Longmont’s Sunset Middle School is getting a boost for its computer science program after being accepted into the Amazon Future Engineer Program in partnership with Project STEM.
The opportunity includes resources and support to help the school build out its program, including a three-year curriculum developed by MIT and online professional development classes for teachers.
“It’s just going to be awesome for our kids,” said Sunset Principal Anthony Barela. “Kids can design something that we haven’t even thought of as adults.”
He said the plan is to offer the first in a three-year sequence of classes in the fall, adding a class each year. The first class focuses on exploring computer science through the programming language Scratch, the second on artificial intelligence and App Inventor, and the third on creative media and Python.
“If a kid understands computer science fundamentals, it’s going to cross over to other disciplines,” he said. “It’s a great medium. It requires creativity, communication, problem solving. You have to go through all these codes to figure out why something doesn’t work.”
He said other perks of the program include access to Amazon engineers as class speakers and tours to see what computer science looks like in practice.
Sunset STEM and learning coach Krista Chiaravalle and teacher Jenn Macios teach — and helped develop — the school’s current roster of computer science classes.
“We’re looking to add to and enhance our curriculum,” Macios said.
Chiaravalle added the goal is for students to leave middle school with strong skills plus a passion for computer science.
She said the new curriculum provided through the Amazon Future Engineer Program should help her use Scratch to teach more complex computer science skills, giving students a stronger understanding of coding.
“Kids are coming with a lot more skills with computer science,” she said. “Their computational thinking is at a higher level now.”
Classes are more than just learning to code, she added, and incorporate robotics, 3D printing and the design process. There’s also a possibility that students who can’t fit a computer science class in their schedule could instead learn through independent study.
“Our program has grown a lot,” she said. “It’s about to get huge as students see how exciting computer science is.”
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March 18, 2021 at 07:01AM
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Sunset Middle gets computer science boost through Amazon STEM program - Longmont Times-Call
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