Episode 514: Making Beats with Code: Algorithm of Action

Tech and creativity join forces in this episode of Classroom Conversations! Join us in our conversation with Tiffany Jones to learn how she and her students make beats with code.

TRANSCRIPT

Ashley Mengwasser: Hello teachers, I'm Ashley Mengwasser. Welcome to Classroom Conversations, your place for teacher talk. This podcast series is a joint presentation of the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Public Broadcasting. Classroom Conversations is the platform for Georgia's teachers. We exist to educate the educators, to illuminate the luminaries in our classrooms. It's an upbeat place, never an offbeat place. Let's not beat around the bush, but here's what you can expect on today's episode: words like Python, Amazon, and competition will all come into play. With that brief series of clues, could you decode today's topic? Let's not speak in code. Let's speak about code, rather. Code is most simply a set of instructions or rules that define how to complete a specific task. This can be any sort of task, but in computer science, did you know you can actually make beats, a.k.a. music, with code? Interesting, right? My guest probably blinks in code, the skill comes so naturally to her. Tiffany Jones teaches high school computer science at Global Impact Academy in Fairburn, Georgia. Tiffany teaches about five courses on their cyber security pathway at GIA. I give you the beat master herself, the craftswoman of code, Tiffany Jones. Hey, Tiffany.

Tiffany Jones: Hey. How are you?

Ashley Mengwasser: I saw you cracking up over there.

Tiffany Jones: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Have you been called the beat master?

Tiffany Jones: No. No, I haven't.

Ashley Mengwasser: Please take that back.

Tiffany Jones: That's a new title.

Ashley Mengwasser: Take that back to your students, or craftswoman of code.

Tiffany Jones: Craftswoman of code, I feel like that should be like my avatar or something.

Ashley Mengwasser: It should be. It should be on a T-shirt, which you would wear so well. You are, actually, I find this interesting, pretty new to the education sphere. Share with us where you worked before.

Tiffany Jones: Okay. My background is actually bio and agricultural engineering.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow.

Tiffany Jones: And I came from the manufacturing space, so I worked in food manufacturing, in production, in different maintenance roles for companies such as Tropicana, McCormick, Pepsi-

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow.

Tiffany Jones: ... and Talenti Gelato.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's big stuff.

Tiffany Jones: Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: Why did you leave industry for education?

Tiffany Jones: Working in production and working in maintenance, I felt like I could always do a preventative maintenance schedule. I could do a capital project, I could get product out the door, but I really didn't feel like I was making an impact.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh.

Tiffany Jones: And I wanted to make an impact. So, I took a step away from industry and found my way into education.

Ashley Mengwasser: Here you are now. And it was through, I think you told me when we first spoke, through culinary education.

Tiffany Jones: Correct. So, it was through culinary arts. I love all opportunities where I can be technical and creative, and I started teaching culinary arts through an afterschool program at an all-girls school, K through 8, through 21st Century and After-School All-Stars, and that is essentially where I started off in education with teaching.

Ashley Mengwasser: And now you're four years in, into the thick of it, but this is not your first podcast. You had been a podcast guest of the Wall Street Journal, the WSJ and GaDOE and GPB. Congratulations, you've made it. But what did you speak about when you did the podcast with the Wall Street Journal? What was that topic?

Tiffany Jones: So, the topic was about being your authentic self at work. So, being able to bring your full self to work.

Ashley Mengwasser: Your energy.

Tiffany Jones: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: What does bringing your authentic self to work mean to you, and how can you direct our other educators to bring their authentic selves to work? I'm thinking, WWTD, what would Tiffany do?

Tiffany Jones: What would Tiffany do? It's not being afraid to be yourself. I think it's really important that our students understand that their teachers are people too.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah.

Tiffany Jones: And their teachers have lives outside of the classroom. Not saying they have to know about everything you do outside of the classroom.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's right.

Tiffany Jones: But feel free to bring your personality, to bring your swag to the classroom, because I think the delivery is a lot more authentic and the connection that you make with your students is really, I don't know, it's just authentic.

Ashley Mengwasser: It's authentic.

Tiffany Jones: Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: Being real, in a nutshell, has really worked for you.

Tiffany Jones: Correct.

