Coding and the Arts

Connecting CS to Drawing, Music, Animation and More

Josh Caldwell

• Publisher: ISTE
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781564848895
• eBook ISBN: 9781564848864
• Topic: Éducation
• Subtopic: Méthodes pédagogiques

Unlock your students' creative potential by exploring the intersections between CS and art across various types of artistic media, including drawing, animation, music and physically interactive art.

While there are books that discuss the intersection of the arts and computer science (CS), there are none written for K-12 teachers that cover the content overlaps between CS and the arts beyond a single programming environment, and that feature approaches and examples of practicing artists. Coding and the Arts fills that gap.

CS sometimes gets a bad rap as dry, isolated and uninteresting work — the pursuit of analytically minded techies working alone. In reality, programming is deeply creative and enables artists of all types to discover new ways to express themselves. In this book, you'll explore how to apply computation to stretch the possibilities in many art forms, as well as how to pave the way for entirely new ones. By approaching programming tools as artistic media, you'll connect the dots between programming, creativity and artistic expression. Along the way, you'll learn from a diverse set of computational artists and teachers who are using technology to push the bounds of traditional artistic media.

Chapters include:

• Spotlights of working artists and educators who are integrating computing into their art.
• Deep dives into artistic programming environments, exploring their unique benefits, constraints and impact on classroom use.
• Alignment to the four pillars of computational thinking to help you create richer learning experiences for students.
• Lesson sketches aligned with CS concepts and the ISTE Computational Thinking Competencies.

The book also offers strategies for supporting students in developing as computational artists, including the attitudes and practices that will help them as artists and computer scientists.

Audience: K-12 educators

PART 1

Setting the Stage

This initial section provides the foundation for the tools and instructional approaches used later in the book. Starting with my reasons for teaching CS in K-12, I begin to connect CS and the arts by explaining the role of computers in art. I also share several frameworks and models useful for integrating CS into other content areas. I end with a brief history of art and CS.

Included in this section:

• Five reasons for teaching CS in K–12 education.

• A discussion of equity in CS and steps you can take to ensure access to CS instruction for all students.

• An explanation of the SEA model for CS integration.

• A section devoted to computational thinking in CS education.

CHAPTER 1

The Intersection of CS and Art

Odds are if you’re reading this, you’re already holding onto some beliefs about why or how to teach CS in K–12, so why bother beginning with something we (presumably) already agree on? I firmly believe that why we choose to do this work matters, and whether or not your motivations align with mine, I hope that sharing where I’m coming from provides useful context for the classroom experiences I describe throughout this book. If you haven’t had the opportunity to articulate your own beliefs about CS education, I’ll take this opportunity to urge you to do so. In as much as we’re faced with students carrying potentially harmful and counterproductive preconceived notions about CS, the unspoken assumptions that we (and our fellow teachers) carry can make it even more difficult to develop sustainable and equitable CS programs.

Even very broadly articulated beliefs can provide clarity and guidance when it comes to making decisions about how to prioritize your classroom efforts, as well as a firm ground for advocating for CS to your administration or broader school population. I’m going to bring a lot of different whats at you throughout this book, but you’ve got to bring your own why.

When I first began building out a computer science program at my own school, I constantly faced the question why from my fellow staff and administration. Why should we make room for something else in an already packed schedule? Why can’t kids just take AP computer science in high school? Why would kids even be interested in CS in the first place? I won’t pretend like it’s easy to make change happen in your school, and so if you’re in the position of trying to make the space in your school, I want to give you as many tools to help as I can. The arguments for bringing computer science into K–12 education are vast, varied, and unfortunately often reinforce the kinds of stereotypes about CS that made so many of my students shy away. In her analysis of common arguments for teaching CS, Colleen Lewis argues against some of the most common ones (such as proposing that CS teaches logical thinking skills) and instead proposes advocating for computer science education based on three main tenets (Lewis, 2017):

• Computing is ubiquitous. Universal, high-quality K–12 computer science instruction could provide all students the opportunities they need and deserve to understand the world around them. Early access to this lens on the world is essential for students to build a complete understanding of their world as they learn math, science, language arts, social studies, or any other subject.

