On Friday, October 20, 60 Cornell Tech and 75 Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 middle school students participated in the 4th annual Let's Code RI computer science learning project.
During the October 24 Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech Community Task Force meeting held at the PS/IS 217 auditorium, Ms Levitt described last Friday's Let's Code RI which had the PS/IS 217 middle school students editing news reports with help from their Cornell Tech student mentors.
Check out previous Cornell Tech and Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 Let's Code RI projects at these previous posts.
Following the Let's Code RI presentation, Ms Levitt moderated a panel discussion of Cornell Tech’s Teacher in Residence Program and computer science education at PS/IS 217 with the school Principal, Teachers, PTA President and the Teacher in Residence.
Will have video of this panel presentation soon as well.
... In addition to hearing about some of the work going on in our school over the next few years, families will have the opportunity to work with Cornell Tech mentors and create computer games....
It's a very interesting discussion. Watch this video.
Ms Levitt noted during the April Scratch Educators Meetup talk (at the 17 minute 30 second mark) that she has had a difficult relationship with the PS/IS 217 Principal because of an expectation by the school that Cornell Tech would come with a financial investment to the school which Ms. Levitt said:
... was a fantasy...
adding:
... Every time I walk into the room and don't come in with dollars, its like I failed before I even sat down. Since I never come in with dollars, I'm pretty much always failing....
However, Ms Levitt added that the Principal was very happy with the April Hackathon and asked:
... Now we need a whole build out - what do we do on Monday?
Today, Cornell Tech announced what's next is a new partnership with Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217. According to this December 10 Cornell Tech press release:
Cornell Tech, New York City public school P.S./I.S. 217 and Councilmember Ben Kallos today unveiled a groundbreaking three-year program that will enable teachers at Roosevelt Island’s P.S./I.S. 217 to incorporate computer science (CS) activity across the curriculum. Every teacher in the K-8 school will receive professional development training, after which they will devise and implement CS lesson plans covering every student in every grade. The program is part of an ongoing partnership between Cornell Tech and the New York City Department of Education to make computer science instruction available to public school students.
Beginning in January, every teacher at the school will meet with a CS education consultant to learn specific ways to introduce students to coding and the broader digital universe. The consultant will work specifically with 4th-8th grade teachers to design actual lesson plans. Similarly, Cornell Tech Senior Director of K-12 Education Diane Levitt will work with K-3 teachers to incorporate computational thinking with the school’s youngest students. The program will also partner with the Museum of the Moving Image to design two lessons for Grades 4-8 focused on game design and digital media. This teacher education is in addition to a six-week introduction to CS that every P.S./I.S. 217 program teacher has already received.
“Cornell Tech is thrilled to expand its partnership with P.S./I.S. 217 as part of our broader commitment to enriching tech education for New York City public school children,” said Cornell Tech Dean Dan Huttenlocher. “Helping teachers learn creative ways to incorporate computing into their classrooms benefits not only our students but our city.”
“This is a great opportunity for P.S./I.S. 217 to integrate computer science into all its classrooms and expand students’ horizons,” New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said. “As New York City brings computer-science education to all students by 2025, we will continue to partner with Cornell Tech and other higher education and community partners in this critical work.”
“We want teachers to have the computing content knowledge to be able to to help students become digital creators. We think this starts with building teachers’ expertise and comfort and then moving with them into developing curriculum and teaching strategies,” said Diane Levitt, Senior Director of K-12 Education at Cornell Tech. “Cornell Tech’s innovative vision and public/private partnerships give us a unique platform from which to transform K-12 computer science teaching and learning in New York City, and across the nation.”
The program, part of an ongoing three year effort to embed CS in every class at the school, will also give P.S./I.S. 217 parents the unique opportunity to partake in their children’s education. As part of the launch, Cornell Tech and P.S./I.S. 217 will co-host an event this evening to lay out for parents the program’s vision and plan. Parents and their children will then participate in a coding workshop where they will design a holiday-themed game, giving parents a first-hand sense of how accessible computer science can be when creatively incorporated into a curriculum.
