San Francisco votes to expand computer science education across all grades

Donations from Salesforce charity will fund the new program from pre-school onward.

Ars Technica by Cyrus Farivar - Jun 10, 2015 4:25pm PDT

This is the view from George Washington High School, in San Francisco.

Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose

FURTHER READING

WASHINGTON LAWMAKERS WANT COMPUTER SCIENCE TO COUNT AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE

If bill passes, two years of comp sci would count toward university admission.

Within a few years, every single student in the San Francisco Unified School District will be studying computer science, at all grade levels.

The city’s Board of Education unanimously approved the measure during its weekly meeting on Tuesday evening.

"Information technology is now the fastest growing job sector in San Francisco, but too few students currently have access to learn the Computer Science skills that are crucial for such careers," Board President Emily Murase said in a statementon Wednesday. "We are proud to be at the forefront of creating a curriculum that will build on the knowledge and skills students will need starting as early as preschool."

According to the district, computer science classes are relatively rare across the United States.

"Currently, no national, state, or local standards exist for Computer Science and the academic research in Computer Science education is quite limited," the board wrote. "As such, a cohesive progression of Computer Science knowledge and skills does not yet exist."

The effort is going to be largely funded by the Salesforce Foundation, a charitable wing of the company.

At present, only a "few hundred" San Francisco public school students took the Advanced Placement Computer Science exam in Spring 2014. Of those, just 22 percent were women, and three percent were African American, Latino or Native American.

How exactly will San Francisco’s preschool set get in on the action? SFUSD says they "will most likely be using blocks to build robots, to introduce the concepts of procedural thinking, cause and effect, decomposition of complex tasks, pattern recognition as well as the ability to notice similarities or common differences, abstraction and algorithm design and the ability to develop a step-by-step strategy for solving a problem."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "employment of computer and information research scientists is projected to grow 15 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations."

The median salary nationwide in the industry is just over $102,000—likely higher in the competitive and increasingly-expensive San Francisco Bay Area.

Correction: ICT-Digital Media Sector Team Announces Certification Voucher Benefit for CCC Students and Faculty

[This corrected version includes some pricing changes and a different main contact] 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Thousand Oaks, CA│ April 8, 2015

ICT-Digital Media Sector Team Announces Certification Voucher Benefit for CCC Students and Faculty

As you know, the high cost of certification exams can be a barrier for some students pursuing careers in ICT. We are pleased to announce that the ICT-Digital Media Sector has partnered with Genuine Genius Technologies to create a solution. Now your college can provide students a way to save 15-50% on the cost of certification exams. Students simply purchase a voucher through the California Community Colleges XVoucher Website at a discounted price, then use that voucher number when registering for an exam.

There are benefits for faculty, too:

• Each student voucher purchased helps qualify you for free CompTIA exams
• No more searching for your member number; students purchase completely on their own
• Gain insight on which exam vouchers are being purchased
• Students contact the XVoucher technical support team with problems or questions

Vouchers are now available for the following exams at a significant cost savings:

Exam	Retail Price	Voucher Price*	Savings
CompTIA A+	$194	$99.53	50%
CompTIA Network+	$277	$153.21	45%
CompTIA Security+	$302	$213.60	30%
Microsoft MCP Academic Exams	$150	$92.82	40%
Microsoft MCP IT Academy	$150	$82.01	45%
EC-Council CEH Exam	$500	$414	20%
EC-Council Self Study	$600	$518	15%

*Quoted prices subject to change

There is no cost to participate. Just follow these steps:

1.      Complete the XVoucher Registration Form with your college information.

2.      If your college is not yet a member of the CompTIA CAPP Academy Program, complete the online form on the CompTIA website to join at no cost.

3.      If you are interested in the new EC-Council Academic Program, contact our vendor partner, Carrie Shaffer, at Genuine Genius Technologies. She can give you information about the program and assist you in joining.

Once your college is registered, students can purchase vouchers through the California Community Colleges XVoucher Website at any time. Just give them the link and they’ll be ready to order.

And this is just the beginning. As we work to add more vendors, such as Adobe and Cisco, we will continue to strengthen the position of the California Community Colleges as a resource for ICT continuing education. Sign up today to take advantage of these exclusive benefits and give your students more bang for their buck!

