Tag Archives: Teaching Tools

CS News – Google Page Rank Algo is Old as Dirt

Google Page Rank Algo is Old as Dirt

It is not quite as old as dirt, but the algorithm has been around for some time.
Many of the algorithms commonly used today for sorting and searching are also quite old.

Tag Clouds are cool things to discuss and they make for nice assignments for students.  The discussion of Tag Clouds gives students a better idea of how page ranking works.  I have my students create a basic tag cloud program and they really enjoy it.

Ciphers and Codes – Vol. I

I use ciphers and codes in my Computer Science classes as discussion topics and lab topics.  There are many different types of ciphers.  Codes are a big part of our everyday life and have been a big part of our history.  Students relate to these topics and enjoy discussing them.
I presented a Model Classroom session at the TCEA State Convention on February 11 over Ciphers and Codes.

Ciphers
Substitution Ciphers
Transposition Ciphers

Ciphers and Codes Slides
Ciphers and Codes Lesson Plan
Youtube – National Treasure Secrets and Codes

Ciphers and Codes materials will be included in the new 2010-2011  A+ Computer Science Curriculum which contains labs with solutions, slides  with examples, quizzes, tests, and related materials.

Python and Pygame

Pygame – A Game Programming Library for Python

This library is great and it allows for amazing game creation in python.
I will be posting some slides and lab examples over the weekend.
Python is used in many College Science courses as the computational vehicle.
Python is a great language for students new to Computer Science.
The syntax is simple and it is very easy to get programs up and running quickly.

print "A+ Computer Science Rocks!!"

Teaching Computer Science Using Python - TCEA Presentation

CS News – Using Games to Teach Comp Sci

Using Games to Teach Computer Science

This is a pretty interesting article, but hardly breaking news.  I have been using game projects to create interest and build enrollment for years in my Computer Science classes.  It is good to see that this approach is gaining wider use as games are appreciated by almost everyone and can get students very excited about Computer Science.   Board Games make great projects and do an awesome job showing the students why objects are important.   GridWorld makes for a great game platform in the AP CS A class.  Scratch and Alice work well also and allow students to build scenes and incorporate a story into the game.

CS News – Scratch : Programming for All

Scratch : Programming for All

Yet, another great article detailing how important Scratch can be to aid students trying to learn to program for the first time.
I use Scratch to teach programming and Computer Science fundamentals to many different student groups, ranging in age from Elementary School to High School.  I can teach all of these students the same concepts, but at different levels of understanding and difficulty.

AP Computer Science Principles

The new AP Computer Science Principles course is coming along nicely.
It covers all aspects of Computer Science and works to demonstrate the importance of Computer Science to all disciplines.
The following slides provide an overview of the course.

AP CS Principles Overview Slides

Many of my recent posts are related to the impact of Computer Science on other subject areas and disciplines.  This new course has the potential to reach students in many different areas and show these students the amazing power of Computer Science.