What's Going On? February 18th through February 22nd

Notice: We Have a Modified Schedule This Week!

Since the sophomores and juniors will be completing the ACT on Wednesday this week, we will have a modified schedule.  On Monday, we will run a "Tuesday"-style schedule, on Tuesday we will run a "Wednesday"-style schedule and Thursday and Friday will run the normal schedule.

Please note: Only sophomores and juniors should report to school on Wednesday for the ACT.  Freshmen and Seniors will have no school on Wednesday.  

Additionally on Wednesday, we will hold parent-teacher conferences.  Please stop by between 5 and 7pm to chat about your students' progress.

App Development 1

This week, students will spend our first two class days of the week working on our first end-of-unit-app challenge, Hello World.  For this app, students will demonstrate their knowledge of labels and buttons.  Students will also highlight how they can make changes to these items in the storyboard as well as within our code.  To finish off the week, we will talk about UIViews and Textfields.






App Development 2

This week, students will continue our study on persistent data with our "Persistence Challenge".  After this, we will do a sample "Shopping List" hackwich as a group to lead into our end of unit app challenge, Assignment Notebook.






AP Computer Science A

This week, we will move into our 8th unit on designing class, inheritance, and interfaces.  This week's focus will be on designing classes more efficiently.  Along with this week, students will need to read chapter 8 in our Big Java textbook, complete the accompanying note template, as well as complete Practice Exercise Set #1 and Review Exercise Set #1.

Programming the Web 1

We will begin the week by finishing up lesson 3 on marking up text with HTML tags, including list tags, quotes, and a variety of div tags.  Once this is done, we will dive into how we can create several pages within a website and how to navigate between them.  Students will need to read chapter 6 in our textbook, complete the accompanying reading guide, and answer ten multiple choice questions.  Additionally, students will show off their knowledge of links by completing web assignments 4a, 4b, and 4c where students will show how to link between pages, create absolute links (to sites like Google), and linking to a fragment (links within a webpage).

What's Going On? February 11th through February 15th

App Development 1


This week, we will continue with our intro unit to programming in Swift.  Students will spend Monday's class finishing up our "Variables Challenge" formative assignment.  During class on Tuesday, students will take a formative assessment on variables and choose a topic for their blog post from the unit.  Students can choose from the following topics:

• Actions and Outlets
• Image Views
• Variables
• How to add information to a label

We will spend the rest of the week working on our end of unit app challenge, "Hello World".  For this summative app, students will demonstrate their knowledge of creating a storyboard and making changes to our app in the coding file.  

App Development 2

This week, we will continue our study of TableViews.  We will spend Monday's class working on "Bar Button Items".  We will explore this in order to add items to our Table Views.  Next, we will move into "Persistence".  We will explore how UserDefaults can save data in between app openings.  Students will participate in a Persistence challenge to demonstrate their knowledge on this.

AP Computer Science A

This week, we will wrap up our seventh unit on arrays.  During class on Monday, we will review for our summative assessment.  Students should complete the summative assessment review in order to prepare for our test.  Students will complete our summative during class on Tuesday.  Our summative "Picture Lab" will also be due on this day. 

Once our summative is complete, we will move into unit 8 where we will focus on Class Design, Inheritance, and Interfaces.  Along with this unit, we will look at chapters 8, 9, and 10 in our Big Java textbook.  We will spend the remaining part of this week focusing on chapter 8 and how to more efficiently write methods and classes.

Programming the Web

During class on Monday, students will wrap up our work for lesson 2.  Students are considered "on pace" for the class, if by the end of Monday, students have uploaded projects 2A (Black Goose Bistro), 2B (Fix the Errors), and 2C (Personal Webpage).  Once we have finished lesson 2, we will move into our next lesson where we will focus on additional ways to markup text.  We will talk about how to make lists, mark up quotes, and divide up our webpage into different parts.  Students will need to read chapter 5 and complete the accompanying reading guide by Thursday.  Students will also have 10 multiple choice questions (summative) during class on Friday.  We will also have three web page projects to complete throughout the week to demonstrate our knowledge of HTML tags.  

What's Going On? February 4th through February 8th

App Development 1

This week, we will take a look at how to store data in an app using variables and constants.  Variables can be extremely helpful in programming when we want to reference information later on or make some changes to it along the way.  One way to use a variable is for keeping track of a score in a game.  Every time a player earns a point, the score variable can be updated and displayed for the user to see.  After we finish our discussion on variables, students will work on our "Variables Challenge".  This is a formative assessment where students will be able to practice using variables within a larger-scale app.  Students will be encouraged to work together and troubleshoot along the way.  We will finish the week with a short variables formative quiz on BlackBoard. 


App Development 2

At the beginning of the week, students will finish up their intro app assignment "High-Low Guessing Game".  Once this review assignment is complete, we will dive into the official second-semester curriculum.  We will dive into the use of "dictionaries" to store data and how to write a class that can be used over and over in order to simplify our code. 

AP Computer Science

Students should have wrapped up our summative programming project #7 at the end of last week.  This week, we will focus on our second lab of the year: Pictures.  The AP Board suggests that students spend time working with three different labs in order to get some experience working with a large scale program.  Students will work with analyzing and writing methods for a 2D array in order to display and manipulate pictures.  

