TN CS Academy
CS Accelerator Week
Community of Champions
Workshops
For grades K-5:
| Name | Date & Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Day Trip with Bee and Laurel into the World of Coding & PBL Instruction (grades 1-3) | In person in Smyrna, June 9 only | Learn how Code.org’s Spelling With Bee and Counting with Laurel can expand students’ ELA, math, and computational thinking skills using a series of drag-and-drop coding commands. Participants will also discover how these activities can be used to inspire PBL instruction. |
| Enriching Libraries with CS | Virtual, June 10 only | Experience a brand new offering from Code.org developed by an outstanding TN media specialist! This opportunity explores how CS supports AASL standards, how to set up classes and approaches to integrate CS into an elementary library program. |
For grades 6-8:
| Name | Date & Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Byte-sized History: Engaging Students with Computer Science and Social Studies | In person in Smryna, June 10-11 | Educators will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to integrate CS into the 6th and 7th grade social studies curriculum aligning Code.org and TN Social Studies standards by bringing in physical devices (Finches and Micro:bits) to engage students in morse code and historical communication, trade route simulations and mapping ancient civilizations. |
| CS Focus on Creativity for Secondary Student | In person in Smryna, June 10-12 | Are you looking to engage secondary students who are not thrilled about the new CS course requirements? A focus on creativity provides students with engaging ways to learn foundational CS concepts related to problem-solving, web development, and animations & game development using drag-and-drop coding commands without diving too deep into technical computer programming concepts. Participants will leave with at least one finished project plan that focuses on creativity so this is intended for teachers who want more practice in coding themselves. |
For grades 9-12:
| Name | Date & Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tips from the Field – Teaching a Computer Science Graduation Requirement Course | One day workshop repeated June 11-12. Also has a virtual option, one day only, June 13. | This session provides an overview and tips on resources that support multiple courses within CTE programs of studies that are approved to count for the high school graduation requirement. Teachers will explore multiple sources to support lessons and concepts, discussing pros and cons of different courses in terms of scheduling and lessons learned from an experienced TN CS teacher. |
| CS Focus on Creativity for Secondary Students | In person in Smryna, June 10-12 | Are you looking to engage secondary students who are not thrilled about the new CS course requirements? A focus on creativity provides students with engaging ways to learn foundational CS concepts related to problem-solving, web development, and animations & game development using drag-and-drop coding commands without diving too deep into technical computer programming concepts. Participants will leave with at least one finished project plan that focuses on creativity so this is intended for teachers who want more practice in coding themselves |
| Engineering 4 Us All | In person in Smryna, June 9-13 | This is part one of a full year PD program. It starts with 5 days training in the principles undergirding all e4usa curriculums that support TN’s CS Standards. Over the school year participants will receive coaching to support implementation and opportunities to explore the more advanced e4usa courses which align to CTE programs of study. Limited number of scholarships available but spots available beyond the scholarships. Learn more about the program at https://e4usa.org/professional-learning#tabs-2456-pane-16. This cohort will run for the e4usa + Making curriculum. |
Trainings
A key component of the CS Academy is to build a community of champions dedicated to supporting the integration and implementation of computer science (CS) across district schools. We are initiating this effort by forming champion teams of trainers within districts. These teams will provide overviews, troubleshoot issues, and support the use of the Kira Learning curriculum and Code.org curriculum platforms for CS integration and teaching.
Train the Trainer
- Audience: District teams who will deliver training in-district
- Cost: Free to attend
- Date and Location (all trainings are two full days in person):
- For Code.org
- June 19-20, 9:30 – 3:30 at Wilson County Board of Education, 415 Harding Drive, Lebanon, 37087
- Team of up 2 each for grades K-5, 6-8, high school, and K-12 AI Foundations
- For Kira Learning, all trainings run 9:30 – 3:30 daily
- East region: June 23-24, at location TBD
- Middle region: June 25-26, at location TBD
- West region: July 7-8 at Southwest Technical Community College, 5983 Macon Cove, Memphis, 38134
- All locations – teams of 2 for grades 6-12″
- For Code.org