{"139831":{"#nid":"139831","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Using Hip-Hop to Teach Computer Science","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech is welcoming 18 metro Atlanta high school students to campus this week, hosting a musical summer camp that is intended to have broad implications for the future of computer science education. The teenagers are creating and remixing hip-hop beats using a software program called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/earsketch.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEarsketch\u003C\/a\u003E. Although only 5 of the students had ever written computer code before they arrived at the camp, each high schooler will create a three-minute, computerized tune by Friday.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEarsketch was designed by School of Music Associate Professor Jason Freeman and School of Literature, Communication and Culture Assistant Professor Brian Magerko. The software was created to address the nation\u2019s shortage of high school students, especially females and minorities, who are interested in computer science careers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe believe that we can get people more motivated in this field by placing introductory computing education into a really interesting, fun context,\u201d said Freeman. \u201cInstead of writing programs that sort lists or crunch numbers, students learn all of these skills while making music.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEarsketch utilizes the Python programming language and Reaper, a digital audio workstation program similar to those used in recording studios throughout the music industry. Students are remixing samples and loops to create their own tracks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe use hip-hop music as a core musical domain because of its history of remixing music and its strong roots in Atlanta,\u201d said Magerko. \u201cBut students can work in any genre that speaks to them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/newsroom\/release.html?nid=70785\u0022\u003Ewas awarded\u003C\/a\u003E a three-year grant in 2011 by the National Science Foundation to test and implement Earsketch. The software and curriculum will be piloted this spring at Lanier High School in Gwinnet County as part of the school\u2019s music technology program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Earsketch workshop is one of several summer camps organized on campus by the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/ice\/\u0022\u003EInstitute for Computing Education\u003C\/a\u003E. The program is overseen by Barbara Ericson, Director of Computing Outreach in the College of Computing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFreeman is a faculty member in the College of Architecture. Magerko is a faculty member in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech is welcoming 18 metro Atlanta high school students to campus this week, hosting a musical summer camp that is intended to have broad implications for the future of computer science education. The teenagers are creating and remixing hip-hop beats using a software program called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/earsketch.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEarsketch\u003C\/a\u003E. Although only 5 of the students had ever written computer code before they arrived at the camp, each high schooler will create a three-minute, computerized tune by Friday.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Metro Atlanta high school students are learning computer science by writing computer code for hip-hop beats."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-07-11 18:28:28","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:29","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-07-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-07-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"54857":{"id":"54857","type":"image","title":"Jason Freeman - Profile","body":null,"created":"1449175474","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:44:34","changed":"1475894483","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:23","alt":"Jason Freeman - Profile","file":{"fid":"179924","name":"freeman.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/freeman_2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/freeman_2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":12333,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/freeman_2.jpg?itok=kRYZOddq"}},"70812":{"id":"70812","type":"image","title":"Brian Magerko","body":null,"created":"1449177314","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:14","changed":"1475894602","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:22","alt":"Brian Magerko","file":{"fid":"192694","name":"brian_magerko.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/brian_magerko_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/brian_magerko_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1420295,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/brian_magerko_1.jpg?itok=6z6ekPAm"}}},"media_ids":["54857","70812"],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"14468","name":"EarSketch"},{"id":"169219","name":"School of Literature Communication and Culture"},{"id":"167096","name":"school of music"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jason.maderer@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}