[CLUE-Talk] Introduction to Computer Science Course

[Brandon N]

I have the "fighting fires in your network" presentation now. 
Unfortunatly the only format I could get it in was Adobe Acrobat.  The
file is 89 presentation pages and 324K in size.  email me directly if
you would like a copy of it.  I may post it on the web once I get my
server back up.

Brandon

--- Roger Frank <rfrank at rfrank.net> wrote:
> I teach in mathematics and computer science in high school.  Next
> fall, I 
> will be teaching a new one-semester course I'm starting to develop
> now
> called Introduction to Computer Science.
> 
> A quick look around the Internet shows that "Intro to CS" in high
> school
> is usually a beginning programming course.  We've had such a course,
> and we've gotten students who want to learn how to program.  Classes
> have been small, but students coming out of the old Intro course
> often
> went on to Advanced Placement Computer Science and have done well.
> 
> I do not want the Intro to CS course to be a programming course.  To
> do
> so is to teach the same course I took in the 60's, only the language
> then
> was Fortran, not C++ or Java.  Computer Science in 2001 has to be 
> much more than learning how to program.
> 
> I do want the course to be an entry level course that any student can
> take.  Today's students are going to be living in a complicated
> cybernetic
> world with difficult issues to face and decisions to be made. 
> Perhaps
> this course will be the only computer course some of these students
> will
> take.  If so, then teaching them to program in C++ was not the best
> use
> of their time with me.  I think the Intro to CS course should have
> some 
> programming so a student can decide whether he or she wants to 
> continue with more advanced computer courses.  But there needs to be
> a lot more than just the fundamentals of programming in the syllabus.
> 
> That's where I'd like your suggestions.  Imagine you are enrolling in
> your
> first computer course, or imagine your son or daughter had just
> signed up
> for Mr. Frank's Intro to CS course.   What would you hope he would
> cover
> in the class?  Remember the goal is not necessarily to have every
> student
> go on to become a computer scientist of engineer, but they sure
> should come
> out with an understanding of what computers and computer science are
> all about.
> 
> To prime the pump, here are some topics that I am considering:
> 
>  - computer history (modern, so we can see how we got here)
>  - computer future (where should/can we go and not go?)
>  - ethics and legal considerations  (Gnapster and beyond)
>  - privacy  (safeguarding, identities)
>  - cyber-terrorism (national, individuals)
>  - Artificial Intelligence (including fuzzy logic, genetic
> algorithms)
>  - Artificial Life (Boids, development and applications)
>  - man-machine integration (direct-connect, muscular; optical)
>  - nanocomputing (airborne, bloodstream)
>  - hardware ("Let's take the covers off these computers...")
>  - software (a little programming in Karel, Java, maybe HTML and
> Python)
>  - careers in computer science
> 
> I'd appreciate any suggestions of other topics that might fit in this
> course.
> This fall, we have filled all sections that were offered, so this
> course will
> happen.  I have about 5 months to pull it together and make it what
> these
> students deserve it to be.
> 
> Besides, it won't be too many years before I'll be sitting on a porch
> in a
> rocking chair and today's bright-eyed 16-year-olds will be in charge.
>  
> I want to know I taught them more than just how to program in some
> then-extinct language.  In 2001, I believe there is more to 
> "Computer Science" than just programming, so what else should
> be in there?
> 
> To keep from cluttering the list, reply directly to me
> rfrank at rfrank.net
> and I will post a one-time summary of all suggestions.  Many thanks.
> 
> -- 
> Roger Frank
> www.linuxclassroom.org
> _______________________________________________
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> CLUE-Talk at clue.denver.co.us
> http://clue.denver.co.us/mailman/listinfo/clue-talk


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