Onramps to Computer Science

This conversation is with a group of founders designing novel
learning experiences to engage learners. The conversation
explores each approach, and what values they bring to what they
design and build for learners. How does "engagement" relate to
what skills, identities, and dispositions these experts hope that
learners attain including but not limiting to computer science.


Armando Somoza is a new media artist, technologist, social
entrepreneur, and educator. He is committed to the creative
application of immersive learning experiences, cultural
entrepreneurship, and digital technologies as an agent of
provocation and change. He holds an MFA in Emergent Digital
Practice and a BA in Ethnic Studies. He is a career educator,
artist, and technologist currently serving as a graduate level
Adjunct Professor at NYU Steinhardt and CEO & Co-Founder of
Rapport Studios, a creative agency that exists to disrupt,
awaken, and reorient people’s relationship to knowledge and
culture. Our product, CodeSCTY, leverages original hip hop music
and youth culture to teach computational thinking and coding -
like Schoolhouse Rock for coding.


Chenits Pettigrew is an accomplished musician, educator,
entrepreneur and creative director. Through innovative curriculum
development, live performance, multimedia creation and master
classes, his work aims to foster sustainable change. He has
worked with arts and community organizations domestically and
internationally in pursuit of this mission. He is the co-founder
of Soul Science Lab, a music and multimedia production company
and Chief Creative Officer of Rapport Studios, a creative
education agency. At Rapport he is focused on building dynamic
content for CodeScty, a product that uses original hip hop music
to teach computer science concepts. Chenits holds a Bachelor of
Arts in Media Studies from Pennsylvania State University and an
interdisciplinary Master’s in Music Business & Tech and Art
as Activism from New York University.


Leandra Tejedor and her cofounder Alexandra Diracles are proving
that the best way to teach teens, especially girls, computer
programming is go where they live: social media videos. It's a
Javascript coding curriculum that can be used as a stand-alone
course or a unit within a CS course. Vidcode has reached over
150,000 students (62% girls) in 113 countries, and recently
partnered with Snapchat to help enable teens to code their own
snapchat filters. Tejedor holds a degree in design and
interactive media from Ramapo College.


We often forget how rare it is that any of us as learners truly
stumbles upon a deep motivation, a love for a topic, or
enthusiasm for new skills out of nowhere. And yet, so many of the
approaches we take through institutional learning make the
assumption that you - empty vessel awaiting relevant knowledge -
are eager to dive in.  Today especially, we're obsessed as a
country with "readiness." For the future, for jobs, for the
challenges of tomorrow, but nobody every got ready for anything
by having others shove it cram it down our throat. As many of you
are aware, thoughtful, well-designed onramps can be the
difference between pushing through an already cracked door, and
feeling around aimlessly for a secret opening in a library wall
like in a scene from Harry Potter. You get what I'm saying - meet
everyone...


Links from this episode:


Kiki Dance Challenge


VidCode


CodeSCTY


Mark Guzdial, University of Michigan:








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