Last day to work on CodeHS before our first quiz.
Check out this tweet to see how cell phones can be used to track the movements of people -- in this case from one Ft. Lauderdale beach at spring break, spreading Covid-19.
Check out this tweet to see how cell phones can be used to track the movements of people -- in this case from one Ft. Lauderdale beach at spring break, spreading Covid-19.
Tuesday:
Our first quiz! I will unlock it at the beginning of class, and lock it at the end -- giving you about an hour. It's 25 multiple choice questions, an hour should be more than enough time. We'll see how it goes, this is a new experience for me too.
Here are the things you should be familiar with:
- basic Tracy commands: forward(), backward(), left(), right(), color(), circle() with 1 or 3 parameter values
- using for loops with 1 parameter value to repeat a block of code
- using for loops with 3 parameter values
- how to define a function
- what the purpose of defining functions is
- the difference between defining a function and calling a function
- the importance of indentation in Python
- input("question"), and the use of int(input("question")) when you need the user to supply a number
- the use of == and %
- I only see one mention of a while loop, but it would be good to know the basics
Once you've finished the quiz, go ahead with CodeHS. When you're done with Turtle Graphics (unit 2) go on to Console Interaction (unit 3). There are 6 sections in this unit, and they're mostly pretty easy, so they should go faster than unit 2. Plan to make steady progress on your own so that you've completed unit 3 and are ready to take the unit 3 quiz next Thursday.
Wednesday:
An experiment! We will watch a video together, and use the chat to comment as we watch. The idea is that I will send a 'go' message on the chat, and we'll hopefully all be watching the roughly the same thing at more or less the same time.
The Smartest Machine on Earth - a video about IBM's Watson, from when it was preparing to compete in Jeopardy. This is old now, but it's still the best documentary I know about AI. If you find another good one, let me know!
There's an interesting Q&A that goes with the video.
In the Age of AI (1:54:16)
Assuming that Wednesday works out okay, we'll watch a few more videos together:
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence: Crash Course Computer Science (11:50)
Artificial Intelligence: What the tech can do today (5:27)
Google Assistant calling a restaurant for a reservation (0:54)
This AI is beating Doctors At Their Own Game (5:52)
Google's Driverless Car (4:14) (This is 9 years old now but I haven't found a better overview)
This AI is beating Doctors At Their Own Game (5:52)
Google's Driverless Car (4:14) (This is 9 years old now but I haven't found a better overview)
Humans Need Not Apply (15:00)
Healed through AI (39:54)
Note that I will be doing another completion grade next Wednesday evening. If you have completed all of Unit 2 and Unit 3 through the end of 3.6 by about 9 PM on Wednesday you will get a 100. Through 3.5 will get a 95, and so forth. Note that many of you are well past that already. If you want to take time to get started on the AI paper while others are catching up, that's fine.
Friday:
Do the "Getting Started with AI" homework and submit it on Google Classroom before the beginning of class. Here are some other things to be thinking about for today's class:
Note that I will be doing another completion grade next Wednesday evening. If you have completed all of Unit 2 and Unit 3 through the end of 3.6 by about 9 PM on Wednesday you will get a 100. Through 3.5 will get a 95, and so forth. Note that many of you are well past that already. If you want to take time to get started on the AI paper while others are catching up, that's fine.
Friday:
Do the "Getting Started with AI" homework and submit it on Google Classroom before the beginning of class. Here are some other things to be thinking about for today's class:
- Can computers have emotions? Do you need to have a body to have emotions?
- What does it mean to be conscious? How do you know? Can a computer be conscious?
- Can a computer do anything more than just what its program tells it to do?
- Are there limits on what a program can tell a computer to do?
I am going to try to conduct a video chat discussion as well. This may turn out to be a train wreck, but I want to give it a try. I will share the link to the conference in the Google Classroom attendance question, and also in the class chatroom.
I will also be introducing the AI paper assignment today as well. It won't be due until mid-May, but I want you to be thinking about it for a while. I don't know how things are going to unfold over the rest of the school year, but I'm sure that your grade on this paper will be a VERY substantial part of your overall grade. I hope you'll put some real thought and effort into it.
Finally, there will be another CodeHS progress grade.
I will do another progress grade about 9 PM Wednesday evening, where you will get a 100 if you have completed through the end of unit 3.7, 95 for 3.6, and so forth. The best way to do CodeHS is to chip away at it steadily.
I will also be introducing the AI paper assignment today as well. It won't be due until mid-May, but I want you to be thinking about it for a while. I don't know how things are going to unfold over the rest of the school year, but I'm sure that your grade on this paper will be a VERY substantial part of your overall grade. I hope you'll put some real thought and effort into it.
Finally, there will be another CodeHS progress grade.
I will do another progress grade about 9 PM Wednesday evening, where you will get a 100 if you have completed through the end of unit 3.7, 95 for 3.6, and so forth. The best way to do CodeHS is to chip away at it steadily.
