Author Archives: Stacey Armstrong

NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing

NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing

“Sponsored by Bank of America, the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing recognizes young women at the high-school level for their computing-related achievements and interests. By generating visibility for these young women in their local communities, the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing encourages their continued interest in computing, attracts the attention and support of educational and corporate institutions, and emphasizes at a personal level the importance of women’s participation.”

This looks like a great opportunity for young ladies interested in Computing.
I plan to put this in the hands of all of the girls in our Computer Science program.

High School CS Contests Help Boost Enrollment

In Texas, we have lots of Computer Science contests – Texas CS Contest List.  I find contests very worthwhile and fun.  My students typically feel the same way.  We typically attend 8 – 10 contests per year and host a contest at my high school in the spring.  If you are looking for a way to get more students excited about Computer Science, consider hosting a contest and getting other area schools to do the same.  I have found contests to be a very quick way to boost enrollment, especially once you establish a winning tradition.  All students want to be a part of a winner! Once you get a few contests or even a single contest going, other schools will join in and before you know it there will be more contests than you will have time to attend.  A typical Saturday contest in the Houston area would have around 80 teams of 3 students with 15-20 different schools attending.
The UIL Computer Science Contest is a state-wide contest run by the University Interscholastic League.
This Texas-based contest is very well done and would be a great model for any state wanting to get contests going.

CS News – Training More HS CS Teachers

Georgia Tech to Train Former IT Professionals to Become High School Teachers

This sounds like a great program in which both sides will benefit greatly.
It would be great if all states could get something like this going.
In Texas, we have a very hard time finding High School Computer Science teachers.
This type of program would help build a pipeline of teachers for the High Schools.