Ashley Mengwasser: You mentioned this, so now I need to know more. What do you do in your spare time?

Tiffany Jones: Whew. I'm a busybody. In my spare time, I'm a gym rat. I'm at the gym. I'm in the Pilates studio.

Ashley Mengwasser: Pilates.

Tiffany Jones: Pilates.

Ashley Mengwasser: I haven't thought about Pilates in years.

Tiffany Jones: Yeah, I'm really-

Ashley Mengwasser: You're still out there doing it?

Tiffany Jones: I'm really into reformer Pilates right now.

Ashley Mengwasser: What does that mean?

Tiffany Jones: It's Pilates on the actual machine.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh.

Tiffany Jones: So, it's like an apparatus with straps and strings and things.

Ashley Mengwasser: It's assisted, resistive stretching.

Tiffany Jones: Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: Say that 10 times fast. I want to try this. Do you have to be flexible?

Tiffany Jones: You don't have to be flexible.

Ashley Mengwasser: I'm going to try it.

Tiffany Jones: Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: Because that would be the one thing standing in my way.

Tiffany Jones: You should try it.

Ashley Mengwasser: So, Pilates. What else do you do?

Tiffany Jones: I used to travel a lot. One of the biggest things with travel is, when I travel, I like to immerse myself in the culture of wherever I'm going. Me and a group of friends, we traveled to Ireland, for example, for St. Patrick's Day.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's on my bucket list. Maybe this year.

Tiffany Jones: We went for St. Patrick's Day. We had a lot of fun. It was very rainy, though. It was rainy and cold.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah.

Tiffany Jones: We had a good time.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow.

Tiffany Jones: Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's the one place I really want to go, ever since I studied Irish literature in college.

Tiffany Jones: Okay.

Ashley Mengwasser: Got to go.

Tiffany Jones: You should do it.

Ashley Mengwasser: I'm going to do it.

Tiffany Jones: You should do it.

Ashley Mengwasser: You motivated me. And you teach high school, but you've also taught younger students, you told me, all of them of different ages, how to make beats with code. So, where does an interest in computer science originate? I haven't heard about that yet.

Tiffany Jones: I don't want to date myself. When we were in school, we didn't have all this exposure to technology. I remember being at Frederick Douglass High School here in Atlanta, Georgia taking a keyboarding class.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, I remember that.

Tiffany Jones: Taking a keyboarding class, so learning how to type. And at that time, the internet was just coming online. We were still dial-up. And we-

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes, we were.

Tiffany Jones: We were learning HTML. So, I liked the idea of actually taking this language that looked like symbols and just text and being able to create something out of it. So my curiosity expanded from there.

Ashley Mengwasser: You went back to that feeling you had when you were in school.

Tiffany Jones: Correct.

Ashley Mengwasser: I think we all go back to that. That's how I decided to be a host is, what did I love the most? Speaking and writing. Do something with that. And you have an ear for music, or you must, if you're teaching your students how to code beats. It sounds like that must have begun young as well.

Tiffany Jones: It did. I actually started off with band in the third grade.

Ashley Mengwasser: What?

Tiffany Jones: I still remember my band teacher, Mr. James Smith, if he's out there, at Collier Heights Elementary School.

Ashley Mengwasser: Shout out, Mr. Smith.

Tiffany Jones: Yes, Mr. Smith. So I started off with the clarinet in third grade, and I was in band from third through 12th grade. So, marching band, concert band, jazz band. So, just from having that background, I think that I have an ear to music. I can teach students about measures and counts and just how things flow and transition.

Ashley Mengwasser: Musicality.

Tiffany Jones: Musicality.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah. What are you into currently? What artists are you liking right now? And then, I'll share mine.

Tiffany Jones: Okay. Okay. Of course, Beyonce.

Ashley Mengwasser: Of course.

Tiffany Jones: Queen Bee.

Ashley Mengwasser: The queen.

Tiffany Jones: The queen. And let's see, Latto, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh.

Tiffany Jones: If we go back a little classic, TLC.

Ashley Mengwasser: Some Atlanta influences.

Tiffany Jones: OutKast.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes.

Tiffany Jones: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: All the Atlanta stuff. You were holding it down for Atlanta.

