Exploring Computer Science
This course is designed for students who are curious about how computer programs work and are interested in a broad introduction to computer science. Because we will dive less deeply into programming, it will be less demanding than Creative Computing but just as much fun! If you end up loving this class, you can always take Creative Computing or AP CS later because each course has a different focus.
We’ll start by exploring major programming building blocks like loops and conditionals by creating games and animations in a visual environment called Scratch. To the left is a part of a program that plays music and makes robots dance. Our primary focus during this unit will be to develop our problem solving skills by learning to approach programming challenges systematically and to write elegant solutions.
We will also attempt to uncover all the different things programmers and computer scientists do by exploring research projects, meeting industry professionals and reading about interesting sub-fields. Understanding who technologists are and how they work is important for everyone as more and more jobs involve computing technology. For example, next time a tech person person tells you your product catalog software will be down for a week, wouldn't you like to be able to suggest an alternative rather than being entirely at his or her mercy?
By the end of this course, students will have mastered the following concepts. This will provide them with the skills necessary to interpret existing programs and write their own small programs.
- Recognizing discrete sub-problems and isolating their solutions when performing complex tasks (problem decomposition)
- Repeating tasks programmatically (loops)
- Writing programs that branch based on conditions (conditional execution)
- Obtaining and using user input in programs
Students will also gain familiarity with a number of concepts which will make them more effective users of software and give them the ability to articulate software requirements:
- Broad potential and limitations of software
- The Internet, databases and basic components of web-based programming
- General understanding of microprocessors and their interaction with memory, peripherals and other computer components
- Ethical concerns in software development