#TOSAChat is a chat on Twitter every Monday night at 8pm PST for TOSAs (teachers on special assignment), including all edtech and instructional coaches.
Hi, #tosachat! I'm Jody, Academic Coach in La Habra, CA. So hard to pick a favorite. I'm definitely into @Raspberry_Pi and right now @AppleEDU Swift Playgrounds is a real winner for me. I also love @Ozobot and @WonderWorkshop Dash & Dot!
Kyle in Reno, special education teacher, haven't played in a while but Swift on my iPad is a blast and my kids just got a sweet Osmo set from their cousins! #tosachat
Hi all! Kim from SoCal. Digital Learning Instructional Coach for PYLUSD. I have just started with @GoogleCSFirst It makes a lot of sense to me! :) #TOSAchat
Hi, Kyle! So good to see you here in #tosachat! A few of my schools have invested in Osmo and have been really happy with it. I love mine. One of the best laughs I ever had was with @annkozma723 and the Masterpiece app!
Eduardo Rivera, Tech TOSA, Favorite activity with my kiddos was Hello Purr from MIT.appiventor. It was the first time I saw the impact of creating an app for Android with my students. #TOSAChat
A1: I spend many hours coding in some way each week so my participation for next week will be mostly to support teachers and get them registered for #HourOfCode and the @Flipgrid Explorer Series so they can capture Ss voice at the same time! #TOSAchat
A1: I am so excited but @Msbpatel and I will be starting an after school coding club for students in our district. Feels like the perfect time to get started. We will be using CS First and some Little Bits. #TOSAChat
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt, @Msbpatel
Lol..oops. I meant the previous response for @GoogleCSFirst. @codeorg is easy for both teachers and students. It is a great tool for those that are new to coding. #tosachat
In reply to
@iluvteaching72, @codeorg, @GoogleCSFirst, @codeorg
A1: I will not participating, unfortunately. In the past, it hasn't been anything official, but I bought my daughter a board game called Code: On The Brink to help her learn the ideas behind coding #tosachat
How fun, you're an #hourofcode newbie! Check out https://t.co/qLrgogojYr for more information. Great for getting kids started with code -- at all age levels. They also offer free PD for teachers to come and learn their program. #TOSAchat
A1: Talk about perfect timing. @EdTechEddie and I are piloting an after school coding program at one of my elementary sites. Excited to kicking off Hour of Code with the launch of our coding program. #Tosachat
A1: I have in the past as a review project where kids make scratch videos to review topics. Its useful and produces some good stories. :) Kids get to combine story telling with content and coding. #tosachat
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
Janet Lee, NGSS instructional coach and biology teacher. My favorite activity is just introducing students to the concept that coding is doable in either block or written form. It's a lot more approachable than they thought. #tosachat
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
Going with the #MicrosoftEDU Hour of Code activities with the #Minecraft@PlayCraftLearn theme. #TOSAChat Not sure if they have done much with coding, at least at school, so we'll find out! :)
Most of my lessons are quick challenge lessons, which I'm happy to share with you. I do a lot of playground time with Ts and Ss versus having longer-term projects for them to make. #TOSAchat
In reply to
@EdTechEddie, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt, @Msbpatel, @littleBits
A2: I don't think people realize what coding is and the power of coding. There are numerous takeaways. One of my favorites is how accuracy plays such an important role. Communication, precision, etc. #TOSAchat
A2: Students need practice with code for so many reasons, not the least of which is the perseverance and critical thinking and GRIT it teaches! Watching Ss debug their code is a thing of beauty! #tosachat#HourOfCode
Oops! Fogot to say hello!!!
