During the summer vacation, several local elementary school teachers attended a workshop at Mississippi State University to learn about advances in computer robotics based on the Code.org platform.

Statewide, 572 elementary school teachers participated in the two-day event, according to the MSU Center for Cyber. This event will help school districts meet the requirements of state legislation passed in 2021. This will mandate computer science instruction in each grade from 2024 through her 25th grade. Education Director Sherry Hollis.

Created in collaboration with engineers from Amazon, Google and Microsoft, the platform’s versatility extends beyond traditional educational settings to include young women and students from other minority groups in male-dominated tech fields. focus on increasing the

“I am currently looking into Amazon, and they use robots every day in their facilities and need someone to set them up. No. The key to making this curriculum work is to get everyone interested and show that everyone can do it, not just one race or one gender,” said computer science at East Amory Elementary School. Kayla Hascock, a teacher, said:

“I think this opens them up to more jobs, not just firefighters and police officers. It’s not just our basic community helpers. They can actually say, “Hey, I like computer science.” “I’d love to see how far it can go,” she added, “so they can go to NASA and take it with them as long as they want.”

According to Hatchcock, ethnicity and gender statistics show that the vast majority of people in the computer science field are white and Asian men. Hollis said in her release to the press that the percentage of women in the computing workforce is less than 25% of hers.

“Research shows that by middle school, students make up their minds about what they are good at. After middle school, they are less likely to be interested in computing topics and it becomes even more difficult to recruit students into the computer science field,” she said.

Hascock was part of the Basic Integrated Guides Task Force for Standards-Aligned Curriculum.

“This was so that teachers could walk into the classroom and say, ‘Okay, main event, main idea, we can teach and we can use this site to teach.

“We have incorporated computer coding lessons into our regular curriculum for subjects such as English, math and science. I teach students about coding, digital citizenship, and maintaining a healthy balance between real life and virtual life.Technology is very addicting,” she said.

Hascock has a year of experience prior to teaching the curriculum, which gives her an advantage.

Hatley’s topics include digital literacy, keyboarding, digital citizenship, coding, robotics, and unplugged. Students take one hour of computer science each week in addition to the ELA, math, and science curriculum elements. Students receive computer science instruction in computer labs, regular classrooms, and libraries.

“I think this is a great opportunity for Hatley students,” said Debbie Leach, the school’s librarian, who teaches classes with computer teacher Ashley Long. “The goal of this program is for all students to understand that computer science can be effectively studied. Understanding how it impacts is essential for students to graduate from college and prepare for their careers.”

Using familiar animated icons with names and titles applied in new ways, computer coding exercises begin as fun activities that develop problem-solving skills and usher in the languages ​​used in today’s computer generation.

“In the second half of middle and high school, students are given the opportunity to participate in higher-level courses and further develop their skills. Honnell said:

According to Belle Shivers Middle School instructor Ashley Ridings, computer science is a content area primarily offered at the upper grade level.

“Right now,[the Mississippi Department of Education]has a long-term plan to introduce computer science in elementary schools,” she said.

Ridings was selected as a 4th and 5th grade trainer at Belle-Shivers Middle School after attending a workshop at Delta State University.

“The training provided more detail on how exposure to the curriculum could help students in the long run. focuses on discovery, followed by additional advanced courses in high school (grades 9-12),” she said.

LaShae Pritchett, 5th grade math and science teacher at Smithville Elementary School, and Cate Kennedy, 5th grade ELA and social studies teacher, share what they’ve learned with other teachers.

“Because of my lack of interest and experience in computer science, I was unaware of all the computer science jobs available in our state. Many students enjoy playing video games. Through video games, students already have some coding experience. Through coding, students experience problem-solving situations and critical thinking. By having students follow procedures and situations, we show them why we have procedures and why we follow certain rules,” said Pritchett.

Kennedy shared his excitement about bringing computer science into classrooms and schools and seeing the creativity that comes from it.

From early in the school year, according to Honnell, students have become familiar with coding by working through different lessons at their own pace.

“The lessons students are currently completing are more familiar with the simple coding and digital citizenship aspects. Programmatically troubleshoots and finds solutions when the code you initially choose doesn’t work These skills are beneficial in all aspects of education and in developing life skills is,” she said.

Ridings debunks the idea that computer science is considered just a computer.

“Computer science consists of many elements that help students build skills, such as critical thinking, strategic planning, etc. Another advantage of computer science is the support it provides in cross-disciplinary materials. For example, Mathematics applications can be used to learn about geometry and measurements English has many connections to the arts and sciences Computer science uses robots and online resources to aid team building and technical learning Incorporating these skills early on will give students a better idea of ​​the career field potential.Computer science is a fairly new field with a narrow range of diversity. Allowing access to additional content areas such as will bring more equity and inclusion to students, especially female students,” she said.

Honnell is starting from scratch because the curriculum is new for fifth and sixth grades.

“At the moment, students are only completing simple tasks. However, throughout the year the assignments will be longer and more complex. They may even code through a platform provided by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. students are just as excited as I am,” she said.

Fifth grade teacher Anna Klemm at Nettleton was one of two instructors from the district who participated in this summer’s workshop.

“My ultimate goal is to see students create interactive experiences such as videos. ,” she said.