Teaching Impacts of Technology in K-12 Education Specialization

Teach Impacts of Computing in K-12. Be prepared to help students understand computing and its impacts in their digital worlds

About This Specialization

2% That’s the estimate of how many high school students in all of California took a Computer Science class in 2015. And yet, computers and data are everywhere. Just consider a typical 24 hours in your life … how many different computer devices do you use? We all live in multiple digital worlds that are changing rapidly with new apps, devices, and data analyses offering a constant stream of innovations and technology integrations for our lives. As it's an integral part of our lives, we’re working towards computer science for all - making it possible for every student, every future member of society, to understand computing and technology. To do so, we need teachers. Teachers prepared to both teach computational concepts and use best practices so kids enjoy and see they can be successful in computer science. This is where you (and this Specialization) come in! In this Specialization you will both learn about the impacts of computing in our world and how to teach these impacts to K-12 students. We offer both the technical knowledge and also the pedagogical approaches for teaching these concepts. Along the way you’ll engage with freely available materials you can use in your own classroom, as well as learn from teachers currently teaching these concepts in their classrooms. In short - in this Specialization we'll teach you the computing concepts you need to know and then help you explore and evaluate lesson plans and resources to prepare you for your classroom.

Created by:

6 courses

Follow the suggested order or choose your own.

Projects

Designed to help you practice and apply the skills you learn.

Certificates

Highlight your new skills on your resume or LinkedIn.

Projects Overview

Using a problem-based approach to understanding underlying computing concepts, we’ll travel through five different digital “worlds” in which we engage with technology, exploring the problems posed within that world and the various tech solutions that exist.

At the end of each world, you will reflect on the effectiveness of your learning process and evaluate lesson plans and materials available for use in your own classroom. Through these activities, you’ll become a more reflective teacher and develop an understanding of how instruction and activities can be designed to support learning. See FAQ for per-course details.

As a culminating project, you will complete part of the new advanced placement computer science course - the “Explore Task” - where you research a recent computing innovation and and analyze its impacts on the world. You’ll apply the AP grading checklist to sample secondary student work, provide feedback to a fellow learner, and receive the same from fellow learners.

Courses

Beginner Specialization.: No prior experience required.

COURSE 1
Teaching Impacts of Technology: Fundamentals
Current session: Jun 18
Commitment
4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week
Subtitles
English
About the Course
In this course you’ll focus on the fundamentals of teaching the impacts of technology, starting by exploring how you interact with and benefit from technology in a typical 24 hour period, such as the desire for instant food and entertainment. This will
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.
COURSE 2
Teaching Impacts of Technology: Data Collection, Use, and Privacy
Current session: Jun 18
Commitment
4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours per week
Subtitles
English
About the Course
In this course you’ll focus on how constant data collection and big data analysis have impacted us, exploring the interplay between using your data and protecting it, as well as thinking about what it could do for you in the future. This will be done t
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.
COURSE 3
Teaching Impacts of Technology: Relationships
Current session: Jun 18
Commitment
4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours per week
Subtitles
English
About the Course
In this course you’ll focus on how “smart” devices have changed how we interact with others in personal ways, impacting how we stay connected in our increasingly mobile society. This will be done through a series of paired teaching sections, exp
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.
COURSE 4
Teaching Impacts of Technology: Workplace of the Future
Upcoming session: Jun 25
Commitment
4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours per week
Subtitles
English
About the Course
In this course you’ll focus on how the Internet has enabled new careers and changed expectations in traditional work settings, creating a new vision for the workplace of the future. This will be done through a series of paired teaching sections, exp
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.
COURSE 5
Teaching Impacts of Technology: Global Society
Upcoming session: Jun 25
Commitment
4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours per week
Subtitles
English
About the Course
In this course you’ll focus on how technology-enabled communication is changing geopolitics and, more broadly, how technology is connecting our world and changing lives. This will be done through a series of paired teaching sections, exp
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.
COURSE 6
Capstone Project: Teaching Impacts of Technology
Starts August 2018
Commitment
4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week
Subtitles
English
About the Course
In this project-based course you’ll review the Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles course and exam description guide to prepare for the “Explore Task”, where students must research a recent computing innovation and and analyze its impacts on the world. You’ll also review the description of this task from the student perspective and complete the task yourself. Then you’ll assess sample secondary student work by following the APCSP scoring guidelines as well as provide feedback to a fellow learner on their submitted task and receive the same from fellow learners. This course is part of a larger Specialization, in which the first five courses focus on teaching impacts of computing concepts and the technology and computing concepts that make them possible, preparing you to teach pre-college learners to be both savvy and effective participants in their digital worlds. While this course and project can be completed without taking the other courses, the bulk of new knowledge is taught there. Additionally, throughout the courses you’ll reflect on your learning experience from both the perspective of the student and the educator, helping you become a more reflective teacher and develop an understanding of how instruction and activities can be designed to support learning. Note, if your goal is to receive graduate credit from the University of California, San Diego, you need to to make that decision before you complete this course. Please see the FAQ “Will I earn university credit for completing this course?” for details on how to receive that credit. In terms of CSTA K-12 computer science standards, throughout the Specialization we primarily cover learning objectives within the “impacts of computing” concept, while also including some within the “networks and the Internet” concepts and the “data and analysis” concept. Practices we cover include “fostering and inclusive computing culture”, “recognizing and defining computational problems”, and “communicating about computing”.
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.

Creators

In Education Studies, we believe in transforming education in a diverse society where all students, particularly in diverse and underserved communities, will thrive and reach their fullest potential.
UC San Diego is an academic powerhouse and economic engine, recognized as one of the top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. Innovation is central to who we are and what we do. Here, students learn that knowledge isn't just acquired in the classroom—life is their laboratory.

Beth Simon
Associate Teaching Professor

FAQs

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