Contact:

Steve Linthicum

Deputy Sector Navigator ICT-Digital Media

(916) 300-7602

slinthicum@sierracollege.edu

Fluency with Excel and Word Are Key to Getting a Higher-Paying Job

Kyle JamesProfileFollow

Kyle James
lifehacker



Finding a good paying job with just a few college courses (or less) under your belt can be daunting. Even so, you may be surprised to hear that employers still want basics like Excel and Word before other, more advanced skills. Land those and your chances of scoring a gig with a living wage rise significantly.

According to a recent study from labor-market analysis firm, Burning Glass Technologies, not having these basic skills immediately removes you from two-thirds of potential "middle-skill jobs"—jobs that include office administration and retail management, for example, and pay 13% more on average than positions that require zero computer skills.

If you've already mastered Excel and Word, consider tackling Photoshop and CRM software to really see a big jump in pay. To see just how much those digital skills will net you, check out the full article below.

Spreadsheets are one of the most mystifying pieces of software you'll encounter in your adult…Read more lifehacker.​com

Crunched By the Numbers: The Digital Skills Gap in the Workforce | Burning Glass Technologies via Wall Street Journal

Photo by archie4oz.

BBC: Digital skills should be core subjects, says report

17 February 2015 Last updated at 10:52 ET  BBC

By Judith BurnsEducation reporter, BBC News

Digital skills should have the same importance in schools as English and maths, peers say
Children should be taught "digital literacy" as a core skill alongside maths and English, a report by a House of Lords committee says.
Computer technology brings "huge opportunities for the UK, but also significant risks", the Lords Digital Skills Committee warns.

The internet should be viewed as a utility service, alongside water and electricity, it says.

But without action, the UK may fall behind in the new digital era.

'Ambitious approach'
The reports says:

• No child should leave school without basic digital literacy
• Universities should ensure all graduates are "digitally competent"
• Apprenticeships should have a greater emphasis on digital skills

The committee calls for action to give teachers in England the confidence and skills to deliver the new computing curriculum, otherwise "inconsistent teacher training" risks letting pupils down.

In particular, a "paucity" of women in digital careers and in science, technology, engineering and mathematics generally risks holding back UK competitiveness, the report says.

"Girls have to be engaged earlier and across all education levels" and the perception of these jobs as "male-oriented" must be addressed, it adds.

The report says 35% of current jobs in the UK could be automated within 20 years.

If we fail to provide the right conditions... we will become a branch economy, much less prosperous and influential than we could be”House of Lords Digital Skills Committee
It urges an ambitious approach to secure the UK's digital economy, with the government acting as the "conductor of the orchestra", focusing on business and education.

"We are at a tipping point," it says.

"Digital businesses can locate anywhere in the world, and if we fail to provide the right conditions for them to flourish in the UK, we will become a branch economy, much less prosperous and influential than we could be."

A digital divide persists in the UK, with some six million citizens never having used the internet and 9.5 million lacking adequate digital skills, partly because they have been "poorly served at school", the report warns.

In particular, it says, a shortage of medium and high-level digital skills "needs immediate attention" if the UK is to remain globally competitive.

It urges action at all levels of the "talent pipeline - primary, secondary, further and higher education".

'Wake-up call'
Baroness Morgan of Huyton, who chairs the committee, called the report a "wake-up call" to whomever forms the next government.

Its recommendations would entail a "radical rethink" of education for people of all ages, said Lady Morgan, the former chairwoman of Ofsted.

Too many families have no access to the internet, says the report
She said: "From an early age, we need to give digital literacy as much importance as numeracy and literacy.

"While we welcome the introduction of the computing curriculum, we are concerned about the ability of teachers to deliver it - with more than half of our IT teachers not having a post-A-level qualification relevant to IT.

"At the higher education level, there is an urgent need for industry input, so that graduates are learning job-relevant digital skills."

Lady Morgan also said it was unacceptable that some urban areas still lacked mobile or broadband coverage.

'Options limited'
Valerie Thompson, chief executive of the e-Learning Foundation, particularly welcomed the report's emphasis on the need to ensure all children had access to the internet.