Tiffany Jones: Always. Peace up, a-town down.

Ashley Mengwasser: A-town down. What do you love about those artists, though?

Tiffany Jones: I love that all of those artists that I've mentioned essentially are expressive and they use music as their platform to express themselves. Also, if you think about Beyonce, for example, she's really good with her visuals-

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah.

Tiffany Jones: ... and just bringing it all together. So, I like that aspect of just using that platform to be expressive and to be creative.

Ashley Mengwasser: Expressive and creative are definitely two words I will use to describe you, just knowing you this very short time. And if you like expressive artists, can I give you someone to sound out, and see if you like them?

Tiffany Jones: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: Have you heard of Noah Kahan?

Tiffany Jones: No, I haven't.

Ashley Mengwasser: He is actually just tearing up the folk space right now.

Tiffany Jones: Okay.

Ashley Mengwasser: He's got these little folk ditties, and they're so great, and the story in his songs are so wonderful. These might be relevant in your classroom. The way he actually writes lyrics and sings, he's fascinating, but he writes a lot about growing up in the Northeast, and that long drive home to see your family, and just simple stuff, but it's beautiful. He writes about heartbreak, he writes about anxiety, and I think people are loving his music because he's that access point, that relatability, that authenticity-

Tiffany Jones: Okay.

Ashley Mengwasser: ... that you say you're bringing to your teaching. I think we love seeing that in our favorite artists' music as well.

Tiffany Jones: Absolutely. And his name is Noah Kahan?

Ashley Mengwasser: Noah Kahan.

Tiffany Jones: Okay, I'll check it out.

Ashley Mengwasser: You'll look him up later.

Tiffany Jones: I'll check it out.

Ashley Mengwasser: He's a long-haired guy, one of the long hairs, as we say.

Tiffany Jones: Okay.

Ashley Mengwasser: And you said earlier, there are some things that we don't want our students to know about us. I'm sure every educator can relate to that. But what is one thing about you that you wouldn't mind your colleagues and students knowing, but maybe they don't know it? What would you like to share?

Tiffany Jones: I guess, being an active person, I've done two half-marathons.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, wow.

Tiffany Jones: So, I did the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, I did the Publix Marathon, half-marathon, here in Atlanta, and back in the day, like 2011, 2012, I actually competed with the National Physique Committee in bodybuilding. So I did Bikini and figure.

Ashley Mengwasser: You were a former bodybuilder?

Tiffany Jones: Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: That is amazing. I know what hard work that is. I've read a lot about bodybuilders, actually.

Tiffany Jones: It's literally like a part-time job.

Ashley Mengwasser: It's a part-time job.

Tiffany Jones: It is.

Ashley Mengwasser: You probably had to give that up for the other work you were doing at the time.

Tiffany Jones: Yes. Literally, you're in the gym. It's a very strict diet, very strict regimen. I might dibble and dabble back into that space, but right now, no.

Ashley Mengwasser: You're going to stick with Pilates?

Tiffany Jones: Correct. I'm sticking with Pilates.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, wow. That is very impressive. I am super interested in that. You want to talk about our subject today, Making Beats with Code?

Tiffany Jones: Of course. Let's do it.

Ashley Mengwasser: Let's do it. I think we have to lay some foundation for instruction in computer science first. So if you... Let's start at the beginning about strategies that you've found effective and making sure that computer science as a subject is relatable, and that it's engaging for students who are meeting this content at very different levels of entry. Right?

Tiffany Jones: Okay.

Ashley Mengwasser: How are you engaging them, with what strategies?

Tiffany Jones: I think it's very important in computer science, and just in general as educators, for us to meet our students where they are. A lot of times, I try to incorporate things that interest my students and allow them to incorporate their interests in different projects. I try to make real-world, relatable connections so that they can understand the why.

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm-hmm.

Tiffany Jones: Why am I learning this? Why do I need to know this? Another thing that I like to do is look at that cross-curricular connection so that they can understand, hey, what you're doing in math also relates to science, which relates to this, and then, you need to write about it in ELA.

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm-hmm.

Tiffany Jones: And so on and so forth.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, wonderful. And how do you address the challenge of catering to different learning styles? Not every student learns the same way. So how do you keep them motivated and interested in what you're teaching up there?

