acm
The Association for Computing Machinery
Advancing Computing as a Science & Profession

MEDIA ADVISORY

PORTLAND, OR - For Release February 27, 2008

EDUCATORS OFFER INNOVATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING APPROACHES

TO ATTRACT COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENTS

WHAT: Selected Sessions at Computer Science Education Symposium sponsored by ACM SIGCSE

· Serious Fun: Peer-Led Team Learning in Computer Science

· State of Education Policy in Computer Science (organized by ACM’s Education Policy Committee)

· A Model for High School Computer Science Education: The Four Key Elements that Make It

· A Novel Approach to K-12 CS Education: Linking Math and Computer Science

· Programming by Choice: Urban Youth Learning Programming with Scratch

· Computer Science Olympiad: Exploring Computer Science Through Competition

· Preparing Students for Cluster, Grid, and Cloud Computing

· Exploring Studio-Based Instructional Models for Computing Education

· Multi-Player Video Soccer for Designing Wireless Embedded Systems

· Teaching Students with Disabilities via Accessible Classrooms

WHEN: March 12-15 - Complimentary press registration (except meals) at www.cs.duke.edu/sigcse08/press.html

WHERE: Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Portland, OR 97232

WHO: More than 1200 educators, administrators, and policy makers from around the world involved in computing education. Keynote speakers: March 13: Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon University, on revolutionizing how computer programming is taught; March 14: Marissa Mayer, Google, on innovation and design at Google; and March 15: Ed Lazowska, University of Washington, on imagining what computer science might contribute to the world.

WHY: The diverse computer science field must include broad representation from traditional as well as underrepresented communities – including minorities, women, people with disabilities, and non-Western cultures. Without an engaged population prepared to apply computing concepts and skills to problem solving, innovation will suffer and competitiveness will lag in the global environment. Computer science educators are at the forefront of creative learning and teaching initiatives that make computer science a compelling and critical field of study. SIGCSE 2008 workshops will share these new approaches.

About SIGCSE
The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) http://sigcse.org provides a forum for educators to develop, implement and evaluate computing programs, curricula, and courses, as well as syllabi, laboratories, and other elements or teaching and pedagogy. SIGCSE features an annual technical symposium, sponsors or co-sponsors annual conferences outside the United States, and publishes the SIGCSE Bulletin quarterly.

About ACM
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) http://www.acm.org is an educational and scientific society uniting the world’s computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field’s challenges. ACM strengthens the profession’s collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.

For More Information:
Virginia Gold
212-626-0505
vgold@acm.org

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