"Digital skills are an enabler across the curriculum, but there are real issues of access for poorer children," she said.

Too many families did not have the internet at home, said Ms Thompson. "And if your mum and dad are not comfortable with the internet, the options for you to be a comfortable internet user when you leave school are limited."

Ms Thompson said schools needed more resources for computers and broadband to allow students online access for every subject.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said it was vital to ensure young people had the skills and knowledge to "secure jobs in our country's burgeoning tech industry".

She said: "To achieve that, we have redesigned our national curriculum to be the world leader in computing, meaning young people in England will start learning the basics of coding from age five.

"We have also provided £3.6m to make sure teachers have the confidence and knowledge to teach this new curriculum and are engaging leading technology companies to support schools in delivering it."

ACM SIGCSE Conference Recommendations

The ACM CCECC will be at SIGCSE 2015 and we'd like to connect with you! We encourage you to attend this Symposium dedicated to computing education and register by Feb 1 to take advantage of the early discount rate. The conference runs March 4-7 in Kansas City, MO.

We've gone through the extensive program and put together a list of sessions that we think community college educators will be interested in.

In addition, we're organizing a lunch Friday (March 6) for community college educators to connect with each other. We'll meet during the "Lunch on Your Own" time slot and head to a local restaurant in Kansas City. If you are interested, RSVP to Cara Tang at ctang@acmccecc.org​ by Thursday March 5.

Also be sure to stop by the ACM booth in the exhibit hall where you can chat with us and enter to win a Kindle Fire or Raspberry Pi.

See you in Kansas City in March!

ACM Committee for Computing Education in Community Colleges
http://www.capspace.org/
Contact Us

RHT: It’s Getting Tougher to Be a Lone Wolf in IT

by John Reed  Robert Half Technology
November 13, 2014


While you can’t change your personality, you can do some things to ensure you’re a valuable member of the team.

IT is becoming more and more collaborative. Teamwork and effective communication are critical to the success of any department, but IT departments are being asked to partner more than we have seen in years.
Why? Evidence of the positive impact that technology can deliver for the business is very compelling. This means IT initiatives are being approved more frequently, and that requires teams to communicate and collaborate across business groups, relying on teamwork to deliver the best solutions.

So what do you do if you’re not a natural team player? How can you still find success and work effectively with others if you prefer solitude and a non-disruptive environment? In fact, I know a lot of IT professionals who actually chose a career in IT because it allowed them to work independently. While you can’t totally change your personality, you can do some things to ensure you are contributing as an effective team member:

1. Be engaged and interested: It can be easy to simply focus on your own work if you’re a lone wolf. But it’s important to understand the needs of both your department and the larger organization to make sure you’re making continued progress toward meeting the firm’s critical needs.
2. Be a problem solver: Show initiative and enthusiasm by offering up potential solutions to problems. Anyone can sit back and point out issues with a project, but true team players recognize challenges and bring solutions to the table. Share willingly for the greater good of the team vs. holding onto your best ideas and recommendations.
3. Be aware of your strengths: A team achieves its objectives when it pulls from the strengths of the individuals on the team. Examine your individual strengths and look for opportunities to use them to increase the impact and results of the team.
4. Be consistent and reliable: Strive to be someone the team can bank on as they work to deliver on commitments. Knowing that you’ll be a constant throughout critical initiatives can do wonders for team morale and confidence.
5. Be supportive of others: Recognize and support the members of your team by taking interest in their perspective and challenges. Provide words of encouragement to your colleagues, recognize their achievements and be willing to provide insight that may be helpful to others.

It’s getting tougher to be the lone wolf in IT as interdivisional collaboration is critical to the success of the organization. These five tips can be beneficial to help you bridge the gap to be a stronger team member. Do you have other tips? I welcome your comments below.

Thank you.



— John Reed

John Reed is the senior executive director of Robert Half Technology. He can usually be found racking up frequent flyer miles each week traveling to RHT offices across North America and speaking to industry groups about technology hiring trends. When he’s not on the go, he serves as an armchair quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. Follow him on Twitter @JReedRHT.

