Explore Micro-credential Offerings

Code.org CS (Computer Science) Fundamentals for Grades K-5 Part 1

Description: This micro-credential is designed to introduce you to the Code.org Computer Science Fundamentals for Grades K-5 curriculum which is free to use.  It allows you to enroll your students in levels by grade or by experience and includes a full dashboard for you to keep track of student progress.  Each concept area includes lessons both unplugged and plugged.  The unplugged lessons are done without a device and engage students in collaborative activities to introduce and learn the concept.  This is followed by plugged lessons which reinforce the concept and offer challenges to those who progress faster.  Each lesson includes all of the resources (videos, worksheets, teacher support) needed and a complete plan from introduction to wrap-up.

Intended Audience:  K-5 General and Tech Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 4 hours

Coding with scratch Jr Part 1 - Creating stories

Description:  This micro-credential will show you how to use the app ScratchJr which teaches students in grades PreK-2 how to use code blocks to create animations. The blocks are icon based so they are perfect for non-readers and beginning readers. The blocks are categorized by what the code does and ties to computer science concepts of events, actions, and broadcasting. Students can retell and create stories, build games, and more.

Intended Audience: PK-2 Educators

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Coding with scratch Jr Part 2 - beyond the basics

Description:  This micro-credential will show you how to use more of the ScratchJr blocks to create interactive stories and games. These blocks go beyond the “Green Flag” (play animation) and allow users to interact with the story or game by touching characters (sprites). The blocks are still icon based so they are perfect for non-readers and beginning readers. You will also explore the ScratchJr curricula and computer science concepts.

Intended Audience: PK-2 Educators

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Coding with scratch Part 1

Description:  This micro-credential will show you how to use Scratch which teaches students in grades 3-12 how to use code to create animations, games, quizzes, and more. The blocks are categorized by what the code does and ties to computer science concepts of events, actions, and broadcasting.

Intended Audience: Grades 3-12 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Coding with scratch Part 2 Creating Quizzes
 

Description:  This micro-credential will continue to show you how to use Scratch which teaches students in grades 3-12 how to use code to create animations, games, quizzes, and more. More of the blocks will be explored and used to make a classroom quiz. The blocks are categorized by what the code does and ties to computer science concepts of events, actions, and broadcasting.

Intended Audience: Grades 3-12 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Cs First through google

Description:  This micro-credential will show you how to use Scratch within the CS First Curriculum which teaches students in grades 4-12 how to use code to create animations, games, quizzes, and more. The curriculum allows you to monitor student progress and assign a lesson(s). CS First works directly with Google Classrooms. It also allows students to create accounts in Scratch without using their email.

Intended Audience: Grades 4-8 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

CS Concept Data & Analysis K-5

Description: This microcredential will blend the CSTA Standards for Data & Analysis with a children’s book.  The books are available in the Keystone media collection and/or as an ebook in MackinVia. You will gain an understanding of how data and analysis work in computational thinking.  You will gain an understanding of what data is and how it can be manipulated to solve problems and more. You will integrate a lesson in another subject with one of the books.  This is important to supporting our students as they become computational thinkers in today’s world.

Intended Audience: K-5 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

CS Integration - Elementary Edition

Description: This micro-credential will address the driving question “How in the world do elementary teachers find time to teach computer science?”. Participants will explore computer science standards overlap with core content areas as well as special areas. Strategies and resources are included to support integration, as well as an interview from the field.

Intended Audience: K-5 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

CS: Planning before programming 

Description: In teaching students to write clear, well-reasoned essays, language arts educators often rely on pre-writing activities such as graphic organizers and outlines. Computer science educators can implement similar exercises to support students to write clear, well-reasoned computer programs. This micro-credential draws on the work of Bagge and Grover (2020), who describe the benefits of planning before programming: “Planning before creating a program or a software system can be tremendously beneficial. It gives the coders foresight into problems they might face, defines the functional subparts that can be implemented by a collaborative team, can reveal weaknesses in their potential system, and makes the actual exercise of programming easier because they have intuition and a mental model for the key aspects of the program or system.” This micro-credential is created by UTeach Computer Science and Digital Promise. You will earn a micro-credential badge through Digital Promise and share the badge with Keystone.

Intended Audience: 9th-12th Grade Teachers, Computer Science, Instructional Coaches 

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

CSTA Standards for CS Teachers: How to Effectively Engage Students in CS

Description: This micro-credential is designed for teachers to learn more about the Computer Science (CS) Teaching Standards to be an effective K-12 computer science teacher. The teaching standards are designed to provide effective and equitable computer science instruction through rigorous computer science education.  The teaching  standards will explain what CS teachers should know and be able to do in the classroom while continually developing their pedagogical knowledge. Participants should have some knowledge of the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (student standards) or have taken the micro-credential Introduction to the K-12 Computer Science Standards.

