Pick an article from the ACM TechNews newsletter for students to read, summarize, and write a reflection on to find relevant and appropriate CS articles for AP CSP social implications assignments.

  • The ACM TechNews newsletter is a great place to find and explore current topics in CS.

    • Use articles for homework to address the Computer Science Principles social implications component.

  • Activity:

    • Have students read the article and write a summary for homework.

      • The summary should a paragraph or longer (minimum of 5 sentences).

      • If students want to include their opinions in the write up this will be the second paragraph.

    • Have a 10 minute discussion about the reading at the beginning of class.

  • Consider requiring students to post their summaries and opinions on a discussion board so they can read each others’ posts and comment on them.

    • You can make commenting on a certain number of other posts a requirement for the assignment.

    • Scaffold students in discussion board etiquette by developing a Social Contract all students must sign. Make sure to fully scope out etiquette expectations by including rules, examples, and consequences of violation. Things to include in the social contract include:

      • Style and Grammar
      • Etiquette
      • Content
  • Consider having students follow a single topic over a period of time by searching for additional information on the topic throughout the course to see how current events in the industry unfold.

  • Additionally, you could post articles online and have students vote for which on they want to use for the assignment instead of picking out the article yourself.