The Great Debate Writing in CS Principles

I have been asked to share this - I usually do this during my second unit in APCS Principles - The Internet Unplugged.

Writing is a big part of doing well on the new Performance Task assessments for the course. I have found this activity to be a great way to get them writing. I do not grade for grammar or spelling at this point. I want them writing, we can work on mechanics later.

---

One activity that works really well to get students writing is an online debate using a discussion board. The point of this activity is to get them used to thinking and debating a topic and responding to other students. In the beginning students tend to take a very surface approach to topics. Debating lets them really delve in and explore the why behind the points they are making.

This activity works well in several areas of the APCS Principles curriculum. It is simple to grade and really gets the students engaged in writing.

To get them ready we play a game in class to get them used to pros and cons, then we debate a current event topic online. The in class debate topic does not necessarily need to relate to computer science. For the online topic I usually pull a current event that relates to something like privacy or online ethics.

The in Class Game:

Have the students line up into two equal lines. Make one like pro and one line con.

Then explain the rules:

• the two lines take turns
• after a student goes they move to the back of the line
• if you are in the pro line you must be for the resolution, if you are in the con line you must be against it, no matter your own personal opinions
• whoever is at the front of the line earns a point for every time they
• add a new point or
• rebut a point made by the other team
• No points are awarded for repeated points or responses

Once they understand the rules reveal the topic reveal the topic. As they take turns keep score.

Topics that work well are things like:

• Resolved: the minimum driving age should be raised to 18
• Resolved: cell phones should not be allowed in schools
• Resolved: social media sites should be limited to people over the age of 18

As you move to the online debate a similar format works. In addition students may earn points by by responding with a related fact as long as they provide a link to a reliable source.

I usually let the online debate go on for 3 - 5 days. In the end you can add up points and declare a winner. You can even post a daily point tally. I do usually try to keep the total points close to keep everyone interested.

For topics for the online debate try to pick something currently in the news. The first time I did this activity Congress was debating some Internet piracy legislation that was being heavily covered in the news.  Computer Science is constantly in the news there is almost something in the headlines related to the Learning Objectives.

Read More..

Great Books for CS Principles

The applications to pilot the new CS Principles class are due today. As folks were working on their submissions I have had several questions about books I used as a part of developing curriculum for the course.

I want by starting with a caution. Relying too much on one book runs the risk of locking in your curriculum. The course is most powerful when you have the flexibility to adapt what you are doing to where the students interest point. Relying on only one book you run the risk of robbing them of this experience.

Also, you as the teacher need to be driving your course. Obviously we need materials to fill in gaps in our own knowledge, but you ultimately need to develop these materials to meet your students where they are and pull them into the course.

So, now that I have warned you, here is my partial  list of books I used over the past two years.

• CS Principles Bookshelf
• Blown to Bits
• also Tubes

I am curious, what books have you all been using? Anything unexpected?

Read More..

Untangling the CS Principles Learning Objectives

Struggling with the CS Principles Learning Objectives? Try them as Flashcards: CS Principles flashcards - Learning Objectives

One of the thing I have found most challenging in working with the APCS Principles Topic list over the last 3 years is the Learning Objectives themselves. None of them are all that hard in of themselves, but trying to make sure I am covering everything can sometimes be overwhelming. Unlike the existing APCS course, the topic list does not really suggest any particular sequence, so trying to make sure everything has been covered at AP depth can be a challenge.

Here are the LOs in Flashcard format if you would like to print them out. This has been really helpful for me as I lesson plan to make sure everything is in there. Sometimes it is fun to draw a few cards randomly and try to come up with an activity to cover them. this has helped with some out of the box combinations of topics.

**Note - these are the learning objectives as of Dec 2013. If you are reading this more than 6 months from now you should make sure they still align with the LOs. The course is still in pilot phase and the LOs are subject to adjustment as Collegeboard gets ready for the launch of the new course in 2016-17.

Collegeboards AP CS Principles site

Read More..

So why do we need CS Principles

I have been asked a lot this past year about why CS Principles is being developed.

Even though computer science is all about change, and the changes in our field seem to zoom by at lightning speed, there are some core ideas and well, principles, that are central to understanding how they work.

For those of us in the AP Computer Science community we do a great job of delivering computer science education. We all can point to students we have launched into the world. These students have overcome obstacles and are working and creating jobs in all sorts of places.

Sadly, this is not enough.

The existing computer science curriculum in K-12 schools does a good job for the few students it reaches, but what about everyone else? Think about where you are....how many schools around you have computer science? How many students in those schools have access to the classes?

Really, how many kids in your community even know what computer science is?

For me it is a question of literacy. To be a productive person you must be literate in the tools society is using to drive change. For that past few centuries this meant reading and writing. While these skills are still necessary for students, understanding computers and technology has become the new marker of literacy.

Simply put, anyone that does not have a foundation in computer science will not be as prepared for the changes to come.

This does not mean that every student needs to master computer science. There will always be a need for a core group of programmers that have reached a master level of understanding. These are the people that, to quote Virginia Tech, invent the future. We need more of these people. We also need these people to reflect the needs of the larger community they serve through their innovation.

