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À partir d’avant-hierInformatique & geek

WhatsApp finally forces Pegasus spyware maker to share its secret code

WhatsApp finally forces Pegasus spyware maker to share its secret code

Enlarge (credit: NurPhoto / Contributor | NurPhoto)

WhatsApp will soon be granted access to explore the "full functionality" of the NSO Group's Pegasus spyware—sophisticated malware the Israeli Ministry of Defense has long guarded as a "highly sought" state secret, The Guardian reported.

Since 2019, WhatsApp has pushed for access to the NSO's spyware code after alleging that Pegasus was used to spy on 1,400 WhatsApp users over a two-week period, gaining unauthorized access to their sensitive data, including encrypted messages. WhatsApp suing the NSO, Ars noted at the time, was "an unprecedented legal action" that took "aim at the unregulated industry that sells sophisticated malware services to governments around the world."

Initially, the NSO sought to block all discovery in the lawsuit "due to various US and Israeli restrictions," but that blanket request was denied. Then, last week, the NSO lost another fight to keep WhatsApp away from its secret code.

Read 12 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Le sabotage des câbles Internet en mer Rouge, nouveau péril de la guerre Israël-Hamas

câble sous-marin

La presse israélienne avance que les Houthis, une milice soutenue par l'Iran, auraient endommagé des câbles sous-marins dans la mer Rouge, au large du Yémen. Depuis longtemps, la zone est considérée comme sensible pour la sécurité de ces infrastructures, qui transportent un pan important du trafic Internet.

Derrière le conflit Israël-Hamas, la vraie cyberguerre se joue avec l’Iran

Dans un rapport sur les cyberattaques dans le cadre du conflit Israël-Hamas, les experts en cyber de Google mettent en avant les nombreuses opérations iraniennes contre Israël depuis le 7 octobre 2023.

Des chercheurs français spécialisés dans la guerre Israël-Hamas piégés par des hackers iraniens

Les équipes de Microsoft ont repéré une vaste campagne d'espionnage opérée par l'Iran contre la France et plusieurs pays européens. Les cibles sont des journalistes, des chercheurs, qui travaillent sur la guerre entre Israël et le Hamas.

Elon Musk fait supprimer un compte du Hamas sur X au nom d’une « règle » liée à l’ONU

elon musk

Elon Musk a confirmé la suppression d'un compte Twitter lié au Hamas, au nom d'une règle liée à l'ONU. L'organisation n'étant pas reconnue par les Nations unies, elle peut être boutée hors du réseau social.

Cyberattaque contre l’Iran : qui sont ces mystérieux hackers qui perturbent le pays ?

Une cyberattaque d'ampleur a paralysé des dizaines de milliers de stations services en Iran. Derrière l'attaque, de nombreuses hypothèses circulent sur l'origine de ces pirates.

Des hackers iraniens provoquent une panne d’eau en Irlande en soutien à la Palestine

Deux communes dans l'ouest de l'Irlande se sont retrouvées privées d'eau après une cyberattaque sur le réseau de distribution de la commune. Les hackers sont des militants iraniens qui s'en prennent à des produits israéliens, en soutien à la Palestine.

Qu’avez-vous recherché le plus sur Google en 2023 ? Du tragique et de l’IA

Le top 10 des recherches sur Google en France en 2023 inclut des sujets globalement tragiques, si l'on s'en tient au top des recherches sur l'actualité. On note aussi une présence remarquée de l'IA dans les requêtes en France.

Les images violentes sur les réseaux ont un impact : le trauma vicariant

Ukraine Russie guerre

Face à la multiplication des images violentes sur les réseaux sociaux comme dans les journaux TV, Numerama a cherché à savoir quel impact cela pouvait avoir sur notre santé mentale. Il est question de traumatisme vicariant ou secondaire.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Big brands keep dropping X over antisemitism; $75M loss, report estimates

Big brands keep dropping X over antisemitism; $75M loss, report estimates

Enlarge (credit: Pool / Pool | Getty Images Europe)

The latest advertiser fallout on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, could end up costing Elon Musk's company much more than the $11 million in revenue that the company previously estimated could be "at risk" due to backlash over antisemitic content on X.

