Computer Science for High Schools

Materials from the workshop

• Slides and videos are posted with the schedule
• Myths: post-workshop thoughts
• Resources

CS4HS Workshop	Tour of Raytheon-SIGOVS
Binary numbers	Sorting algorithms

Attending the workshop

• Getting here:
  • Directions to Florida Tech campus
    
  • Campus map
    • Building 15 is Denius Student Center
    • Visitor parking is outside Building 25 and in Building 38
    • print this web page and put it on your dash board to indicate you are attending the workshop
  • Hartley Room is on the second floor of Denius Student Center, make a left after the stairs
• Schedule of workshop
• For school teachers/adminstrators receiving a stipend: please complete and turn in the IRS W9 form

Guest speakers

• Karen Chandler, Harris
  Karen Chandler is a Harris Software Engineer with 24 years at Harris. She has held various positions including Advanced Programs Engineer, Chief Software Engineer, Project Engineer, Software Architect and Software Engineering Manager.
• Rebecca Mazzone, NASA
  Rebecca currently works as a Project Manager for KSC's Information Technology Directorate. Focus areas in the Project Management Office include the Exploration Visualization Environment (EVE), the Virtual Camera, Communications & Imagery, Model-Based Systems Engineering, and coordination with Florida Tech on the 2012 International Space University Summer Studies Program. She also remains actively involved in simulation outreach, sharing NASA's advances and experiences with the wider M&S community, educators, and the general public. Rebecca recently graduated as a member of KSC's inaugural Systems Engineering Advancement & Leadership (SEAL) class. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and a Masters Degree in Space Systems, both from the Florida Institute of Technology, and a Graduate Certificate from Stevens Institute of Technology in Space Systems Engineering.
• Helayne Ray, Raytheon
  Helayne Ray's career in technology has spanned several decades with industry experience in most areas within the field of computer science. Previously, Helayne was the Director of Information Technology for both Textron Lycoming, located in Pennsylvania and Northrop Grumman's Joint Stars in Melbourne, Fl. Most recently, Helayne was one of 6 employees who founded the SI Government Solutions company, a spinoff from Dr. James Whittaker's software testing company, which was subsequently acquired three years later by Raytheon, located in Melbourne, Florida, where she retained the position of Chief Operating Officer. Helayne was awarded approx. $1M in Small Business Innovation Research grants from the Air Force for her work in Software Attack Modeling, and has published articles in refereed journals regarding the same. Helayne traveled to over 30 companies in the U.S. teaching Dr. Whittaker's software testing seminar on "How to Break Software", and was a lecturer on this topic at Software Quality Engineering's East and West coast conferences. She holds an M.B.A and a Ph.D in Computer Science from the Florida Institute of Technology.
• Bill Shoaff, Florida Tech
  Dr. Shoaff joined the computer science faculty in 1986 and became chair in 1996. For the last several years he has been teaching two first term freshman courses: A one hour seminar called Computer Disciplines and Careers, and Discrete Mathematics. This teaching experience has provided him with a good understanding of the abilities and shortfalls of high school students entering our computer science program.
• Baris Yuksel, Google
  Baris Yuksel is a Google engineer on the Maps team.

Participants

Background

Goals

1. increase awareness and interest in CS education among high school teachers and administrators in Brevard County.
2. help us gain a deeper understanding of the challenges of CS education in high schools.

Audience

• teachers and administrators at high schools
• school district administrators for high schools

Day 1 (July 23)

• The first day focuses on ideas and impact of CS, and CS-related courses.
• We, with the help of guest speakers, will illustrate why CS is important in high schools. Agreed speakers:
  • Baris Yuksel, Google
  • Helayne Ray, Raytheon
  • Rebecca Mazzone, NASA
  • Karen Chandler, Harris
  • Bill Shoaff, Florida Tech
• We will discuss CS-related courses (such as the proposed AP course on CS Principles) and how CS can fit into the high school curriculum.
• We will conduct a group discussion on how to overcome the obstacles to incorporate CS courses into the high school curriculum.
• Both teachers and administrators will benefit from the first day.

Day 2 (July 24)

• The second day focuses on teaching resources: tools, materials, competitions, and communities.
• We will help the audience explore engaging resources for teaching CS that are freely available.
• We will discuss CS-related competitions for high school students.
• We will discuss communities such as CSTA (CS Teachers Association) that support CS teachers.
• Though the second day is more teacher-oriented, administrators can gain an understanding of the low startup cost for teaching CS with engaging resources.
• We will conduct a group discussion on how to overcome challenges in teaching CS.
• At the end, we will discuss and prioritize specific "next steps" to put CS courses in high schools.

Incentives for Participants

• Stipend of $75-100 per day (depending on the number of participants)
• Inservice points toward Professional Development in Brevard Public Schools
• Lunch during workshop