Karel Con 2021

In this session, participants will learn how to leverage the CodeHS teacher tools and resources like code review and grading, lesson plans, access controls and more. We’ll also discuss engaging strategies within the tools that encourage student-centered learning and ignite their curiosity. Participants will leave this session with effective blended learning strategies and resources to enhance their face-to-face, hybrid, or remote classes with CodeHS!

Using CodeHS for Gifted Enrichment

Storme Frame, Harpers Ferry MS in West Virginia
11am-11:45am CT, Room 1

CodeHS is a great resource/tool for Gifted enrichment differentiation. Join this session to see how CodeHS has been used in a Gifted Enrichment program for the past three years. It has provided students with enhanced coding capabilities and has successfully provided the enrichment they yearn to receive. In addition, it has been used with high school students who have aged out of the gifted program, but who are still engaged and working through activities in CodeHS.

Storme Frame has been an enthusiastic teacher for the past ten years, specifically Gifted enrichment for the past two years. She has a loving wife, four beautiful and intelligent children, and an adorable dog. She’s active in the Teachers Union and most recently ran for the House of Delegates. Although she didn’t win, she brought the community together during a trying time and helped spread resources where they were most needed. During her free time, she enjoys selling real estate and working on DIY projects!

Growing Computer Science At Your School

Jesse Darcy, Lewis Mills HS in Connecticut
11am-11:45am CT, Room 2

In this session, we will show how to build a computer science program offering, create a pipeline, boost student interest, and recruit teachers to teach in the program! We will showcase the steps we took at our school to have a 300% increase in students taking computer science courses! Our process developed over time and took us from 1 section and 16 students a year to 3 sections including an Intro course and 2 AP courses serving 70+ students (and still growing each year!)

Jesse Darcy is the Grades 5-12 Maths and Business Coordinator and AP CSP teacher for Regional School District #10 in Burlington, CT. A Maths major at the core, with an interest in problem solving has led Jesse to continue to grow the school's offerings and interest to ALL students they serve.

Teaching Using CodeHS' New Course Building Tools

Portia Morrell, Lycée Français de New York in New York
11am-11:45am CT, Room 3

Last Fall, CodeHS released a new feature to Create Your Own Courses for both FREE and PRO users. This workshop is a case study and exploration of what can be achieved using the new features as a FREE user. Teachers can create their own lessons, scaffold the CS material and have students complete lessons, and projects at their own pace and all in one place. Final products of student work will also be showcased.

Portia Morrell is a Computer Science Teacher at the Lycée Français de New York teaching 8th through 10th grade since the fall of 2017. She is passionate about Computer Science Education and has built and taught CS curriculum for all ages including courses for Adult Continuing Education. In her spare time you can find her watching Science Fiction TV shows / movies and a wide variety of documentaries. Portia is truly a lifelong learner and continues to inspire her students to be the same.

Karel Con Unconference/Networking

Lori Goldade
12pm-12:45pm CT, Main

In this participant-driven session, attendees will be able to submit specific topics and lead or join in on discussions around those topics in Zoom breakout rooms. Join this fun and lively session and chat with colleagues about topics you are especially interested in!

Using micro:bits to Demonstrate Computational Thinking

Greg Ryerson, Crescent School in Toronto
12pm-12:45pm CT, Room 1

In this session we will discuss what is meant by Computational Thinking (CT) and explore a few different frameworks within CT. We will view some examples of how micro:bit activities can be used to develop the various skills, understandings, and habits of mind of CT, and hear from some students about their personal experiences doing so. Resources will be shared for student self-assessment of those skills, understandings, and habits of mind. We will then investigate the Design Thinking process and how CT habits of mind can facilitate empathetic design.

Greg Ryerson is a Grade 7 Science teacher at an independent boys’ school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He incorporates PBL, experiential education, and design thinking into his course. His students also explore coding through the integration of micro:bits throughout the program. Greg is Google Certified (Level 1 and 2), a National Geographic Certified educator, and a micro:bit Champion. Outside of the classroom he is a Teacher Leader with Let’s Talk Science and Certification Mentor with Nat Geo.