“Helping our teachers integrate computer science into their curriculum is critical to preparing our students for the careers of tomorrow,” said New York City Councilmember Ben Kallos. “The close relationship between Cornell Tech and P.S./I.S. 217 not only benefits the Roosevelt Island community but also serves as a model for how public and private institutions can work together.”
“To succeed in today’s world, all our kids need access to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math education – that’s what STEAM stands for,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Starting with computational thinking and coding in elementary school is a great idea. While we have a long way to go to update our schools in terms of hardware, software, and training for staff, partnerships like this one play an important role in filling the gaps. I’m excited to see Cornell Tech investing in the P.S./I.S. 217 school community, and I look forward to a successful Family Coding Night.”
This program is the latest effort by Cornell Tech to extend its mission – developing pioneering leaders and technologies for the digital age – beyond its own campus to a deep engagement with New York City’s public schools. Cornell Tech operates from the premise that every public school student should have the content, skills and strategies to building something digital and personally meaningful.
Since winning the city’s applied sciences campus competition less than four years ago, Cornell Tech’s work has already impacted over 2200 students and 170 teachers. Last summer, Cornell Tech hosted two summer programs – NYC Generation Tech and Coding Off the Grid – for New York City middle and high school students, building skills in computer science, entrepreneurship, design and more. The school also created and hosts the To Code and Beyond conference, a series of twice yearly invitation-only events convening educators, nonprofit leaders, policymakers and funders to share best practices and address challenges in K12 tech education. To Code and Beyond is co-sponsored by the NYC Dept. of Education, Google, and CSNYC.
The Wall Street Journal reported today on Cornell Tech and Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217 teacher training initiative.
Here's what happened at the Cornell Tech Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 April and October
Hackathons earlier this year.
UPDATE 12/11 - Here's video of the December 10 Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech PS/IS 217 Start Up Jam.
Part 1 - PS/IS 217 Principal Mandana Beckman briefly describes partnership with Cornell Tech and introduces NYC Council Member Ben Kallo who talks about importance of Tech education and praises Roosevelt Island PTA for advocating on behalf of PS/IS 217.
Part 2 - Presentation by Cornell Tech Director of K-12 Education Diane Levitt.
Part 3 - PS/IS 217 parents question Cornell Tech Director of K-12 Education Diane Levitt on Cornell Tech plans for PS/IS 217.
After the presentations, parents and kids went to the PS/IS 217 computer labs to learn coding together.
Early this morning, approximately 70 Cornell Tech graduate students visited Roosevelt Island to teach coding classes to about 60 PS/IS 217 middle school students. According to a Cornell Tech spokesperson:
Cornell Tech grad students will head to Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217 to teach coding classes to middle schoolers for its second "Hack Roosevelt Island" day. The student volunteers will work with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students on spooky, Halloween-themed coding projects using the coding language, Scratch.
Led by 70 accomplished engineering, health tech, connective media, and MBA students from all over the world, Hack Roosevelt Island Let's Code RI will help show that coding can be easy and fun for kids. Through the games, kids will learn useful computational thinking methods that they can use in a variety of classes and situations.
with the help of a Cornell Tech student Jason Hershman.
Olivia said that she really liked her game and its fun to play. Displaying a true entrepreneurial spirit, Olivia added that she would like to sell her games:
... to everyone across the world....
PS/IS 217 Principal Mandana Beckman learned to code Scratch too.
Our middle school students had an amazing time designing their Halloween themed games. Thank you Diane Levitt, Cornell Tech mentors and the staff from the Museum of Moving Image for planning this event for our student.
More from the Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 Cornell Tech Halloween Hackathon from the Twitterverse.
Task Force Member Christina Delfico asked Ms. Swanson about previous announced Cornell Tech feasibility study on Roosevelt Island pedestrian access to the Queensboro Bridge.
Ms Swanson reported that Cornell Tech raised the subject with the NYC Department of Transportation during the Bloomberg administration in 2013, but at that time the Bloomberg administration was not interested in pursuing a feasibility study due to its scale, complexity and cost.
Ms. Swanson added that Cornell Tech is:
... very much in favor of this.... Providing pedestrian access to the Queensboro Bridge is something that we support very much....
and:
... we would love this idea to pursue it but it probably is a long shot... never say never and we are open to all sorts of different ways of approaching it....
