Title
Democratizing Computer Science Knowledge: Transforming the Face of Computer Science Through Public High School Education
SMC Affiliated Work
1
Status
Faculty
School
Kalmanovitz School of Education
Department
Teacher Education
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2013
Publication / Conference / Sponsorship
Learning, Media, and Technology
Description/Abstract
Despite the fact that computer science (CS) is the driver of technological innovations across all disciplines and aspects of our lives, including participatory media, high school CS too commonly fails to incorporate the perspectives and concerns of low-income students of color. This article describes a partnership program – Exploring Computer Science (ECS) – that directly counters this problem in our nation's second largest school district. With a mission of democratizing CS learning, we argue that despite the constraints of working within public schools, it is imperative to do so. We discuss the ECS program based on inquiry, culturally relevant curriculum, and equity-oriented pedagogy. We describe two ECS-affiliated projects that highlight the importance of authorship, purpose, and agency for student learning and engagement: DietSens using mobile technology to study community health, and a project in which students create video games about social issues. Our work offers a counter-narrative to those who have written off the possibilities of working within public schools and a debunking of the too widespread myth within our educational system that females and students of color are inherently uninterested in rigorous CS learning.
Keywords
equity, cultural relevance, computer science, public high school education, teacher professional development
Lasallian research
yes
Scholarly
yes
DOI
10.1080/17439884.2013.756514
Volume
38
Issue
2
First Page
161
Last Page
181
Disciplines
Education
Original Citation
Ryoo, Jean, Margolis, Jane, Lee, Clifford, Sandoval, Cueponcaxochitl & Goode, Joanna. (2013). Democratizing Computer Science Knowledge: Transforming the face of computer science through public high school education. Learning, Media, and Technology, Vol. 38, Iss. 2, 161-181
Repository Citation
Ryoo, Jean; Margolis, Jane; Lee, Clifford; Sandoval, Cueponcaxochitl; and Goode, Joanne. Democratizing Computer Science Knowledge: Transforming the Face of Computer Science Through Public High School Education (2013). Learning, Media, and Technology. 38 (2), 161-181. 10.1080/17439884.2013.756514 [article]. https://digitalcommons.stmarys-ca.edu/school-education-faculty-works/177