2015 Winter ICT Educator Conference, Jan 5-6, 2015 in San Francisco

You are invited to attend and present at the: 

  

 

Baker Beach By Brocken Inaglory (Own work) CC-BY-SA-3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

This 7th annual conference features excellent presentations from representatives of ICT industry and education.  Let's gather and share high quality information, resources and practices to improve ICT education and prepare people to prosper as part of the rapidly growing ICT workforce!

Community college ICT educators and ICT industry and employer representatives are invited to attend free, and to submit a presentation proposal.  Qualified faculty may be eligible to receive limited travel support.

When and Where:

Monday and Tuesday, January 5-6, 2015 at the City College of San Francisco Chinatown/North Beach Campus, starting 8:30 each morning, finishing around 7pm Monday and 3pm on Tuesday.

Registration:

Register online.  If you register and later determine that you will not attend, please let us know, so we can free limited conference space for others.

Call For Presentations and Demonstrations:

You are invited to submit a presentation or demonstration proposal for the conference in the areas of:

• Industry contributions to ICT education and ICT certifications
• ICT educator/education best or high quality practices
• ICT education and workforce diversification efforts
• National and regional resources for ICT educators
• Panel presentations:   Voices from the field (employers and employees) 

Proposed presentations should be one or two 45-minute segments, and we encourage interactive, hands-on or lab elements. Please register and submit your presentation proposalby 5:00 PM PST, November 17, 2014.  Presenters selected will be notified by November 20, 2014.

 

For presenters who give permission, your presentation will be made available in real time for remote attendees via the Internet, and sessions will be archived and made available after the event.  This greatly expands the impact of presentations, beyond those physically present in the room to a broad audience anywhere at any time.  Presentations from last year's Winter Conference are available as CCC Confer archives by clicking links on last year's program.  Most are also available on the MPICT YouTube channel.  

 

(Perkins) Professional Development Funding:

Because of challenges to the sustainability of this event, and to allow as many as possible to attend with limited event funding, we request all faculty to first pursue funding to attend this high quality professional development event with Perkins or other funding available through your college.  The process for professional development funding is different at most colleges.  Contact your local Career Technical Education (CTE) Coordinator and ask about use of Perkins or other funds to support your travel.

 

Travel Assistance:

MPICT will provide to qualified community college faculty teaching ICT related subjects in MPICT Region (CA, NV, HI and Pacific Territories), on a first-come, first-served basis, until funds are exhausted: 

• a $50 stipend for ICT educators whose community college is within 70 miles of San Francisco,
• a $100 stipend and 2 paid hotel nights* to ICT educators whose college is 71 to 250 miles from San Francisco,
• a $250 stipend and 2 paid hotel nights* to ICT educators whose college is 251 to 750 miles from San Francisco,
• a $1,000 stipend and 2 paid hotel nights* to ICT educators whose college is more than 750 miles from San Francisco (Hawaii and the Pacific Territories),

* Hotel must be booked at the conference hotel and paid directly by MPICT on a master bill.  Room sharing increases the people MPICT can support to attend, and is encouraged.). 

Limited travel support for qualified ICT educators whose community college is outside the MPICT region is also available through ATE Center Co-Producers.  Check with those centers directly for their support requirements.

 

Questions:

If you have questions, please contact MPICT via email or at (415) 239-3600.

COMPTIA CERTMASTER NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE

Jun 23, 2014 CompTIA

New Tool from Leading IT Industry Trade Association Makes Learning IT Skills More Accessible and Effective, Setting Stage for IT Career Launch

Downers Grove, Ill., June 23, 2014 – CompTIA, the IT Industry Trade Association, today announced the worldwide availability of CompTIA CertMaster, a revolutionary new tool that makes learning IT skills easier, more accessible and more effective.

CompTIA CertMaster is an online, confidence-based learning solution that helps individuals learn and retain information more effectively, better preparing them for the IT certification exams that form the foundation of an IT career.

“Anyone looking to launch or advance a career in information technology can benefit from CompTIA CertMaster,” said Terry Erdle, executive vice president, certification and learning, CompTIA.

