006.10A Grade
Levels: 7-12.
006.10B Endorsement
Type: Supplemental endorsement only. This endorsement requires an applicant to
have an endorsement as a prerequisite to this endorsement.
006.10C Persons with this endorsement may
teach computer science in grades 7 through 12.
006.10D Certification Endorsement
Requirements: This endorsement requires a minimum of 15 semester hours in
computer science courses.
006.10E
Endorsement Program Requirements: Nebraska teacher education institutions
offering this endorsement must have on file, within the institution, a plan
which identifies the courses and the course completion requirements which the
institution utilizes to grant credit toward completion of this endorsement.
THE FOLLOWING ARE RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR
INCLUSION AS PART OF THE INSTITUTION'S PLAN UNDER THIS
ENDORSEMENT.
Through the courses identified in its plan, the institution
should provide the following content:
A. The science of computation. Coursework
should include:
1. Information about computer
science as a discipline and formal science related to computation;
2. Historical perspectives of computer
science;
3. Current research,
trends, and careers related to computer science;
4. Societal impact of computer technology;
and
5. Information about the
ethical issues and concerns related to computer technology.
B. Algorithms and data structures.
Coursework should include:
1. design,
representation, testing, and use of algorithms to solve simple
problems;
2. information on how to
fulfill common requirements (searching and sorting) using appropriate
problem-solving techniques;
3.
information on the various structures, their operations, and how to use them
for data input, organization and common practices such as stacks, queues, etc.;
and
4. analysis of computer
algorithms for efficiency and effectiveness.
C. Software. Coursework should include:
1. object-oriented analysis, design, and
programming;
2. structured
analysis, design, and programming emphasizing top-down and modular
designs;
3. the role and function
of system software such as operating systems, compilers, and interpreters, and
familiarity with platforms currently available (System 7, UNIX, DOS, OS/2,
etc.);
4. the concept of a computer
program and the fundamental control structures (sequence, selection,
repetition);
5. the process and
criteria for creating efficient and well designed computer applications,
including external and internal documentation concepts;
6. writing and designing programs in at least
two common and high level programming languages (BASIC, Pascal, C++, COBAL,
etc.); and
7. the various levels of
languages (machine, assembly, and the 3rd and
4th level languages) and types of languages
(procedural, structured, function, parallel, and object oriented) with the
ability to contrast languages in order to make suitable selections for software
design.
D. Hardware.
Coursework should include:
1. study of various
hardware platforms currently available for computer programming and software
design (Macintosh, IBM, etc.); and
2. organization and architecture of the
traditional computer (CPU, Memory, Input/Output) including data and instruction
representations, Boolean logic, gates, circuits, and the fetch and execute
cycle.
E. Organization
and management of computer science instruction. Coursework should include:
1. teaching methodologies related to computer
science courses, including the incorporation of educational technology;
and
2. resources and educational
materials available for computer science education.
F. Programs to prepare teachers of Computer
Science as a discipline should also include means to insure that the candidates
understand the science and mathematical nature of computation, the organization
of major computer languages, algorithms and data structures, and fundamentals
in software development and hardware. The candidates should be proficient in at
least two common and high-level programming languages (such as BASIC, Pascal,
C++, etc.), and be given sufficient experiences to develop initial teaching
competence.
Other endorsement areas may, and should have inherent
requirements to prepare teachers to utilize the computer as a tool and in other
forms of application such as word processing, spreadsheets, data bases,
multimedia, telecommunications, and general computer literacy. This endorsement
is not intended to meet the needs of those other endorsements, or of a specific
endorsement in educational technology as formal specialization. This
endorsement is intended to prepare teachers to teach courses such as computer
programming, software engineering, and data structures, and other courses
related to computer science as a formal discipline and science.
