Reflections from Educational Practices for Computer Science with a Critical Perspective

Abstract

As a research team, we are united by the idea of understanding and addressing educational practices in the field of Computer Science (CS) in the city of Córdoba. Theoretically, we place ourselves from a critical digital literacy perspective. We aspire to democratize technological knowledge that allows not only the use of the digital artifacts that surround us, and that year after year take on greater importance in our daily lives, but also the possibility of understanding and reasoning about CS knowledge that allows us to understand how computers work and their limits and scope.
Selwyn et al. (2020) alert us to the complex sociocultural aspects of technology and the strong neoliberal ideology that drives much of what is developed for education. In this article, we cite various educational experiences that generate in their proposals a critical analysis of CS, an inclusive perspective on content, and a novel dynamic that promotes the full exercise of citizenship. These experiences were carried out in formal settings, such as curricular subjects in primary and secondary education, higher education, and continuos education; as well as in informal contexts, such as workshops in public libraries; or through support with teaching sequences implemented in schools.
Throughout this article, we can see that the actual practice of teaching CS is not linear. We hope that the ongoing analysis and reflection on these experiences will contribute to the construction and consolidation of computer science teaching in diverse settings and educational levels.