PSCSTA (Puget Sound Computer Science Teachers Association) welcomed the first cohort of STEP CS Master's in Education program students on the evening of May 20, 2022 at The Gates Center on the campus at the University of Washington.
Nine candidates are in the first-ever cohort of STEP CS (Secondary Teacher Education Program Computer Science) Master's program at the University of Washington. STEP CS is a 5th quarter add-on endorsement - teacher candidates enroll in a 1-year degree program, earn a first endorsement in math, science, social studies, language arts, or world languages, and then stay for an additional quarter to earn a second endorsement in CS. The 5th quarter with a CS focus is also offered to in-service teachers. Much of the content for STEP CS curriculum is based on the Critically Conscious Computing curriculum led by Dr. Amy Ko.
Twenty plus PSCSTA members welcomed the nine STEP CS candidates with an evening of food, unconference/networking, and lightning talks on May 20. It was the first general in-person event held by PSCSTA in over two and a half years. A few PSCSTA members outside of the Seattle area also participated via teleconference. It was also the first opportunity for many PSCSTA members to visit the Gates Center of the UW Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering which opened in early 2019. May 20 was a gorgeous spring day in Seattle, and the top floor of the Gates Center and its views of Lake Washington provided a great re-opening venue for the bleary-eyed and longing for in-person fellowship.
Ten PSCSTA members each gave a 5-minute Lightning Talk at the event. The slides for the event may be found here.
