algorithms, rise and fall of new platforms, and overall nature of social media make some developers hesitant. In their edWebinar, “Social Media Marketing 2.0: Educators Love Social Media,” several education marketing insiders offered their perspectives on using social media with educators.

First, because educators continue to flock to social media, it should be part of every marketing plan, along with email and media relations. It may consist of organic messages as well targeted social media ad campaigns. The key is to know when using social media with educators should be the prime channel, and when it’s going to support other efforts.

Related content: How to use social media in the classroom…Read More

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4 Fresh Approaches to Coding in The Classroom

Coding is one of the most crowded categories in edtech. And while there are a ton of great tools for students of any ability level, many of these tools have hit on the same formula. So whether you’re prepping for Hour of Code or looking to launch a coding unit or curriculum in your classroom, lab, or library, it’s tough to find the right solution or even determine what separates one from another. Thankfully, there are a few developers out there breaking the mold and doing something different.

These developers are not just iterating on the tried-and-true coding formula but exploring new frontiers that offer students new ways to learn—from VR and hardware hacking to on-the-go learning to courses and curriculum that blend technical skills with “soft” skills.

Hardware hacking: Pi-Top and Piper
Computer scientists and software engineers know it’s important for coders to have an understanding of how computers are made and how they work. Knowing a bit about the hardware side of things helps inform a programmer’s understanding of why code works the way it does. As someone who likes to build his own computers, I can also say it’s just flat-out fun to put together a PC and swap in and out components. It’s like the nerdier version of hot rodding.…Read More

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4 Fresh Approaches to Coding in The Classroom

I’ll admit I’ve been feeling a bit burnt out on coding tools. Coding is one of the most crowded categories in edtech. And while there are a ton of great tools for students of any ability level, many of these tools have hit on the same winning formula.

So does that mean coding is over? Not quite yet. In fact, the coding genre of edtech seems to be evolving.

One of the bright spots at this year’s International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference has been how many developers are not just iterating on the tried-and-true coding formula but exploring new frontiers that offer students new ways to learn — from VR and hardware hacking to monthly subscription boxes to courses and curriculum that blend technical skills with “soft” skills.…Read More

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Blackboard Hackboard Hackathon

This contest challenges developers and college students in the United States to create a unique, user-friendly and impactful application that will integrate with the Blackboard Learn learning management system to improve the teaching and learning experience.

 

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TeachCS zeroes in on computer science

TeachCS addresses critical shortage of qualified computer science teachers by connecting high school educators with computer science curricula

computer-scienceAs the nation focuses on Computer Science Education Week, December 7-13th, computer science curricula developers and professional development providers joined forces to announce TeachCS, a platform for high school teachers looking to broaden their computer science training and curricula.

Funded by private sector philanthropy, the goal of TeachCS is to match in-service high school teachers with both computer science professional development and financial support to attend training from leading academic institutions, in order to better prepare their students for the lucrative computing jobs most in demand in the future.

In its pilot year, TeachCS will provide in-service high school teachers with funding for professional development in one of three areas – Exploring Computer Science (ECS), AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP), or Bootstrap.…Read More

Digital Citizenship Course

Outfit your students for life in the wild, wild Web where they need the savvy to shoot straight, watch their backs, and to be at home on the digital range. The choices today’s learners make, and actions they take online, have enduring impact on their lives and the lives of others. Unique, unforeseeable, and evolving risks and challenges are part and parcel of the open Internet.

View Digital Citizenship Course

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New Dept. of Education guide lists the kinds of tools ed tech needs

Educators, developers, and startups are urged to take notice of the biggest education gaps

edtech-guideThe Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) has released a new guide for developers, startups, and entrepreneurs in the ed-tech space, written with help from educators, researchers, and others in the industry. The goal is to help entrepreneurs apply technology to solve real, persistent problems in education

The Ed Tech Developer’s Guide: A Primer for Developers, Startups and Entrepreneurs is free, and addresses key questions about the education ecosystem and highlights critical needs and opportunities to develop digital tools and apps for learning.

“Technology makes it possible for us to create a different dynamic between a teacher and a classroom full of students. It can open up limitless new ways to engage kids, support teachers and bring parents into the learning process,” Duncan said recently at the ASU+GSV Summit 2015 in Phoenix. “We need tools designed to help students discover who they are and what they care about, and tools that create portals to a larger world that, in the past, would have remained out of reach for far too many students.”

Next page: What tools does education need?