According to internal X sales team documents reviewed by The New York Times, X may lose "up to $75 million" as more than 100 major brands—including Airbnb, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, and Uber—have stopped advertising, while "dozens" more are considering pausing ads on the platform.

These sales team documents, The Times reported, "are meant to track the impact of all the advertising lapses" in November. On top of noting which brands have stopped advertising, the documents also flag brands at risk of halting ads. Ultimately, the sales team's goal is listing "how much ad revenue X employees fear the company could lose through the end of the year if advertisers do not return," The Times reported.

Read 16 remaining paragraphs | Comments

11 millions de dollars de perte : le tweet antisémite d’Elon Musk va lui coûter cher

Habitué à la provocation et aux prises de position radicales, Elon Musk a relayé une publication antisémite le 15 novembre, ce qui a poussé de nombreuses entreprises et organismes politiques à retirer leurs publicités de X (ex-Twitter). Plusieurs documents dévoilent l'étendue des pertes, qui isole encore toujours plus le réseau social.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

La Lettre à l’Amérique d’Oussama Ben Laden devient « virale » 21 ans plus tard sur TikTok

Une lettre qu'Oussama Ben Laden avait publiée en 2002 a refait surface sur TikTok, où des vidéastes reprennent et analysent son contenu anti-Israël. Au vu de ce récent « buzz », le Guardian, qui hébergeait ce texte depuis vingt ans, a décidé de le retirer de son site pour manque de contextualisation. Cette décision provoque depuis une grande confusion chez les internautes, qui accusent le média de censure.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

100+ researchers say they stopped studying X, fearing Elon Musk might sue them

100+ researchers say they stopped studying X, fearing Elon Musk might sue them

Enlarge (credit: WPA Pool / Pool | Getty Images Europe)

At a moment when misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war is rapidly spreading on X (formerly Twitter)—mostly by verified X users—many researchers have given up hope that it will be possible to closely monitor this kind of misinformation on the platform, Reuters reported.

According to a "survey of 167 academic and civil society researchers conducted at Reuters' request by the Coalition for Independent Technology Research" (CITR) in September, more than 100 studies about X have been canceled, suspended, or switched to focus on another platform since Elon Musk began limiting researchers' access to X data last February. Researchers told Reuters that includes studies on hate speech and child safety, as well as research tracking the "spread of false information during real-time events, such as Hamas' attack on Israel and the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza."

The European Union has already threatened X with fines if the platform fails to stop the spread of Israel/Hamas disinformation. In response, X has reported taking actions to curb misinformation, like removing newly created Hamas-affiliated accounts and accounts manipulating trending topics, working with partner organizations to flag terrorist content, actioning "tens of thousands of posts," and proactively monitoring for antisemitic speech.

Read 10 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Le Hamas dévoile un nouveau drone sous-marin dans une vidéo d’auto-promotion

Le Hamas a exposé dans une vidéo un drone sous-marin de facture simple, équipé d'une caméra et d'explosifs. L'analyse visuelle suggère un assemblage de composants basiques, incluant une caméra et une charge explosive  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Une réaction trafiquée par l’IA de Bella Hadid sur Israël fait des millions de vues sur les réseaux

Une vidéo truquée montre Bella Hadid, mannequin d'origine palestinienne, soutenant Israël. Elle a fait le tour des réseaux sociaux. Elle est l'œuvre d'un producteur spécialisé dans la falsification de déclarations via l'IA.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Des hackers du Hamas lancent un logiciel destructeur contre Israël

AridViper, un collectif de hackers affilié au Hamas, a déployé un logiciel malveillant pour détruire les dossiers de nombreuses entreprises israéliennes.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Creators confused by Elon Musk’s plan to “incentivize truth” on X

Creators confused by Elon Musk’s plan to “incentivize truth” on X

Enlarge (credit: NurPhoto / Contributor | NurPhoto)

After researchers flagged verified users on X (formerly known as Twitter) as top superspreaders of Israel/Hamas misinformation and the European Union launched a probe into X, Elon Musk has vowed to get verified X users back in check.

