NYSED Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards books

There are so many reasons why our students should experience the principles of computer science while in school. We know that most jobs require digital skills. Since we use the technology we need to understand our privacy and cybersecurity. We need to understand the impacts and how technology affects us and our world. We also know that there is a difference between consuming versus creating with technology.

As of the 2020 report from code.org, less than half of the US schools taught computer science. Worldwide, only about 27% of countries offer computer science.

The NYSED Computer Science and Digital Fluency standards are broken down into 5 concept areas:

1. Impacts of Computing
2. Computational Thinking
3. Networks and Systems
4. Cybersecurity
5. Digital Literacy

Each of these concept areas is broken down into subconcept areas. A lot of what is in these standards is already taught in our schools but may need a more direct focus on the elements of computer science.

CS/DF lessons and activities

Through my BOCES, I have an EdTech Coaches Cohort that meets monthly. Our focus is on technology integration and the implementation of these standards.

Over the past couple of years, we have been looking at the standards to see how they can be implemented. We created a placemat to explore the nouns and verbs, the key requirements, and explore the skills needed. We quickly realized that teachers needed to see how to add these standards to their classrooms without it being ‘one more thing’.

Over summer, I decided to create activity books to help teachers see fun ways that these standards can be implemented without it being a heavy lift in their classrooms. Take a look at the library below 👇

I used Book Creator to create these books for many reasons including:

• Ease of use: Book Creator can be collaborative so my team and other teachers can help build the books and add in their activities. It also allows for easy linking so that finding what you are looking for can happen quickly.
• Ease of sharing: When published, the books have a link that can be shared and embedded easily in newsletters, presentations, and on social media.
• Ease of updates: The books can stay live so that any updates or additions can be done seamlessly.

How to publish your book online

Bringing the books to life

Our statewide committee put together the website CSforNY.org to also support the rollout of these standards. The books are on this site for anyone to use.

We are also hosting activity writing workshops at my BOCES to take time to add in any new resources, ideas, and lessons that we have created within our classrooms. As other edtech products release their alignment documents, we are adding our favorite edtech tools and lessons to the books as well.

With these books, I have been hosting courses on training others throughout the state on these standards, webinars with NYSCATE and through BOCES, and presented at conferences with Christine MacPherson from Hudson Falls CSD.

As well as this, I have created courses with NYSCATE that are free for anyone in New York to take on the standards. Within these courses, we explore the activity books and ideas for implementing these standards in any classroom.

I hope that these books support educators in developing an integrated approach to computer science and digital fluency. By using the lessons in these Book Creator books in our classrooms, our students will become better equipped for the globally connected world we live in.

NYSCATE Book Creator Educator Course

Book Creator Ambassador and NYSCATE Long Island Director, Kristina Holzweiss, has created a free course on NYSCATE where you can learn the basics of Book Creator then dive in a little further.

You can even bag 3 CTLE Hours as well as an awesome badge and certificate upon completion!

'"Book Creator is the "little black dress" of tech tools. Everybody can learn it, use it, and create something professional-looking with it. With its multimedia and accessibility features, Book Creator was the perfect platform when we crowdsourced The Digital Librarian's Survival Toolkit and The Epic Ebook of Web Tools & Apps. I received such positive feedback from these free resources, that I knew more educators needed to learn how to use Book Creator to empower student voice.  My NYSCATE Book Creator course is my way of giving back to the educational community, to make teaching easier, engaging, and more fun."'

Start the course now