More than 500,000 IT positions are currently open with employers across the country, according to the latest estimates. IT certifications – such as CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+ and Strata IT Fundamentals – can be a critical differentiator in landing one of these jobs.

CompTIA CertMaster helps individuals prepare for these certification exams. It complements other training and curriculum by affirming and supporting an individual’s level of confidence so that they truly understand what they are studying.

“This affirmation allows the user to quickly master information; retain it for the long term; and recall what they’ve learned so they can respond confidently and correctly when taking the exam or performing on the job,” Erdle said.

Confidence-based Learning

CompTIA CertMaster relies on brain science and research in neurobiology, cognitive psychology and game study. The software combines key principles from each field to help users master – not just memorize – the material they need to learn.

“CompTIA CertMaster taps into feelings of progression, risk, achievement and curiosity,” explained Thomas Reilly, vice president, CompTIA Learning. “When you’re engaged and getting positive feedback, dopamine starts flowing, creating a positive feedback loop. This immediate, high-level feedback encourages you to learn from your mistakes and, ideally, keep playing and learning.”

Each user moves through the platform at their own pace, in a way that meets their unique learning style and prior knowledge. This makes it relevant for anyone – from students and beginners In IT to experienced IT professionals.

“CertMaster helps you focus on the weaker aspects of your knowledge and makes sure you read each question properly,” said Sean Byrne of Kildare, Ireland, who used the learning tool to prepare for his CompTIA A+ exam. “It’s an excellent study tool as it prepares the questions and explanations for you while concentrating on your weaker areas of knowledge.”

To date, 96 percent of CompTIA CertMaster users have rated the tool as excellent or good. Individuals who have used this form of learning have experienced a 50-75 percent decrease in training and study time to reach competency in the subject matter. Users demonstrated 80 percent knowledge retention after 12 months, compared to less than 5 percent retention after traditional learning methods.

CompTIA CertMaster can be used by individuals, schools, training providers, HR and IT departments, government agencies and many other organizations. It’s accessible from a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone, allowing users to easily switch between devices without impacting their study experience.

CompTIA CertMaster is currently available for the CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+ and Strata IT Fundamentals exams. Additional certifications exams will be added in the coming months.

Visit www.certmaster.com to learn more.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (ICT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit CompTIA online and on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
sostrowski@comptia.org
630-678-8468

FCC LAUNCHES BROAD RULEMAKING ON HOW BEST TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE OPEN INTERNET

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                              NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:

May 15, 2014                                                                          Mark Wigfield, 202-418-0253

FCC                                                                                       E-mail: mark.wigfield@fcc.gov          

FCC LAUNCHES BROAD RULEMAKING ON HOW BEST TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE OPEN INTERNET

Seeks Public Input over the Next Four Months to Find Most Viable Approach 

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission today launched a rulemaking seeking public comment on how best to protect and promote an open Internet.  The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted today poses a broad range of questions to elicit the broadest range of input from everyone impacted by the Internet, from consumers and small businesses to providers and start-ups.  

The Internet is America’s most important platform for economic growth, innovation, competition, free expression, and broadband investment and deployment.  The Internet has become an essential tool for Americans and for the growth of American businesses.  That’s because the Internet has been open to new content, new products and new services, enabling consumers to choose whatever legal content, services and applications they desire.

The FCC has previously concluded that broadband providers have the incentive and ability to act in ways that threaten Internet openness.  But today, there are no rules that stop broadband providers from trying to limit Internet openness.  That is why the Notice adopted by the FCC todays starts with a fundamental question: “What is the right public policy to ensure that the Internet remains open?”

The FCC proposes to rely on a legal blueprint set out by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in its January decision in Verizon v. FCC, using the FCC’s authority to promote broadband deployment to all Americans under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.  At the same time, the Commission will seriously consider using its authority under the telecommunications regulation found in Title II of the Communications Act.  In addition, the Notice:

·         Proposes to retain the definitions and scope of the 2010 rules, which governed broadband Internet access service providers, but not services like enterprise services, Internet traffic exchange and specialized services.

·         Proposes to enhance the existing transparency rule, which was upheld by the D.C. Circuit.  The proposed enhancements would provide consumers, edge providers, and the Commission with tailored disclosures, including information on the nature of congestion that impacts consumers’ use of online services and timely notice of new practices.