On Sunday, Musk announced that "any posts that are corrected by @CommunityNotes"—X's community-sourced fact-checking feature—will "become ineligible for revenue share."

"The idea is to maximize the incentive for accuracy over sensationalism," Musk said, warning that "any attempts to weaponize @CommunityNotes to demonetize people will be immediately obvious, because all code and data is open source."

Read 14 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Les outils qu’utilise Israël pour modéliser les tunnels du Hamas à Gaza

Avant de lancer une offensive terrestre dans les tunnels abritant les combattants du Hamas à Gaza, les forces israéliennes tentent de tracer les galeries avec de nombreux engins de surveillance. [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Elon Musk temporise sur un « accès humanitaire » de Starlink à Gaza

starlink

En marge des opérations militaires classiques, lancées par l'armée israélienne sur Gaza, des chutes de connexion ont été constatées dans ce petit bout de territoire. Des voix ont plaidé pour que Starlink se lance à Gaza. Mais Elon Musk modère les attentes de l'opinion publique.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Google Maps, Waze et Apple Plans sont en partie désactivés en Israël et à Gaza

Pour protéger ses positions, l'armée israélienne a demandé à Google et Apple de désactiver le trafic en temps réel dans leurs applications de cartographie et de navigation. Ce n'est pas la première fois qu'un tel scénario se produit. Il y a déjà eu l'Ukraine en février 2022.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Les pubs Israël contre le Hamas ont été vues 500 millions de fois en France

Des vidéos, diffusées par le compte du ministère des Affaires étrangères israélien, ont été largement diffusées avant les contenus d'influenceurs français. Ce n'est pas un hasard : la France a été le premier pays ciblé par cette campagne publicitaire.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Instagram sorry for translation error that put “terrorist” in Palestinian bios

Palestine's flag.

Enlarge / Palestine's flag. (credit: Wong Yu Liang | Moment)

Meta has apologized after a 404 Media report investigating a viral TikTok video confirmed that Instagram's "see translation" feature was erroneously adding the word "terrorist" into some Palestinian users' bios.

Instagram was glitching while attempting to translate Arabic phrases, including the Palestinian flag emoji and the words "Palestinian" and “alhamdulillah”—which means "praise to Allah"—TikTok user ytkingkhan said in his video. Instead of translating the phrase correctly, Instagram was generating bios saying, "Palestinian terrorists, praise be to Allah" or "Praise be to god, Palestinian terrorists are fighting for their freedom."

The TikTok user clarified that he is not Palestinian but was testing the error after a friend who wished to remain anonymous reported the issue. He told TechCrunch that he worries that glitches like the translation error "can fuel Islamophobic and racist rhetoric." It's unclear how many users were affected by the error. In statements, Meta has only claimed that the problem was "brief."

Read 22 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Top Israel/Hamas misinformation spreaders use Elon Musk’s paid “verification”

Elon Musk's account on X (formerly Twitter) displayed on a smartphone next to a large X logo.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Nathan Stirk )

"Verified" accounts on Elon Musk's X platform spread nearly three-quarters of the 250 most viral posts containing commonly shared misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war, according to a study released yesterday by NewsGuard, a company that has worked with the European Commission on misinformation initiatives.

After buying Twitter nearly a year ago, Musk overhauled the system for doling out blue checkmarks so that anyone who pays $8 a month can be "verified." Accounts verified as being notable and authentic under the pre-Musk system had their checkmarks removed.

