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From Computational Thinking to Computational literacies: What does it mean for computing education in schools?

Series: Department Seminar

Speaker: Dr. Gayithri Jayathirtha, Computing Innovation Fellow, University of Oregon, Eugene USA

Date/Time: Sep 12 14:00:00

Location: CSA Seminar Hall (Room No. 254, First Floor)

Abstract:
Increasing intersections between computing, communities, and societies call for expanding how we understand computational thinking and how we support teachers and learners in classrooms to develop the same. During my talk, I will draw on Kafai and Proctors (2022) framing of computational literacies as sociocultural and sociopolitical phenomena and turn our attention to teacher and learner identities while participating in teaching and learning and their implications for computing education. I will discuss what computational literacy development means in schools through three example studies. I will share parts of my previous and ongoing works about learner identities within computing classrooms, teacher learning at the intersections of societal and technical as shaped by their classroom and personal experiences and identities, and co-designing curricular materials with teachers as a way to center teacher experience, expertise, and values within classrooms at scale. In doing so, I will invite the audience to think of similar connections and tensions within their teaching and outreach contexts and what a move toward computational literacy may mean for their work.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Gayithri Jayathirtha is a Computing Innovation Fellow at the University of Oregon, Eugene (USA), where she works with computing teachers to think about and develop critical computing materials. In April 2022, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a PhD in Learning Sciences, concentrating on K-12 computing education. Prior to pursuing her doctoral program, she earned her masters degree in Learning Sciences and Technologies from the University of Pennsylvania and her undergraduate degree in Computer Science Engineering from Bangalore University, Bangalore (India). Gayithri was a K-12 math teacher and teacher workshop facilitator in Karnataka, India for six years before starting her graduate studies. Reference: Kafai, Y. B., & Proctor, C. (2022). A revaluation of computational thinking in K–12 education: Moving toward computational literacies. Educational Researcher, 51(2), 146-151.

Host Faculty: Prof Y Narahari & Prof. Viraj Kumar