Good evening #TOSAChat! Karly, Tech TOSA and Computer Science teacher in Concord CA! Will be in and out tongiht but PLEASE feel free to Tweet or DM me for any #HourofCode resources =) I'm always happy to share and to connect with other CS teachers =)
I think the communication piece is overlooked. Especially when you're writing code and including notes for others within the code. That's critical for someone else to come in and interpret your thoughts. #TosaChat
A2: I don't think people realize what coding is and the power of coding. There are numerous takeaways. One of my favorites is how accuracy plays such an important role. Communication, precision, etc. #TOSAchat
A2 Participating in Hour of Code is important for students because it's a great way to be introduce and expose students to computer science and open up different pathways for students. #tosachat
Howard from SFBay Area. Favorite for me is modeling with Scratch. It beats flash cards. New fave is humorous story/reporting with Scratch. https://t.co/ubWD6zYdC0#tosachat
A2: Taught myself how to code when I was 11 and gained a competitive critical thinking skill set that prepped me for so much in life! Plus I always have a marketable skill, even in a down economy! #tosachat
Hi, Lemarr! I've been to a few micro:bit sessions at various conferences. It's a great tool! Thanks for the reminder that I need to spend some more time with it. #TosaChat
A2: This is a bit personal for me but I teach in the district that I graduated from and I missed out on coding because we dont offer it. I don't want that for my students or my own children. All students should alteast get a chance to explore the concepts around CS. #TosaChat
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
I sucked at precalculus, coding can be very similar. You'll struggle, you'll get frustrated, but if you keep plugging, you'll learn a valuable skill about perseverance, much like I did with precalc #tosachat
Hi, Howard! Good to see you! Scratch is so powerful. We have a Code to the Future school in our district and their first epic build was done entirely in Scratch. It was really neat to see what they were able to do! #TosaChat
A2: Students need practice with code for so many reasons, not the least of which is the perseverance and critical thinking and GRIT it teaches! Watching Ss debug their code is a thing of beauty! #tosachat#HourOfCode
Hi, Lemarr! I've been to a few micro:bit sessions at various conferences. It's a great tool! Thanks for the reminder that I need to spend some more time with it. #TosaChat
Totally get that. I am really lucky that my own kids have gotten to participate in coding at school. In fact, my son, as a 7th grader, took an AP CompSci class, and even though he passed the AP exam, he got to stay in the class this yr & choose a different coding path. #tosachat
In reply to
@EdTechEddie, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
A3: I am new to my district and school, but every year, around this time, Twitter sure blows up with all of the great stuff, I expect no less this year! #tosachat
A3: I have seen a small amount of increase. Kids respond to video games...they are totally into coding and making something. Hoping to increase the trend with the CS standards coming down the pike. More and more user friendly resources. #TOSAchat
Hi #tosachat. Joe, Elem School Principal checking in late. Love coding activity where students have to/get to analyze mistakes in order to code something correctly
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
A1: I’m excited to learn about what’s been done at the school site. Being the new admin at the site, I’ve been learning so much about what’s been done #tosachat
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
A3: Participation in my district has gone up, not just during the week of #HourOfCode. Ts are including compsci across curriculum in all grade levels. Hour of Code is what pushed them to realize what their Ss can do and that has helped with forward movement. #TOSAchat
A3. Yes! Participation is growing because we don't what jobs are 10 years from now ... but they will include creativity, collaboration and some coding. #tosachat
Hi, Joe! So glad to see you! The analysis of mistakes is huge. I love that coding allows us to do that in an accessible way. Kind of like My Favorite Mistake in math. #TOSAchat
In reply to
@Jyoung1219, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
A3: Participation in Hour of Code has changed as my district has moved from few devices to 1:1 and now as we move to 24/7. Participation has greatly increased due to access to devices, resources and support for both teachers and students. #TOSAchat
Yes. I would be happy with just giving our students a chance. Some may not like but if we spark just one new coder, engineer, or creator, we did it. #TOSAChat
