Blogs (3) >>

This program is tentative and subject to change.

Sat 1 Mar 2025 11:22 - 11:41 at Meeting Rooms 315-316 - K-12 Teachers

Ethnocomputing describes the study of computational ideas and thinking as they appear in the epistemologies, designs, and practices of temporally and spatially situated communities (e.g., from computational scientists to textile artisans). It is also about how such communities embed their beliefs and values within computational artifacts. One outcome of ethnocomputing research is the demonstration of how Indigenous and diasporic communities have dynamic computational histories and innovations that are relevant to computer science and computer science education today. From lessons on e-textiles and Native American botanical knowledge to visual programming environments that reveal the algorithms of cornrow braiding in the Black diaspora, this has allowed for anti-racist challenges to white supremacist myths of primitivism in primary and secondary computer science settings. While there are studies about how ethnocomputing tools and lessons shape children’s attitudes toward and knowledge of computing, there is no research on what computer science teachers think about one of ethnocomputing’s foundational assumptions: computational ideas and thinking are embedded within Indigenous and vernacular epistemologies, practices, and designs. This paper reports findings from interviews with 14 K12 computer science teachers who had been exposed to ethnocomputing educational technologies and activities. From our qualitative analyses, we found that most (n=12) teachers believed that Indigenous and/or vernacular artisans think computationally. We detail their lines of reasoning before turning toward teachers who had ambivalent (n=1) or negative positions (n=1) about this assumption of ethnocomputing research. We discuss the implications of these findings for anti-racist K12 computer science teacher professional development.

This program is tentative and subject to change.

Sat 1 Mar

Displayed time zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) change

10:45 - 12:00
10:45
18m
Talk
Can GPT Help? Supporting Teachers to Brainstorm Customized Instructional Scratch ProjectsK12
Papers
Minh Tran University of Chicago, David Gonzalez-Maldonado University of Chicago, Elaine Zhou University of Chicago, Diana Franklin University of Chicago
11:03
18m
Talk
Exploring Critical CS Teacher Education Program Design Through a Science and Technology Studies ApproachK12
Papers
Brendan Henrique University of California, Berkeley
11:22
18m
Talk
K12 Computer Science Teachers’ Attitudes Toward a Foundational Assumption of EthnocomputingK12
Papers
Michael Lachney Michigan State University, Hyein Jee Michigan State University, Andrew Lapentina University of Detroit Mercy, Richard Hill University of Detroit Mercy, Madison Allen Kuyenga Michigan State University, Aman Yadav Michigan State University
11:41
18m
Talk
Teacher Decisions and Perspectives in Scratch TIPP&SEE ImplementationK12
Papers
Jonathan Liu University of Chicago, Erica Goodwin University of Chicago, Dana Saito-Stehberger University of California, Irvine, Sharin Jacob Digital Promise, Mark Warschauer University of California, Irvine, Diana Franklin University of Chicago