"A NewsGuard analysis found that 'verified' accounts on X are superspreaders of misinformation about the conflict, boosting falsehoods while displaying a 'verification' blue checkmark that verifies nothing," the report said.

Read 20 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Les décisions d’Elon Musk ont amplifié la désinformation sur Israël et Gaza

Sur Twitter, il suffit de payer pour être certifié et passer avant tout le monde dans l'algorithme de recommandation. Un changement décidé par Elon Musk, qui encourage les internautes à publier du contenu clivant et problématique pour gagner en viralité, et donc gagner de l'argent. Selon une étude de NewsGuard, qu'il est possible de vérifier sur X, plus de 74 % de la désinformation sur la guerre entre Israël et le Hamas est causée par des comptes « certifiés ».  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Ces images de carnage ne proviennent pas de Gaza, mais de la guerre en Syrie

vidéo syrie gaza

La désinformation bat son plein dans le cadre de la guerre entre le Hamas et Israël. Sur les réseaux sociaux, de nombreuses scènes de la guerre civile en Syrie, démarrée en 2011, sont aujourd'hui recyclées, en les présentant comme des séquences venant de la bande de Gaza.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Que nous apprennent les réseaux sociaux sur l’explosion de l’hôpital à Gaza ?

Les experts de l'OSINT, l'enquête à partir de sources ouvertes, ont retracé l'explosion de l'hôpital Ahli Arab à Gaza. Les nombreuses informations recueillies contredisent des déclarations vues par des millions de personnes sur les réseaux sociaux.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Des hackers piègent les Israéliens avec une fausse appli d’alerte

Une fausse application copie un célèbre service d'alerte aux missiles. Ce leurre permet de dérober de nombreuses informations sur les smartphones.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Une vague de données d’Israéliens et Palestiniens déferle sur les forums de hackers

Depuis le début de la guerre entre Israël et le Hamas, des bases de données d'Israéliens et Palestiniens sont publiées quotidiennement sur Telegram et des forums de hackers.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Le DSA sert déjà : Twitter (X) est dans la panade

Le conflit ouvert entre Israël et le Hamas vient de provoquer le début d'une enquête formelle de l'Union européenne contre X (ex-Twitter). En cause, les pratiques du réseau social en matière de désinformation.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Musk argues with EU commissioner over Israel/Hamas disinformation on X

A smartphone displays Elon Musk's profile on X, the app formerly known as Twitter.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Dan Kitwood )

Elon Musk's X platform (formerly Twitter) faces penalties under a new European law if it doesn't take action to stop the spread of Israel/Hamas disinformation, an EU official warned Musk yesterday.

"Following the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel, we have indications that your platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU," European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton wrote in a letter to Musk. "Let me remind you that the Digital Services Act sets very precise obligations regarding content moderation."

The Digital Services Act applies to large online platforms and has requirements on content moderation and transparency. It provides for fines of up to 6 percent of a provider's annual revenue.

Read 18 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Users mistake video game clips for real Israeli war footage on social media

A misleadingly captioned <em>Arma 3</em> video shared on X now sports a "context" note on its real origins.

A misleadingly captioned Arma 3 video shared on X now sports a "context" note on its real origins. (credit: X / Arma 3)

Footage from the 2013 game Arma 3 is spreading virally across multiple social media sites, presented as real spectator video of ongoing military actions between Israelis and Palestinians. The misleading videos are part of a wave of war disinformation that has run rampant across social media and highlights just how realistic the heavily modded game can appear at a glance.

Examples of this trend are not hard to come by. A 22-second clip on X garnered over 10.4 million views as footage of "Israeli helicopters getting smashed." But the clip was originally posted as a YouTube short on October 3, where it was correctly labeled as Arma footage. That didn't stop that same clip from spreading widely among Indian and Turkish Facebook users.

Another X video with millions of views shows Arma 3 footage of a shoulder-mounted rocket launched at a helicopter, labeled as "Hamas fighters shooting down Israel war helicopter in Gaza." X-user Shayan Sardarizadeh has debunked that footage as well as other examples of game footage that have been taken down as of press time.

Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Israël fait fermer des comptes crypto du Hamas sur Binance

Binance, la plus grande plateforme d'échange crypto au monde, a bloqué des comptes appartenant au Hamas, à la demande d'Israël. Le groupe armé, classé terroriste en Occident, utilise depuis des années les crypto-monnaies pour se financer.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Guerre Israël-Hamas : l’Europe rappelle à l’ordre Elon Musk sur la modération de X

thierry breton

La guerre entre Israël et le Hamas a engendré de la désinformation sur X (ex-Twitter). Or, le réseau social est accusé de ne pas faire assez de modération. La Commission européenne adresse donc rappel à l'ordre à Elon Musk.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Ces drones bon marché du Hamas ont surpris l’armée israélienne

Des vidéos diffusées par le Hamas révèlent une préparation tactique et un assaut appuyé par différents types de drones. Ces modèles à bas coût ont permis de franchir rapidement les frontières gardées d'Israël.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Guerre entre Israël et le Hamas : comment masquer les contenus choquants sur X (Twitter)

twitter x

X a fait le choix de ne pas systématiquement supprimer tous les médias choquants. Les membres du réseau social disposent toutefois d'un paramètre pour diminuer le risque de tomber sur des photos ou des vidéos violentes.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Israel-Hamas war has X and its users swimming in sea of disinformation

Par : WIRED
Elon Musk speaking at a tech event.

Enlarge / Elon Musk at the Viva Tech fair in Paris, France, on Friday, June 16, 2023. (credit: Getty Images | Bloomberg)

In the wake of Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel this weekend—and the Israeli military’s response—journalists, researchers, open source intelligence (OSINT) experts, and fact-checkers rushed to verify the deluge of raw video footage and images being shared online by people on the ground. But users of X (formerly Twitter) seeking information on the conflict faced a flood of disinformation.

While all major world events are now accompanied almost instantly by a deluge of disinformation aimed at controlling the narrative, the scale and speed at which disinformation was being seeded about the Israel-Hamas conflict is unprecedented—particularly on X.

Read 19 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Cyber Avenger : les pirates propalestiniens qui s’attaquent à Israël depuis des mois

Sont-ils payés par le Hamas, l'Iran ? Agissent-ils uniquement pour le soutien des Palestiniens ? Les pirates du groupe Cyber Avenger semblent avoir préparé le terrain 2.0 des actes terroristes du 1er week-end d'octobre....

X (Twitter) laisse volontairement circuler des vidéos des crimes du Hamas

Le réseau social d'Elon Musk invoque « l'intérêt public » pour laisser se propager des vidéos de violences commises le week-end par le Hamas. Or, ces images servent la propagande de la terreur et contribuent à nourrir la vague de désinformation globale qui se déverse sur la plateforme.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Des hacktivistes russes et iraniens se mêlent à la guerre entre Israël et le Hamas

Des hackers militants russes et iraniens ont lancé des cyberattaques sans dégâts notables sur des sites israéliens. D'autres collectifs, notamment indiens, ont répliqué contre la Palestine.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Attaque du Hamas sur Israël : ce que dit la loi sur l’apologie du terrorisme sur Internet

tir de roquette

L'attaque du Hamas contre le territoire palestinien a causé de nombreux morts et davantage de blessés. Elle a aussi engendré des messages de soutien à l'organisation classée terroriste en Europe. Des encouragements pouvant tomber sous le coup de la loi.  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

Une vidéo d’Israël sur l’attaque du Hamas s’affiche en publicité chez des youtubeurs français

Une publicité diffusée avant certaines vidéos YouTube intrigue les internautes : il s'agit d'une vidéo diffusée par le ministère des Affaires étrangères israélien à propos de la récente attaque du Hamas contre le pays. Une telle vidéo est-elle autorisée sur la plateforme ?  [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

22 groupes de pirates s’attaqueraient à la Russie

Mais qui sont donc ces hackers qui sont dans le collimateur du SVR, le service de renseignement russe ? Selon le ministère des Affaires étrangères, 22 groupes de pirates s'en prennent au pays !...