In reply to
@iluvteaching72, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
A2: Participating in the Hour of Code or any coding program throughout the school year is important bc it helps students with skills that are cross-curricular and cross-grade level. #TOSAChat
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
My kids' jr. high teaches it as an elective. Next semester my daughter will be taking the Voice Activated Technology class and learning to code Alexa. I think that's pretty cool. #tosachat
In reply to
@iluvteaching72, @EdTechEddie, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
A2: Participating in the Hour of Code or any coding program throughout the school year is important bc it helps students with skills that are cross-curricular and cross-grade level. #TOSAChat
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
It keeps Ss from trying to be perfect in what they do but look for mistakes to fix. Some Ss still won’t try in fear of doing it wrong. There is LOTS of doing it wrong in coding. #TOSAchat
In reply to
@peerlessgreen, @Jyoung1219, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
A2: The platforms out there are approachable. It lends access and success to most Ss. The Hour of Code event might encourage participation for those marginally interested? #tosachat
A3: Participation has increased in coding but not necessarily with the standard https://t.co/N8TQxsHXCw modules. There are so many more options nowadays. #TOSAChat
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
I think teachers are understanding this more and more. Computer Science is such a powerful way to teach the valuable skills they need in the workforce. #tosachat
I agree. The opportunities for these Ss are growing. I love that learning is becoming more self guided. Meaning Ss are able to learn what they want to. #TOSAchat
In reply to
@peerlessgreen, @EdTechEddie, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
A4 Right now I am learning with the teacher or being taught by Ts that are further along than me. #TOSAChat Twitter has been a great resources. @TosaChat
A4: Curated resources so teachers aren't overwhelmed, sing up for support, articles and research about the benefits of coding, etc. Trying to keep Ts informed and supported. #TOSAchat
I think teachers are understanding this more and more. Computer Science is such a powerful way to teach the valuable skills they need in the workforce. #tosachat
A4: Talk to your teachers. Some may want to jump in and just need a push while others will want you to jump in with them. Be flexible in how you present resources and be available. #TOSAChat
In reply to
@TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
A4 By letting them know that they don't have to be the coding master - that part of the fun of coding is exploring, learning, failing, and continuing on! #TOSAChat F.A.I.L. First Attempt In Learning
To be honest, I haven't seen their curriculum. The class is called Voice Activated Technology. My understanding is they are learning the programming language for Alexa, but whether they actually use Alexa is unclear to me. I'll ask some questions at my next SSC meeting. #TosaChat
In reply to
@Filibuster3, @iluvteaching72, @EdTechEddie, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @Jyoung1219, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
A4: I promote #HourOfCode in the time leading up to it and provide resources for Ts to access. I am also always available to support in the classroom or teach unplugged/online app-based or robot-based demo lessons! #tosachat#lhcsd
That’s awesome, Howard. I wish I could use MergeCubes at the school site. The devices at the site aren’t handheld devices and won’t be able to do anything with the cubes #tosachat
In reply to
@HowardKiyuna, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
A4: I’ve pushed into the elem rooms & brought my Middles as coaches. A teaching assistant in one of the rooms kept it going. Need curric integration to sustain use though. IMO. #tosachat
I agree. There are many coding and engineering pathways in college. At Iowa State they have a group of mentors that go down to the high school level to empower girls. #TOSAChat
In reply to
@LemarrTreadwell, @Code_LikeAGirl, @codeorg, @coderGirls_, @beacodergirl
Yes. And their first attempt does not need to inlcude tech, we can even start with unplugged activities, those are just as fun and have tons of value. #TOSAChat
A4: I can help implement the Hour of Code by meeting teachers where they are. I share awesome resources from my awesome PLN on Twitter and offer in class support for those that are nervous about introducing coding. #TOSAchat
