Posted by Michael Bolognino, Product Marketing Manager

(Cross-posted on the Google Drive Blog.)

Last month, we partnered with National Novel Writing Month to see what happens when three writers come together, online from three different cities, to create a short story in Google Docs. The three authors—Edan Lepucki, Tope Folarin, and Mike Curato—had one hour to create the story, based on an opening line submitted by Docs user Lauren Lopez in Malaysia.

Watch this short (and pretty entertaining) video to see how it all went down:
You can read the final story at g.co/docsnano, and watch their unedited process and Q&A in the original Hangout on Air.

Posted by Cameron L. Fadjo, Computer Science Custom Search Project Lead

Computer Science (CS) is quickly becoming a key component of student learning. From engaging projects and after school programs to robust online educational programs and extensible programming languages, there are a wide range of online resources and materials that make learning how to code even more accessible. As all these new and exciting online CS programs and tools continue to become available, however, finding and exploring new resources can be challenging. If you are a teacher with limited exposure to, or experience with, CS or programming, we know that this initial search experience can be even more difficult.

To help address this challenge, we created Computer Science (CS) Custom Search, a search engine that has been customized with over 550 different CS websites to connect you to CS education-related resources. Because it can sometimes be difficult to find the right CS instructional material and program, we’ve made it easier for you to find instructional materials using common educational terms, such as ‘worksheets’ and ‘projects,’ as well as with queries on more complex search strings.

To help support users with different levels of experience with CS, there are example search terms to provide you with some context for your initial search. The suggested search queries on the landing page are intended to help less experienced users begin their exploration of CS and more experienced users discover even more CS programs or tools.

Research shows that educators significantly impact how students perceive and experience CS. Current employment trends indicate that there will be a shortage of trained computer scientists ready to fill the projected 1 million CS-related jobs in the U.S. by the year 2020 and so you have the opportunity to play an important role in preparing your students for future career opportunities. We hope that CS Custom Search will help you find the tools and programs you need to bring CS to your own classroom.

Please check out CS Custom Search and let us know how it works for you. Our goals are to continue to increase the number of sites on CS Custom Search in parallel with the ever-expanding list of new resources and to ensure that the search experience continuously reflects the needs of its audience - the education community.

Want to share feedback about your CS Custom Search experience? Send us an email at cs-custom-search@google.com

Posted by Jennifer Wang, Computer Science Education Outreach Program Manager

In an earlier post Working Together to Support Computer Science Education, Chris Stephenson describes how achieving systemic change in computer science (CS) education involves a multitude of factors including collaboration among researchers, educators, parents, policy-makers, students and the media. In addition to our own outreach programs and research, we also support organizations and invest in programs that are making strides to increase access to CS education in schools.

In October, we supported the Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools (ACCESS) by convening some of the nation’s leading researchers and practitioners in CS education. The ACCESS gathering was an energetic and action-packed day for developing pathways for K-12 CS education in California, with a particular focus on equitable access for all. With the recent signing of three bills for CS education in California, this was a major step toward making quality CS available in California K-12 schools. The summary report of the convening can be found here.

These efforts in California, a key state in the national education picture, are critical to the forward momentum for CS education across the United States and globally, and they’re just the beginning. The importance of CS is recognized globally, and we aim to take advantage of these opportunities to increase quality and availability of CS education. In England, where Computing was recently implemented as part of its National Curriculum, we have been working in partnership with Code Club Pro to kick start a national program to train primary school teachers across the country and with Teach First to recruit and train CS teachers in secondary schools.

A big part of our focus on CS education is ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has appropriate access to quality CS education. Issues of equity in education vary dramatically by location and situation. That’s why our efforts are supported by local Googlers in our offices worldwide, from Japan to Spain to Australia. Our global presence means that we can tailor our outreach locally to cultures and customs, because quality education does not have a one-size-fits-all scenario. Driven by data, we can provide strategic and effective support for CS education, in close collaboration with the local stakeholders. For instance, we empower our RISE partners to evaluate their programs so that they can understand what is effective for their specific organization as well as their students. We hold monthly Hangouts on Air to share the latest CS education research and best practices for these partners to incorporate and adapt for their programs.

At Google, we are working to empower the youth today to be the creators of tomorrow. It’s a long and complex journey, but in partnership with local organizations around the globe, we hope to ensure that everyone has equitable access to CS education.

Posted by Alice Keeler, Google Certified Teacher 

Editor's note: Today’s guest author is Alice Keeler, a Google Certified Teacher, New Media Consortium K12 Ambassador and LEC Admin & Online and Blended certified. Alice taught high school math for 14 years and is an Adjunct Professor of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology at California State University Fresno. Alice coaches teachers and administrators on using technology in the classroom.

