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AK CS and Digital Literacy

Empowering K-12 educators with free, open-source content and news in computer science, digital literacy, and artificial intelligence.
"October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! For more than 20 years we have spotlighted the importance of taking daily action to reduce risks when online and using connected devices."

— Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Upcoming Events

Exciting educational opportunities this month!

Code.org Professional Development Workshops

The Alaska Staff Development Network (ASDN) is offering free professional development workshops to help educators integrate Code.org's curriculum into their classrooms. All of the following virtual workshops are free and have no prerequisites unless otherwise noted. You can register for these events here.

Digital Citizenship: Navigating the Digital World Safely and Responsibly

  • October 7, 2025 (4:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
  • A workshop focused on teaching students about digital citizenship.

Micro:bit Makers: Code, Create, Connect

  • October 25, 2025 (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
  • A hands-on workshop using Micro:bit devices.

Teaching Apps with Devices: Computer Science Discoveries, Unit 6

  • October 25, 2025 (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
  • Learn to teach app development using devices.

Presidential AI Challenge Workshops & Events

The Presidential AI Challenge is a national challenge where K-12 youth, educators, mentors, and community teams come together to solve real-world problems in their communities using AI-powered solutions with an opportunity to showcase their solutions at a national level.

ORISE Presents: Developing Your Idea with Design Thinking

  • October 15, 2025 (7:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET) - Join online
  • Help middle and high school students get started on the challenge by introducing a method for identifying a problem and developing creative solutions.

Amazon Presents: Intro to Prompt Engineering & Office Hours

  • October 15, 2025 (4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET) - Join online
  • Amazon will familiarize middle and high school students on creating effective prompts.

Digital Citizenship Week

Join educators across Alaska and the nation in celebrating Digital Citizenship Week!

News & Opportunities

Congressional App Challenge - Deadline October 30!

Middle and high school students: showcase your coding skills on a national stage! The 2025 Congressional App Challenge invites Alaska students to create and submit an app before October 30th. The winning app will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year and celebrated at the #HouseOfCode event in Washington, D.C.

Register and submit your app here. Questions? Contact Denali.Tshibaka@mail.house.gov or call (907) 921-6575.

Hour of AI - December 2025

We're excited to join the global #HourOfAI in December! Students everywhere are exploring what AI is, how it works, and how it can be used for good. Through hands-on, easy-to-follow activities, students will demystify AI, imagine new possibilities for their world, and create with purpose by using AI for good.

Find more resources here or visit HourofAI.org.

NASA TechRISE Student Challenge

The NASA TechRISE Student Challenge invites teams to design science and tech experiments to fly on a suborbital spaceship or a high-altitude balloon. No experience is necessary. Winning teams get $1,500, a starter kit, and guidance from engineers to make their idea a reality. The deadline for proposals is November 3, 2025.

View the special Q&A recording for Alaskan Educators or find all the details and how to enter here.

Teaching in the Age of AI

Join Imagine Learning's Professional Learning experts for a free, six-part series designed to help educators navigate the rapidly evolving role of AI in teaching and learning. Hands-on exploration ensures educators leave with actionable insights and a certificate of completion.

Learn more and register here.

Day of AI Professional Development

Day of AI, in partnership with MIT RAISE, offers live, virtual trainings led by expert educators. Learn how AI works and explore the Day of AI curriculum. Two sessions available: "Demystifying AI" (60 minutes) and "Bringing AI Literacy to Your Classroom" (90 minutes).

Sign up for professional development here.

Spotlight on Alaska

Digital Dojang: Breaking History in Computer Science

This month, the Songahm Academic Program in the Southeast Island School District launched a Digital Dojang - a classroom space modeled after Taekwondo sparring. Students train resilience, self-control, and indomitable spirit while applying these skills to technology.

Students have built an AI-powered computer from the ground up, explored drones, coding, and PC building through hands-on sparring rounds, used the SeeStories framework to connect digital learning with storytelling and community, and made history by integrating Taekwondo philosophy into a U.S. public school setting for the first time.

The Digital Dojang is where culture and computer science meet, empowering students to grow in both technology and character. For more information about this project contact Matthew Gore at magore@sisd.org or visit the Songahm Academic Program at sisd.org.

Share What's Happening in Your Community!

We want to shine a light on the exciting computer science and digital literacy initiatives happening across Alaska. Are your students building an innovative app? Is your school hosting a coding event, or are you integrating new technology in the classroom?

Let us know what's happening in your corner of the state, and you could be featured in a future newsletter. Click the button below to share your story.

Curriculum Corner

Science 💗 CS - Resource Presentation

Computer Science and Science band together to share ways educators can integrate CS in their science classroom. Anthony White shared a session in the Resources for Teaching Science in Alaska webinar series.

View the presentation and correlating resources here. Learn more about the webinar series and additional resources for Science here. Contact Ryia Waldern at ryia.waldern@alaska.gov if you have questions regarding Science curriculum and instruction.

Amazon Career Tours

Career Tours are free, interactive, virtual field trips that inspire students to pursue careers of the future by exploring Amazon's technologies. Tour whenever, wherever, on Kahoot!

Explore Amazon Career Tours here.

Edube Interactive

Edube Interactive is a free online learning and programming environment applicable for students in grades 9-12. It offers courses in Computer Science, Digital Literacy, and Web Development, all of which are self-paced and mapped to various certifications. The platform serves as a valuable resource for educators, allowing the use of its modules as supplemental materials or structured units that align with computer science standards.

Learn more at edube.org.

Cybersecurity with picoCTF

The Carnegie Mellon University's picoCTF game is a great opportunity for students to learn hacking with capture-the-flag puzzles created by trusted computer security and privacy experts at CMU. Through these activities students learn introductory through advanced level cybersecurity principles, build CTF skills, compete against an international group of learners, and help envision themselves in the ever-growing and lucrative careers in cybersecurity.

Learn more by visiting picoCTF.org.

Interactive Resource Database

Want to explore more resources, lessons, and curriculum related to AI, CS, and Digital Literacy? Check out this interactive database of curated resources aligned to grade levels, subject areas and resource types.

Explore the resource database here.

✉️anthony.white@alaska.gov
🌐AKDEED CompSci

This newsletter is an initiative of the Division of Innovation & Education Excellence. We feature free, open-source resources. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive information on K-12 computer science and digital literacy.

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