Mike Zamansky

About:

Mike Zamansky is a professor at Hunter College, passionate about CS education and alumni networking, with hobbies including gaming and cooking.

Website:

cestlaz.github.io

Specializations:

Professor Mentor Educator

Interests:

Computer science education Industry practices Alumni networking

Incoming Links:

Sacha Chua

Outgoing Links:

Sacha Chua

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2025-01-09 •

The author discusses the value of making mistakes in teaching and how it contributes to authenticity. They reflect on the qualities that make a great teacher, emphasizing the importance of relationships with students, enthusiasm f...

2025-01-07 •

The author discusses the process of extracting email addresses from a text document using Emacs. They explain the use of regular expressions in identifying email addresses and the creation of an elisp function to automate the extr...

2024-12-26 •

The author reflects on their participation in the Advent of Code programming event, discussing their performance, language choices, problem-solving approaches, and motivations. They also consider the range of problems and the use ...

2024-12-13 •

The blog post discusses the lack of preparation for college CS students who want to enter the startup ecosystem. The author describes an event he organized with the Stuyvesant Alumni Association to connect students with founders a...

2024-12-09 •

The blog post discusses the trend of companies looking for mid-level experience and abilities out of college graduates instead of entry-level. The author argues that undergraduate programs should better prepare students for indust...

2024-11-22 •

The author reflects on his evolution as a teacher over the years, from focusing on top students to advocating for CS education for everyone, and from prioritizing top schools to emphasizing the importance of finding the right fit....

2024-11-18 •

The blog post discusses the rise of Bluesky as a potential alternative to Twitter, following the decline of Twitter after Musk's takeover. The author compares Bluesky to other platforms like Mastadon and Threads, highlighting its ...

2024-11-05 •

The author describes their trip to Amsterdam, including visiting street markets, trying Dutch specialties, and visiting museums and historical sites.

2024-10-31 •

The blog post describes the author's visit to Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Leiden in the Netherlands. They visited museums, art depots, and historical sites, learning about the history and culture of the places they visited. The post a...

2024-10-29 •

The blog post describes a trip to Belgium, including visits to various cities and landmarks, such as the Atomium, the Beguinage, and the lace center. The author also mentions dining experiences and the relaxed nature of the trip.

2024-10-26 •

The author and his wife are on their first overseas retirement trip, starting in Paris. They visited several museums, walked over 10 miles, and enjoyed good food. They also visited the Sorbonne and a few other museums, and are now...

2024-10-11 •

The blog post discusses the idea of a language's being authentic or real in CS Education. The author shares his experience with drag and drop languages and other languages like Racket and NetLogo, emphasizing that lesser-known lan...

2024-10-08 •

The author reflects on a recent trip to San Francisco for a Stuyvesant Alumni Association meetup, and the strong sense of community among Stuyvesant alumni. He wonders if other schools have similar alumni networks and discusses th...

2024-09-25 •

The author discusses the challenges of implementing change in government and education, using examples from his own experiences. He reflects on the compromises made in creating a school for software engineering and the challenges ...

2024-09-17 •

The author reflects on the development of the CS program at Stuyvesant High School over the past 30 years, from its inception to its current state. He discusses the challenges and changes that have occurred, and the impact of his ...

2024-09-06 •

The author reflects on his recent lack of blog posts, attributing it to the summer break and his retirement from teaching. He discusses his plans to write a book and his efforts to gather memories from former students. He shares s...

2024-08-14 •

The author discusses the importance of CS teachers having a strong understanding of computer science and the potential negative impact of unprepared teachers on students. He shares a conversation with a young man who was turned of...

2024-07-31 •

The text discusses the preparation of teachers to teach AI to their students, the effectiveness of using AI, and the need for professional development. The author shares his thoughts on the delivery of AI education, the pros and c...

2024-07-26 •

The blog post discusses the dangers of using AI tools without verification, using examples from programming and education. The author highlights the need to verify the results of AI tools and emphasizes the importance of understan...

2024-07-23 •

The author shares his thoughts on CSTA 2024, including the exhibition hall, Kira, the sessions, and his tourist time in Las Vegas.

2024-07-21 •

The author attended the final day of the CSTA 2024 conference and participated in an AI session focused on teaching artificial intelligence in K12. The session covered professional development opportunities for K12 teachers, AI cu...

2024-07-19 •

The author reflects on a session about AI and machine learning for kids, discussing the use of Machine Learning for Kids platform and the importance of understanding the inner workings of machine learning. The author also shares t...

2024-07-18 •

The author attended two sessions at CSTA 2024 day 3. The first session was about AI, but it was not focused on CS educators. The second session was about the power of words in CS education, with a focus on DEI. The author shared p...

2024-07-18 •

The author shares his experience at the CSTA 2024 conference in Las Vegas, discussing the location, sessions, and key takeaways from the event.