Welcome Back, Computer Science Students!

Welcome back to school!  My name is Mrs. Kamenar and I will be working with you in your
computer science class this year.  This will be my fourteenth year teaching at Waukesha North.  This year I will be teaching Honors Geometry, App Development 1 & 2, AP Computer Science A, Programming the Web 1 & 2and Yearbook.  In addition to teaching at North, I am also the women's cross country coach and the school's yearbook advisor.

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing summer.  This summer went by too fast, but I

guess it always seems that way.  This summer I got to spend a lot of time with my husband and my two kids, Jack and Laura.  We spent our time going to the zoo, going to the library and swimming.  I also had an amazing vacation with my mom and sister to the Galapagos Islands where I got to swim with sharks, turtles and sea lions, hike some volcanoes and learned to surf.

My goal is to keep you up to date with what's going on in the classroom through this blog.  Between the blog and our class schedule of events that will be posted on our BlackBoard class website, it is my hope that all students and parents will be informed about what's going on in the classroom.

App Development 1

In this class, students will learn how to program for Apple devices using the Swift programming language.  This week, we will take a look at the Storyboard of app creation and create a simple flashlight app.


Web 1

In this class, students will learn the basics of web page design using HTML and CSS.  This week, we will talk about the basics of web design.

AP Computer Science Principles

This is the second time that this course will be offered at North, and the fourth year that the course is offered nationwide.  Students who enroll in this course will have the opportunity to complete the AP Computer Science Principles exam and have the potential to earn college credit.  

To start off the semester, we will begin by tinkering with some programming concepts using a website called "lightbot".  Later on in the week, we will take a look at the book "Blown to Bits".  We will take a look at chapter one, which explores the explosion of the computer science field and the impact on day-to-day life.  As the course progresses, students will have the opportunity to work with several different programming environments, including Scratch, MIT App Inventor, and Python.

I am really excited to get to work with you this year.  I hope we are all able to learn a lot and have some fun along the way!  If you have any questions as we move through the year, please don't hesitate to contact me.  If you have questions, feel free to e-mail me at kkamenar@waukesha.k12.wi.us.  You can also follow me on Twitter: @MrsKamenar.