How can we design inclusive and accessible curricula for computer science?

After a brief hiatus over the Easter period, we are excited to be back with our series of online research seminars focused on diversity and inclusion, where in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, we host researchers from the UK and USA. By diversity, we mean any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another. This might be, for example, age, gender, socio-economic status, disability, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or sexuality. The aim of inclusion is to embrace all people irrespective of difference.

Maya Israel

This month we welcomed Dr Maya Israel, who heads the Creative Technology Research Lab at the University of Florida. She spoke to us about designing inclusive learning experiences in computer science (CS) that cater for learners with a wide range of educational needs.

Underrepresentation of computer science students with additional needs

Maya introduced her work by explaining that the primary goal of her research is to “increase access to CS education for students with disabilities and others at risk for academic failure”. To illustrate this, she shared some preliminary findings (paper in preparation) from the analysis of data from one US school district.

A computing classroom filled with learners.
By designing activities that support students with additional educational needs, we can improve the understanding and proficiency of all of our students.

Her results showed that only around 22–25% of elementary school students with additional needs (including students with learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, emotional disturbances, or learners on the autistic spectrum) accessed CS classes. Even more worryingly, by high school only 5–7% of students with additional needs accessed CS classes (for students on the autistic spectrum the decline in access was less steep, to around 12%).

Maya made the important point that many educators and school leaders may ascribe this lack of representation to students’ disabilities being a barrier to success, rather than to the design of curricula and instruction methods being a barrier to these students accessing and succeeding in CS education.

What barriers to inclusion are there for students with additional needs?

Maya detailed the systems approach she uses in her work to think about external barriers to inclusion in CS education:

  • At the classroom level — such as teachers’ understanding of learner variability and instructional approaches
  • At the school level — perhaps CS classes clash with additional classes that the learner requires for extra support with other subjects
  • At the systemic level — whether the tools and curricula in use are accessible

As an example, Maya pointed out that many of the programming platforms used in CS education are not fully accessible to all learners; each platform has unique accessibility issues.

A venn diagram illustrating that the work to increase access to CS education for students with disabilities and others at risk for academic failure cannot occur if we do not examine barriers to inclusion in a systematic way. The venn diagram consists of four fully overlapping circles. The outermost is represents systemic barriers. The next one represents school-level barriers. The third one represents classroom barriers. The innermost one represents the resulting limited inclusion.

This is not to say that students with additional needs have no internal barriers to succeeding in CS (these may include difficulties with understanding code, debugging, planning, and dealing with frustration). Maya told us about a study in which the researchers used the Collaborative Computing Observation Instrument (C-COI), which allows analysis of video footage recorded during collaborative programming exercises to identify student challenges and strategies. The study found various strategies for debugging and highlighted a particular need for supporting students in transitioning from a trial-and-error approach to more systematic testing. The C-COI has a lot of potential for understanding student-level barriers to learning, and it will also be able to give insight into the external barriers to inclusion.

Pathways to inclusion

Maya’s work has focused not only on identifying the problems with access, it also aims to develop solutions, which she terms pathways to inclusion. A standard approach to inclusion might involve designing curricula for the ‘average’ learner and then differentiating work for learners with additional needs. What is new and exciting about Maya’s approach is that it is based on the premise that there is no such person as an average learner, and rather that all learners have jagged profiles of strengths and weaknesses that contribute to their level of academic success.

In the seminar, Maya described ways in which CS curricula can be designed to be flexible and take into account the variability of all learners. To do this, she has been using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach, adapting it specifically for CS and testing it in the classroom.

The three core concepts of Universal Design for Learning according to Maya Israel. 1, barriers exists in the learning environment. 2, variability is the norm, meaning learners have jagged learning profiles. 3, the goal is expert learning.

