Ten PBS LearningMedia Resources to Explore the Impact of Computer Science

Use these resources to introduce your students to the imaginative thinkers, code-savvy scientists, and everyday people impacting the world through computer science.

The Art of Creative Coding |  Grades 9-12 | Video | Technology & Art
Programming plays a huge role in the world that surrounds us, and though its uses are often purely functional, there is a growing community of artists who use the language of code as their medium.

FoldIt: A Protein Puzzle Game | Grades 6-12 | Video | Science and Information Technology
In this video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about Foldit, an online game in which players contribute to scientific research by solving puzzles.

Ken Goldberg: New Media | Grades K-13+ | Video | Computer Art
Ken Goldberg conducts whimsical experiments in human behavior to explore the artistic possibilities of the internet.

Careers in Information & Security Tech | Grades 6-12 | Interactive |  Information Technology and Careers
This interactive activity explores different career paths available in information and security technologies.

Zeega: Interactive Video | Grades 5- 13+ | Media Gallery | Art  and Filmmaking and Video
Zeega is a new platform for organizing media from around the Internet to create interactive stories about anything in the world.  In the latest episode of Art School, Zeega’s creators talk about this new tool and then demonstrate how create your own Zeega using GIFs from the Internet, original content, music and text.

Computer Clubhouse | Grades 4-6 | Video| Science and Communication
DragonflyTV drops in on the Computer Clubhouse, an after-school program run by the Museum of Science Boston, where kids are using a program called “Scratch” to animate images on a computer. “Scratch” lets them attach sensors to physical objects. When the objects move, so do the pictures!

Game Designer  | Grades 4-6 | Video | Science and Careers
In this video profile, Microsoft game designer David Ortiz designs Xbox’s NFL Fever game. Ortiz wanted to be a professional football player or a doctor when he was a boy. Once he got to college, he became interested in computer science and design. Now he takes a sports idea like football and makes it into a hot new video game. David works with coaches and players in the NFL to turn game day plays into life-like computer animation.

Climate Models | Grades 4-12 | Video | Science 
In this lesson from Clue into Climate, produced by KQED, students learn about climate models, experiment with their own climate model, and investigate how climate models are used to predict how species distributions may change as the planet warms.

Eduardo Torres-Jara | Grades 6-12 | Video | Electrical Engineering and Careers
In this video from Science City, meet Eduardo Torres-Jara, a postdoctoral associate in electrical engineering and computer science at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab. He describes his work on innovative robots that use tactile feedback to locate and grasp objects.

Sidelined: Sports Concussions | Grades  7-13+ | Video | Science and Biotechnologies
In this QUEST video from KQED, find an explanation of what causes concussions and learn how computer software can assess damage during a concussion. Also learn how neuroscientists use digital imaging to monitor long-term brain trauma.

Computer Networks | Grades 9-12 | Interactive | Communication and Information Technologies
This interactive activity adapted from the Wisconsin Online Resource Center describes types of computer networks and how they function.