Day Four

The end is near, or is it? Is it really ending, or just the beginning of something much longer?

For those who have read about the first three days, you understand that this has been a high energy experience. The folks at code.org manage to keep things running at full steam, all the time. So, how did day four look for those of us going through the CS Discoveries program here at TeacherCon Atlanta?

As usual, our day started out with breakfast. Now, a little thing about breakfast. They don’t skimp here. Code.org realizes that the attendees need every bit of energy to make it through the day, so they load you up. I will say that the folks have been trickling in later and later as the week went on. I think it is safe to say, we are getting physically tired. The schedule has been packed, and we have spent our days working on new and exciting things. It’s taxing, but in a rewarding way.

Today, we learned, was all about equity in computer science. Note, the word is EQUITY, not EQUALITY. Now, many people see this as only a means to scaffold and lift those who struggle to meet their potential. I see it as that, plus much more. It is for everyone. Including those who are advanced and we have to really work to come up with their equity. Everyone deserves their chance to excel. Everyone.

After breakfast, as has become our custom, we have Dani and Josh launch us. Today we had a hidden talents performance.  We were treated to juggling and a rare opportunity for most of us mainlanders to experience a bit of Hawaiian culture. Click below to check those out. Call me #impressed.

Next, we headed to our rooms to meet with our regional partner, Mississippi State University RCU. We discussed implementation plans, possible issues, and had a chance to plan to take what we are learning home and make it happen. We are fortunate, Mississippi has 140 teachers here in Atlanta attending TeacherCon. We have a great crew to take this program home.

Then, as usual, it’s off to our TLO rooms. This is where the mind gets taxed and the work gets done. We had our last two groups present their lessons, and they crushed them. The best part of this model of presenting and giving/getting feedback is that we learn as much, if not more,  in the discussion after the lesson as in the lesson itself.  We hit unit three today… our first foray into Game Lab. We learned how to create basic images, manipulate their positions, and change their color. Basic, but fundamental.

As we neared the end of our day, we headed back to our recap session with Josh and Dani. As I said earlier, a  main theme today was equity. As we worked through our lessons, we discussed how we could alter each lesson to make sure it was equitable for everyone. This was a great day, and we learned a lot about how to help break barriers and let everyone shine. Oh, and they opened up the ice cream chest… people went a little nuts.

Again, another amazing day at TeacherCon. It’s hard to believe it is coming to an end tomorrow, but it really is just the beginning of a long journey to bring computer science to as many students as possible.