What's Going On? September 19th through September 23rd

Thought for the Week

AP Computer Science Principles

This week, we will start off the week by viewing two videos on Collaboration put together by the AP board.  We will then complete some sample AP-style multiple choice questions to prepare for questions on collaboration that may appear on May's exam.  For the rest of the week, we will focus on looping our code and adding in conditional statements.  Through Activities 1.1.4. (Spinning Spirographs) and 1.1.6 (Buggy Image), students will continue to practice writing basic Python programs using the Turtle class.  We will also begin talking about the types of errors that we will encounter as we program and some resources to help us fix them.

App Development

This week, we will focus on how to use variables and constants to store and access information in our apps.  Will learn about four major data types (integers, doubles, Strings, and Boolean) and the type of information that can be saved with them.  Along will this week, students will participate in a demo, complete a code challenge, and summarize their learning through our second technical blog post.

Programming the Web 1

This week, we will dive into our third unit of the semester.  In this unit, students will learn some additional HTML tags that we will use to mark up our text.  Students will learn how to make three different types of lists, add in quotes, and other structural tags.  Along with this week, students will read chapter 5 in our textbook while completing the accompanying reading guide (due Wednesday).  Students will have two web assignments to complete, and we will end the week by completing our lesson 3 review questions.

What's Going On? September 12th through September 16th

 Thought for the Week

AP Computer Science Principles

We will start off this week by wrapping up Activity 1.1.2: Planning a Picture.  We will then move on to Activity 1.1.3: Fun with Flowers.  Both of these activities provide students with an introduction to programming in Python using "Turtle".  Students are learning how to create simple drawings using Turtle methods in the Python language.  Students are learning how to create and access variables, as well as get some input from the user.  We will end the week with some introduction to AP Classroom.  Students will start to become familiar with some of the multiple-choice questions they can expect to see on the AP Exam in May.

App Development

For the majority of our week, we will focus on "Actions and Outlets".  Students will spend some time working on implementing Actions and Outlets in our first code challenge.  Students may work together and collaborate as they work or may choose to work independently.  Students will also put what they have learned into words with our first blog post of the year.  We will end the week learning about how to add images to our apps.

Programming the Web 1

This week, we will finally get to make a web page!  We will work within our text editor, Text Edit, in order to create our first web page from scratch using HTML.  Along with this week, students will read chapter 4 in our textbook and complete the accompanying reading guide.  Students will complete two web assignments.  For assignment 2A: Black Goose Bistro, students will follow a step-by-step tutorial to create a sample restaurant home page.  For assignment 2B: Personal Web Page, students will create their own page that features some information about them.  We will wrap up the week by completing our ten multiple-choice questions.

As a reminder, this course is offered in partnership with WCTC.  This means that students who have enrolled in this option and successfully complete the course with a "C" or higher based on the WCTC grading scale will earn free transcripted credit.

What's Going On? September 6th through September 9th

 Thought for the Week

AP Computer Science Principles

This week, students will continue our study of the Python programming language with the use of the
Turtle platform.  Through our lessons, will learn about Object-Oriented Programming languages and some other basics of what we can do with the Turtle platform in Python.

App Development

Last week, we started to create our first app, a basic flashlight.  We will start off the week by finishing it up.  Next, we will backtrack and talk a little bit more in detail about how some of the elements of the flashlight app work.  Our focus for this week will be "Actions and Outlets".   Students will do a short reading and learn about the details of these items.  We will also put our learning into practice with a short "hackwich", or coding demo.  

Programming the Web 1

This week, we will focus on the first unit of the year on HTML basics and layouts.  Students will spend Tuesday's class completing our reading jigsaw activity.  We will spend Wednesday's class wrapping up the jigsaw reading activity and completing the lesson 1 reading guide.  We will wrap up the week by completing our lesson 1 summative multiple choice review questions.

Also during this week, students will have the opportunity to enroll in this class to earn FREE transcripted credit through WCTC.  Students who complete the required work and earn a "C" or higher based on the WCTC grading scale can earn FREE credit in Web Design.  Please contact me if you have any questions about this wonderful opportunity.

Welcome to the 2022-2023 School Year!

Hello Computer Science Students! 

