December 2019
In this issue:
As we enter this holiday season, we can all benefit from reflecting on what we have accomplished during 2019. Each of us have had many successes along with opportunities to learn from mistakes or failures. Be sure to not only take the time to reflect both professionally and personally, but to also use this holiday as a time to refresh yourself personally. Thank you for all you have done this year to help build a stronger education system in Oklahoma. Know that you are making a difference in student lives daily!
Happy holidays!
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The Oklahoma Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA-OK) invites you to network with other teachers, learn more about computer science and how it can connect with other subject areas, and participate in free professional learning opportunities.
Whether or not you are currently teaching Computer Science, CSTA-OK highlights opportunities for bringing computer science to any curriculum you are teaching (or for starting an after-school program.) This group is open to educators of PreK-20, administrators, and organizations interested in learning more about Computer Science and Computer Science Education.
Join CSTA for FREE here.
Join our Oklahoma CSTA Facebook Group here.
Attend our next meeting; mention this newsletter to receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win amazing prizes!
- Tuesday, December 17th at 5:00 p.m.- Oklahoma City
- If you cannot attend either meeting in person, plan to join virtually!
- We will post additional information (including a link to join virtually) on our CSTA-OK Facebook Group.
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OSSEF Teacher Workshop
The Oklahoma State Science & Engineering organization (OSSEF) will hold a teacher workshop on January 18, 2020 from 9:30 am - 2:00 pm. The topic of the workshop will be Tackling the Science Fair Board/Poster. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. More information is available at OSSEF Teacher Workshops.
Oklahoma Women in STEM Conference
The Oklahoma Women in STEM Conference will be held on February 13, 2020 at the Northeastern State University in Broken Arrow. The keynote speaker for this event will be Dr. Kayse Shrum, the Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Innovation, who was recently named The Journal Records 2019 Woman of the Year. For more information about this conference, visit Oklahoma Women in Stem Conference.
EdWeb.net is a free professional learning network where educators can learn and share innovative approaches to teaching and learning. One feature it provides to its members is free access to numerous educational webinars each month. These webinars cover a wide range of topics. Some of the most recent webinar topics include Cybersecurity, Universal Design for Learning, Bridging the Gap between Science and Coding. In addition to their upcoming webinars, they provide access to past webinars through their edWebinar Archives.
2020 SeaPerch Challenge
On Saturday, January 25, the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance will be holding its 8th Annual SeaPerch Region 7 Competition. Students from K-12 will build remote-controlled underwater robots and will complete by guiding their robots through a series of underwater challenges. For more information about this competition, visit 2020 SeaPerch Challenge.
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On December 9, the Oklahoma State Department of Education participated in its first agency-wide Hour of Code. For many participants, it was their first experience coding. How did your school celebrate Computer Science Education Week? Please share your photos and stories with Karen Leonard. We would love to be able to share your stories with others across the state! |
Samatha Leonard
Samatha is a middle school math teacher at Central Middle School in Lawton. She applied to attend the first Oklahoma State Department of EducationBootstrap Algebra integration workshop this past summer to expand her knowledge and learn new ways to engage her seventh-grade math students. After attending the summer Bootstrap Algebra workshop, she returned again for a refresher workshop in September. Samatha used some of the skills she learned to teach coding to her school’s coding club using Pyret coding language. Students in her club used Pyret to code to create flags from around the world. Due to her students’ enthusiasm for creating flags, what was intended to be a short project ended up stretching over many weeks. Thank you, Samatha, for finding new ways to create excitement for coding!
Another Bootstrap Algebra workshop is planned for June 2020. Information regarding applying for this workshop will be shared in future newsletters.
 Do you know of someone who is working to promote CS in our state and needs recognition? If so, I would like to share successes in future newsletters. Please email me with information on how they are impacting students and helping spread the excitement of computer science.
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