If there are any other computer science teachers on HN, I'd love to hear about what you're up to (especially if you are using Scratch with young kids).
https://leanpub.com/programmingforkids
I want more beta readers though!
I've made a free coupon "hackernews" which has a 10 use limit (for individual use or any of the school packages). If you want to use it with your classes, go ahead. I'd love feedback!
I think it's important to be perceptive of what things kids consider to be interesting, as opposed to what we grown-ups believe to be important. The kids will be bursting with ideas of things that they want to make, and the trick is finding a way to channel some of those ideas into projects that they can actually carry out within finite time and material budgets. But I've learned that what they make doesn't have to be a full blown polished app. The pride of making it themselves trumps any adult aesthetic or ergonomic sensibilities.
Scratch is great. The animations and sounds provide enough creative space to keep kids interested for quite a while. They can teach one another. It has some practical benefits, being written for widespread installation and "safe" use. The accompanying Web forums seem to be pretty closely moderated by grown-ups, while still allowing plenty of fun chatter. The mechanism for sharing and modifying programs provides a taste of open source!
We've had fun with S4A. This is worth checking out. Making stuff dance around on the screen is all well and good, but I think that interacting with the physical world really drives home the fact that you're making the computer do something.
I am teaching some 5th grade math and english in addition to computer science, though if the network is able to continue to grow, there are likely to be teachers teaching only 5th grade computer science in the very near future. Not many NYC middle schools (charter or otherwise), offer computer science to middle school students.
For what it's worth, my undergrad was in economics. I know enough to teach Scratch to 5th graders, though I wouldn't sign up to teach AP Computer Science. Like alistairSH, I also wonder where the computer science teachers are going to come from. Genuinely wanting to work with kids every day is more important than any of this though, in my opinion. Definitely feel free to email me if you want to talk more about any of this.
- master's degree in education, or some other combination of post-graduate work that qualifies for a teaching certificate.
My degree in Economics, with a minor in CS, didn't come close to qualifying me to teach CS in high school. Not that it should have by default.
But, it does make me wonder where Chicago will find CS teachers. If they have to come from the ranks of those already qualified to teach math, that's not a very large pool.