Building Your CS Program with Support from Administrator, Counselors, and Other Teachers

Tom & Ruth Kyle, Melissa High School in Texas
12pm-12:45pm CT, Room 2

In this session, we will discuss the importance of computer science curricula in our schools and the importance of getting administrators and counselors on board to build a solid CS pathway at your school. We'll discuss the whys, hows, and strategies for getting support from people that don't even really know what CS is!

Tom Kyle is a Computer Science teacher, and Ruth Kyle is a CTE Counselor. Tom has had success recruiting girls and underrepresented minorities into his CS program. They are both national presenters for Counselors for Computing and NCWIT.

Real-Time Collaboration on CodeHS!

Debbie Weissmann, New Roads School in California
12pm-12:45pm CT, Room 3

In this hands-on-the-keyboard session, you’ll discover how easy it is for you and your students to collaborate on a coding project. Learn to create a new Sandbox project and add multiple students. Learn strategies for keeping them on track and coding together. You'll come away from this session with the information you need to get students started with Real-Time Collaborations in CodeHS!

Debbie Weissmann teaches Computer Science at New Roads School in Santa Monica, CA and is on the faculty of San Jose State University (SJSU) where she teaches course design. Her current research focuses on the roles of affordances, community, and play in learning to code.

In this CodeHS-led session you can learn about all of the functionality in the CodeHS integrated development environment (IDE). This session will cover the basics all the way up to advanced super-user features to show you the power of the CodeHS IDE.

This session will be run by CodeHS Co-Founder & CTO, Zach Galant along with Software Engineer, Andy Bayer.

'Bunny Races' in Python3

Kent Pendleton, Trinity Christian Academy in Texas
1pm-1:45pm CT, Room 1

Off to the races with this application activity for all levels! Imagine a microscopic bunny at zero on the number line. He wants to cross the finish line at 1. He takes random hops in the interval and counts the hops until he crosses the finish line. If he does this for n trials, on average, how many hops does it take him to cross the finish line? There are some surprising results as we explore this 'random' experiment! Along the way, we will harness the power of functions, lists, rudimentary statistics, and the random module.

Kent Pendleton earned an undergraduate degree in Physics and a master’s in engineering with an emphasis on computer modeling. Although he worked as a ‘rocket scientist’ for a short time at Sandia Laboratories, his real passion has always been teaching. He has been helping students achieve their goals in mathematics and computer science for over 30 years at the same school in north Dallas. An educational leader and curriculum developer, Kent is a lifetime learner who is always looking for something new to learn and to teach.

Starting a Certification Culture at Your School

Joe Thompson, McDonogh School in Maryland
1pm-1:45pm CT, Room 2

Join this session to see how student certifications can play a role at your school by examining how we did it at McDonogh School. The discussion will include what CodeHS certifications are, how to get students interested, and what certifications can do for students. We will also look at how certifications can be used as an alternative or complementary pathway to AP.

Joe Thompson, who came from a zero coding background, is in his 7th year with CodeHS! His students beta tested the very first CodeHS AP Java course. CodeHS has been his computer science teaching tool and an instrumental part of his CS teaching career!

The CodeHS Inspire Fellows are a cohort of teachers dedicated to changing lives and expanding student opportunities through computer science. This session will be a panel-style interview, where CodeHS Inspire Fellow teachers will share best practices and tips for teachers of all levels. Hear about their stories starting CS programs from scratch, building robotics and 3D printing labs, winning statewide contests, and more!

Jeanne Smith has taught mathematics for 18 years and then started a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) pre-engineering program at her high school. As a result of that, she was able to transition into a full-time STEM teaching position and is currently teaching AP CSP, AP CSA, Cybersecurity, Robotics, and three PLTW pre-engineering courses. She formally taught CS courses for the past three years, but before becoming a teacher she was a technical analyst in the corporate world.

Brian Taylor has been teaching for over 20 years, but he has only been teaching computer science for 5 years. He sets the bar high for his students to excel in class, as well as life.

Carmen Bryson has a BS in Math with a concentration in Computer Science from Howard University, a Masters in Education, and a Masters in Social Administration. She taught Math for 20 years and is now teaching AP Java Computer Science A. Prior to teaching CS, she would incorporate Computer Science in her Math Curriculum.

Melinda Zarate has been teaching for 24 years and has been teaching technology in one form or another for most of those years. She currently teaches upper level IT practicums and PLTW Computer Science. This is her second year teaching the computer science program.