CS First News and Updates

NEW

CS First classroom kits are here!

August, 2019

CS First has a new classroom kit. These kits have a fresh new look and feel and are no longer theme-specific.

Important details about our classroom kits

Currently, kits are only available for multi-day activities, which have 8-12 hours of content. Visit g.co/csfirst/curriculum to view our different types of curriculum.
Classroom kits are not available for one-hour activities, which have 1-2 hours of content, but digital materials are still available.
All kits are the same, and include the following items:
- The CS First Starter Guide to help you prepare for your first class.
- Stickers! For the students, of course... To encourage participation and for fun!
- Certificates (50 of them!) to acknowledge your students’ success.
- A Shout Out poster for students to recognize peer accomplishments and to build classroom community.

What does this mean for you?

If you requested a kit anytime after July 3rd, it should arrive within a few days.
Digital materials are still available for each activity. To access digital materials, click on your activity, then toggle to the Materials tab.

As you await your kit, the following suggestions may help you prepare for your class:

Role-play being a student and try 10 minutes of this CS First activity.
Review the digital materials for your theme.
Start your theme with your class or try one of the sample activities. Physical materials are not required for a great experience.
Say hi to the CS First team & existing teachers by Tweeting #CSFirst.

ARCHIVE

Updates to CS First classroom kits coming soon!

July, 2019

We are updating our CS First classroom kits! These kits have a fresh new look and feel and are no longer theme-specific. All kits are the same, and include the following items:

The CS First Starter Guide to help you prepare for your first class.
Stickers! For the students, of course.
Certificates (50 of them!) to acknowledge your students’ success.
A Shout Out poster for students to recognize peer accomplishments and to build classroom community!

Starting July 3, 2019, kit orders will be for our new theme-agnostic classroom kit (described above). These kits will not be deliverable until early September. More details below.

If you request a kit on July 3rd, or later, it will arrive in early September. In the meantime, you can use the digital materials for your activity (click on your theme, then toggle to the "Materials" tab). We realize this is not ideal and thank you in advance for your patience as we build these shiny new kits.

The following suggestions may help you prepare for your class as you await your kit.

Role-play being a student and try 10 minutes of this CS First activity.
Review digital materials for your theme.
Start your theme with your class or try one of the sample activities. Physical materials are not required for a great experience.
Say hi to the CS First team & existing teachers by Tweeting #CSFirst.

CS First Spanish lessons

March, 2019

What content is available in Spanish?

We have two Sample Activities -- Animate a Name and An Unusual Discovery -- that are now available in Spanish. Check out Animar un Nombre and Un descubrimiento inusual today!
We announced these activities alongside Google.org, who announced a $5M grant to support Latino students across the US to code.

Removal of CS First Pride Pages

February, 2019

What will happen to existing pride pages?

Starting February 21, 2019, the link to pride pages will no longer work and the information will no longer be accessible.

Why is CS First removing pride pages?

Pride pages have very low usage, and this location-based grouping doesn’t fit the needs of our users.

What can we do instead?

We recommend transferring the information to a shareable document or website before February 21, 2019. You may consider setting up either of these using Google Docs or Sites.

CS First + Scratch 3.0 is here!

January, 2019

Review this help article for more information and to learn what's new.

Volunteer and Advocate roles removed

June, 2018

Volunteer and Advocate roles have been removed from CS First.

I am/was a Volunteer, what does this mean for me?

If you signed up as a volunteer, you will no longer have access to the dashboards from clubs where you volunteered.
Your role type will be updated to “host”.
If you’d like to get re-involved with a previous or current club, reach out to the host and ask that they add you as a co-host. Here’s how.
Consider hosting CS First yourself! Anyone can teach CS First. No computer science experience is required and the materials are free. To get started, set up a club.
If you no longer want a CS First account, you can delete your account by following these instructions.

I am/was an Advocate, what does this mean for me?

Your role type will be updated to “host”.
If you’d like to get involved with a club, reach out to the host and ask that they add you as a co-host. Here’s how.
Consider hosting CS First yourself! Anyone can teach CS First. No computer science experience is required and the materials are free. To get started, set up a club.
If you no longer want a CS First account, you can delete your account by following these instructions.

I am a host that has/had a volunteer, what does this mean for me?

Current and previous volunteers will no longer be able to access your club(s), but they will still have CS First accounts.
If you would like your volunteers to continue to be involved and have access to your club(s), invite them as a co-host (instructions here).
- Please note: Co-hosts have access to student stats and the ability to delete a club, so be certain you want to grant this level of access prior to inviting them.

Winter materials shipment freeze

December, 2017

Due to school closures during winter break, CS First print materials kits will not be shipped between Dec 22, 2017 and Jan 4, 2018.

If your club is starting between Dec 22 and Jan 4, and you set up your club 3 weeks in advance, you should receive your materials on or before 12/22.

If your club starts in early January, 2018, and you haven't already received your materials, you can expect your materials on or shortly after Jan 4. 2018.

CS First Website New Look and Feel

October, 2017

We recently updated the design of the CS First website to improve the experience for our users. Nothing about the CS First learning materials have changed; it’s simply a new look and navigation.

Create a club by clicking the blue Sign In button in the upper right hand corner of any page and selecting “I’m a teacher.”
Get students started by having them
- Click the Students: Click here to sign in link on the homepage (next to the Android icon), or
- Click the blue Sign In button in the upper right hand corner of any page, and select "I’m a student."
Check out the impact map by scrolling down on the homepage
Click on Curriculum to view the different CS First themes and access student activities. You can also review the lesson plans and digital materials for each theme.
Find answers to all of your other questions by clicking Help.

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