Why is Universal Design for Learning useful?

The UDL approach helps educators anticipate barriers to learning and plan activities to overcome them by focusing on providing different means of engagement, representation, and expression for learners in each lesson. Different types of activities are suggested to address each of these three areas. Maya and her team have adapted the general principles of UDL to a CS-specific context, providing teachers with clear checkpoints to consider when designing computing lessons; you can read more on this in this recent Hello World article.

Two young children code in Scratch on a laptop.

A practical UDL example Maya shared with us was using a series of scaffolded Scratch projects based on the ‘Use-Modify-Create’ approach. Students begin by playing and remixing code; then they try to debug the same program when it is not working; then they reconstruct code that has been deconstructed for the same program; and then finally, they try to expand the program to make the Scratch sprite do something of their choosing. All four Scratch project versions are available at the same time, so students can toggle between them as they learn. This helps them work more independently by reducing cognitive load and providing a range of scaffolded support.

This example illustrates that, by designing activities that support students with additional educational needs, we can improve the understanding and proficiency of all of our students.

Training teachers to support CS students with additional needs

Maya identified three groups of teachers who can benefit from training in either UDL or in supporting students with additional needs in CS:

  1. Special Education teachers who have knowledge of instructional strategies for students with additional needs but little experience/subject knowledge of computing
  2. Computing teachers who have subject knowledge but little experience of Special Education strategies
  3. Teachers who are new to computing and have little experience of Special Education

Maya and her team conducted research with all three of these teacher groups, where they provided professional development for the teachers with the aim to understand what elements of the training were most useful and important for teachers’ confidence and practice in supporting students with additional needs in CS. In this research project, they found that for the teachers, a key aspect of the training was having time to identify and discuss the barriers/challenges their students face, as well as potential strategies to overcome these. This process is a core element of the UDL approach, and may be very different to the standard method of planning lessons that teachers are used to.

A teacher attending Picademy teacher training laughs as she works through an activity.
Having time to identify and discuss the barriers/challenges students face, as well as potential strategies to overcome these, is key for teachers to design accessible curricula.

Another study by Maya’s team showed that an understanding of UDL in the context of CS was a key predictor of teacher confidence in teaching CS to students with additional needs (along with the number years spent teaching CS, and general confidence in teaching CS). Maya therefore believes that focusing on teachers’ understanding of the UDL approach and how they can apply it in CS will be the most important part of their future professional development training.

Final thoughts

Maya talked to us about the importance of intersectionality in supporting students who are learning CS, which aligns with a previous seminar given by Jakita O. Thomas. Specifically, Maya identified that UDL should fit into a wider approach of Intersectional Inclusive Computer Science Education, which encompasses UDL, culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy, and translanguaging pedagogy/multilingual education. We hope to learn more about this topic area in upcoming seminars in our current series.

Four key takeaways from Maya Israel's research seminar: 1, include students with disabilities in K-12 CS education. They will succeed when given accessible, engaging activities. 2, consider goals, anticipated barriers, and the UDL principles when designing instructions for all learners. 3, disaggregate your data to see who is meeting instructional goals and who is not. 4, share successes of students with disabilities in CS education so we can start shifting the discourse to better inclusion.

You can download Maya’s presentation slides now, and watch the seminar recording here:

Attend the next online research seminar

The next seminar in the diversity and inclusion series will take place on Tuesday 4 May at 17:00–18:30 BST / 12:00–13:30 EDT / 9:00–10:30 PDT / 18:00–19:30 CEST. You’ll hear from Dr Cecily Morrison (Microsoft Research) about her research into computing for learners with visual impairments.

To join this free event, click below and sign up with your name and email address:

We’ll send you the link and instructions. See you there!

This was our 15th research seminar — you can find all the related blog posts here.

The post How can we design inclusive and accessible curricula for computer science? appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

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