In my high school and college classes, I’m one teacher working with up to 150 students. With this kind of ratio, I just can’t give students feedback fast enough; but giving that feedback as immediately as possible helps increase their motivation and accelerate learning opportunities. Peer evaluation allows students to get feedback faster, learn from each other, and helps them better understand the grading rubric by applying it to their classmates.

Google Forms makes peer evaluation possible and simple. I collect the names and email addresses of both students: evaluator and evaluatee. I use the “grid” style question type to allow peers to rank each criteria on a scale of 1-5 against the rubric. I can include a URL to the grading criteria in the help text, so all students have access to the standard assessment guide.

To be successful, students must not only be instructed in—but also practice giving—quality feedback. With Google Forms, it’s easy to add help text that tells students what to review and comment on. Peer evaluators can add details to their feedback—such as what they liked or constructive criticism—using the comment boxes. This increases the quality of their feedback.

Google Forms also connects this peer evaluation data to a Google spreadsheet on the backend. This places all of the peer evaluation data in one location that is nicely organized and easy to analyze. With the summary of responses feature in Google Forms, I can see a quick snapshot view of overall student performance. Using the pivot table feature in the data menu, I’m able to quickly find summary data of how students evaluated their peers. I can also create a separate pivot table to tally how many of each rank a peer evaluator provided. This helps determine how fairly the peer evaluator is assessing his or her peers.

To make it even easier to sort and organize data, I format my questions consistently with “multiple choice,” “choose from a list,” “checkboxes,” “scale,” or “grid” styles. To streamline name and email collection, I use the pre-filled URL option, like this.

Rather than creating a unique URL for each student, I have students list their names and emails in a Google Sheet and use a formula to pre-populate their information into the peer evaluation form. And when working on group projects, multiple student names can be pre-populated into the peer evaluation form, too.

Providing students feedback from their peers quickly is essential. After checking the spreadsheet comments to make they are appropriate and helpful, I email them out. Google Sheets Add-Ons provide the ability to use mail merge to send students the peer feedback. Using the Add-On “Yet Another Mail Merge” returns feedback to the students via email in one action.

Google Forms makes the challenging task of managing peer feedback simple and fast. Since peer feedback can be delivered in minutes, I save class time and eliminate handing out and collecting paper forms. Thirty students in a class can generate up to 900 peer evaluations. This data can be analyzed quickly and easily, without manually tallying results. Feedback can be returned to students within a day rather than weeks later. With this process, students can receive feedback quickly, which helps increase their attention and motivation in class.

Posted by Bayo Olotu, Program Manager, Google for Education

(Cross-posted on the Google Africa Blog.)

From preschool through university and beyond, schools across Africa are using technology to enhance learning on campus and online. Here are three examples of schools in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya that have made incredible strides with Google for Education.

The Distance Learning Centre (DLC) of Nigeria’s University of Ibadan was established in 1988 with the aim of providing Off-campus learning options to students whose schedules and locations make it hard for them to study full-time at the main campus.

Today, the DLC uses Google Apps for Education to run a number of its admissions and study systems for over 30,000 teachers and students from different locations. For example, student registrations, course material distributions and assignment submissions processes are easily managed via Gmail, Drive, Docs and Sites. Lectures and other important university events are live-streamed via Google Hangouts.

The Center recently adopted Google Classroom with very positive impact on assignment management and interaction.
SPARK Schools, an independent school network in Johannesburg, South Africa, implemented a blended learning model using Google Apps and Chromebooks. This model provides students with self-paced learning, allows teachers to create personalized instruction based on assessment data, and also enables SPARK schools to operate at a much lower cost per pupil.

With the plan to open two new schools next year and continue doubling the number of students it reaches each year, SPARK foresees that Google Apps, including Drive, Docs and Hangouts, will enable staff to participate in discussions and collaborate on joint projects across multiple locations.

Kabarak University, located just outside Nakuru, Kenya, uses Google Apps to help students make their voices heard. Students now use Google Forms to share their comments with administrators about all aspects of university life.

The university also created a Google Site to centralize information like term dates, campus news and sporting events. Some lecturers have created their own Sites to store class resources and lessons. “From community outreach to advanced plans to launch online degrees and e-learning, we’re creating a new online learning culture” says ICT Director Moses Thiga.

Many schools like these are eliminating the barriers to quality education using Google Apps for Education and Chromebooks. In fact, new Chromebooks from Acer are now available in South Africa.

If you’re interested in discovering other schools around the world that have gone Google and learning more about bringing Chromebooks to your school, visit our site.

Posted by Karen Parker, Education Program Manager

As 2015 approaches, we’re eager to open applications for our Computer Science for High School (CS4HS) award program. Since 2009, the CS4HS program has been providing funding to universities, colleges, and educational non-profits to create computer science professional development opportunities for K–12 teachers around the globe. In 2015 we are excited to be expanding CS4HS to new regions, opening it up to more delivery methods, and making it more relevant for teachers.