And for everyone else? The computer is the tool of the future. We communicate, learn, work create...all with computing devices. To use them well means understanding some fundamental things about how they work and what they can, and cannot, do.

Think about Mr. Rodgers - "these are the people in your neighborhood". How many of them could do their job without a computer? How much of their daily life outside of work- communicating, playing, making, could happen without a computer?

Often in media computers are presented as magic. The character pushes a button and poof - the problem is solved. Those of us in CS know this is just slight of hand. Behind the scenes someone created a tool on a computer to solve the problem.

So this is why we need the CS Principles course. Every student in America needs a rigorous preparation for their future. That preparation must include computer science. Without access to computer science we run the risk innovation looking like magic, only available to those that know the trick.

Last week the CS Principles Phase II piloters met in Chicago. This is a great group of folks working hard to design the curriculum for this new computer science course. I have been so lucky this year to be a part of this community. It has been tiring, frustrating, humbling...and all totally worth it.  Hopefully after this year we have all pushed the rock a bit farther up the hill.

Everything you need to know about CS Principles. This page has all the documents that frame the course. One easy place for all the information.

Take a look, ask some questions. It is time for us as a community to really start the conversation on making the change happen.

Read More..

CS Principles Pilot Curriculum an Update

Whew, busy!

This year has been crazy, but the good kind. Over the past two days I have updated my list of what we are doing in the CS Principles Pilot so far this year. If you are interested, the list is here: http://supercs.net

Etsy shop that was selling the flashcards

Let me tell you, weve been busy. Digging into what we have covered so far gives me hope we are really moving towards something.

A side note, the Performance Tasks (nee Portfolio Assessments) have just been updated. If you are in any way working on the CS Principles project you ought to take a look. Of special interest is the new Impact PT that replaces the Internet one from the past two years.

A technique I am using this year goes back to my days as a debater. I have printed out all of the Learning Objectives on flash cards. Each time I lesson plan on a particular topic I pull the cards that relate. This approach has really let me see the connections in the topics as we go through the material, and has sparked some new ideas for journal topics.

If there is any interest let me know and I can try to post the flash cards as a pdf for folks to print out.

Read More..

MakerEd in the CS lab

Twitter chat about Maker ed in schools.

Interesting ideas about creating maker spaces in schools. This is the antidote to standardized testing.

Read More..

Apply for the next phase of the CS Principles Pilot

Apply Here

From CSPrinciples.org:

The College Board’s AP Program and the CS Principles (CSP) project team invite you to complete an institutional survey as part of recruitment efforts for the next phase of course and exam development. The information you provide will be reviewed by a search committee to help with the final selection of 50 institutions (roughly 40 high schools; 10 colleges/universities). This cohort of pilot schools will continue piloting the course under the auspices of the College Board for the next three years. That is, we expect selected pilot schools to begin piloting the course next academic school year (2013-14) and continue piloting the course until the end of academic school year 2015-16. The AP CS Principles course is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2016, with the first AP exam administration in May 2017.
 
To complete the survey go to: Complete the AP CS Principles Pilot Institutional Survey, you must also upload a syllabus as part of your application.

The deadline to complete the survey and upload the syllabus is Wednesday, April 17.

Read More..

CS Principles Bookshelf

One of the things I get asked most often about the pilot is "What textbook are you using?" In reality limiting the course to one book isnt possible. Part of the whole point of the curriculum is broadening the focus beyond just teaching coding.

Also, computer science is by its very nature is not static. Having a great set of reference books to work from has been essential this past year.

These three were my main resources:

• Computer Science: An Overview by J. Glenn Brookshear
• This book did a good job of covering the basics, plus it covered some other areas like artificial intelligence and computer graphics.
• Computer Science Illuminated by Nell Dale and John Lewis
• This one takes a layered approach starting with the information layer of how data is stored and processed and then moved up through applications. Each chapter had a good set of thought questions, beyond just simple vocabulary and multiple choice, that related to the topics covered.
• Explorations In Computer Science by Mark Meyer
• This books takes a laboratory approach with a series of hands on applets. Great for brainstorming how to approach a topic.

Some other books I used. If you havent guessed I am a huge reader, so this is just the tip of the iceberg.

• Introduction to Computational Science by Angela B. Shiflet and George W. Shiflet-
• This book was new to me this year. One of the hardest areas to teach with the CS Principles course was Large Datasets. While the book is over the head of your average high school student, it is a fabulous resource for teachers. It is all about how computers are used in modeling and simulation and has an entire module on errors in modeling. Each topic covered has several case studies that range from Drug Dosage to Skydiving to Mushroom Fairy Rings. Great examples to pull from.
•  Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold
• This covers the first steps of representing data as a code - like Morse code all the way through graphics. It is clear and easy to follow with fun examples. It is a it a level high school students could follow most of it, although some passages get a little more mathy than most students are comfortable with. This is one of the books I came back to again and again.
• The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh
• This is one of my all time favorites. His website also has lots of great interactive tools for teaching on this topic. I have used the digital version in class for several years. I also have developed a set of  hands-on cryptography activities whenever the network is down at school-like Caesar sticks and Morse code.  Understanding some of the history of how humans used encryption to send messages makes the abstraction of computer science easier to understand

Read More..