In this context-setting lesson, the class will experience the concept of events through a game where they move or shout when you press buttons on a giant remote. This lesson aligns to national Computer Science standards from CSTA.
In this mini-project, students will use events in Play Lab and apply all of the coding skills they've learned to create an animated game. It's time to get creative and make a story in the Play Lab! This lesson aligns to national Computer Science standards from CSTA.
In this project lesson, students apply what they have learned about sequencing and loops with the Artist. This lesson aligns to national Computer Science standards from CSTA.
This context-setting lesson brings together teams with a simple task: get the "flurb" to the fruit. Students will practice writing precise instructions as they work to translate instructions into the symbols provided. This lesson aligns to national Computer Science standards from CSTA.
In this skill-building lesson, students will continue to develop sequential algorithms. This lesson aligns to national Computer Science standards from CSTA.
In this skill-building lesson, students will use their newfound programming skills in more complicated ways to navigate a tricky course with BB-8. This lesson aligns to national Computer Science standards from CSTA.
This context-setting lesson revisits Happy Maps. This time, students will use loops to solve bigger, longer puzzles with their code. This lesson serves as an introduction to loops. Loops allow for students to simplify their code by grouping commands that need to be repeated. Students will develop critical thinking skills by noticing repetition in movements of their classmates and determining how many times to repeat commands. By seeing "Happy Maps" again, students will get the chance to relate old concepts such as sequencing to the new concept of repeat loops. This lesson aligns to national Computer Science standards from CSTA.
In this skill-building lesson, students will practice loops in programming puzzles where the goal is to help the squirrel reach the acorn. This lesson aligns to national Computer Science standards from CSTA.
In this skill-building lesson, students continue learning the concept of loops. Here, students use loops to collect treasure in open cave spaces. This lesson aligns to national Computer Science standards from CSTA.
A page for accessing code for a collection of parallel algorithms.The algorithms are implemented in the parallel programming language NESL and developed by the Scandal project. There is a brief description along with its complexity (in terms of asymptotic work and parallel depth).
Variables allow for a lot of freedom in computer science. This lesson helps to explain what variables are and how we can use them in many different ways. [1:43]
Write and demonstrate code use plastic cups.
Improve a writing assignment by creating an automated editing program with code. Time to complete: 4-6 hours
Use dice to relate the concept of a computer algorithm
Students explore the concept of optical character recognition (OCR) in a problem-solving environment. They research OCR and OCR techniques and then apply those methods to the design challenge by developing algorithms capable of correctly "reading" a number on a typical high school sports scoreboard. Students use the structure of the engineering design process to guide them to develop successful algorithms. In the associated activity, student groups implement, test and revise their algorithms. This software design lesson/activity set is designed to be part of a Java programming class.
Testing is critical to any design, whether the creation of new software or a bridge across a wide river. Despite risking the quality of the design, the testing stage is often hurried in order to get products to market. In this lesson, students focus on the testing phase of the software/systems design process. They start by exploring existing examples of program testing using the CodingBat website, which contains a series of problems and challenges that students solve using the Java programming language. Working in teams, students practice writing test cases for other groups' code, and then write test cases for a program before writing the program itself.
How can filter bubbles limit the information we're exposed to? When we get news from our social media feeds, it often only tells us part of the story. Our friends -- and the website's algorithms -- tend to feed us perspectives we already agree with. Show students ways to escape the filter bubble and make sure their ideas about the world are being challenged. Approximately 50 mins.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define "filter bubble" and explain how it occurs. Reflect on the limitations and drawbacks that filter bubbles cause. Identify strategies for escaping their own filter bubbles.
Building on the programming basics learned so far in the unit, students next learn how to program using sensors rather than by specifying exact durations. They start with an examination of algorithms and move to an understanding of conditional commands (until, then), which require the use of wait blocks. Working with the LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robots and software, they learn about wait blocks and how to use them in conjunction with move blocks set with unlimited duration. To help with comprehension and prepare them for the associated activity programming challenges, volunteer students act out a maze demo and student groups conclude by programming LEGO robots to navigate a simple maze using wait block programming. A PowerPoint® presentation, a worksheet and pre/post quizzes are provided.
Make inferences and recommendations using data, train a computer, and consider ethical implications of machine learning. Time to complete: 3-5 hours
Student groups use the Java programming language to implement the algorithms for optical character recognition (OCR) that they developed in the associated lesson. They use different Java classes (provided) to test and refine their algorithms. The ultimate goal is to produce computer code that recognizes a digit on a scoreboard. Through this activity, students experience a very small part of what software engineers go through to create robust OCR methods. This software design lesson/activity set is designed to be part of a Java programming class.