I like when the teachers don't have the answers. It forces the students to problem solve on their own and teaches them that they can't always have their thinking rescued by the adult in the room. #TosaChat
In a chat the other day, I mentioned coding cards that I got from @ProwiseUSA They are a lot of fun! You can lay them out on the floor and have students "walk" through the code. #TOSAchat
I have about a million MergeCubes. There are also a few floating around in my district. I am in the CoSpaces facebook group but I have yet to experiment with building anything myself. Maybe I'll do that next week for an hour. #TosaChat
In reply to
@HowardKiyuna, @Jyoung1219, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
You don't have to be the "sage on the stage", just don't be the doom in the room and discourage student exploration. It makes me sad when Ts don't want to explore in the classroom because they feel THEY PERSONALLY don't know the topic ie coding. Learn WITH the Ss. #tosachat
Jody @peerlessgreen you bring up an excellent point. Educators are now facilitator directing students to their leaning vs. superman with all the answers. #tosachat
I like when the teachers don't have the answers. It forces the students to problem solve on their own and teaches them that they can't always have their thinking rescued by the adult in the room. #TosaChat
A5: That is the million dollar question! Until there is a reason (in their eyes) or a sense of urgency about coding or any tech integration, we won't see an increase in tech usage. #TOSAchat
We are starting to look into devices like the Chromebook Tab 10s. I am hoping they can bridge the gap between Android and Chromebook. The ease of management from the Admin console but the flexibility of a tablet. #TOSAChat
In reply to
@Jyoung1219, @HowardKiyuna, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @peerlessgreen, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
I was in a webinar where they used Object Viewer and the Merge Cubes to view 3D models. Nice when you can't print all the Ss projects. It was like a virtual museum! #tosachat
In reply to
@iluvteaching72, @peerlessgreen, @HowardKiyuna, @Jyoung1219, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @edtechchamp, @EdTechEddie, @nzefeldt
The desire is strong. I want to be a resource for everything but need to really see where the need is the most. Many Ts do t know what they want. #TOSAChat
Totally felt where you were going with that. Maybe my response came over wrong -- and you cleared up my sentiment. I come across many Ss who just want to be told what to do. Ts not having answers mean they learn together & don't rescue. :) #TOSAchat
A5: Ts are already taking their Ss beyond the #HourofCode by integrating compsci in curricular areas. I provide support, answer Qs, suggest projects, or provide demo lessons for Ts and Ss. I also have a class set of @Ozobot available for checkout if needed #TOSAchat
A5. for students who want to extend their learning they can move to @SpRestLib Java Script Share Point Library. Start with soemthing simple though ... @PlayCraftLearn MineCraft Education, Make Code @Micro:bit
#tosachat
Just wanted to be cautious and make sure you didn't feel targeted. It's hard to get across tone when typing. Your response was perfect! English needs more pronouns for "you". LOL You as in others not you as in you. #tosachat :)
I did! I have so many and I'm not entirely sure the equitable way to use them aside from class set loaners. We live relatively close... I'm sure we can work out a deal of some sort. :) #TosaChat
In reply to
@EdTechEddie, @HowardKiyuna, @Jyoung1219, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
A5: We can support teachers taking Hour of Code beyond the hour by helping them see the value and supporting integration of computer science into their curriculum and instruction. #tosachat
Are you making it big and generic, attached to anchor standards? Or grade level specific? I've tried doing things like this and I get bogged down in the nitty gritty details. #TosaChat
Did you know Fresno is becoming the Tech Hub of the country (Cheap Rent)? BitWise Industries @BitwiseInd. Projected to add 10,000 small startups in this decade! Incredible potential in Coding. #tosachat
I tried that. In my role last year, I attempted to get old devices. The challenge was not getting enough and also the devices were all different. #TosaChat
In reply to
@HowardKiyuna, @EdTechEddie, @peerlessgreen, @TosaChat, @kmartintahoe, @KarlyMoura, @EdTechAri, @annkozma723, @TeachingTechNix, @iluvteaching72, @edtechchamp, @nzefeldt
Proof is in the pudding, right? Gather a core group who use it, get their testimony, spread it across campuses. It's the gentle breeze approach. #TOSAchat
Yes! I see so many Ss that want to know the purpose before they invest in learning what you have for them. That’s a mind shift more many educators. #TosaChat