Intended Audience: K-12 Computer Science Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

CS Using the Micro:bit Go

Description: You will need access to a Micro:bit Go to complete this micro credential.  You can purchase one at US dealer PiShop.US for $18.95 or check out Keystone media kit KM 12796.  Learn how to use the Micro:bit Go, one of the easiest and most effective learning tools for digital skills and creativity.  After completing the microcredential you will be able to introduce and guide your students through easy and creative projects that support computer science concepts and strengthen their 21st Century skills.  You will also know how to use “block” and/or “python” programming.

Intended Audience: Grades 2-10 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

CS with the hummingbird robotics kit   

Description: This micro credential will introduce the Hummingbird Robotics Kit. The kit consists of lights, motors, and sensors which allow students to build robots out of any materials. The kit works with Chromebooks, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and FireOS. Students can program in BirdBlox, Snap!, MakeCode / JavaScript, Python, Java, Swift, and Kotlin languages. Hummingbird has a large variety of resources including FREE learning materials for classroom projects, robot building, programming, classroom integration, and professional development. When you finish this micro credential you will have watched a series of PD videos and created your own project using the Hummingbird kit. You will also have a simple plan for using the Hummingbird kit with your students. You will need a Hummingbird kit to complete this micro credential. Contact Kathy Hay to check one out from the STEAM collection (not in the media collection) via khay@aea1.k12.ia.us

Intended Audience: 4-12 General and Tech Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 4 hours

Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding

Description: Through reading “Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding” with/to students and implementing the included lessons in computational thinking, teachers will learn how to provide opportunities for students to break big problems into small problems, look for patterns, create step-by-step plans, and think outside the box. Play is at the core of learning. Coding is like crayons or LEGO blocks - a way to express yourself. This book is not about ‘learning to code.’ It doesn’t teach any specific programming languages, but introduces the fundamentals of computational thinking that every future kid coder will need.” – Author Linda Liukas, Hello Ruby, Adventures in Coding

Intended Audience: K-4 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Hello Ruby: Expedition to the Internet CS Concept: Networks & the Internet

Description: This microcredential will blend the CSTA Standards for Networks & the Internet with the children’s book Hello Ruby Expedition to the Internet by Linda Liukas.  You will gain an understanding of how the internet works including new vocabulary; router, server, WiFi and more.  You will integrate a lesson in another subject with this book.  Gaining an understanding of how the internet works is important to supporting our students as they become computational thinkers in today’s world.

Intended Audience: K-5 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer

Description: This microcredential will blend the CSTA Standards for Computing Systems with the children’s book Hello Ruby Journey Inside the Computer by Linda Liukas.  You will gain an understanding of how computers work including new vocabulary; bit, GPU, CPU and more.  The most important learning will be about how input, storage, process, and output are all needed for computers to function and how humans are the ones who create the ideas that computers use.  This is important to supporting our students as they become computational thinkers in today’s world.

Intended Audience: K-5 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Integrating AI into the K-5 Classroom

Description: This micro-credential explores the big 5 areas of artificial intelligence and how these areas can be integrated into K-5th grade classrooms. Participants will work through a self-paced Pear Deck organized by each computer science conceptual area with example lessons, resources, and self-reflections.

Intended Audience: K-5 Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Introduction to K-12 computer science standards

Description:  In June of 2018, Iowa adopted the CSTA K-12 Computer Science standards to allow ALL students to learn foundational skills in computer science, beginning in elementary school. All students need to learn not only how to be consumers of technology, but also creators of the technology. This micro-credential will help participants learn about resources to explore the K-12 Computer Science standards and make a plan for implementing computer science education in the K-12 classroom.

Intended Audience: K-12 Educators, Administrators, Instructional Coaches, and Teacher Leaders

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Meet Marty V 2: Robot for all ages    

Description: You will explore the Marty V 2 Robot curriculum for your grade level, including checking Marty out from the Keystone media collection (KM 90039) and programming Marty using the language best suited to that grade level. You will choose a lesson from the curriculum and describe how it will integrate into a unit or activity you already teach. You will program and video Marty using the language for your grade level including taking a screenshot of the program you wrote. NOTE: Plan on completing this micro credential in two weeks as that is the check out time allowed. 

Intended Audience: PreK - 12th Grade Teachers

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Scratch Jr k-2 curriculum exploration: coding as Another language (CAL)

Description: This micro-credential will explore the Scratch Jr curriculum for grades K-2. You will read and reflect on the curriculum matching the grade level you teach, recording ah-ha moments and making connections to literacy, CS, math, and problem solving and social-emotional skills tied to standards. See how the curriculum integrates with literacy while engaging students in grade-level hands-on activities, both plugged and unplugged. The curriculum is available in English, Spanish, and Hebrew.

Intended Audience: K-2 Teachers 

Approximate Completion Time:2 hours