·         As part of the revived “no-blocking” rule, proposes ensuring that all who use the Internet can enjoy robust, fast and dynamic Internet access.

·         Tentatively concludes that priority service offered exclusively by a broadband provider to an affiliate should be considered illegal until proven otherwise.

·         Asks how to devise a rigorous, multi-factor “screen” to analyze whether any conduct hurts consumers, competition, free expression and civic engagement, and other criteria under a legal standard termed “commercial reasonableness.”

·         Asks a series of detailed questions about what legal authority provides the most effective means of keeping the Internet open:  Section 706 or Title II.

·         Proposes a multi-faceted process to promptly resolve and head off disputes, including an ombudsperson to act as a watchdog on behalf of consumers and start-ups and small businesses.

Action by the Commission May 15, 2014, by Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 14-61).  Chairman Wheeler and Commissioner Clyburn with Commissioner Rosenworcel concurring and Commissioners Pai and O’Rielly dissenting.  Chairman Wheeler, Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, Pai and O’Rielly issuing statements.

             

-FCC-

News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found

on the Commission’s web site www.fcc.gov.

San Francisco Bay Area ICT Demand and Supply, Issues and Opportunities Report Draft Available

February 27, 2014, MPICT, the Bay Area Community College Consortium and California Community College Centers of Excellence are pleased to release a draft report:

ICT 

Demand and Supply, 

Issues and Opportunities 

in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area.

This lengthy report is intended as a reference for diverse stakeholder efforts to improve essential ICT education and workforce development efforts in the Bay Area.

In particular, it includes eye-opening ICT industry and employment data, ICT public higher education delivery capacity information, and ideas for regional strategies and activities that may assist grant proposals and projects to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of community colleges in meeting the many diverse and quickly evolving demands of this extremely important cluster.

While data in this report is specific to the Bay Area, conclusions, issues and opportunities are relevant to other regions in California, and to Nevada, Hawaii, the Pacific Territories and elsewhere.

Executive Summary:

21st century economies are increasingly driven by information and communication technologies (ICT).

In this report, Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) is used as a superset or umbrella term, encompassing all rapidly emerging, evolving, and converging computer, software, networking, telecommunications, Internet, programming, information systems and digital media technologies. ICT is a comprehensive framework for organizing these inter-related, interdependent, and rapidly changing technologies and high-tech fields - and for organizing the ICT workforce, which spans across organizations of all sizes - in all industries. The ICT term and framework are widely used outside the U.S., by institutions including the United Nations, European Union, World Bank, and International Telecommunications Union.

Until recently, this aggregated approach has not been often used in the U.S., leading ICT to receive less strategic attention from policy makers and planners. ICT is particularly important in the greater San Francisco Bay Area economy, as the data in this report shows.

ICT Industries

ICT industries, which create, market and deliver ICT related goods and services, are likely the largest and most important industry cluster in the greater San Francisco Bay region. In 2012, they accounted for:

• 16,360 establishments, 8.7% of the total number of firms in the Bay Area 
• 411,335 employees, 10.2% of total industry employment in the SF Bay Area, > 1 in 10 jobs 
• 7.3% employment growth, 32,455 net new jobs, between 2012 and 2015, 
• 17.2% of the overall employment growth expected for all industry employment in the Bay Area. 
• >$230 billion in sales revenue, nearly 20% of total regional sales revenue for all industries. 
• >$86.3 billion in earnings, nearly 23% of total regional earnings for all industries. 

Multiplier effects expand the economic impact of this sector hugely. ICT industry encouragement and support should be a high, ongoing economic development priority in the San Francisco Bay Area.