• Cultural and structural barriers block students from pursuing computer science at the college level. Universal, high-quality K–12 computer science instruction could serve as a protective factor for students. Introducing students to CS before they have developed a sense of self ensures that CS may be a part of that sense of self.

• Computer science jobs are high-paying and high-status. Universal, high-quality K–12 computer science instruction could increase access to these high-paying, high-status jobs. This universal access is an essential step in dismantling the existing systemic barriers in the industry that prevent equitable participation, particularly by women and people of color.

At a high level I think these arguments are both powerful and fairly unassailable. From the perspective of an on-the-ground teacher, however, I feel they lack the practicality needed to get the support of administration. My experience tells me that making change in schools requires speaking the language of the administration, which means adding a layer of pragmatism to my natural idealism. In that light, I share my own arguments for making space for CS. These are informed by my own experiences with administrators and educational decision makers, which almost certainly will be somewhat different from your own, so take that for what it is.

Why Teach Computer Science in K-12?

1. It’s Foundational Skill

President Obama declared that CS is “no longer an optional skill, it’s a basic skill” (“Barack Obama Just Surprised Hundreds of Kids Who Are Learning to Code,” n.d.). We teach students about the digestive and circulatory systems not because we expect all students to become doctors, but because we expect engaged citizens to have a fundamental understanding of the world around them. I would argue that how the internet or a smartphone works is at least as essential as the basic biology that we teach all students. How can we expect students to engage thoughtfully in discussions around internet regulation, information privacy, or the role of artificial intelligence without at least a baseline understanding of computer science? We’re already so far behind in this regard, with the majority of adults unable to engage in critical discussions about the role of technology in society that we simply must do better for the coming generations.

2. It’s an Empowering Tool for Self Expression

Computer science is much more than just math applied to machines, it’s a rich and powerful medium for personal expression unlike anything that has come before. For students who find solace and expression in art, music, performance, writing, or any other expressive outlet you can image, coding has the potential to boost their creative expression. Obviously, this will be the focus of much of the rest of this book, but it’s important to state here up front that art isn’t just the peanut butter that we’re hiding the pill of CS in, it can be the goal in and of itself.

3. It’s Baked into the Standards

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) went a long way toward bringing science instruction in the U.S. into the 21st century. The NGSS explicitly call out both computational thinking and computer modeling as essential elements of a K–12 science education, though few packaged science curricula incorporate the computer science and programming necessary to support these standards (States, 2013). If we value science education, computer science is an essential component of that. While the Common Core Math standards don’t feature the same explicit language, they do share deep commonalities with the K–12 CS Framework, particularly the eight math practices (Initiative and others, 2010). Taking advantage of these overlapping practices will give students the opportunity to see math as more real, more authentic, and more applicable as they use it to compose programs that they care about. Additionally, the ISTE Standards for Students, which are by their very nature designed to guide instruction using technology across all content areas, both explicitly call out computational thinking, while also containing deep connections to other areas of computer science (International Society for Technology in Education, 2016). If any of these content areas speak to you, I’d recommend checking out my previous book, which focuses on integration into math, science, ELA, and social studies.

4. It’s Core to Digital Citizenship

I’ve yet to find a school administrator that doesn’t appreciate the need for our students to develop digital citizenship skills, but how many truly appreciate what that looks like? A fundamental understanding of the systems of the internet and the data it collects is essential for a student to understand their responsibilities as a citizen in those systems. We teach civics because we know that we can’t expect students to be active citizens in our society if they don’t understand the foundational structures upon which our society is built and the systems of governance that keep it running. How then can we expect students to truly become “digital” citizens if they have no understanding of the foundational structures of the internet or its systems of governance? How many of our students understand who controls access to their digital society? Who makes the rules? How can we, as citizens, be active participants in this digital society?

