Recruiting for Computer Science - the AP Potential Report

For many high schools it is recruiting season. If you school has an AP program there is a little kown report, called the AP Readiness Potential, that can help you in attracting kids to your classes. This is an especially helpful way of identifying girls and other groups that may not already be taking your Computer Science classes.

Basically this report takes students' PSAT scores and predicts the AP tests they are statistically likely to score well on. It is based on a past correlation between past PSATs and AP exams.

While we do not yet have this for APCS Principles, since no AP tests have been given yet, we do have it for the current APCS class.

A new feature is teachers can now log in to see the reports. To access the report you will need an access code. You can get this code from the person in your building that coordinates the AP exams. I find that person often doesn't know about the report, or have any idea of how to find the code.

You can call to get your school's code. The number is 866-630-9305. You just have to identify yourself and your school.

The login for the site is here. You'll need an account for AP Central. Once you pull the report the site even has sample letters to send home to parents. I have found letters directly to parents to be a powerful way to attract kids to computer science.

Long term I am very curious to see how this test correlates for the new APCS Principles class. Since much of the assessment for this course will be written it will be interesting to see if a correlation with the writing section of the PSAT.

How *GIRLS* Hold Themselves Back from Pursuing Computer Science

Full disclosure - this is a rant. If you are not in the mood, keep browsing.

First, the facts here are a-OK.

"Changing the World Starts with Changing your Perception". Quote from the bottom. I couldn't agree more.

I can only hope the rest of this was created innocently and the blame the victim tome in unintentional. Because really, it is the girls fault that they experience these misconceptions?

So a little back story, I was one of these girls. I had programmed as a hobby for 5 years by the time our AP Computer Science teacher showed up to recruit in my precalc class. In fact I was probably one of the only kids in my school that had programmed at all - it was the early 90's and my coding was definitely odd.

So why didn't I sign up? Honestly it wasn't any of what is listed below. I was a smart kit, a nerd. I went on to major in math in college - a predominantly male field. I had professors that openly said that girls didn't understand math, and yet I stayed, because I am rather stubborn like that.

I remember sitting there thinking - there's a class about this? Cool. Then he said the magic words "if you are good at math then you'll be good at this".

And that did it, I was out. At 17 I didn't see myself as good at math, even though my 99% was one of the highest grades in the class. I studied hard, did my homework, therefore I had a high grade. It wasn't innate ability, I just worked hard.

And this perception wasn't my fault. Just like the stereotypes in this infographic are not the fault of the girls who internalize them.

And in full fairness it was in no way the fault of the CS teacher. I had him in AP Calculus the following year and he is a large part of my confidence in overcoming these stereotypes and becoming a math major in college. He was just doing what we did back then. I did it too when I started teaching cs, good at math = good at programming. We didn't know better.

The saddest part is that I am not the only girl I know with a story like this. I have sent girls off to college, recently even, to hear them have the same experiences in their computer science courses. To be the one girl sitting in an auditorium and have a professor turn around and say to the group "Don't worry, girls never get this" is inexcusable.

So, how can you really help? Lets start by not blaming the girls.

 
This infographic by Play-i. Play-i is creating a programmable robot that teaches computer science to kids ages 5+ in a fun, accessible way. To get updates, sign up here.

Computer Science and The Digital Native Myth

From the Washington Post this morning: Survey finds gap in Internet access between rich, poor students
So the basic summary - half of students from upper income families have Internet access at home, only 3% of students from poor families have Internet access.

No surprise there. I have students that do not have electricity or running water at home. Food is an issue. It is hard to imagine that Internet is a possibility.

So what does that mean for us in Computer Science education?

As educators we have to challenge the assumptions about digital natives with the push for 21st century learning. We've have several readings in our professional development recently about digital natives and how they are different from us "digital immigrant" educators.

All true, as far as it goes. Some of my students have had access to technological devices since they were toddlers. They are comfortable with using technology to solve problems. They live in a world with constant access to humanity's  largest storehouse of information. They have never lacked for a fact or access to information. They also do not naturally question a lot of the information they receive.

But that is only some of my students. A real wall has grown over the past five years between the students with access and without.

And that is not to say that project based learning is only good for some students. It is a natural way to teach in computer science classes. I have been doing some version of it since the mid 90's when I started teaching computer science. It has been sort of funny that it now has a name.

But what other assumptions about digital natives are we carrying into our classrooms? As technology has shifted from something we visit to something embedded in the lives of many of our students it is too easy to assume every student in instantly comfortable in our labs.

The access issue needs to inform everything from how we recruit to the examples we use in class. I know I am guilty of using smart phones often as an example of something in the "real world". A real world that only exists for a section of my students. It is probably about like trying to explain English grammar by comparing it to Japanese.

And the question then becomes, is computer science really for everyone?

I say yes, and it is something we may need to fight for. It is easy to attract the kids with access. Really, how hard is it to convince a kid that spent last summer at  robotics camp that computer science might be interesting?

For the rest of the kids computer science classes are the one chance they have of really climbing over that wall. We offer an Ellis Island opportunity for the "digital immigrants" in our classes.

So do we do the easy thing, or the right thing?

Of course I am crazy enough to think that computer science should replace the traditional geometry class for all students. But we can debate that one another day.

Computer Science Education Week - Day 1

Happy Computer Science Education Week!

Here are a couple of videos to celebrate:

• Grace Hopper Explains a nanosecond
• CSEd Week Videos - Today's Theme: Computer Science and Entertainment

Here in the lab we are doing recruitment activities all week. Tomorrow we are inviting freshmen in to visit. The plan is to show off some student work, then have some of the Finch Robots out for folks to try using the Snap interface.

Today the Intro to Programming kids will be starting a Careers in Computer Science project and working on some animations.

We also have ice cream.

Recruiting

We are registering for classes on Dec 14th this year. Really early, but it overlaps nicely with CS Education Week. Have you pledged to participate? Do it now, I'll wait.

So this year the CS club is holding an open house during our regular weekly meeting. I haven't had time to go to classes to do demos, so instead I am asking teachers to nominate students they think will do well.

Next week I will hand deliver a nomination letter to each student  inviting them to the open house. I usually also mail a letter home to the parents letting them know their child was nominated.

The plan is to have student programs set up to demo what we do in the various classes. I usually try to serve food - this year we're doing ice cream and toppings. CS Club kids bring in the toppings and I supply the ice cream.

Also, following the rule of reciprocity, everyone will get a button. They all say Computer Science is... then the words underneath were suggested by my current students. I do think the button maker is one of the best investments I have ever made - super useful.