Hello from the MNCodes Educator Training Program!

It has been a busy start to the 2019-20 school year and we have a variety of exciting things to share!
Read on to learn more about what we’ve been up to, as well as some upcoming opportunities and some resources that you can take and use right away!

New Partnerships!

We are excited to announce that Code Savvy’s MNCodes Educator Training Program began a partnership with the UMN’s LT Media Lab, Bloomington Public Schools and Austin Public Schools in the fall of 2019 as providers of computer science and maker education training and coaching.
We are honored to be a part of the work that each organization is doing to consistently and intentionally expand equitable and engaging computer science and maker education learning opportunities to more and more students!

We love to partner with districts and organizations to expand our mission and vision – please let us know if you would be interested in partnering!

2019-20 MNCodes Educator Cohort

August marked the start of our 2019-20 MNCodes Educator Training Cohort. This is our 5th year of offering the Cohort and are thrilled to be working with 35 K-12 educators from across MN.

The purpose of the MNCodes Cohort is to empower a network of visionary educators with knowledge, skills and resources so that we can expand equitable and engaging computer science education to all students in Minnesota.

Over the past four years, we estimate that our MNCodes Educator Training Programs and participants have impacted 3,300 educators and 37,000 students across our state!

We are Minnesota’s Edison Robot Training Partner!

We are excited to announce that we have been selected as Minnesota’s official Edison Robot training partner!

We are excited to bring the power and impact of computer science through robotics to educators and students across Minnesota! We provide equity-focused, hands-on training for K12 and community educators to develop skills, strategies and ideas for integrating Edison Robots into any classroom.

Why Edison Robots? They are low-cost, ready-to-use, programmable robots that are designed to be a complete STEM teaching resource for learners ages 4 and up. Edison can be programmed with free online platforms – EdBlocks, EdScratch, or EdPy (no software needed), has built in sensors, can be used with LEGO, and include access to free curriculum and educator guides. Want to learn more about Edison Robots? Click here!

Grants and Awards

Code Savvy’s MNCodes Educator Training Program received an IMPACT grant through the EducationMN Foundation. Our grant is focused on effecting meaningful, long-lasting change in the policies and practices that shape computer science teaching and learning in Minnesota.

Code Savvy was recently named as a runner-up for the 2019 CSTA CS Champions Award. We are honored to be recognized as a part of the collective efforts to broaden participation in computing, nationwide!

Join us: 2020 MNCodes Summit on Saturday, 5/16!

Registration is now open for the MNCodes Summit happening on Saturday, May 16, 2020! The theme of this year’s Summit is: Networking to Expand Equitable and Engaging Computer Science Education.
Join us for a day of hands-on sessions that explore ways to empower all learners through computer science education, with a focus on equitable practices across a variety of curricular areas, K-12.
Click here to submit a session proposal — call for proposals is open through February 17, 2020.
Click here to register!  Early bird registration is open through March 6th and includes lunch & light refreshments, as well as a cool Summit t-shirt. We look forward to seeing you at the 2020 MNCodes Summit!

During our November and December Giving Campaigns, Code Savvy raised $3,600!
Even though the fall giving campaigns are over, we welcome your donations! Our programs are entirely donation and grant funded, and our MNCodes Educator Program goal is to  raise $6,000 in order to cover the cost for 4 educators to participate in our year-long Cohort.

Click here to donate!

Free Computer Science Education Resources!

We were so excited to celebrate 2019’s CSEdWeek this week, and are thrilled about the collective efforts to broaden participation in computing!

In addition to the vast K-12 Hour of Code resources available via Code.org (you’ve got to try out the new Dance Party activities, if you haven’t already!), we also wanted to share some MNCodes Cohort member-created resources to help you continue engaging your students in computer science beyond the Hour of Code.

Click any of the subject areas below to see a handful of the many available on our MNCodes Public Curriculum Database, and are not only teacher/student tested and approved, but also are aligned to MN Academic Standards (bonus!).

Computer Science
Language Arts
Math
Science
Social Studies