Utah computer science education conference to be held in Hurricane

Students at computers. Undated | Stock image, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Utah State University Extension 4-H, with support from Google, will host its first Utah Computer Science Educators Conference on Wednesday, March 28, at the Washington County Legacy Park in Hurricane.

The event is designed to instruct teachers, informal educators and volunteer 4-H club leaders on the fundamentals of teaching computer science to youth ages 8 to 14. The hands-on conference workshops will help educators create a clear pathway to begin, or enrich, an existing computer science program.

Educators will learn how to teach technical skills like coding and robotics, as well as essential life skills such as computational thinking, teamwork and resilience. The scheduled workshops include:

  • Teaching computer science and CT with the Lego WeDo 2.0 robotics kit.
  • Using the FIRST Lego League and FLL Jr. robotics programs to teach computer science, CT and life skills.
  • Getting up and running with Scratch, a visual programming language developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Developing a mindset for computational thinking through unplugged computer science activities.
  • How to facilitate a Google Expedition.
  • An introduction to Python through the Raspberry Pi computer.

If there is one point on which most Americans agree, it is that technology will play an increasingly important role in the way we live and work. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that in just three years, there will be 1.4 million computer science-related jobs, and only 400,000 qualified job candidates.

In response, 4‑H, America’s largest youth development organization, and Google have come together for a first-of-its-kind computer science collaboration. This partnership is creating a pathway for youth in rural areas to have access to computer science-related education and training.

“It is incredibly exciting to witness the impact of the collaboration between 4-H and Google in establishing a pathway to make (computer science) education accessible to all the youth in Utah,” Paul Hill, associate professor for Utah State University Extension said. “And, by educating the educators, we can broaden our reach and impact.”

Event details

  • What: Utah Computer Science Educators Conference presented by the Utah State University Extension 4-H.
  • When: Wednesday, March 28.
  • Where: Washington County Legacy Park, 5500 W. 700 South, Hurricane.
  • Details: The event is designed to instruct teachers, informal educators and volunteer 4-H club leaders on the fundamentals of teaching computer science to youth ages 8 to 14. For more information, email Paul Hill.

Resources

  • For more information, go to the conference website.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.