/elementary-computer-science-cpsc1030

Primary LanguageCSS

Anderson University

CPSC 1030 Computer Science for Educators

!INCLUDE "head.md"

Course Catalog Description

Computer Science for Educators provides elementary educators with the necessary knowledge and skills to integrate computer science and computational thinking into their teaching practice. The course focuses on the core concepts and practices of computer science, as well as the importance of fostering an inclusive computing culture in the classroom. This course is aligned with the following Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) computer science standards: Data and Information (DI); Computing Devices and Systems (CD); Programs and Algorithms (PA); Networking and the Internet (NI). Designed particularly for education majors and does not apply toward majors or minors in Computer Science.

Required Resources

Students are expected to have a laptop that they can bring to class each day.

The following free online resources will be used in this course:

Course Objectives

Core Concepts

The following core concepts are drawn directly from the Indiana K-8 CS Standards:

  1. Data and Information (DI)
  2. Computing Devices and Systems (CD)
  3. Programs and Algorithms (PA)
  4. Networking and the Internet (NI)

Core Practices

  1. Fostering an inclusive computing culture
  2. Collaborating around computing
  3. Recognizing and defining computational problems
  4. Developing and using abstractions
  5. Creating computational artifacts
  6. Testing and refining computational artifacts
  7. Communicating about computing

Course Overview

Please refer to Canvas for a list of assignments and detailed grading breakdown.

Labs

Students will complete regular labs using various technologies. Labs that include code that does not compile or parse correctly will be given zero credit.

Quizzes and Homework

Daily quizzes will be given covering key concepts for the learning experience. Students will have two attempts on each quiz, one at the start of class and one at the end. Only the highest score will be kept. The lowest 2 scores from the semester will be dropped. Students will also complete homework assignments covering various topics from the course text.

Exams

A midterm and final exam will be taken in this course. Exams are cumulative with a focus on more recent material.

Topics by Week

  • Why CS and CT? [1 Week]
  • K-2.CD [1 Week]
    • Hardware and software terminology and paradigms
    • Selecting appropriate software and troubleshooting software issues
  • K-2.NI [1 Week]
    • Computer networking basics
    • The architecture of the Internet and the world wide web
  • K-2.PA [3 Weeks]
    • Breaking problems into steps
    • Creating objects in BlocksCAD
    • Step-by-step Scratch
    • Branching and loops in Scratch
    • Flipped classroom Scratch project day
    • Scratch project presentations
  • K-2.DI [1 Week]
    • Data and information introduction and terminology
    • Data representation and presentation in Sheets
  • Midterm [1 Week]
    • Summary and review
    • Midterm Exam
  • 3-5.CD [1 Week]
    • The nature of computer and machine intelligence
    • The relationship between hardware and software and trouble shooting
  • K-5.NI [1 Week]
    • Passwords and Cyberattack vectors
    • Packets and Encryption
  • 3-5.PA [3 Weeks]
    • Python: Expressions and Statements
    • Python: Variables and Conditionals
    • Python: Loops
    • Attribution in software development
    • Flipped classroom Python project day
    • Python project presentations
  • 3-5.DI [2 Weeks]
    • Reacting to input with SPIKE
    • Logging sensor data with SPIKE
    • Flipped SPIKE data project
    • SPIKE project presentations
  • Final Exam

!INCLUDE "tail.md"