Reaching more teachers
This year we are accepting applications from India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia to expand our reach. Our hope is that by developing in-country talent in these regions we can help contribute to the country’s overall economic growth and further enrich the global CS community. Along with these new regions, we look forward to receiving applications from Africa, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, China, Europe, and the Middle East.

Focusing on the new US Computer Science AP Course 
We believe the new Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (CSP) course being developed by the National Science Foundation and the College Board is key to engaging a more diverse audience of students in computer science. Adoption and exemplary teaching of this course requires a community-wide effort to prepare teachers. To that end, in 2015 the CS4HS US program will be providing awards to universities and educational non-profits interested in helping their local teacher community prepare to teach CSP.

Research (Joyce & Showers, 2002; Wiske, Stone, & Levinson, 1993) shows that peer-to-peer professional development and on-going support improve teachers’ abilities to adopt and implement new content and skills. Based on this research in 2015, we will provide funding support for:

professional development workshops (face to face, online, and blended instruction) focused on CSP establishment of, or work with, existing communities of practice (COP) that will support ongoing professional development and advocacy for CSP on an ongoing basis.

Getting started with your application
Specifics vary from region to region, so please visit the CS4HS website to learn more about the eligibility requirements and deadlines specific to you, and to get started on your application. We hope this year will provide many opportunities to partner with the CS education community to grow and strengthen CS teachers around the globe. We hope you’ll be a part of it, and look forward to reviewing your application.

Teachers from Hanes Magnet School learning about why computers store everything in binary at a Wake Forest CS4HS workshop

Posted by Abby Bouchon, K-12 Education Outreach Coordinator

“Don’t just buy a new video game — make one. Don’t just download the latest app — help design it. Don’t just play on your phone — program it.” - President Barack Obama

We couldn’t agree more, Mr. President. Which is why we’ve celebrated Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) since its launch in 2009. Over the last five years, CSEdWeek has provided an opportunity to promote Computer Science education worldwide, a goal that Google shares and supports.

At Google, we aim to inspire young people around the world not just to use technology, but to create it. To accomplish this, we need more students pursuing an education in Computer Science (CS), particularly girls and minorities, who have historically been underrepresented in the field. CS is a gateway to innovation in many fields, from bringing the White House tree lighting to the digital age, to creating a breath to speech communication device for disabled individuals. We’re proud to support the Hour of Code and many organizations, including Black Girls Code and National Center of Women in Technology, who work year-round to increase access to Computer Science for all students.

Students at a CS First club exploring game design and storytelling via Scratch, a visual programming language developed by MIT

With a projected 1.4 million jobs in CS available by 2020 and a world Made with Code, now is the time to explore Computer Science. With so many resources out there, we wanted to highlight some ways to access and learn more about Computer Science learning materials.

For parents:

• Made With Code: Careers in Computer Science and related subject areas will continue to be in high demand for the foreseeable future. Check out the Made with Code article about Why Coding is Kind of a Big Deal. 
• Research: When it comes to introducing CS to your daughters, research shows that encouragement (especially from families) and exposure to computing are top factors that can influence a young woman’s decision to pursue CS.

For students:

• Hour of Code: Be sure to check out Code.org’s plethora of introductory coding resources during CSEdWeek and year-round. Opportunities include mobile-friendly coding puzzles, game design and even computer-free unplugged CS. 
• CS First: CS First is a free, informal program, designed by educators and computer scientists at Google, that equips volunteers with materials needed to run after school, in school, and summer CS programs. The online lesson plans introduce CS via interactive Scratch modules, with topics ranging from game design to music display. 
• Made with Code: Between coding your first dancing yeti and dreaming with young women who code the world they want to see, there is plenty to explore at Made with Code. 
• More opportunities: For students looking to deepen their experience in CS, be sure to try out an open-source coding task with our Google Code-in contest, or apply for a three-week immersion in CS at the Computer Science Summer Institute.

For educators: 

• Code.org: Code.org provides educators with top-notch tools for hosting an Hour of Code or learning about local CS curriculum opportunities.
• CS4HS: Computer Science for High School is an annual grant program promoting Computer Science education worldwide by connecting educators to the skills and resources they need to teach CS & computational thinking concepts. Applications open December 8. 
• EngageCSEdu: Are you looking for support in starting your own introductory CS course in a university or community college? EngageCSEdu is an open-source collection of dynamic curriculum aimed to shape and grow access to great introductory CS courses, created by NCWIT and Google. 
• RISE: Not-for profit organizations that teach CS to underrepresented K-12 students are encouraged to check out the Google RISE Awards for grant and partnership opportunities.

To us, promoting Computer Science education is a year-long occasion. So this CSEdWeek, we hope you’ll start exploring the power of code.