Tiffany Jones: So, we do a mixture of group work and individual work in class.

Ashley Mengwasser: Okay.

Tiffany Jones: Sometimes I allow them to pick their groups, sometimes I assign groups, because I tell them, in the real world, you don't necessarily get to pick who you work with. So, a lot of times, I'll start off with whole group instruction, circle the room, check on everybody, and then, if there's anybody who felt like they may have missed the mark right in the beginning, I say, "Hey." I'll get the class going on what we're working on and do a little small session at the board or in a small group if I need to do that. I also work with our SEC teachers at the school, and we do have a CTI teacher, so career technical instruction, that supports the classroom, and we partner with each other on maybe the best strategies to approach certain students.

Ashley Mengwasser: We are now crescendoing to the crux of this episode, Creating Beats with Code. Let's let the beat drop, shall we? You ready? I know that this project resonates particularly well with students, and it fosters just a high level of engagement with them, because they understand and relate to music. Explain your coded beats instruction for the classroom.

Tiffany Jones: Okay, sure. So, we use a digital audio workstation called EarSketch. Students select from a sound library of about 4,000 clips. They favorite the sound clips that they like, and then we import them in, we're using a programming language called Python. So, we import them in as sound clips, and we give them names. So, we create variables, we assign them variable names. And then, we use this function called Fit Media, where we put in our sound clip, our track number, our starting measure, and our ending measure, and continue to do this process until the student has built their song. Students also can use a different function called Make Beat, where they can actually create beat strings and use those sound clips to actually make their own beats.

Ashley Mengwasser: Make their own beats. So, that's really what they're doing. They're using this library to make selections, be inspired, and then they build their own unique track as a result of that. And the program, is there also Python? Is that involved in this?

Tiffany Jones: Correct. Correct. Python is involved, or you could do it in JavaScript.

Ashley Mengwasser: JavaScript as well. Okay. And Georgia Home Classroom, can we give a shout-out for Georgia Home Classroom?

Tiffany Jones: Yay.

Ashley Mengwasser: I know you're an alum of Georgia Home Classroom with GPB, and you actually, was it this lesson you taught, Making Beats with Code?

Tiffany Jones: It actually was.

Ashley Mengwasser: What were your objectives with that lesson?

Tiffany Jones: So, essentially, to allow students to see a creative way to actually apply the variables, functions, how to make comments, how to express themselves, algorithmic thinking.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes, I watched it, and I got that out of it. You said, "Here are ingredients and directions for how to bake a cake. This is code."

Tiffany Jones: Mm-hmm. It is.

Ashley Mengwasser: "And here's this choreography piece, a different step. Step left, step right. This is code." Help us understand why that's code.

Tiffany Jones: So, if you think about code, it's nothing but a series of instructions. It's in a specific sequence. So, I relate that to dance steps, I relate it to recipes, GPS giving you instructions. One time I'll follow TikTok and some of the latest crazes or trends, and I'll have students to actually break down those dances in steps, so that they can actually go through that algorithmic thinking process and actually see how it relates to code and how order, or sequence, rather, matters.

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm-hmm. And we're going to get an opportunity to hear what this sounds like in just a moment. First, I want you to set up for us the Your Voice is Power competition. Who hosts that competition?

Tiffany Jones: So, the Your Voice is Power competition is hosted by Georgia Tech, YELLOW, and Amazon.

Ashley Mengwasser: Amazon.

Tiffany Jones: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Okay, and what is the competition?

Tiffany Jones: So, with this competition, students actually make beats with code, and they have to focus on equity, so how is their song actually promoting equity in their space and in their classroom? And they have to actually put a message in their code in the comments that explains this.

Ashley Mengwasser: That promotes equity. And we actually have a track that we're going to play for you. I want to read the description first, what your student wrote for this track. Was this a winner?

Tiffany Jones: This was a winner. So this was one of my AP Computer Science Principles students. He was one of the grand prize finalists.

Ashley Mengwasser: Of the Amazon Your Voice is Power competition.

Tiffany Jones: Correct.

