Professional Development for Teachers

Support from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has given the William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation the ability to expand its professional learning programs to offer Code.org’s professional learning series to North Carolina educators. You don’t have to be a software developer to teach computer science! This year-long Professional Learning Program is designed to support you throughout the academic year as you teach, engage, and empower your students to explore computer science.

By implementing a scalable professional development program and co-creating locally relevant curricular materials with teachers, this project aims to increase access to computing education in elementary schools, ensuring that every student in North Carolina has the opportunity to experience CS regardless of historical stereotypes and institutional barriers.

(Exploring Computation Integrated into Technology and Engineering) is an NSF-funded partnership led by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) in conjunction with Hofstra and North Carolina State universities to develop a professional development and implementation support program to help prepare the nation’s high school Technology and Engineering teachers to teach a College Board Advanced Placement level one-year Computer Science Principles (AP-CSP) course.

Elementary Computer Science professional development sessions provide educators with a structured platform to enhance their understanding and teaching skills in foundational Computer Science concepts. These sessions typically focus on curriculum development, instructional strategies, and the integration of age-appropriate coding and computational thinking into elementary education. Attendees gain hands-on experience with interactive tools and resources, fostering a collaborative environment for sharing best practices. These sessions aim to empower educators to instill computational skills in young learners, preparing them for the increasingly digital world while fostering a passion for problem-solving and creativity.