Joseph Zawicki | SUNY: Buffalo State College (original) (raw)

Papers by Joseph Zawicki

The poster describes an innovative approach to help secondary school teachers enhance their compu... more The poster describes an innovative approach to help secondary school teachers enhance their computer science (CS) knowledge through the Google funded CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) program. Through a 4-day professional training workshop teachers learn different computational thinking skills, CS concepts and related tools in an attempt to promote CS education by establishing a computer club and eventually teaching CS courses in their schools. The training includes units from the Exploring Computer Science curriculum and brainstorming sessions on starting clubs, club activities, and strategies for recruiting more girls and minorities in clubs. Participating teachers are invited back during the school year to participate in events including a CS conference and a competition and showcase for their students to continue the momentum started by the workshop. Teachers share the barriers to establishing clubs and success stories of being the first teachers to introduce computer science into their schools. More than 150 teachers from more than 50 secondary schools have participated in the CS4HS workshops since the program"s inception. The result is that many of the participating teachers now have established computer clubs; many teach CS courses and many bring their club students to participate in the annual CS4HS Showcase and Competition event at Buffalo State College; all contributing to the goals of CS4HS which is to promote CS education in every secondary schools of Western New York. This will create a pipeline of aspiring CS students and help to alleviate the current and predicted shortage of CS professionals.

Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Jun 1, 2018

This research presentation reports on a case study examining the teaching practices of seven high... more This research presentation reports on a case study examining the teaching practices of seven high school computer science (CS) teachers from schools located across the Western New York (WNY) area. ...

Ensenanza De Las Ciencias De La Tierra Revista De La Asociacion Espanola Para La Ensenanza De Las Ciencias De La Tierra, 2012

espanolEste articulo se refiere a una actividad de recortar y pegar Pangea usada comunmente por e... more espanolEste articulo se refiere a una actividad de recortar y pegar Pangea usada comunmente por el profesorado de educacion secundaria que conlleva una forma inadecuada para la comprension de la naturaleza de la ciencia (NDC) asi como de la historia de la ciencia (HDC). Utilizada por lo general para entender la teoria de la deriva de los continentes de Alfred Wegener, falla en muchos niveles en lograr los objetivos fijados. Se incluye una tabla que es una herramienta pedagogica completa desarrollada para guiar al profesorado en como modificar sus tecnicas para aumentar la comprension de los alumnos del proceso cientifico. Afirmamos que se puede conseguir una comprension mas profunda y significativa de la NDC y de la HDC con el uso de la brillantez y genialidad de las ideas de Alfred Wegener tal y como el las presento al mundo a traves de su obra. EnglishThis paper refers to a cut-and-paste Pangaea activity, commonly used by secondary school teachers, that entails an inadequate understanding of the nature and history of science. Commonly used to understand the drift theory of Alfred Wegener, it fails on many levels to accomplish the set goals. A table is included that provides a comprehensive pedagogical tool to guide teachers through the process of modifying their techniques to increase students’ understanding of the process of science. We claim that by using the brilliance and genius of Alfred Wegener’s ideas as he presented them to the world through his book, a deeper and more meaningful comprehension of the nature and history of science can be achieved.

Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 2019

Buffalo State College has hosted a number of summer institutes and conferences over the years to ... more Buffalo State College has hosted a number of summer institutes and conferences over the years to increase the availability of computer science (CS) courses taught in western and central New York high schools. These institutes and conferences have contributed to strong CS programs in suburban and private schools, but not in urban and rural/small town schools. In the summer of 2018, Buffalo State invited high school principals from across the area to a summit to discuss the future of CS. Forty-six principals participated in the summit and of those school leaders, 30% of them were from rural/small towns. In this poster, the research team will present the results of a mixed-methods school leadership study based on the value rural/small town principals place on CS. Results from a survey, conducted at the summit, and semi-structured interviews will be presented. A sociocultural approach was used to analyze the data since the principals' values and mediated actions toward CS were influenced by the socially situated environment of the schools they lead

The recent pandemic has severely restricted in-person instruction in K-16 settings. A recently de... more The recent pandemic has severely restricted in-person instruction in K-16 settings. A recently developed set of tools, PhyPhox, created in Germany, allow learners to harvest data directly using their cell phone. Experiments currently under development across a number of topics from mechanics ((In)elastic collisions, acceleration, pendulum motion) to audio analysis (Doppler effect, sonar, speed of sound) and creatively utilize multiple sensors to collect raw data. This free tool is available online and works across multiple cell phone platforms and services. Physics educators in RWTH Aachen University initially developed the tool and have collaborated with physics educators in New York State to develop and validate deployment strategies, including the use of instructional scaffolding approaches, video conferencing tools (including the use of breakout rooms for lab groups) and other appropriate techniques.

Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 2018

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

His fields of specialization are nanoelectronic, microelectronic and optoelectronic devices and m... more His fields of specialization are nanoelectronic, microelectronic and optoelectronic devices and materials. Currently he is working in the areas of design and characterization of electronic and optoelectronic devices with emphasis on light absorption and emission, energy conversion and heat dissipation. Special attention in his research is now placed on simulation, design, and characterization of nanosensors, and quantum dot infrared photodetectors and solar cells. He has more than 230 publications in refereed journals, fourteen patents, four monographs and five textbooks. He obtained his Doctor of Science degree in 1987 from the

Ensenanza De Las Ciencias De La Tierra Revista De La Asociacion Espanola Para La Ensenanza De Las Ciencias De La Tierra, 2012

Perspectives on …, 2003

We describe the analysis of 1000 NYS Regents Examinations in Physics from the June 17th, 2003 off... more We describe the analysis of 1000 NYS Regents Examinations in Physics from the June 17th, 2003 offering in terms of Rasch item analysis, reading level, conceptual level (modified Bloom taxonomy), and format. We include comments from the OPHUN-L statewide physics ...

IEEE 35th International Power Sources Symposium, 1992

The measurement of a cell's magnetic signature can be performed through the use of a fluxgat... more The measurement of a cell's magnetic signature can be performed through the use of a fluxgate magnetometer. The location of the test site and the orientation of the magnetometer must be carefully selected to avoid source of magnetic interference. The choice of construction materials as well as cell chemistry will greatly influence the performance of a nonmagnetic lithium cell, particularly under high discharge rates. BCX and CFx cells in magnetic and nonmagnetic configurations were evaluated under a series of discharge loads. At current densities greater than 5 mA/cm3 on the Li/BCX system, the difference in resistivity of the cathode current collector had a noticeable effect on power output. Both BCX configurations tested, along with a solid cathode nonmagnetic cell, performed similarly at discharge rates below 500 mA

This investigation was undertaken to validate three performance assessment tasks in high school p... more This investigation was undertaken to validate three performance assessment tasks in high school physics. The tasks that were studied were developed around three organizational models of performance assessments: integrated, independent and surrogate. The integrated model required students to answer questions, make observations and demonstrate skills related to the index of refraction of a particular material. All of the questions and activities the students completed were related to a sample of a particular plastic sample that was the focus of this task. The independent model is analogous to the station model that is currently used on three New York State assessments: the Grade 4 - Elementary Science Program Evaluation Test, the Intermediate Level Science (ILS) Test, and the Physical Setting: Earth Science Regents Exam. Students took measurements related to the index of refraction of a plastic sample that was the focus of the initial portion of this task; the remaining questions on the assessment were generally related to the concept of the index of refraction but did not refer back to the initial sample. The final task organization followed the surrogate model. In this model, students reviewed data that was collected and analyzed by other (fictitious) students. The students completing this task were asked to review the work presented on this assessment for errors; they evaluated the conclusions and statements presented on the assessment. Students were also asked to determine if the student work was acceptable or if this investigation should be repeated. Approximately 300 students from urban, suburban and rural districts across Western New York State participated in the study. The tasks were administered during the spring semester of the 2000--2001 school year. The participating schools had at least covered the topic of refraction, both in classroom lectures and in laboratory activities. Each student completed only one form of the task---either the integrated, the independent or the surrogate form. A set of ten questions, compiled from past New York State Regents Examinations in Physics, was used as an additional measurement of student conceptual understanding. This question set was identified as the "Optics Baseline Test" (OBT). Additionally, classroom teachers ranked the academic performance of each of the students in their classroom on the outcomes of the physics course; these rankings were compared with student scores on the performance assessment tasks. The process skills incorporated within the individual questions on each task were reviewed by a panel of expert teachers. Student scores on the tasks themselves were examined using a principal component analysis. This analysis provided support for the process skill subtests organized around the general process skills of planning, performing, and reasoning. Scoring guides and inter-rater reliabilities were established for each task. The reliabilities for tasks, subtests and questions were fairly high, indicting adequate task reliability. Correlations between student performance on the individual tasks and the OBT were not significant. Teacher ranking of student achievement in individual classrooms also failed to correlate significantly with student performance on tasks. The lack of correlation could be attributed to several factors, including (among others) a wide range of student opportunities to learn from the seven schools in the sample. As has been reported in the performance assessment literature, there were no significant differences between the performance of male and female students. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Jun 1, 2018

Ensenanza De Las Ciencias De La Tierra Revista De La Asociacion Espanola Para La Ensenanza De Las Ciencias De La Tierra, 2012

Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 2019

Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 2018

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Ensenanza De Las Ciencias De La Tierra Revista De La Asociacion Espanola Para La Ensenanza De Las Ciencias De La Tierra, 2012

Perspectives on …, 2003

IEEE 35th International Power Sources Symposium, 1992