Competency #3: The CS Standards

Summary

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

Your activities for this Competency are:

 

Module#3

For today's activity please complete the following module:

It is estimated that this will take around 2 hours depending on how closely you read the material and how much time you spend on answering the questions.

 

Deliverable, Part 1

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. 

Please complete the following questions.

  1. What did you write for each of the the Reflection Journal Activities?
    • Reflection #6: Consider a learning experience currently offered in your context and identify Iowa's Computer Science Standards that are relevant to that learning experience.
    • Reflection #7: Think about your experience just a moment ago, using the Computer Science Framework and the CSTA Standards together to see how they complement each other. Now select a different standard and journal
  2. What was the main point of this training module?
  3. How did this material fit in with the material you have learned in your CSEd program so far?
  4. Identify and discuss at least one item/topic in the training that you felt added to what you had previously learned.  How did it improve your knowledge/learning?
  5. Identify and discuss at least one item/topic in the training that was a completely new idea or thought for you.  How did it improve your knowledge/learning?

 

Readings

In the third AEA module you learned about the CS Standards released by CSTA in 2017 and adopted as the Iowa Standards in 2018. I think it is worth taking some time to review the standards documents.

 

It is worth noting that CSTA will be releasing updated CS Standards in the summer of 2026. It is unclear how this will change the Iowa Standards. But I think it is worth checking out the preliminary report that is guiding the current revisions:

 

Finally, before you get too much further in this course, I think it is important that you understand the current state of Computer Science in Iowa. Realize that this is an ever changing and dynamic landscape, and how Iowa addresses CS in K-12 is ever changing. In fact, several bills were proposed this spring that may continue to change things. Because of this, I think it is helpful if you are familiar with the following website and its contents.

 

Deliverable, Part 2

Why should we include CS in K12 education?

This will be completed at the Community of Practice on Thursday and will be submitted with your CD for the week.

 

Evaluation