ICT Occupations

However, ICT Workforce doesn’t just work for ICT industry employers. ICT Workforce is now strategically essential to most organizations, across all industry sectors, because that ICT workforce enables increasing productivity from all workforce and many strategic efforts of all business functions. ICT Workforce demand in the Bay Area is large and growing. In 2012, ICT Workforce in the Bay Area accounted for:

• 333,229 people employed, 8.3% of all Bay Area employees (about 1 in 12 jobs) 
• Median annual salaries of about $90,000 

Between 2012 and 2015, ICT Occupations expect:

• 20,297 net job growth (6.1%) 
• 21,178 total replacement jobs 
• 43,054 total job openings (8.2% of all job openings) 
• 14,354 average annual job openings 

The many different standard occupations in the ICT Workforce cluster are hard for workforce systems to keep up with, because they emerge and evolve quickly, and because employers do not typically use standard or consistent job titles or requirements. Cybersecurity is a hot, current buzzword and employment need, but cybersecurity specialist occupations have not yet been formalized in occupational classification systems. ICT Workforce occupations are the best places for California community colleges to focus ICT related program and planning attention.

CCC ICT Education and Workforce Development Supply:

California community colleges (CCCs) are among the most efficient vehicles for cost-effectively pushing needed ICT knowledge and skills out into our society. The 28 colleges in the Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC) have rich ICT-related resources, faculty, curriculum and credentials. In 2010/11:

• 81 departments 
• 1,350 faculty 
• 140,000 for-credit and 16,000 non-credit enrollments 
• 180 Associate Degrees 
• 405 Academic Certificates 
• 7,398 sections of 2,366 courses 
• 17,784 full-time equivalent students 
• Strong Vendor Neutral and Industry Academy Programs and Certification Test Preparation 
• Service to all Bay Area geographic areas 
• Affinity to local K-12 systems and schools 
• Affinity to 4-year colleges and universities 

University ICT Education Supply:

There are 10 public universities in the greater Bay Area. Nine have 32 ICT related departments with a wide variety of bachelor, master, doctoral and research opportunities. Generally, these are not well articulated with community colleges, especially in hands-on Career Technical Education pathways.

Regional Efforts to Improve ICT Education and Workforce Development

Historically, college offerings have been developed and delivered locally, with little regional coordination. However, today there is a new strategic emphasis and plan to bring those colleges together to better address ICT sector needs. The CCC “Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy” campaign includes one dedicated Statewide ICT Sector Navigator and two dedicated Bay Area region ICT Deputy Sector Navigator positions devoted to those efforts. These are exciting developments.

There are many ways the diverse stakeholders to a thriving ICT industry and employment sector in the greater Bay Area can join and work together to improve ICT economic and workforce development. The 4th section of this report includes many suggestions, but there are certainly many others. Appendices to this report provide detailed data to inform grant and project proposals and work.

21st century economies and workforce are different from 20th century economies and workforce. Let’s wake up to and embrace these new realities, recognizing our strengths in the Bay Area around ICT, and organize ourselves and our efforts around making that work even better!

We need to be able to grow the ICT Workforce needed by Bay Area ICT industries and ICT Workforce employers here in the Bay Area, for the benefit of our local economies, communities and citizens, rather than import our ICT Workforce and risk driving our local citizens out of the Bay Area region. Let’s get together and do that!

Download and use the report.

Digital Learning Day - February 5, 2014

I want to encourage a game of friendly district rivalry for Digital Learning Day! As you know, we will be celebrating the effective use of technology in schools this Wednesday, February 5, 2014 in Washington, DC and across the US. We will do a special “shout out” during the national event to the district who has the most “buzz” – this includes events on the map, media attention, attendance at the virtual conference, participation in the student debates - and overall energy!

It’s not to late to encourage your teachers and principals to participate by:

· Participating in the action through the virtual conference – Live from the Library of Congress with two free webcasts.

· Taking the pledge to make a difference – Everyone should do this as it takes less than 30 seconds!

· Posting an event to our map – no matter how small or large the celebration.

· Encouraging students to join the debates – just added so check out the great topics.

· Planning a lesson or using a free tool to try something new.

Just Announced! James H. Billington, PhD, Librarian, Library of Congress, Chairman Tom Wheeler, Federal Communications Commission, and Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of Domestic Policy Council, The White House will join us! The “Power Panel” is going to be great - Check out all the action including inspiring stories from schools and districts. We encourage you to sign up and spread the word about this amazing grassroots movement TODAY!

Please let me know if you have any questions. Shoot me a note to let us know you are game and we’ll be tracking your progress!

