Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year, Computer Science Students!

 Hello Computer Science Students! Welcome to the 2021-2022 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 17th year teaching math and computer science at Waukesha North. This year I will be teaching Honors Geometry, Math Readiness, App Development 1, 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. Our summer included a few camping trips, lots of hiking, running, and playing with our 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 whether we are learning virtually or face-to-face.

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 1st through June 4th

 Thought for the Week

AP Computer Science A

This week, we will wrap up our final "AI" projects during class on Tuesday and Wednesday. At the end of Wednesday's class, we will show off what we have created.  We will spend Thursday's class period reviewing for our final exam.  Just like all of the rest of our summative tests for the year, students will complete a multiple-choice and a free-response portion. The final exam for our class will take place on Monday, June 7th from 12:15-1:30.  All students (virtual and in-person) will be expected to complete both parts of the exam during this time.  I will be available for extra help during the review period, either in room 300 or via WebEx.

App Development 2

This week, students will have work-time to finish up their final AI projects.  Additionally, students will complete the Certiport test to see if they can gain certification in the Swift programming language.  The final AI project and contest submissions will be due by the end of our exam period.  Our exam time is scheduled for Wednesday, June 9, 9:55-11:10.

Web 2

This week, students will have work time to finish up their final HTML5 Canvas project.  For this project, students will design a game to be placed with dice.  Our final project is due by the end of our exam period.  Our exam time is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8, 9:55-11:10.

Exam Schedule

What's Going On? May 24th through May 28th

Thought for the Week

Early Release: Friday, May 28, 2021

AP Computer Science A

This week, students will continue their work on their final project: Develop a game that uses some elements of artificial intelligence (AI).  This week, students should be working on "Sprint 2", or the second phase of their game development.  Students should be ready to share out what they have created so far at the end of Thursday's class period.  Virtual learns should complete the "Daily Work Log" at the end of each class day to communicate their progress and any questions or issues that have come up during application development.

 

App Dev 2

This week, students will continue their work on their final project: Build Your Own App.  This week, students should be working on "Sprint 2", or the second phase of their game development.  Students should be ready to share out what they have created so far at the end of Thursday's class period. 

Web 2

At the start of this week, students will wrap up their choice "animation tutorial project".  For this assignment, students will choose a tutorial created by a web designer on how to create an animation.  At the end of the week, I will lead the class through a "dice tutorial".  We will learn how to create dice objects, roll them, display their output, and make decisions.  This tutorial will serve as the basis for our final dice game project.

Looking Ahead: Exams

End of the year Locker clean out

Lockers must be cleaned out by Wednesday, June 9th by 3:05 pm.  

Please make arrangements ahead of time to take items home. 

Any items left behind will be donated to a local charity.

Once cleaned out please put your padlock on backwards. Thank you. 

What's Going On? May 17th through May 21st

  Thought for the Week

AP Computer Science A

This week, students will begin their game development for our final project involving AI.  Students can work individually or in teams in order to create a Java program for a game that incorporates some principles of basic AI.  The program must include a computer player that uses some sort of intelligence to plan and implement its move and strategy for the game.

App Development 2

This week, students will continue to work on their final "Build Your Own App" and "Pitch Your Own App" programs.  The goal is, at the end of each development cycle (approximately 1 week in length), the student has a working version of the app.  App progress will be shared out with the group at the end of class on Thursday.

Web 2

This week, students will continue with our work in HTML5 Canvas.  We will start off the week by working through a bouncing ball animation as a class.  Students will then have the opportunity to modify the site to make it their own.  Thursday's class will be devoted to creating a PacMan animation as a class and on Friday, students will have the ability to find their own animation tutorial to follow and create.

What's Going On? May 10th through May 14th

 Thought for the Week

FREE Summer Opportunity - Introduction to Cybersecurity

The GenCyber Camp at Marquette University is set for July 26-31, 2021. This year it’s virtual, free, and focused on high school students
https://cs.mu.edu/~debbie/gencyber.html

AP Computer Science A

Now that the AP Exam is complete, we are going to spend some time talking about some of the current issues surrounding programming and social media.  This week, we will view two films: Coded Bias and The Social Dilemma.  These two films will help us to talk about some of the current events and psychology surrounding computer science.  These films will help us to bring awareness to our final project where students will use AI (Artificial Intelligence) within a program.

App Development 2

This week, students will begin their final "Build Your Own App" project.  The beginning of this week will be focused on the planning and designing of our app.  We will implement the "Agile Development" philosophy that includes designing our app features in stages so that we always have a working product.

Programming the Web 2

This week, students will be introduced to the HTML5 Canvas environment.  The focus of the week will be on the drawing tools.  Students will learn the basics of drawing during class on Monday and Tuesday.  These newly learned skills will be applied to our "Face" creation program.  We will wrap up the week by showcasing our creations and diving into a few more drawing tools.

Looking Ahead: Exam Schedule

What's Going On? May 3rd through May 7th

 Thought for the Week

AP Computer Science A - EXAM ON THURSDAY MAY 6 

Our AP Exam will take place on Thursday, May 6th at noon.  Students will complete the exam in the Flexible Learning Space Room (FLS).  Students will need to bring pencils and pens to the exam.  Students should NOT bring cell phones, smart watches, or other electronic devices to the exam.

This week, we will focus on more review for the multiple-choice and free-response portion of the exam.  We will work through some released AP questions to make sure that we are ready to take on the APCSA exam!

App Development 2

This week, we will work more within the SpriteKit environment to learn about how to create games.  Our focus this week will be on how to create items through the GameScene.sks file (like Main.storyboard) and we will re-create the PONG game.  We will also spend some time this week talking about Agile Development theory when planning and completing large-scale projects.

Web 2

This week, students will focus on how to make a quiz using HTML and JavaScript.  Students will create a 6-question quiz that includes both multiple choice and short answer questions.  Through JavaScript, students will auto-grade the submitted responses and provide feedback.  Students will include this assignment as part of their portfolio website under the "JavaScript" tab.

Emergency Broadband Benefit

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, virtual classrooms, and so much more.

Click here to learn more.

Click here for information in Spanish.

What's Going On? April 26th through April 30th

  Thought for the Week

AP Computer Science A

The AP Computer Science A exam is fast approaching.  Students enrolled in the exam will take it on Thursday, May 6 at 12:00 (noon) in the flexible learning space classroom in the 200 hallway.  This means we will spend the entire week reviewing for the AP Exam.  All students are expected to participate in the review as we are reviewing material covered throughout the course which will be helpful after the exam when we work on our final projects.

App Development 2

This week, students will wrap up their summative app challenge "Za Hunter".  In this app, students will find the user's current location, display it on a map, and search the surrounding area for pizza places.  Once this app is complete, we will move on to our last new unit for the year.  Students will create the "Ninja" hackwich.  This app demo will serve as an introduction to the "Game" mode available for app creation in XCode.

Web 2

This week, we will continue our study of JavaScript.  During class on Monday, students will have the opportunity to wrap up their JavaScript with Parameters code assignment.  In the middle of the week, students will add some JavaScript functionality to their previously-created "St. Mary's" form.  This assignment will be added to our Web 2 portfolio.  We will end the week by learning how to create a quiz within JavaScript.