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! My name is Mrs. Kamenar and I will be working with you during
your computer science class this year. This year, I am starting my 18th year teaching math and computer science at Waukesha North. This year I will be teaching Pre-College Math, App Development 1&2, AP Computer Science Principles, Programming the Web 1, and Yearbook. In addition to teaching, I am also the head women's cross country coach and yearbook advisor. I hope that everyone was able to find some time to relax this summer. My summer included a few camping trips, a trip to Wyoming to visit family, lots of hiking, running, and playing with my dog Ranger.

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.

Where Can Students Find Everything?

One of the first things to keep in mind is that all of our class material will be found through our Blackboard class website.  This site will contain links to our content, assignments, and other resources.

School Schedule

Here is the schedule we will be following for the year.  Students who would like to get some extra help are invited to come in before school, during our lunch JIT time, or by appointment.

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 our programming environment and learn a little bit about creating "Actions" and "Outlets" in an app.


Web 1

In this class, students will learn the basics of web page design using HTML and CSS. This week, we will take a look at our coding environment and will talk about the different layout choices web designers can use when creating a website. This class is offered in partnership with WCTC, which means that students who enroll in this free program and complete the course successfully are eligible to earn WCTC college credit. 


AP Computer Science Principles

In this AP course, we will be using a curriculum developed by PLTW (Project Lead the Way).  In this course, students will code using the Python language, dabble with some web design, and learn a little bit about CyberSecurity.  This week, we will experiment with the Python programming language using an online programming platform where we will draw using a turtle.

I hope that everyone is excited to start a new school year.  I am here to help and I am very excited to work with you in Honors Geometry.  Please reach out if you have any questions.  You can email me at kkamenar@waukesha.k12.wi.us.  Let's have a great year!

What's Going On? June 6th through June 9th

 

Exam Schedule

AP Computer Science Principles

Our exam will take place on Monday, June 6th and on Tuesday, June 7th.  Students will participate in the PLTW "End of Course" exam during these two class period.  Students who need additional time to complete the exam should plan to come in during the review/conferencing time to finish up.  Please bring headphones with you to class so that you can hear the audio portions of the exam.

App Development

Students have the choice of two options for our final project. Students can choose to investigate one new feature and create a screencast tutorial to explain how to use it OR students can choose to create a full app and a short video highlighting the app's features.  All projects are due by the end of our exam period on Tuesday, June 7th.

Programming the Web 1

During our exam time on Tuesday, June 7th, students will complete our 20 multiple choice question summative.  Students MAY NOT use any resources during this summative.  After this is complete, students should finalize their final web projects, upload them to our hosting site, and turn in their final work.  All projects are due by the end of our exam period on Tuesday, June 7th.

What's Going On? May 31st through June 3rd

 Thought for the Week

AP Computer Science Principles

We will start off this week by viewing our Social Media PSA videos.  Within these videos, students were presented with the opportunity to share their ideas on social media and give their recommendations for how students can thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.  We will critique our videos during Monday's class and complete an assessment of our work.  For the rest of the week, we will prepare for our PLTW end of course exam.  

App Development

This week, students will have the opportunity to work on their final project for the class.  Students can choose to either build a fully-functional app or learn how to use one new feature of their choosing.  Students can choose to either work alone or as part of a small group.  When students have completed their task, they will create a brief 5-minute video highlighting their project.

Programming the Web 1

This week, students will have the opportunity to work on their final project for the class.  Students can choose their topic for their four-page website.  Within this site, students will highlight what they have learned over the course of the semester.  Students should focus on good HTML structure as well as the style of the site.  The site must illustrate good principles of design.  When finished, students will post their final project online for the world to see.

Exam Schedule

What's Going On? May 23rd through May 27th

Thought for the Week

AP Computer Science Principles

This week, students will focus on filming their "Social Media" project.  The goal of this project is to think about how students will best thrive academically, socially, and emotionally while using social media.  Students will create a five-minute video presentation to talk about the pros and cons of social media and talk about the recommendations they have for incoming freshmen regarding their social media useage.  Within the videos, students will reference at least three sources they have come across in regard to social media.

App Development

This week, students will focus on wrapping up the "Word Play" summative app.  In this app, students will demonstrate their knowledge of how to create multiple screens, pass information between the screens, and create alerts.  Once this is complete, students will move into their final project for the semester.

Programming the Web 1

This week, students will focus on creating their final web project.  For this assignment, students will choose their own topic and create a website around it.  Through this website project, students will demonstrate their ability to create a site highlighting many of the HTML and CSS tools that we have learned throughout the semester.