Programming the Web 1

We will start off this week by completing our 10 multiple choice questions from lesson 1 about some of the basic principles and roles involved in web design.  Students will also need to turn in their "reading guides" that we were working on during class on Friday.  Once we wrap up lesson 1, we will move into lesson 2 where we actually get to start making a web page.  For the first few lessons of the semester, students will work in a basic text editing program called "Text Edit".  This will allow students to become familiar with the basic structure that will be implemented in every web page we create throughout the course.  Students will learn how to include a title, paragraphs, and images on a web page.  Along with this week, students will need to read chapter 4 in our textbook and complete the accompanying reading guide.  Students will also have three web page assignments to complete in order to practice our new knowledge.  We will finish the week by completing our 10 multiple choice questions from lesson 2.

What's Going On? January 28th through February 1st

App Development 1

This week, we will continue our look at actions and outlets.  Students will practice connecting labels
and buttons to the code in order to make something happen.  Once we master this, we will move into working with ImageViews.  These will provide us with a way to display a picture in our app.  We will finish off the week by creating our "flashlight" app.



App Development 2

This week, students will work on our partner project "High-Low Guessing Game" in order to
familiarize us with some important aspects of programming in Swift.  Students will touch on actions, outlets, functions, and alerts while creating this app.






Programming the Web

This week, students will finish up lesson 1 where we are introduced to some basic layout ideas for school appropriate examples of different layouts, our lesson 1 reading guide, as well as our lesson 1 multiple choice review questions.
web design.  We will also wrap up our study of the different roles involved with creating a web site.  To be considered "on pace" for the class, students will need to finish "Project 1A" where we search the internet for



AP Computer Science A

This week, students will wrap up our programming project #7 on arrays and begin on lab: Pictures. 
This lab will give students the opportunity to work with someone else's code on a larger-scale project that involves manipulating images.


TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Register for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.

What's Going On? January 23rd through January 25th

Welcome to Second Semester!

We are now starting second semester, so that means that everyone is starting with a clean slate.  I am excited to meet some new students with our second semester classes starting this week.


This Week's Schedule


Students will not have school on Monday and Tuesday of this week.  Enjoy your time away and be
ready to start second semester well-rested!  This means that Wednesday through Friday will be "purple schedule" days.  We will start school at 7:35 each day and see every class with the exception of AE.  Since this is a new semester, please check your schedules in Infinite Campus to make sure that you are going to the correct classroom.  Please see your guidance counselor if you have any problems with your new schedule.


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 A

This week, we will continue with our study of unit 7 on Arrays and ArrayLists.  Students will have
the week to work on programming project 7.  Students who finish the project early can get a jump start on our second lab of the year, Pictures.




TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Register for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.

What's Going On? Exam Week!

Volunteer Opportunity!

A coding club is starting up at Prairie View and Rose Glen Elementary Schools and they are looking for student volunteers for the club.  Please let me know if you would like to volunteer!


App Development

This week, students will have work time to complete our two final summatives for the semester.  Students will first work on our "Rock, Paper, Scissors" end of unit app challenge where students will write an app to play the classic game against the computer.

Once this is complete, students will work on their Swift Technique investigation project.  For this summative, students can work alone or in small groups to learn about something new that can be implemented in an iPhone app.  In the past, students have investigated scroll view, embedding sound and video, MapKit, TableView, a timer, and more.  Students will also create a screencast video taking us through step by step how to implement their new technique.

All work that is to be considered as part of a student's semester grade must be turned in by the end of our exam period.  Students who need additional time to complete their work are encouraged to come in during our "review/conferencing" time that is available each morning of the exam week.

Programming the Web

Students will have the remainder of the week to work on our final project.  For this assignment, students will create a web site that includes four pages.  Throughout the four pages, students will highlight many of the techniques we have learned about.  Students will demonstrate their knowledge of HTML and CSS coding by creating and designing a website of their choosing.

Please remember that students who enrolled in the course with WCTC and earn a "C" or higher for the semester will earn college credit through WCTC.

All work that is to be considered as part of a student's semester grade must be turned in by the end of our exam period.  Students who need additional time to complete their work are encouraged to come in during our "review/conferencing" time that is available each morning of the exam week.

AP Computer Science


This week, we will spend Monday and Tuesday reviewing for our semester exam.  Students will have a multiple choice as well as a free response portion of the exam.  We will go through some practice problems and go over questions from our semester exam study guide.

Students should also make sure that the practice exercises and review exercises from unit 7 are turned in by the end of the day on Tuesday.  These items will be included in our first-semester grade calculation.  Students who need additional time to complete their work are encouraged to come in during our "review/conferencing" time that is available each morning of the exam week.

Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.



January Exam Schedule

What's Going On? January 7th through January 11th

App Development

This week, students will have work time on our two final summatives for the semester.  Students will first work on our "Rock, Paper, Scissors" end of unit app challenge where students will write an app to play the classic game against the computer.

Once this is complete, students will work on their Swift Technique investigation project.  For this summative, students can work alone or in small groups to learn about something new that can be implemented in an iPhone app.  In the past, students have investigated scroll view, embedding sound and video, MapKit, TableView, a timer, and more.  Students will also create a screencast video taking us through step by step how to implement their new technique.

Programming the Web

Students will have the remainder of the semester to work on our final project.  For this assignment, students will create a web site that includes four pages.  Throughout the four pages, students will highlight many of the techniques we have learned about.  Students will demonstrate their knowledge of HTML and CSS coding by creating and designing a website of their choosing.

AP Computer Science


This week, students will continue dive into our seventh unit on Arrays and Array Lists.  This week, we will focus specifically on two-dimensional arrays and ArrayLists.   In order to keep students working with the material,  students should be analyzing the material while completing the guided notes template, completing our mini-review exercises (written), and our practice exercises (coding).

Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.



January Exam Schedule

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is our exam schedule for January.  We will talk in detail about the exam at the end of this week.