Needs Statement
Granby Elementary school needs to establish a computer science program for PreK-4 students to increase the level of involvement in computer science and improve computer literacy. Prottsman (2014) claims that teachers see increased benefits in introducing computer science classes in elementary schools. Computers can be used for a wide variety of activities, including self-education (Prottsman, 2014). Thus, it is crucial for students to become familiar with computer science as early as possible. After conducting longitudinal research, Weintrop et al. (2018) concluded that elementary school students could benefit from learning basic programming skills. Currently, Granby Elementary does not have enough modern computers to provide computer science classes. Moreover, teachers do not have the required knowledge and skills to provide the much-needed computer science education.
Goals and Objectives
Goal #1: Improve the level of computer science competence among teachers in Granby Elementary through training for the proposed Computer Science for All project.
- Objective 1A: By August 2021, develop a training program for teachers that can help to improve the current level of knowledge about computer literacy by 20% to 40%.
- Objective 1B: By September 2021, have 80%-90% of teachers involved in the program complete the developed training program.
Goal #2: Increase the number of modern computers in Granby Elementary for the proposed Computer Science for All project.
- Objective 2A: By August 2021, acquire sufficient funding to buy from six to eight new computers in Granby Elementary.
- Objective 2B: By September 2021, buy and set up from six to eight new computers in Granby Elementary to start the program.
References
Prottsman, K. (2014). Computer science for the elementary classroom. ACM Inroads, 5(4), 60-63.
Weintrop, D., Hansen, A., Harlow, D., & Franklin, D. (2018). Bringing computer science into elementary school classrooms. American Educational Research Association. Web.