5. It’s a Civil Rights Issue

I would say that a basic understanding of CS will be essential to being an active member of society in the future, but that future is already here. Whether it’s net neutrality, crypto currencies, credit card security breaches, the safety of self-driving cars, the security implications of home automation, or the perpetuation of institutional racism through algorithmic bias, it’s becoming clearer every day that society is going to continue facing problems that most of us are ill equipped to understand, let alone make informed decisions about. Those members of the next generation who don’t get the opportunity to learn about this will be left at the mercy of those who do. Ignoring the jobs that students will be locked out of without a basic CS education (which could be viewed a civil rights issue of its own), the ability to understand the technological components of society will define the haves and the have-nots of the future. Our society fails daily at dismantling the systemic and institutional racism that oppresses our students of color, and these systems of oppression are subtly deepened through technology.

Teaching our students CS is more than a nice idea, more than an opportunity to get them a good job; it’s a fundamental responsibility that we can no longer ignore. If we don’t give students access to this knowledge, we’re effectively preventing them from becoming active and empowered citizens of both our digital societies and our physical societies, as the two become ever more entwined. If we don’t focus in particular on empowering our marginalized students, we’re doing worse than failing them today, we’re enabling the creation and perpetuation of systems of oppression.

Help, I’m a New-to-CS Teacher!

If you are a teacher in America’s public education system, and you’re coming from a different subject area, you’ve probably been teaching your given subject area because you are deemed “highly qualified” to teach that subject. Maybe your undergraduate degree was in English, or you came to teaching after a career as a biologist; more likely than not you are some manner of subject matter expert in addition to being a master of the art of teaching. So, what qualifies you to teach computer science then? Well, the truth is that you may not have the expertise that you’re used to having, you may not be the fount of knowledge, but you can actually leverage that relative inexperience.

Folks who work in CS-related fields are rarely experts in all relevant areas, and programmers are constantly learning, always trying to keep up with the rapidly changing field. As a new-to-CS teacher, you too will always be learning and keeping up with the changes. While a teacher with more computer science content knowledge may start in a different place, the truth is that all teachers of CS are constantly learning and redeveloping their skill set. Change is the name of the game in such a young and dynamic field. Welcome to the team!

The All in CS for All

It’s no secret that the technology industry is still a space dominated by white male experiences, perspectives, and voices. The under-representation of women and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) voices in technology isn’t just an issue of missed financial opportunities for the folks kept out of well-paying jobs, it’s the continuation of a centuries-long tradition of those in power building and maintaining the systems that are used to hoard privilege. As Safiya Noble puts it in her book Algorithms of Oppression, “Algorithmic oppression is not just a glitch in the system but, rather, is fundamental to the operating system of the web” (Noble, 2018). Put another way, it’s not enough to convince all students to participate in CS if we aren’t also working to break down the systems that kept them out in the first place.

In latest of their multi-year CS education polls, Google and Gallup found that Black and Latinx students are still less likely than their white peers to have access to CS courses in school (Gallup, 2020). Girls are not only less likely to have learned CS, but they’re less likely to even be aware of the CS learning opportunities that may be available to them or to be encouraged to pursue it by the adults in their lives. The systemic issues that prevent underrepresented populations from entering the field, and which subsequently drive many of them out once they make it through the door, start as soon as children begin interacting with technology (or lacking the interactions afforded to their peers). If we seek a world in which the creators of technology are representative of the users, we have to start breaking down barriers and stereotypes from the very beginning. Regardless of what grade level you teach, I urge you to connect with the teachers of younger students in your school or with feeder schools to ensure that students from underrepresented backgrounds are given the o...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• About ISTE
• About the Author
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• 1 Setting the Stage
• 2 Mediums for Programming in the Arts
• 3 Bringing It Back to the Classroom
• A Computer Science Practices
• B ISTE Computational Thinking Competencies
• References
• Index