AEA Module #1: Understanding CS

Time Expectation

 

Daily Summary

In this activity you will complete the first of four modules prepared by the state of Iowa Board of Education to help elementary teachers in the state better understand CS and how to apply the CS Framework and Standards when designing CS lessons for elementary students.  [My big thank you to the state of Iowa for making these available for us to use in our program]

 

Creating an Account

First, you will need an account on aealearningonline.org.

 

If you already have an existing account:

  1. https://training.aealearningonline.org
  2. Login
  3. Update profile. Profile>employment Info
  4. Enter "Yes" that you are a district/AEA employee
    1. Select Teacher Education (IHE) from the drop down list
    2. Enter in educate as the "district" password.
  5. Save info

 

If you need to create a new account:

  1.  https://training.aealearningonline.org
  2. Enter your personal information
  3. Under Employment Info click yes that you are a district/AEA employee
    1. Select Teacher Education (IHE) from the drop down list
    2. Enter in educate as the "district" password.
  4. Save info

 

Module #1

For today's activity please complete the following module. However, before you begin, please read the description of what I expect you to turn in for your Deliverable as provided below.

 

Deliverable

While completing the Module you should take notes about what you experience.  Furthermore, you should make sure that you complete the Reflection Journal Activities as they are presented in the materials. 

For your submission on Blackboard, please respond to the following questions.

  1. What did you write for each of the the Reflection Journal responses
    1. Reflection Journal #1
    2. Reflection Journal #2
    3. Reflection Journal #3
  2. Based on the module’s definitions, explain the differences between computer literacy, digital citizenship, and computer science. Why is it important for educators, parents, and students to understand these distinctions?
  3. The module highlights several common misconceptions—such as the belief that CS is “just coding.” Identify one misconception and explain how the module challenges or corrects it. Use examples from the text.
  4. Iowa’s definition of computer science emphasizes understanding, exploring, investigating, creating, and learning. Pick one element of this definition and discuss how it shifts the focus away from simply “using technology” toward developing meaningful computational understanding. Try to frame your response in the context of an elementary classroom.
  5. The four facets of computational thinking are decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithm design.
    Discuss how you have used one of these skills in your daily life or teaching practice, even if you didn’t previously think of it as computer science.
  6. On page 35 of the training you will have an opportunity to view and download a certificate of completion. Please download this and attach it to your answers from above when you submit via Blackboard.

I would expect that a level 4 response will be ~2 pages single spaced. Having said that, I WILL NOT be evaluating your responses based on how long the submission is [So don't feel like you need to play games with spacing and margins to bump up the page length]. But I DO feel like it takes more than 2 or 3 sentences to adequately respond to these writing prompts. Remember, the goal is to show me that you completed the module and can apply what you learned in that module to the topics in this course. If you approach this assignment as "show Dr. Schafer that I learned something" rather than "fill in some words to complete an assignment" then you should do just fine.

You should word process this and produce a PDF of your responses which you will submit via Blackboard.  The official deadline is January 28.

Evaluation

Your deliverable will be graded on a scale of 0 to 4 using the following principles:

Points Rough Description
4 Your responses are complete and show a strong level of detail and/or depth of thought.  It shows that you have taken the time to understand and really think about the question(s).
3 Your responses are complete and show acceptable thought, but are lacking in expected detail and/or depth of thought.
2 Your respones are lacking in one or more specific elements or indicate that you weren't spending an adequate amount of time thinking about the responses.
1 You turned something in but it indicates a complete lack of effort or understanding.
0 Nothing submitted.

 

If I feel that you did not earn a grade of a 4 I will give you that feedback and you will have one week to revise/resubmit.