Computer science award finalists ‘passionate’ about their profession
Carl Frank, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts computer science instructor, and Ashley Kincannon, Lake Hamilton Junior High School computer science teacher, are two of the five educators selected as finalists for the 2021 Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year award.
“It’s an incredible honor,” Kincannon said Wednesday, noting she did not start her career as a computer science educator, but as an English teacher, making the shift to computer science three years ago.
“It’s incredible that I’ve gone from not knowing anything about this field to now being recognized as an educator who is a leader in this field, and it’s an incredible honor,” Kincannon said. “I am so passionate about what I do and what I teach.”
The five finalists will receive a $2,500 award from the Arkansas Department of Education Office of Computer Science.
A panel of representatives from the ADE Computer Science Unit, the 2020 Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year, external industry leaders, and other education experts will review the finalists’ applications and select the 2021 Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year based on a rubric scoring system, a news release said.
The winner will be announced at a later date and will receive an additional $12,500 award.
Kincannon said she feels she was selected because of some of the innovative practices she implemented in her classroom and her passion and willingness to share what she has learned with others.
“In this area, I’m a very handson and active learner and always searching for ways to grow and develop as an individual and as a professional,” she said.
“My goal is to always try to connect every student to computer science, whether or not (they) initially are turned on to the content.
“As a computer science teacher, my role is just to take learning in my classroom and to really challenge my students to strive to discover on their own,” she said.
Frank said his passion for computer science came to him when he was in college where he was working for his instructor and mentor, Clarence Durand.
A lot of the nontraditional students gave positive feedback about Frank being helpful and patient so Durand recommended Frank get his master’s degree to come back and teach at Henderson State University.
“I might have had an affinity and enjoyment of it even before I went to get my master’s,” Frank said. “It has been a passion to serve as a cheerleader for computer science.”
“Computer science is at the heart of almost everything we do and encounter. It’s one of those things that is a great experience for every child because it teaches kids to think differently about problems and just about situations they encounter in life,” Kincannon said.
“Ever since Asa Hutchinson has been here, things have moved forward rapidly. Having the governor push this initiative has been a great benefit for the state of Arkansas, and I’m glad to have played a small part in that,” Frank said.
No matter if citizens are workforce-ready or college-bound, computers will play an increasing role in society, he said, noting not everyone is going to become programmers.
“We’re certainly going to be more dependent on devices rather than less,” Frank said. “Computer science is at its core problem-solving. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing in life; you’ve got to be able to solve problems.”
Kincannon said citizens should get involved in computer science because, through computer science, they can implement their creativity as an individual.
“Computer science is for the greater good. There’s always a problem that we need to solve around us. Instead of looking at problems as issues, we need to look (at) problems for finding ways to solve them,” she said.
Frank said students would learn things they don’t even know they’re learning.
“It’s not the programming; it’s the problem solving,” Frank said. “If they can learn some problem-solving skills, no matter if they go into the workforce (or) college, (that’s) a benefit.”
“It’s such a blessing to be able to wake up every day and know that I’m going to do what I love doing every single day. It’s not work when you love what you do,” Kincannon said.