Ashley Mengwasser: Here's the description for the song before we play it. He wrote, "We can empower each other and ascend to heights which oppressors can no longer affect us. We need to reform our society's current practices so that other minorities can stand up and promote equality." Powerful message.

Tiffany Jones: Very powerful.

Ashley Mengwasser: Let's hear the beat that goes with that.

Music: Do it. Brown skin popping, move it. ATL bred, I'm booted, booted. Nappy head, booted. We're going to rise up, rise up. We're going to rise up, rise up. We're going to rise up. I promise dark people our hardship shall not go in vain. You're hearing my voice and the melody carry the pain. I do not do this for money or fame. I just want to be me. I just want to feel free.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow, that was powerful. I got chills.

Tiffany Jones: He did a very good job. His name is Xavier Edwards.

Ashley Mengwasser: You go, Xavier. That was, I heard a little bit of Alicia Keys. I want to say I heard Khaled.

Tiffany Jones: You did.

Ashley Mengwasser: Who else did I hear in there? Samples, right?

Tiffany Jones: There were samples. So typically each year with the competition, they'll have different artists that these students have to incorporate in their song. So, I know it was Pharrell, it was Alicia Keys, and it was Khaled this year, that cycle.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, that's amazing.

Tiffany Jones: Mm-hmm.

Ashley Mengwasser: I love that. Thank you for sharing that with us today. That's Beats with Code. That's what it can be. And that is a different song than you would hear if you played those tracks individually. He has created something new of each of those little traces. That's what you're teaching your students. What other projects like Beats with Code that have real-world applications are you using in your classroom to excite them and engage them?

Tiffany Jones: So, one big platform that we use is CyberStart America. So, I do teach the cybersecurity pathway at my school. CyberStart America is a game-based platform that allows students to learn cybersecurity skills as they actually play the game and do real-world challenges. We've done different app design projects to where students can create apps of whatever their interests are. Our school and our district has a password reset campaign going on to encourage students to actually reset their passwords on their devices. So, one of my classes did an actual video for password reset and incorporated AI.

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm.

Tiffany Jones: So, they were able to actually use AI voiceovers on this project. And one of my classes, we did a M project where they created their own fictional resort based on some different requirements, and they had to talk about how CRM was going to be a part of their resort in relation to IT and a help desk, customer service aspects.

Ashley Mengwasser: What is a CRM?

Tiffany Jones: Customer relationship management.

Ashley Mengwasser: Okay. And who doesn't know the pain of a lost or forgotten password? Because that is very real-world application, especially for these younger students, because they have all the social media apps, a lot of them have at least an initial bank account by this point, so they may forget their password.

Tiffany Jones: Easily.

Ashley Mengwasser: It's cool to be doing stuff related to real life that really drives home, like you said, the why.

Tiffany Jones: The why.

Ashley Mengwasser: The point of it all. And we do live in a time of online resources and interactive platforms used day-to-day in our lives. How are you able to leverage the technology that you teach to supplement traditional teaching methods to make students active learners in this?

Tiffany Jones: So, Canvas is our learning management system that we're using currently in Fulton County. I like to use Flipgrid. It allows students to do video recording, maybe to explain a concept, or they can do a screen record to explain a concept. I've used Mintimeter for maybe a pre-unit pulse or an exit ticket. I'll do Wheel of Names. That's where you can do a randomizer and actually put your whole roster in there so that you can actually pick on students at random by spinning the wheel.

Ashley Mengwasser: Look at that.

Tiffany Jones: Quizalize, look at quizzes, Kahoot!, all different game-based learning platforms.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow.

Tiffany Jones: But it's also important to think about some of the unplugged activities.

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm-hmm.

Tiffany Jones: So, we'll do bingo for vocabulary, and we'll do that unplugged. I have different board games that we'll use to actually reinforce that concept again of algorithmic thinking. I went to a workshop talking about unplugged activities, like the GACTE Conference this past summer, and I actually have a set of Hot Wheel cars.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, yes.

Tiffany Jones: I haven't used it yet, but Autumn Sutton, she taught this, and she talked about using these little Hot Wheel cars to teach students the concept of arrays. So how do you create an array? How do you append an array? How do you sort an array? So, I plan on using those Hot Wheels in the classroom to illustrate that concept.