Here's the discussion.
From 1919 to 1955 there was vehicle and pedestrian access from the Queensboro Bridge to Roosevelt (then Welfare) Island. According to Neil Tandon writing for the Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS):
... The Elevator Storehouse, opened in 1919, housed an elevator that transported cars and people from the Queensboro Bridge down to the present-day Tramway Plaza. In addition, it contained storage space and a reception ward for the island's Metropolitan Hospital. The building, whose main lobby was on its top floor, was nicknamed the upside-down building and was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not for its peculiar design. With the opening of the Welfare Island Bridge, the building closed in 1955 and was demolished in 1970....
The NY Times reported on Roosevelt Island pedestrian access to Queensboro Bridge in 2007:
... a spokeswoman for the city Department of Transportation, raised doubts about a passageway that would have to be nearly 135 feet high.
''It's not feasible,'' she said. ''They'd have to remove a lane of traffic to put in an elevator.''
With an average of about 180,000 vehicle crossings a day, the Queensboro is one of the city's busiest bridges, and according to Ms. Sarlin, eliminating a lane for an elevator would hamper traffic. A stairway could not be installed because people with disabilities could not use it, she added, noting that such a change would also cause security problems. Further, she said, since the facade of the bridge has landmark status, altering it would present a problem....
Last Friday, April 17, Cornell Tech graduate students visited Roosevelt Island, the future home of their campus beginning in 2017, to HACK ROOSEVELT ISLAND with PS/IS 217 students
and Roosevelt Island Seniors by teaching coding and computer literacy workshops within small groups and on an individual basis.
On Friday, April 17, over 30 Cornell Tech graduate students taught coding and computer literacy workshops to local middle school students and senior citizens on Roosevelt Island to show that computing can be fun and easy for New Yorkers of all ages at “Hack Roosevelt Island.”
Tied to the observance of Earth Day, volunteers from Cornell Tech’s Master’s programs practiced coding games related to the environment and computer graphics with 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students from PS/IS 217 using the python platform Codesters.
“We’re thrilled to partner with PS/IS 217 to give students the opportunity to learn about computing by building digital projects,” said Cornell Tech Sr. Director of K-12 Education Diane Levitt. “This is just one step in our commitment to bring K-12 technology education to Roosevelt Island and across the city. We look forward to working with the community to build on this event and create more tech opportunities over the next few years.”
Following the Middle School workshop, volunteers worked with adults at the Roosevelt Island Senior Center on general computer literacy and basic online and Internet skills. Seniors practiced finding recipes, travel suggestions, health tips and other vital information, including how to use Google Maps and general Internet safety and best practices.
“It was great to see students and senior citizens interacting with technology and learning skills that they will be able to use for many years,” said Miwa Takaki, Cornell Tech MBA student and lead student organizer for Hack Roosevelt Island. “Opportunities to volunteer with the Roosevelt Island community are part of what makes being a student at Cornell Tech so special and one of the reasons that I look forward to staying in the city after graduation.”
Cornell Tech is committed to developing K-12 education and other community engagement initiatives on Roosevelt Island, the home of its future campus, set to open in 2017. Friday’s event was an additional step towards fulfilling Cornell Tech’s promise to the city, with more programming to be created over the next few years.
I spoke with Cornell Tech Director of K-12 Education Diane Levitt and MBA student Miwa Takaki following the PS/IS 217 portion of Hack Roosevelt Island. Ms Levitt explained that the PS/IS 217 students created digital games using the Python programming language.
Ms. Levitt then assisted me with the interview of Ms Takaki who is graduating from Cornell Tech and going to work for Ebay in NYC. Ms. Takaki is an example of the type of student envisioned for Cornell Tech by Mayor Bloomberg when he first proposed the idea of a NYC computer graduate engineering school in December 2010. Ms. Takaki is from the West Coast and came to NYC for the type of collaborative education provided by Cornell Tech and upon graduation is staying to contribute to the NYC Tech scene.
Hack Roosevelt Island then continued at the Roosevelt Island Seniors Center. Cornell Tech's Jane Swanson and Roosevelt Island's NYC Council Member, and Coder himself, Ben Kallos had some introductory comments.
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
