The UTeach Computer Science conference is a series of workshops to train teacher trainers (individuals who will train computer science teachers). An invitation was extended to the GbCC team to provide a demonstration of the technologies for the teacher trainers. Teacher trainers were encouraged to play with three simulations; the beauty simulation, traffic simulation, and the infectious disease simulation. Teacher trainers generally seemed to enjoy the program. The leader of the conference announced that using this program would allow teachers to accomplish the modeling in computer science goal.
GbCC is useful for teachers using the Advanced Placement Computer Science Standards. Particularly, GbCC provides a platform to teach enduring understanding 2.3: models and simulations use abstraction to generate new understanding and knowledge. Within this enduring understanding are 2 learning objectives and 12 essential knowledge points. By training individuals who will go forth and train computer science teachers, we are increasing the radius of individuals who will use and benefit from the GbCC capabilities.
The following individuals attended:
- Bill Gibson, Morgantown, WV
- Brian Ford, York, PA
- Chris Carter, Shanghai, China
- Dan Shuster, Simi Valley, CA
- Drew Fulkerson, Bowling Green, KY (online only)
- Elenor Harden, Austin, TX
- Greg Kilgore, Marlboro, NJ (not assigned)
- Jason Slabodsky, NYC
- John Linares, Helotes, TX(not assigned)
- Kelly Vostal, West Windsor, NJ
- Kyle Schreiner, Freehold, NJ (online only)
- Leslie Brommer, Germantown, TN
- Melanie Stafford, Philadelphia, PA
- Mike Hall, Paragould, AR (online & FTF)
- Paula McKinney, Austin, TX
- Terri Whitmer, Stow, OH
The following feedback was received and implemented from the Conference:
- (Traffic Simulation) How do we control our individual light? Are there instructions for that?
- (Traffic Simulation) Can everyone's individual screen also have the intersection coordinates
- (General Use) Justin was interested in how this could be used in high schools to recruits students to register for computer science courses
- (General Use) The framing text (description of the simulation) currently exists at the bottom of the model. Justin had mentioned having it at the top of the screen instead, that way students must interface with it before jumping straight into a simulation.
