Social group dynamics have a big impact on correctly identifying true online sources , university study finds
– Holly Edds ACSA President
State adopts computer science standards , questions remain about schools ‘ capacity
The State Board of Education has approved California ’ s first-ever computer science standards – learning expectations that will help each student reach their creative potential in our digitally connected world .
Most educators would agree that having standards in this area is a good thing . However , as ACSA member David Miyashiro , co-chair of the Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan Panel said , there comes a point where simply piling on more standards is not the best solution for schools .
“ There are new technologies and career opportunities that require kids to learn these skills and concepts , but there ’ s a finite amount of time in each school day , and if we ’ re going to introduce a new layer of standards without taking something out it ’ s going to be too much ,” Miyashiro , superintendent of Cajon Valley Union SD told K-12 Daily in an interview . “ We ’ re just adding on new practices that aren ’ t sustainable – what we ’ ve done is add chairs to the deck of the Titanic .”
In addition , there is certain to be a cost involved . The same article cited a statistic from CDE which stated that close to 65 percent of high schools offer no computing classes at all . Enlarging the capacity of these schools to teach computer science standards to all students comes with a price tag .
Already , schools do not have enough funding to teach students to the standards
SUICIDE
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ideation .
Torlakson , a former high school science teacher and coach , has championed student mental health for decades as an educator , county supervisor and state legislator . This year he received a career recognition award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention .
In 2012 , he convened the Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup , a panel of expert volunteers that assessed the mental health needs of students .
Torlakson supported legislation that required schools serving grades seven to 12 to develop a suicide prevention policy starting in the 2017-18 school year .
In June , Gov . Brown set aside $ 1.7 million in the state budget to fund online suicide prevention training for all public middle and high school students . The training program will also address the needs of highrisk groups such as Lesbian , Gay , Bisexual , Transgender , and Queer ; American Indian ; and Alaskan Native youth .
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , suicide rates have increased in nearly every state from 1999- 16 . Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24 .
Torlakson encouraged people in crisis to use suicide prevention services , including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at ( 800 ) 272-8255 , and to visit the CDE Youth Suicide Prevention web page at www . cde . ca . gov / ls / cg / mh / suicideprevres . asp . required by the state , according to the recently released Getting Down to Facts 2 . Those reports estimated that an additional 32 percent above actual spending would be necessary for all students to have the opportunity to meet the goals set by the State Board of Education .
Still , the new standards do have their champions .
“ As a forward-leaning state and home to Silicon Valley , California ’ s new standards will not only enable students to understand how their digital world works but will encourage critical thinking and discussion about the broader ethical and social implications and questions related to the growing capabilities of technology ,” said State Board Member Trish Williams , who serves as the Board ’ s computer science liaison .
Developed by educators , the standards are designed to help students move from passive users of technology to creators and innovators who interact with computers . Beyond simply learning to code , the standards push students to communicate as scientists and find creative solutions to difficult problems .
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said the standards would help improve computer science education in California .
“ These standards will give our students a deeper understanding of computer science that will better prepare our students for careers and college and help them succeed in a fiercely competitive global economy ,” Torlakson said .
The standards place a strong emphasis on equity by providing educators with examples of ways they can broaden participation in computer science to include diverse students . While 60 percent of California ’ s student population is Latinx or African American , only about 25 percent of students who take high school computer science courses are from these demographic groups . In the technology workforce , Latinx and African Americans represent about 15 percent of employees .
Computer science as a foundational discipline that should be accessible to all students is relatively new to K – 12 education . It is the study of how technology and computing systems are created and their impact on society . The standards cover six core computer science concepts ( such as algorithms and programming ) and seven core practices ( such as creating computational artifacts and recognizing computational problems ). By contrast , learning to type , word processing , computer repair , and playing video games are not within the scope of computer science as defined by the standards .
A strategic plan for scaling up computer science education in California , including providing appropriate support to educators and ensuring access and equity for all students , is expected to come before the State Board for approval in March 2019 .
Social group dynamics have a big impact on correctly identifying true online sources , university study finds
Your social group can have a huge impact on how you view the world . Now , new research shows that the people you hang out or work with might also impact how well you can identify fact from fiction .
Many people have difficulty authenticating online information , and today ’ s personalized systems on social media are making it even harder to distinguish fact from fake news . In 2016 , researchers at Stanford University found that 60 percent of college students were unable to correctly evaluate if a tweet was an accurate source of information or not .
Now , researchers at the University of Missouri have found that social dynamics ,
or group behaviors and interactions , have a significant impact on evaluating online sources , even when groups have equal access to information .
Isa Jahnke , associate professor in the College of Education , and Michele Kroll , a doctoral candidate in information technologies and design , explored how students use online sources and how they work together to identify misleading information from factual information . In the study , graduate student groups were given scavenger hunt tasks that required using online sources and personal knowledge to answer questions correctly . Even though each group was given equal access to the internet , group performance was most heavily impacted by how individuals interacted with one another .
“ We imagined that working in groups would actually help the students find the correct information , but that was not the case ,” Jahnke said . “ In fact , group dynamics outweighed information access , and discussion and decision-making were more important than the facts .”
For example , one group that performed poorly missed a question because two team members ignored the logic and personal knowledge of the third team member , who had the correct answer . The group that performed best chose to research the questions individually , before coming together to share their answers . Jahnke and Kroll say this strategy might have worked best because there was no discussion that might have influenced other members ’ thoughts on the correct answer .
Kroll says teachers who want to support cooperation among students need to consider other factors beyond giving them equal access to factual information and sources , including educating them about the impact group dynamics can have on identi-
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ACSA ’ s reputation as an organization focused on student advocacy has earned us a seat at the table for some of the biggest legislative decisions being made in California public education . With 18,000 members and our strategic thinking about what is best for kids , we have a voice inside the state Capitol that we didn ’ t have many years ago .
As much as ACSA has grown within our state borders , I have always felt that growing our voice in Washington , D . C . is worth the time and effort . California always takes a leadership role in public education policy but we face challenges with advocating for students on the national level .
That is why I am a supporter of our relationship with the National Association of School Superintendents . Last week I was in Washington , D . C . as part of the NASS / ACSA Leadership and Advocacy Conference , where I learned about resources from the Alliance for Excellence in Education and their Future Ready Schools Framework and Match K12 system . We also spent time with the Learning Policy Institute , learning about their reflections on the Every Student Succeeding Act .
But the most impactful part of the event was the opportunity to speak with federal lawmakers on school safety , the federal education budget and ESSA . This conference was for all educators , from classroom teachers to superintendents .
In the same way our seat at the California table creates opportunities to advocate for students , NASS creates opportunities for student advocacy on a national level . Our previous attempts to influence decisions debated by Congress were met with challenges for a very simple reason – lawmakers from Georgia or Iowa don ’ t care what educators from California have to say .
Currently there are no members of Congress from California on the Senate Committee on Health , Education , Labor and Pensions . Thus , they are only interested in hearing from their constituents . But because of NASS and the states our members represent , we have a voice we ordinarily would not have . NASS has members from Tennessee , which is Committee Chair Lamar Alexander ’ s home state and Washington , Ranking Minority Member Patty Murray ’ s home state .
The collaboration between ACSA and NASS continues to address federal issues and work to increase our national presence , striving to support our schools and districts in meeting the needs of our students . I expect this collaboration will continue to pay dividends on an annual basis .
Recently , NASS elected to make their membership free of charge to school districts . I want to encourage all of you to get involved . I really feel that education can move mountains , but we need your involvement to help move those mountains .
More information on NASS and how to become a member can be found at www . nass . us .
– Holly Edds ACSA President