In K–12 schools, traditional computer science concepts are developmentally appropriate for students around age 8, so that’s where most of the curriculum begins. But if these stereotypes are forming early, we need to get representation to children much earlier than age 8.
EDTECH: Tell me about your book series. What inspired you to write these stories, and what is their goal?
DARLING: It’s all about inclusivity and making sure kids understand they can be part of science, technology, engineering, art and math. This can be something that they can study, somewhere that they are welcome, where things are fun and they can be creative and playful. And maybe someday, these fields can be a lucrative career for them.
I was inspired by the Chris Ferrie board books, where he explains concepts in a way that babies can understand.
I specifically designed the books for ages 4 through 10, incorporating a diverse cast of characters based on input from my students. Then they were field tested. I have 650 students with whom I am able to try out a lot of these activities. There are things such as singing a debugging song to teach the concept of debugging. Instead of doing “duck, duck, goose,” we do “click, click, malware” to learn about cybersecurity.
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EDTECH: You mentioned field testing. What else went into the process of writing these books?
DARLING: I had a lot of beta readers — some of whom currently work in the industry, such as cybersecurity folks — and I ran drafts by them to make sure I was using the current terminology.
To be included in the computer science world, you have to understand the vocabulary. So, we talk about the command line in the picture books. We talk about creating a LAN (a local area network) to play Minecraft together. At one point, we talk about gray, white and black hat hacking, and the main character puts on hats to represent the different types of hacking.
I tried to make the books whimsical and entertaining and fun and also offer a chance for kids to learn the vocabulary. If you don’t know the vocabulary, then you don’t know where to start studying something.
I purposely wrote the books to make sure that anybody could feel comfortable reading them to their kids or their students. They are developed for use by both parents and educators.
EDTECH: What is your background in STEAM, and how did you get into these topics?
DARLING: In my previous job, I built a makerspace from the ground up. This was in Dexter Community Schools, and I was given some seed money to start developing a makerspace. I rearranged the whole library, and it became a cool situation where we were bringing in local organizations.
Then, I had this opportunity to join a STEAM school. I was super excited to be with colleagues who were right in line with the way I think and the way I teach.
The makerspace at Dexter Community Schools is still operational. We left a lot of documentation about how everything worked to make sure that it was sustainable.
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EDTECH: You built your first makerspace in a library. Why are libraries such great locations for these types of spaces?
DARLING: Libraries are the hubs of schools, of communities, and the mission of a library is to give people access to things they might not have access to otherwise. There has been a trend of materials access, with 3D printers, recording studios, green screens — things that allow you to explore and enrich yourself.
Libraries offer a space where everybody can interact; therefore, it’s a natural place to put materials you want everybody to be able to access.
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