This past week, we caught up with one of the educators from our Advancing Culturally-Relevant Computing (aCRC) Summer Professional Development, Kamakaʻike Bruecher, to see how she teaches Computer Science in her classroom!

Location: Kāneʻohe, Oahu
Occupation: 6th Grade Teacher at Kāneʻohe Elementary School
Hobbies: Exercising, cooking, going outside, and reading books!
Travel Destination: The Pacific Northwest
Boba Order: Taro boba with actual taro inside. No powdered taro milk tea, please!

How did you use what you learned from the aCRC Summer PD in your own classroom?

Kamakaʻike: I started off the school year teaching the “Pūnaewele Puni Honua: Our Online Community” module. I chose this module because it is the foundation for any digital interaction that the students will be having at school, at home, and in their own lives. 

How did your students respond to you teaching the “Pūnaewele Puni Honua: Our Online Community” module?

Kamakaʻike: My students really enjoyed it! They took the time to discuss and ask questions about their own experiences online. A lot of the students’ online experience is through video games; they are also at the age where some of them have their own social media accounts. My students had questions about internet safety, passwords, and even hacking. It was a really great lesson that encouraged students to open up and ask questions, share their thoughts, and learn from each other.

Was this your students’ first time learning about internet safety?

Kamakaʻike: I think they already knew the basics of internet safety …. But, having a lesson that breaks down what is safe to share and what is not safe to share was helpful. My students took the time to think, “what would happen if I put this information out there to the public?”

What are some additional resources that you found useful for teaching Computer Science?

Kamakaʻike: I use code.org lessons for my students to do. I try to find a balance between talking to my students through the problems and letting the students figure out the solutions on their own. 

Thank you Kamakaʻike for taking the time to speak to us! We look forward to spotlighting more educators in future aCRC articles!