Sincerely,

Sara Hall


SAVE THE DATE: February 5, 2014

Make a difference and take the pledge in support of digital learning in America’s schools today!

Copyright © 2014 Alliance for Excellent Education, All rights reserved.

CompTIA Certification Roadmap

A great resource!

Wow: Hour of Code for 1 in 4 U.S. Students!

Thank you for supporting computer science and making the Hour of Code an amazing success. In 2 weeks, 20 million students worldwide learned an Hour of Code, including 1 in 4 U.S. students, and half were girls! Have you tried it?




I’m humbled and overwhelmed by the response we’re getting:

“Best educational product I’ve ever come across” (adult)
“One of the two best things that happened in 2013” (7-year-old)
“I have NEVER, EVER seen my students so excited about learning” (teacher)

Before New Year's

As you relax and gather with family over the holidays, challenge yourself to try an Hour of Code before the new year. Learn the basics, or help your children. And start your new year knowing more computer science than you do today. It’s foundational knowledge for everyone in the 21st century.

Anybody can learn. Start

Since last week, the biggest question we’re hearing from participants is, “what can I do now?”

Here are a few ways to keep learning and supporting computer science:

1) Tell Congress that you support the Computer Science Education Act

It will make a big difference in giving students access to computer science in U.S. schools. Ask your representatives to support it too, here.

2) Keep learning (for yourself or your child)
Find local schools, camps, or workshops that teach coding.

Or learn online.

3) Ask your local school to teach computer science
Your schools can teach this self-serve intro course, partner with us to bring computer science to your entire district.

4) Donate money or time
We're a very lean and mean organization, and we appreciate your help.

5) Wear Code.org shirts and hats

5% of your purchase will be donated to Code.org.

Thank you for helping us make history.

Hadi Partovi, Founder, Code.org

Hour of Code Launching This Week!

Four months ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop across a table from my close friend, Hadi Partovi. He was pitching me on an audacious idea called the Hour of Code -- an effort to get every student in the US to take a first step toward learning computer science. It was a crazy idea, especially from what was then essentially just a team of one, but I was inspired by his passion. Just a few days later I joined the team as Chief Evangelist with the responsibility of recruiting a network of partners and supporters needed to turn that dream into a reality.

Fast forward to today. With your help, his crazy idea has become a reality. As I write this, with a few hours still to go before the official launch, more than 1.4 million students have already done their Hour of Code, with millions more pre-registered. The White House has released a video of the President promoting the Hour of Code, and we have released our own video showing a dozen celebrities (and dozens of others) all learning to code for the first time (Watch it now!)



Google is linking directly to the Hour of Code from their homepage. Apple and Microsoft are hosting Hour of Code events in all of their retail stores. Tens of thousands of schools are hosting Hour of Code events in their classrooms. All indications are that this will be the largest learning event in history.

None of this, however, would have been possible without your help, and the help of the hundreds of other partners. You have helped us recruit the educators, parents, and students that are so critical to the success of this movement. As we kick off Computer Science Education Week, and the Hour of Code, I want to humbly thank you for your help and support. An hour of learning to code can be enough to change a student’s life.

Please continue to help us promote the Hour of Code -- CSEdWeek has only just begun!! -- and do whatever you can to encourage students to engage with our tutorials at http://csedweek.org/ We’ll send out an update at the end of this week with a summary of how everything went!

James Gwertzman
Chief Evangelist, Code.org

ACM CCECC: AS Degree Curricular Guidance for Information Technology Public Comment Sought

Invitation for Public Review and Comment

Final Draft of Associate-Degree Curricular Guidance for Information Technology

A Competency Model of Learning Outcomes and Assessment

The ACM CCECC, at the direction of the ACM Education Board, convened a task force of subject matter experts from both academe and industry to define the core IT learning outcomes and the accompanying assessment rubrics which should be common to all associate-degree IT programs.   

The final draft report embeds these core IT competencies into an expanded volume of IT curricular guidance which includes the opportunity for faculty at individual institutions to identify course examples and for industry representatives to identify themselves as champions of such competencies.

Feedback, including course examples and industry champions, can be provided via the CCECC website “Contact Us” form, by January 13, 2014.