The third annual Computer Science Education Week — CSEdWeek for short — is just around the corner! Endorsed by Congress as December 4-10, 2011, in recognition of Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper’s birthday (Dec. 9th, 1906) and her many contributions to the field of computer science, CSEdWeek is “a call to action to raise awareness of computer science education and computing careers for students, educators, and the public.”

There are numerous events and activities planned throughout the nation to illustrate how computer science education is essential to exposing students to critical thinking and problem solving; instilling an understanding of computational thinking for success in the digital era; and preparing students to attack the world’s most challenging problems from a computational perspective.

Help us spread the word about CSEdWeek — and computer science education and computing careers more generally:

• Spread the word about computing careers: Visit a school, class or youth group to chat about your career in computing and opportunities in the field using the guide to youth outreach for technical professionals.

• Host a company tour or job shadow with a student for a day: Share information about your educational and career path, computing career rewards, and how technology is changing the world through your work.

• Advocate for quality computer science education: Visit your local school board, superintendent, or principal and urge rigorous, engaging computer science classes. Check out Computing in the Core and the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) for handy talking points.

And easiest of all, simply take the CSEdWeek pledge to express your support for CSEdWeek. Once you do, click the “share” button to share your commitment with your social/professional networks, join in on the conversation on Facebook, and tweet #CSEdWeek.

For much more info about CSEdWeek, check out the official website.

(Contributed by Erwin Gianchandani, CCC Director)