Ashley Mengwasser: These are super cool methods. I love how you're calling anything that's not electronic or digital "unplugged," because that is the new standard, and everything else is the variation. There is a challenge with technology, though, is that, you may feel this, it just evolves so rapidly.

Tiffany Jones: It does.

Ashley Mengwasser: It does.

Tiffany Jones: It really does.

Ashley Mengwasser: So, how do you attune and integrate pop culture and the latest trends to get your computer science students' attention?

Tiffany Jones: A lot of times, I'm on TikTok, but I'm not on TikTok.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, yeah.

Tiffany Jones: So, you just have to listen and see what's new, what's coming on, and also, engage your students.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah.

Tiffany Jones: Like say, "Hey, guys..." One thing, for example, we haven't done it yet, but the Surround Sound Challenge is out right now where they actually take the phone, and they tape it to the ceiling, and do things. I want to do it more educational-based, but it's like talking to the students, say, "Okay, what is this that your guys are doing in the hallway?" Because you see students with phones propped up, moving left to right all the time. Take a moment, understand what they're doing, and then get their input on, okay, so now, if you had to create an assignment using this-

Ashley Mengwasser: Ah. What would you do?

Tiffany Jones: ... What would you do?

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm, put it back on them.

Tiffany Jones: Mm-hmm.

Ashley Mengwasser: Good job, teach. Students love to compete, right?

Tiffany Jones: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's why they're doing these dances, it's why Xavier crushed Your Voice is Power, for goodness' sake. How can you share what coding competitions and challenges, I guess, other challenges like that, can you share how those are contributing to this? Just, it's an external showcase of your students' skills and abilities.

Tiffany Jones: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: Is challenging them motivating them to express what you said is your original goal?

Tiffany Jones: Yes. And it's allowing them to showcase their talents outside of the classroom and build their own portfolios. So, we talked about Your Voice is Power. I had several students that competed in the Fulton County School's technology competition. Students competed in Governor's Honors Program and created projects. I have some students who were a part of the Hidden Genius Project, which is something outside of school where they actually had to create a business plan and a website, and they did a showcase. And we're also, our school is going to partner with Innovation Academy. They're doing a hackathon at the end of January. So, a hack for impact where students have an opportunity to choose from different project choices, and they can learn how they can use code to help in the community.

Ashley Mengwasser: Very good.

Tiffany Jones: Mm-hmm.

Ashley Mengwasser: So, these are all opportunities to compete to showcase their skills. Do you see your more shy or reserved students come to the fore in this?

Tiffany Jones: Sometimes I do.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah.

Tiffany Jones: Sometimes I do. It just depends. I'm always supportive of my students. If you want to do it, I have you, if you're not sure yet... But I tell them that you miss a hundred percent of the shots that you do not take.

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm-hmm.

Tiffany Jones: So, you just never know.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah.

Tiffany Jones: And a lot of times, that'll get them motivated to actually submit.

Ashley Mengwasser: To try something.

Tiffany Jones: Mm-hmm.

Ashley Mengwasser: Absolutely. Just try. Don't fear the failure. Just put yourself out there. You mentioned this earlier, group work, group projects.

Tiffany Jones: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: I know it's true. In technology, collaboration is so key. Teamwork is essential in that field. How are you promoting other collaborative learning opportunities for your class?

Tiffany Jones: Our school is part of the Microsoft TEALS Program. So, I actually have a volunteer that works with Microsoft that pushes into our classroom virtually for AP computer science principals.

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm.

Tiffany Jones: And he's in Seattle.

Ashley Mengwasser: There we go.

Tiffany Jones: So, he pushes in on Teams in our class Monday, Wednesday, every other Friday, and he's a data scientist, so I use his expertise to help leverage lessons. So, sometimes, I might lecture, other times he may lecture, we may split up students and do small groups. He came up with a project idea using Python, where students were able to actually create Lego image based on a photo. So they created a Python program that depixelized a photo into a Lego, like Lego blocks, Lego images.

Ashley Mengwasser: Huh.

