Stories

The CSTA Western Mass chapter held a session in January on ChatGPT, the ground-breaking AI that generates code and text. ChatGPT has been in the news and was recently blocked from NYC schools – you may even have been asked about it in your district.

Computer science educators from across New England gathered face-to-face at the University of Massachusetts School of Education on Veteran's Day weekend 2022 to learn, network and socialize.

 

Did you know that there are 97 CSTA chapters across the world, including chapters in Alaska, Nigeria and the Philippines? CSTA Western Mass members had a chance to network with and learn from CSTA members and staff at the 2022 national conference, held face-to-face in Chicago.

Over 100 teachers from across MA gathered virtually on October 3rd to create (and eat!) CS-themed pancakes and experience unplugged activities related to the classic children's picture book If You Give a Pig a Pancake. The event concluded with a "lesson sprint," where teachers designed and shared a computer science lesson centered around the book.

In honor of Computer Science Education Week (December 6-12), the Western Mass and Greater Boston chapters invited educators from across the state to join the first-ever MA Teacher Hackathon. Attendees spent the day developing coding skills by building a project in response to one of four UN Sustainability goals: zero hunger, good health and well-being, reduced inequalities, and climate action.

 

CSTA WMass recently established a book club discussion group that meets after chapter meetings and presentations from 5:30-6:30pm on the second Thursday of each month. The first book we read and discussed together was Dr. Nikki Washington's Unapolagetically Dope.

It was a different pre-flight checklist: propeller guards instead of seat backs, battery charge instead of tray tables, and WiFi on instead of off. Once completed, Western MA CSTA members took flight, learning to use the Tello drone and Droneblocks app to teach students coding.

Interested in the new Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science license? Anne DeMallie, who works for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as the Digital Literacy and Computer Science Support Lead, walked educators through the process of applying for the new license and provided an update on the state's current K-12 computer science initiatives.

Micro:bits, decoders, and solar panels ... oh my! Led by subject matter experts from the National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center, Western Massachusetts CSTA teachers explored STEAM Fundamentals, a phenomenon-based, hands-on curriculum designed to engage elementary students in real-world applications of technology.