OregonCSTA

Oregon Computer Science Teachers Association

The Oregon Computer Science Teachers Association (OregonCSTA) is an organization of teachers training teachers in Oregon since 1984. Our main focus is professional development in the areas of computer science and engineering education for K-12 educators and extended program volunteers.

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Save the dates: 2026 Summer SuperQuest Zoom Workshops
August 3-5 & August 10-12
10:00a & 2:00pm
Two hour Zoom sessions

REGISTER HERE

August 3 (Mon)
10a:  CS as a Math Credit, Stephanie Partlow

This session will cover how to integrate current Oregon HS math standards and college discrete math standards to an intro computer science class–such as a CS160 or Computer Science Principles–to enable this class to be offered as a high school math credit towards math graduation requirements. I have been offering this class as a math credit for the past several years and saw a big improvement in enrollment after switching it from elective to math credit. We will cover the details of how to partner with your district and math teachers to make this possible. (You do not need to have a math endorsement yourself to make this work.) You will get a variety of computer science activities already aligned to math standards that you can drop into your current units and we will explore some of these activities together.

2p:  iOS App Development for HS students, Stepanie Partlow

Have your students design and develop iOS apps and publish them on Apple’s App Store! We will look at a bird’s eye view of a year long app development course, explore Apple’s developer tools, learn how to apply for an education license, and take a look at student developed apps from last year. We will also cover how to set students up with GitHub and how it integrates with XCode to allow multiple students to create an app as a team. I did this class as a pilot two years ago and as a full class this past year and students have been having a blast!

August 4 (Tues)
10a:  Vibe Coding for CS Teachers, Judson Birkel

Vibe coding is an AI-assisted approach to software development where you build applications by conversing with an AI in plain language rather than writing code manually. You describe your vision, and the AI handles the architecture, technical setup, and bug fixes, shifting your role from programmer to creative director. Judson will present how Vibe coding is used to “hammer home” programming concepts in his secondary CS classroom.

2p: Creating Curriculum Supplements with NotebookLM & Wayground, McKenzie Fuller

This session explores how to leverage powerful AI tools like Gemini, NotebookLM, and Wayground to design dynamic, multilingual core curriculum supplements. Educators will learn to rapidly transform standard lessons into engaging multimedia assets, including video summaries, graphic novels, slideshows, vocabulary decks, and interactive games. By mastering these platforms, you will discover how to differentiate instruction effortlessly and create inclusive, high-interest learning materials tailored to diverse student needs.

August 5 (Wed)
10a: Teaching Software Design in the Age of Agentic Coding: Part 1, Robert Eckstein

As coding becomes increasingly automated, software design becomes the core human skill that software engineering education must cultivate. This talk examines what remains uniquely valuable in software design education when implementation is increasingly automated, and also considers how curricula, assignments, and assessment methods may need to change to prepare students for a future in which engineers collaborate with AI agents. Rather than diminishing the importance of software design, agentic coding may make design skills more central than ever.

2p: Teaching Software Design in the Age of Agentic Coding: Part 1, Robert Eckstein

Continuation from Part 1…

August 10 (Mon)
10a: Coding In Science and Math Classes, Middle and High School Level, Ness Blackbird

This session will explore secondary high tech curriculum options, pedagogy and teaching strategies. Robert Mattox will discuss ways to offer certifications on various topics. Terrel Smith will discuss strategies for student engagement, recruiting and accountability. Robert brings the perspective of delivering high tech curriculum to students in a small rural community while T. Smith will offer the perspective of a larger suburban school district. Attendees will walk away with strategies and information that could be implemented immediately.

2p:  Secondary CS Curriculum Design and Pedagogy, Terrel Smith & Robert Mattox

This session is about using coding curriculum to teach science and math in regular middle school math and science classes. This takes coding out of the realm of electives and puts it into the mainstream, where all students, including those without the confidence and background to sign up for an elective, can more easily benefit from it. Of course the platform needs to be especially accessible, so it coding can be taught by math and science teachers without a coding background. We’ll be looking closely at the Blackbird Code system (www.blackbirdcode.com) which has successfully been used in this format at scale at the middle school level, and which is available free of charge. (High school curriculum still under development.)

August 11 (Tues)
10a: Everything AI..if that’s possible,  Jacob Niebergall and Friends

AI is throwing us all into a state of “what is going on here”. This discussion/presentation will look at policies, challenges, and possibilities for teachers and students. Attendees might walk away more confused or more likely with tools a clearer picture of how to harness this “Kraken like monster”.

August 12 (Wed)
Python Power-Up: Data cleaning, analysis and visualization for High School teachers, Montessa Young

Ready to take your students from a handwritten table to powerful data analysis tools? In Python Power-Up we will start in simple territory using a few tools in Google sheets to clean some data. From there we will replicate those steps using the Python library Pandas. See the power of completing tedious cleaning to executing a single line of code. We will pick up some simple tricks like sorting, filtering, removing duplicates, and creating categorical data. Finally we will harness the Python library Matplotlib to build some professional looking graphs. This session is designed for teachers with a basic Math or Science background, focusing on practical skills you can use right away. Will be handing over my full curriculum with notes, example sets, and assignments that you are free to use.

Save the date: 2026 Fall Conference
October 9th at George Fox University

• Featured AM session: Town Hall formatted discussion around AI and high tech learning with educators, lawmakers, and industry partners 9:00 to 11:00
• Food provided
• 6 plus workshop sessions 11:00 and 1:30
• Free to all

2026 Spring Conference

Thanks to all who attended our 2026 Spring Conference at George Fox University on April 10th! Check out the blog posts HERE!

TAO Awards Student Showcase
The 2026 Oregon Tech Awards will be held at the Hilton Downtown Portland on Tuesday evening, May 5.
Your students can strut their stuff and participate in the student showcase! Pizza and connections to industry members are a great way to get students motivated for their future. Complete this GOOGLE SHEET if you and your students are interested in attending!

Keep your OregonCSTA Membership CURRENT!
We are updating our membership list to keep things fresh and current! If you want to continue receiving our newsletters, please OPT IN NOW. Don’t miss out on exciting and upcoming events!

Classroom to Career Program
TechStart’s Classroom to Career program connects K–12 classrooms across Oregon and SW Washington with technology professionals who can share real-world insights, career paths, and industry experience. Our goal is simple: help students see what’s possible in tech, and how to get there.

How It Works
We match schools with volunteer tech professionals for:

• Guest speaking
• Career exploration sessions
• Q&A discussions about tech careers
• Real-world insights into the industry

Whether you’re a teacher looking to inspire your students, or a professional looking to give back, this program makes it easy to connect! Enroll NOW to connect your students with a Tech Professional near you!

Congratulations to our new OregonCSTA Board!
The following people have volunteered to serve on the OregonCSTA Board to represent our members and provide direction and expertise on programs and professional development opportunities. You may reach any member of the Board with any questions or concerns by emailing oregoncsta1@gmail.com