Campuses Celebrate Computer Science Education Week 2023

Computer Science Education Week (December 4-8) is an annual call to action to inspire K - 12 students to learn computer science and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers and partners to the field.

In November, GISD Digital Learning Coaches and teachers were selected to attend a Computer Science Professional Development Day at Austin’s Google office. The program, sponsored by Google and WeTeach_CS sheds light on opportunities in computer science and shares best practices for integrating computational thinking into classroom learning.

As part of the event, GISD was able to partner with Google and set up career talks on elementary campuses during Computer Science Education Week, where Google employees educated students on the many career opportunities in tech.

“Celebrating Computer Science Education Week raises awareness about the importance of teaching computer science to all students. Students that learn computational thinking become better problem solvers, and that carries over to all content areas,” Heather Solis, Digital Learning Coach said. “It opens doors to all students who might not have seen themselves as computer scientists and creates pathways for future careers.”

Also during Computer Science Education Week, classrooms across the district participated in an “Hour of Code”, a learning opportunity for students to explore computer science through fun activities and videos for all skill levels.

“I think the Hour of Code was really fun,” Zoya Kolesnikova, second grader at Wolf Ranch Elementary said. “Coding helped me see that when I get something wrong, I can figure out why and then try it again."