Tiffany Jones: So, I use that as an opportunity to leverage student skill sets. So, if I need to focus on certain students in the classroom, I can still differentiate up. I also have volunteers that are going to start from the TEALS Program in my cybersecurity classes as well. At school, we've done different tech talks, where we've brought in people from industries, professionals from industry, to talk about what's going on now, so, virtual reality, augmented reality, how companies are actually investing in this type of software technology training as training programs for their employees, for example. I also had Young Gifted Techie, so Kendra Choice from Young Gifted Techie, she came into the classroom to just audit and see what we were doing to help add some real world perspective and real world application.

Ashley Mengwasser: So, you've got real life professionals physically in the flesh.

Tiffany Jones: Mm-hmm.

Ashley Mengwasser: You've got real life professionals pushing in, showing up virtually in your classroom. How do the students react to this?

Tiffany Jones: You know-

Ashley Mengwasser: They probably think it's normal now.

Tiffany Jones: They do. I guess our biggest thing we did was last year with Google and Google Education.

Ashley Mengwasser: Whoa.

Tiffany Jones: So, I brought in Google for Computer Education Week, and we did a lesson with all of the students and a career panel.

Ashley Mengwasser: Nice.

Tiffany Jones: So, all of the students that were on the computer science IT pathway got a chance to come to the auditorium, understand what Google culture was about, ask questions. They're comfortable with it. They know how to conduct themselves in front of company, per se.

Ashley Mengwasser: Very good, yeah.

Tiffany Jones: Because one of the things, closed mouths don't get fed. Okay? And I always tell my students, you never know who you meet, you never know what your next opportunity could be because of it.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's right.

Tiffany Jones: So, you always want to show up and show out.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's right. And you're undergirding that collaboration and connection piece of this so well. How are you highlighting your students' competition achievements, their showcases, how are you highlighting that beyond the classroom? I want the rest of the school to know what you're doing, what your kids are doing, like Xavier.

Tiffany Jones: So, we do things on Instagram, we use Twitter, of course, X. And typically... The boards in school. So, we have visual boards around the school that we can put flyers and posters to actually congratulate the students and showcase their work. Another thing, typically anything that comes across my desk, I always pass it on to my students and parents, in all my classes. For example, one of the programs that I'm involved in is the Army Reset Program, and they look for students for summer opportunities. So, anytime any opportunity comes across my desk, I always like to pass it on, because one of my students could benefit from it, or maybe a parent has another child at another school who could benefit from it. It's all about exposure-

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm-hmm.

Tiffany Jones: ... and connecting them with the right resources so that, when they do look for that internship, or they are looking for that work-based learning opportunity, or they're building their portfolio for their college application, college resumes, they have a plethora of things to pull from.

Ashley Mengwasser: And you're disseminating all of it, which is very wise. What do you want your fellow teachers to know about coding? Maybe they've taught coding or computer science and maybe they haven't. What do you want them to know?

Tiffany Jones: It's okay not to know everything.

Ashley Mengwasser: There you go.

Tiffany Jones: It's okay. So don't be afraid of it. It's okay not to know everything. Your students need to understand that you're a person too.

Ashley Mengwasser: Mm-hmm.

Tiffany Jones: You don't know everything. Sometimes you'll say, "Hey, I'm not sure about that. Let's look it up together. Let's figure it out together," or, "What do you think?," or, "What would you do?" And think of coding as a way to break up the monotony in the classroom sometimes. And you don't have to just jump into a text-based language. You can easily start with a block-based language, for example, just to understand or to incorporate it in the classroom. Coding can be used cross-functionally in all disciplines.

Ashley Mengwasser: Very well said. This is an episode that can't be beat. Thank you, Tiffany. Appreciate you being here today.

Tiffany Jones: Oh, thank you for the invitation.

Ashley Mengwasser: After everything Tiffany's taught us, I just have to share this quote by Donald Newth. He says, "Computers are great at reading instructions, but not at reading your mind." Never forget that you and your students are the commanders of the commands, the agents of the action. Find your Tiffany Jones authentic algorithm that supports computer science instruction in your classroom. You're a great teacher. You've got the beat. Just make sure it's your own. I'm Ashley. You've listened extra attentively this episode. Now enjoy our engineered classroom conversations theme music. Goodbye for now. Funding for Classroom Conversations is made possible through the School Climate Transformation Grant.