Some of us, in my generation, took computer programming, around the 1980s, in high school.  Some of us took to it and some of us did not.  In many cases in high school, back in the 80s, students where just thrown into BASIC computer programming.  Many of us had a bad experience with programming because we did not learn some of the necessary foundational skills to programming.  What happened to many students in the 80s was the equivalent of being thrown into the language class Spanish 4 without having Spanish 1, Spanish 2 or Spanish 3.

That is not what is happening in Cattaraugus Little Valley.  Some students, from an early age are learning how to make a computerized robot make a square on a computer screen.  Some students are learning that if they don’t want to write out code over and over again, code that does the same thing, then they can use a loop.  I have no doubt, that one day, we will hear about Evan or Julia, or some other student, who has helped to put people on Mars, contributed to cars that drive themselves or invented a micro controlled nanoparticle that cures cancer.      

By: Rick Weinberg, CA BOCES

This is the question on the minds of Lego League teams this fall.  The 2014-2015 Lego League Challenge is World Class-Learning Unleashed.  Students will redesign how knowledge and skills are gathered in the 21st century.  Teams will teach adults about the ways that kids need and want to learn.  Get ready for a whole new class, World Class.
Teams have been hard at work since the school year began to prepare for the Southern Tier Lego League Tournament on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at Houghton College.  It's exciting to see the program continue to grow in our region and new schools have formed teams this season.

First Lego League, a world-wide robotics program, was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in Science and Technology.  Each year a new program is designed to motivate kids to get excited about research, engineering, math and problem solving, while building self confidence, knowledge and life skills.

The Nielsen Phys. Ed building at Houghton College is the place to be this Saturday to see about a hundred 9-14 year old students, their coaches and families, and over 3 dozen volunteers discover innovative ways to explore robotics while having fun!  Please call or email BOCES Student Programs at 716-376-8284 if you'd like more information.  Also, check out this link:  firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2014fllworldclass.  

Times are approximate:
Opening Ceremony - 12:15 - 12:30 
Competition Rounds - 12:30 - 2:15 
Alliance Round - 2:15 - 3:00
Awards Presentation & Closing Ceremonies - 3:00 - 3:30

The mantra of the program is always its’ Core Values, which are as follows:

• We are a team.
  
• We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.
  
• We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.
  
• We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
  
• What we discover is more important than what we win.
  
• We share our experiences with others.
  
• We display “Gracious Professionalism” in everything we do.
  
• We have fun!
  

Students and teachers (of COSER 501 member districts) can access hundreds of thousands of digital resources using CABOCES Digital Kids.  

www.cabocesdigitalkids.org

Users may login to CABOCES DIGITAL KIDS to search clips and images or pass through to:
Brain Pop (Jr., ESL, Espanol),Discovery, Learn 360, Sylvan Dell eBooks, Teaching Books, Tumblebooks, Soundszabound, Gale Cengage, Regents Review

Innovation is defined as a new idea, device or method; the introduction of something new. Chris Lehman of Philadelphia, PA certainly ran with the idea of innovation when working to develop the vision and mission of the Science Leadership Academy. SLA, for short, is an inquiry-driven, project-based 1:1 school in Philadelphia that has been upheld as a pioneer in education reform. Lehman, founder and acting principal of the school, welcomes teachers, district leaders, and technology specialists to the school each year in the annual EduCon Conference. This year, the conference was centered upon one essential theme: should our schools, and ultimately the world, be more open and transparent? Through a series of workshops and breakout sessions, participants had the unique opportunity to explore this question, analyzing how open and transparent we can be in the world of education.