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Recent efforts to integrate computer science (CS) into classrooms have led to an increase in professional development (PD) programs aimed at improving educators' readiness. This study seeks to identify the factors influencing educators' choices of CS tools for lesson planning after participating in a PD program. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on education has gained increasing attention due to the opportunities and challenges it presents for K-12 classrooms. While educators play a crucial role in integrating AI technologies into instruction, empirical evidence regarding elementary educators’ perceptions of AI into instruction remains scarce. This study explores elementary educators’ perceptions of AI during and after participating in a professional development (PD) program, which incorporated AI- focused sessions. Data collected from interviews, exit tickets, and group discussions indicate that educators’ perceptions are shaped by factors such as the usefulness of AI tools, ethical considerations, risks for younger students, and pedagogical concerns. Further, findings indicate that educators responded positively to the AI concepts and associated resources introduced in the PD. These findings have implications for research, practice, and policy aimed at supporting educators in integrating AI into classroom instruction. 

This study investigates the coding attitudes of elementary students’ (K-5) following their participation in lessons that integrated computational thinking (CT) and culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) in content area instruction. Their teachers attended a professional development program in the summer to develop these integrated lessons for the school year. A total of 149 upper elementary students (grades 3-5) completed the Elementary Students Coding Attitudes survey (Mason & Rich, 2020) both before and after the lessons, while a subset of 58 students spread across K-5 classrooms were interviewed after the lesson implementation. Survey results find a decline in students’ coding interest and perception of coding from pretest to posttest. Conversely, qualitative analysis of interview data, conducted through abductive coding, summary development, and peer debriefing, demonstrated that most students enjoyed the lessons and expressed interest in pursuing coding in the future. The mixed results from this study highlight critical considerations for supporting elementary educators in successfully integrating CT and culturally responsive practices. Additionally, the findings point to opportunities for strengthening professional development and refining our research methods to better capture data within elementary classrooms, particularly in the lower grades. 

Attracting students to computing is crucial for advancing the development of new skills and fostering positive attitudes toward the field, especially among females and minoritized populations. One promising approach involves integrating computing with artistic activities, such as music. This study examines how learner’s prior experiences influence their participation in a virtual summer camp on coding with music. The study also examines how participation in the camp influences participants' attitudes about computing, with an eye toward gender differences. Data were collected through participant surveys (N=73) and focus groups (N=48). Findings suggest that parents’ and guardians' involvement is crucial for participation and integrating coding with artistic work holds promise for attracting students to the field. Findings can inform possible paths to engaging students in computing. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on education is a topic gaining attention due to the opportunities and challenges it presents for K-12 classrooms. While educators are crucial in integrating AI technology into instruction, empirical evidence documenting elementary educators’ perceptions of AI and its integration in classroom instruction is scarce. This study explores elementary educators’ perceptions of AI during and after participation in a professional development (PD) program which incorporated AI-focused sessions. Analyzing data from interviews, exit tickets, and group discussions, findings indicate that perceptions are shaped by factors such as the perceived usefulness of AI tools, ethical considerations, risks for younger students, and pedagogical concerns. Further, findings indicate that educators responded positively to the AI concepts and associated resources introduced in the PD. These findings offer important insights for research, practice, and policy to better support educators’ AI integration into classroom instruction. 

Teachers’ lack of knowledge about computational thinking (CT) and limited opportunities to incorporate CT in existing curricula pose unique challenges at the elementary level. Despite the crucial role of professional development (PD) in preparing elementary school teachers to integrate CT in classroom instruction, there is little research documenting PD programs that focus on integration in literacy and mathematics compared to other subject areas. In this work, we present a PD program that integrates CT with disciplinary content to support teachers as they integrate CT with literacy and mathematics in elementary school classrooms. Using data from multiple sources, we present findings from two case studies to examine the impact of PD on teachers’ integration of CT with content in lesson planning and implementation. Findings have implications related to the integration of CT in elementary school and teacher PD. 

Attracting students to computing is crucial for advancing the development of new skills and fostering positive attitudes toward the field, especially among females and minoritized populations. One promising approach involves integrating computing with artistic activities, such as music. This study examines how learner’s prior experiences influence their participation in a virtual summer camp on coding with music. The study also examines how participation in the camp influences participants' attitudes about computing, with an eye toward gender differences. Data were collected through participant surveys (N=73) and focus groups (N=48). Findings suggest that parents’ and guardians' involvement is crucial for participation and integrating coding with artistic work holds promise for attracting students to the field. Findings can inform possible paths to engaging students in computing. 

Attracting students to computing is crucial for advancing the development of new skills and fostering positive attitudes toward the field, especially among females and minoritized populations. One promising approach involves integrating computing with artistic activities, such as music. This study examines how learner’s prior experiences influence their participation in a virtual summer camp on coding with music. The study also examines how participation in the camp influences participants' attitudes about computing, with an eye toward gender differences. Data were collected through participant surveys (N=73) and focus groups (N=48). Findings suggest that parents’ and guardians' involvement is crucial for participation and integrating coding with artistic work holds promise for attracting students to the field. Findings can inform possible paths to engaging students in computing. 

Broadening interest in computer science is a major research goal of the 21st century. Many initiatives use traditional “hooks” to attract students, such as video games and robotics. Unfortunately, this tends to attract only those already interested in computer science. One alternative domain gaining momen- tum in computer science education research is music, which is showing inter- esting results with participants that have previous music knowledge. This paper presents a case study of teaching computer programming with music, in Brazil, to students with limited formal music experience. Through data collected in sur- veys, focus groups, and researchers’ observations, we show that in this context students can still learn and thrive as musical programmers. 

Broadening interest in computer science is a major research goal of the 21st century. Many initiatives use traditional “hooks” to attract students, such as video games and robotics. Unfortunately, this tends to attract only those already interested in computer science. One alternative domain gaining momentum in computer science education research is music, which is showing interesting results with participants that have previous music knowledge. This paper presents a case study of teaching computer programming with music, in Brazil, to students with limited formal music experience. Through data collected in surveys, focus groups, and researchers’ observations, we show that in this context students can still learn and thrive as musical programmers.