Blog Reviews - Organizations

There are a number of organizations, professional groups, whose blogs I find particularly useful. The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), it’s parent organization ACM and National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) are some of these.

CSTA Blog

The CSTA blog is updated by various members of the CSTA board and by their amazing Executive Director, Chris Stephenson. I find it essential for keeping up with news from CSTA such as Leadership Cohort Updates, Alternative Certification for CS Teachers, and Communication Skills for Computer Science Students. I highly recommend CSTA membership for anyone who teachers computer science in pre-collegiate education.

Communications of the ACM: blog@CACM

The CACM blog has posts from some of the top people in computer science. Some of the posts are very technical but many are potentially interesting for students, teachers and CS hobbyists alike. For example Matching Digital Photos to Identify Wildlife is about computer-assisted photo-identification of animals. Low-Cost Sensors Help People Turn "Green" is about “sensors for phones and homes that give people feedback on their habits and encourage them to save resources.”

National Center for Women & Information Technology

NCWIT is all about expanding the participation of women in technology. They provide a lot of resources for educators and others who are interested in this goal. The blog is updated a couple of times a month and updates readers on NCWIT programs such as the NCWIT Symons Innovator Award or Updates from the NCWIT Meetings.