Incorporating Hawaiian Values and Digital Citizenship into Computer Science Education

Hawai’i is a culturally unique state. To help ensure their educational system and content are culturally relevant and connected to Hawaiian values, the Hawai’i Department of Education (HI DOE) developed the Ha Framework, a state-wide framework to develop the skills, behaviors, and dispositions reminiscent of Hawai’i’s unique context and honor the qualities and values of its indigenous language and culture. When state legislation mandated that Computer Science (CS) education be offered to all K-12 students, the HI DOE leveraged the Ha Framework and an existing digital citizenship initiative, Akamai Digital Citizenship: Show Aloha in Person and Online, to ensure CS offerings explored ways for individuals and communities to influence computing through their behaviors, culture, and social interactions. By incorporating computer science and digital citizenship into the Ha Framework, the HI DOE and their stakeholder team are helping ensure the new concepts are relevant to students and families.