Posted
on Dec. 17, 2014 in “News”
Mass
Academy team produces winning “Faces of Computing” video
For
many people, “Computer Science” hearkens images of young men
hunched over laptops, programming, encoding, analyzing algorithms.
And
while those are significant components to it, the discipline is far
more wide-reaching and expansive.
Students
at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI recently
explored that diversity in a winning video for the Computer Science
Teachers Association.
Titled
“Faces of Computing,” the goal of the video contest was to
represent a variety of young people with an array of backgrounds and
interests taking part in computing. Winners were announced earlier
this month, with Mass Academy winning the high school division.
Awards were also given out for middle school and elementary school.
“Computer
science is a core part of our curriculum. It’s important for kids
to embrace it,” said Mass Academy director Michael Barney.
“Computing touches almost every aspect of what people encounter
nowadays.”
Led
by computer science teacher Angela Taricco ’98, nine students put
together a 1-minute, 15-second video portraying themselves using
computers for programming, 3D printing, robotics, and CAD; others
made use of computer tools to capture audio of themselves playing
instruments, or to edit video of a dance performance they took part
in.
“It
demonstrates what the students are interested in,” says Taricco,
and how computing is incorporated into that, and vice versa.
In
the video, as the wide array of uses are represented, a voice-over
affirms: “Every day, we come together, students of all backgrounds,
but with one goal: To be the future, to learn, to explore, and to
discover. And who do we learn from? Each other. Because together we
can do more. The future is built on collaboration and diverse
thinking. So who are we? We are the artists of the century, we are
the harbingers of innovation, and we are the creators of tomorrow.”
The
video culminates with each of the nine students – Josephine Bowen,
Sarah Duquette, Jackie Forson, Ana Khovanskaya, Eva Moynihan, Amol
Punjabi, Sashrika Saini, Christopher Thorne, Ryan Vereque –
proclaiming “we are the faces of computing” in languages
representing their ethnic heritage.
According
to Taricco, six teams were involved in the school-wide competition,
which spanned several weeks. Each team submitted a video, and the
student body ultimately voted on their favorite.
As
she noted, students not only had to brainstorm and portray the myriad
of ways in which they used computing, they had to learn the
“behind-the-scenes” skills, such as editing, splicing and
overlaying audio.
“It’s
clear that [computer science] appeals to many kinds of kids,” reads
a post announcing the contest winners. “In the videos, there are
artists and athletes, writers and math geeks, and budding computer
scientists. The students show that computer science really is for
everyone and can be useful in a variety of fields.”
Taricco
agrees, stressing that the project not only represented the different
facets of computing, but helped students to, in turn, hone their
computer skills.
“Because
it’s woven into so many disciplines,” she says, “it’s a very
useful skill to have.”
Original story link.
-
BY TARYN PLUMB
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