Through this PD you'll have an opportunity to share your thoughts and experiences with other teachers through our forums. At the bottom of this page you'll see a forum that you can reply to.
What do you love about teaching CS in your Algebra classes?
What was your favorite thing about integrating Computer Science into your Algebra classes? Post your thoughts here, and then come back later to read the posts of others and further the conversation.
My favorite thing about teaching CS in my Algebra class was watching the excitement in the children as they took each activity to a new level. Some of my kids even went on to Google and changed its image to something else using the knowledge they gained through coding their video games.
I really like the fact that the students saw an immediate application to the material they were learning in the classroom.
It was an immediate answer to the question “When am I ever going to use this?”
Each and every day my students were excited to work with Bootstrap & WeScheme to create their video game. I have never seen so much enthusiasm. I love teaching this program and have learned so many tips and tricks that will help improve my teaching of this program next year.
I am a Computer teacher and know only what I was taught in Algebra class (a long time ago) but my students loved learning about Bootstrap especially the part about making a game. It was a lot of fun teaching it, too.
I really loved the curiosity it built with the students. They were always trying to challenge me and come up with new ways to use the code to make their game do something new. I had a girl in one of my classes who had a natural ability with coding. I asked her if she had ever thought of a career in computer science and she said she had never thought about it before she started doing the Bootstrap program and now she is very interested to see where it could take her.
I think it is important that computer science into our algebra classes because they relate to each other and many topics overlap. The students enjoyed to see how what they were learning in algebra applies to coding.
I think that it is important to integrate computer science in the algebra class because it is certainly used in the work place. My students went on a field trip to see algebra in action at a company that trades stocks and commodities, among other things electronically. The students were amazed at what they saw and became more aware of how important algebra is. Code begins that journey of math/computer science integration for many students!
I like that it opened some doors for my students, and made programming something that is accessible and exciting. Not every student was 100% into what we were doing, but there were a few (and not necessarily the ones I would expect) who took Bootstrap and ran with it. Where was this when I was in 8th grade…
I liked the fact that my students felt so confident as we progressed. They were challenged but seemed to feel as if they could overcome the challenge. I also liked how the program fostered collaboration. My students were willing to help one another in a positive way.
I enjoy see how excited they were to apply the math. It helped them make the connection from the classroom to the real world and that’s what teaching is all about.
I love seeing how engaged my students are! They love to code in any capacity and the fact that I can coordinate it with out math topics is just a bonus!
I like that my students had the opportunity to develop great problem solving skills. They were so motivated to do well with coding that they didn’t give up.
My favorite thing about incorporating computer science into my class was the excitement which my students showed throughout the process. There were some points of frustration, but so much learning took place that it was worth it. Also, it was interesting to see how the students approached some of the levels which was different from the way in which I did.
I rolled CS in Algebra recently to my 6-8 graders and they absolutely loved it. I liked that they were challenged but also felt like they were having fun in the process. I also liked that several team leaders emerged who are not normally strong achievers in STEM class, and this gave them greater confidence.
I absolutely love how excited my kids get anytime they accomplish something within the program. Students who thought they were “bad with computers” have learned a new appreciation. It’s also allowed me to reach a few students who have no interest in math (or the world of education as a whole) but love technology.
I like how the programming language made my students use logic and think through math applications in a different way. It’s nice to change instruction to keep it interesting and coding allowed me to do that and provide a practical 21st century career-building experience at the same time.
It is helping my Computer Science students understand how their math skills really come into play into their programming skills. And those students who were a little lower level math began to understand their math a little better.