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Interest in the study of computer technology in schools (often in the form of Computer Science subjects or coding initiatives) is seen to have undergone two waves of interest, one in the late 1970s/early 1980s and the other more recently since about 2010. Through a historical exploration of the rationales for the study of computer technology in schools in both the first wave and the second wave, this paper aimed to explore the various curriculum ideologies underpinning their justification. In doing so, the paper highlights the chameleon‐like nature of this change agenda in aligning with contemporary trends to advance the study of computer technology on the curriculum. The paper argues that current manifestations of the study of computer technology in schools are at odds with broader curriculum reform goals and international policies and raises questions about students' access to such knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, researchers have proposed to leverage technology-supported data (log files) to investigate temporal and sequential patterns of interaction behaviors in learning processes. There are two major challenges to be addressed: clarifying the positioning of interaction levels and identifying the evolution of the interaction action patterns in learning processes, particularly for students with differing achievements. This paper explores the use of sequential pattern mining to address the evolution of student action patterns in Massive Private Online Courses (MPOCs) and compare these patterns between different achievement groups. The study was conducted with first-year undergraduate computer science students enrolled in a computer application course at a traditional open university in one of the Chinese provinces (N = 1375). The results showed the development of various action patterns in each phase of the course and the distinct action patterns for high-achieving and low-achieving students. The findings of study provide a new perspective for instructors and students to understand interaction patterns at the fine-grained level, and can help instructional designers develop learner-cantered courses and platforms to improve online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present a conceptual framework for teaching computer science (CS) to address the unique challenges faced by marginalized groups. The framework is grounded in feminist standpoint theory and describes three key practitioner-focused areas aimed at broadening participation and increasing participation in CS education (CSEd). These principles are 1) Creating dialogic and dialectical relationships with the CS community, 2) Embracing intersectionality in CSEd, and 3) Framing CS education as a lived experience. It also offers a distinct perspective in that it is concerned with how both sides of the dialogue (i.e., the oppressed and the oppressor) grow and change in relation to one another. The strategies, along with the framework detailed in this paper, provide scholars and educators with new avenues for unpacking underrepresentation in CSEd and potential methods to address it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy emphases on early childhood and elementary computer science education have led to the development of many developmentally appropriate computer science and robotics tools, pedagogies, and high-quality curricula. One example is the integrated Coding as Another Language pedagogy for coding, literacy, and social and emotional learning. The pedagogy was initially developed for students in kindergarten and early elementary school and has not previously been aligned to prekindergarten learning frameworks or used in the prekindergarten setting. In this paper, we describe a pilot program if the CAL pedagogy could be successfully used for the prekindergarten setting. The study used a design-based method to adapt the Coding as Another Language curriculum for the prekindergarten setting and a mixed-methods protocol to evaluate the program at a preschool site serving children experiencing homelessness in classrooms that are part of the local school district’s universal prekindergarten program. Students were assessed using the Coding Stages Assessment of coding knowledge and the TechCheck-PreK assessment of computational thinking. Teachers completed semi-structured interviews over the course of the project. Teachers reported overall positive experiences teaching the curriculum including for English language learners, although some reported challenges integrating the curricula in their bilingual classrooms. Children participating in the program significantly improved on their coding knowledge by 4.60 points on the Coding Stages Assessment, p < .0001. These findings suggest that the Coding as Another Language pedagogy can be successfully integrated with preschool learning frameworks and implemented in preschool classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial neural networks, inspired by the biological networks of the human brain, have become game-changing computing models in modern computer science. Inspired by their wide scope of applications, synthetic biology strives to create their biological counterparts, which we denote synthetic biological neural networks (SYNBIONNs). Their use in the fields of medicine, biosensors, biotechnology, and many more shows great potential and presents exciting possibilities. So far, many different synthetic biological networks have been successfully constructed, however, SYNBIONN implementations have been sparse. The latter are mostly based on neural networks pretrained in silico and being heavily dependent on extensive human input. In this paper, we review current implementations and models of SYNBIONNs. We briefly present the biological platforms that show potential for designing and constructing perceptrons and/or multilayer SYNBIONNs. We explore their future possibilities along with the challenges that must be overcome to successfully implement a scalable in vivo biological neural network capable of online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]