We’re thrilled to be partnering with USF Sarasota-Manatee to help bolster the skills of computer science teachers at local high schools through the help of a Google CS4HS grant. When USF Sarasota-Manatee Professors Dr. Giti Javidi and Dr. Ehsan Sheybani relocated to Sarasota from Virginia last August, they noticed that few Florida high schools were offering AP computer classes. They were quick to sign up as volunteer mentors for our first annual #SRQHacks Hackathon in October 2016, which helps expose students to Computer Science careers through the development of a mobile app. Since then, we’ve worked closely with both Dr. Javidi and Dr. Sheybani to determine how we can further elevate computer science education in our schools.
Florida’s Department of Education encourages the advanced classes, but unfortunately too few teachers are qualified to teach them. The $35,000 Google grant will be used to hold a five-day workshop in June and launch a year-long mentoring program and community of practice. The aim is to promote the development of Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science courses in local high schools.
“This year-long partnership with Google will provide the resources to train more high school teachers in computer science and information technology who, in turn, can train more teachers in the future,” Dr. Javidi said. “This project will create and implement a high-quality professional development approach that incorporates face-to-face training with continuous just-in-time support.”
Teachers from all subject areas are welcome to register as no prior computer science training is required. The workshop will be held June 26-30 9am-5pm at the USFSM campus, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail.
Only 20 slots are available – To register, please click here. For more information about the program, contact Jennifer Sams, jsams@edfoundationsrq.org or Dr. Javidi, javidi@usf.edu