Welcome to Principles of Computer Technology, Spring Semester 2019!

Thursday:

Welcome! 

Discuss rules and expectations, course outline, current events assignment, "Good Questions" homework for next Monday.

Please note that the turnitin class ID for first period is 20301446, and the class ID for second period is 20301464. 
 The numbers on the handout I gave you on Thursday are incorrect.

Friday:

Homework for the beginning of class today: register for turnitin, bring back parent/guardian contact information sheet, take this survey to help me know a little about you.

Begin unit 1: Digital Representation of Real World Information 

Essential Questions:

• How can a computer work with so many kinds of information if all it can do is process ones and zeroes?
• How can a computer turn physical phenomena like sound and pictures into ones and zeroes?
• How can a computer turn ones and zeroes into physical phenomena like pictures and sounds?

Ones and zeroes: introduce binary/hex numbers
Give out binary/hex worksheet for Monday.

The Last 3 Days! January 28th - 30th, 2019

There will be a review session after school on both Monday and Tuesday, from 2:30 to 4:00.  You are encouraged to come, whether or not you signed up in advance. You can leave whenever you need to, but please be sure that your ride can pick you up by 4:00.

Monday:
Please take this course survey.
Opportunity to ask questions before the final exam
Remaining class time will be spent on the final project


Tuesday:
Opportunity to ask questions before the final exam
Remaining class time will be spent on the final project

Wednesday:
Final exam.  Both periods, please report to the media center at 7:35.  You will have about an hour to study, and the exam will begin at 8:35.
Final project due by the end of lunchtime.

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Please watch this video of Steve Jobs' speech at Stanford University back in 2005.

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - from "The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver

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Week of January 21st - 25th, 2019

Monday:
Martin Luther King Jr holiday, no school

Tuesday:
Everyone working on final project

Give out final exam review sheet

Wednesday:
Shortened periods due to Rutgers testing at 9:00 AM
Everyone working on final project

Sign up for after-school review sessions next Monday and/or Tuesday, 2:30 - 4:00 PM

Thursday (flip day in morning, 2-1):
Shortened periods due to Rutgers testing at 9:00 AM.
Everyone working on final project

Sign up for after-school review sessions next Monday and/or Tuesday, 2:30 - 4:00 PM

Friday:

Everyone working on final project

Sign up for after-school review sessions next Monday and/or Tuesday, 2:30 - 4:00 PM

Week of January 14th - 18th, 2019

Monday:
First processing sketch due by the end of lunch today
Last class time for working on Pong game - actual project is due Friday at the end of lunch

Tuesday:
Introduce Final Processing Project assignment
Start final packet on additional Processing capabilities

Wednesday:

Robotics and AI presentations will begin today. Everyone must have shared their presentation with me by 5:00 AM this morning -- either email me a powerpoint file or share a Google Slides presentation by then.

Important - name your presentation or powerpoint file "lastname period", like "Jones per2". I will deduct 1 point if it is not correctly named.

You must be ready to present on today, even though you may not actually present until Thursday or even Friday. Presenters will be chosen at random by a computer program.

Thursday:
Presentations continue

Friday:
Pong game programs due by end of lunch today

Complete presentations, if necessary

Week of January 7th - 11th, 2019

Monday:
(flip day 2-1-4-3)
AI/Robotics papers due at the beginning of the period, on paper and via turnitin

Intro to computer algorithms:
Algorithm: "a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer." "In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is a self-contained step-by-step set of operations to be performed." In other words, an algorithm is a very specific recipe. 

Video: The Secret Rules of Modern Living: Algorithms
Video: What is an Algorithm and Why Should You Care?
Video: The Smartest Elevators
Demonstrate Conway's Game of Life:

• Any live cell with fewer than two live neighbours dies 
• Any live cell with more than three live neighbours dies 
• Any dead cell with exactly three live neighbours becomes a live cell

Demonstrate selection sort vs merge sort

Tuesday:
Introduce Python programming with Processing.py
You can download processing here. To add the Python mode: Start up processing. Click on Java in the upper right-hand corner, and click "Add mode..." Select Python, and click install.
Introduce first Processing drawing project.

Wednesday:
(flip day 2-1-4-3)
All students working on first Processing drawing project. This will be the only class time given. The actual project is due by the end of lunchtime next Monday.

Thursday:
Introduce interactive programming with Processing.

Friday:
Continue interactive programming with Processing, start working on Pong game.