What are we doing after the AP exam

This question pops up every year with my students...we have six weeks after the AP Computer Science exam, are we doing anything?

Nope, Ive decided you can just nap for six weeks of school. That sounds reasonable.

They know me well enough that there is a lot of eye rolling at this point. After fifteen years teaching high school I have learned eye rolling equals success. It is my job to annoy them occasionally.


Usually I pick something new to everyone and we work through that. Sometimes we do advanced data structures like linked lists, java graphics or a new language.

This years group is too eclectic for that to work. I have students that already know VB, C++, Python and just about anything else I could throw at them. They have done NASA summer internships, built robots and held part-time jobs doing web design.

So I tried something new, this year they got to pick their own projects.

The ground rules were:

1. Do something new to you
2. Do something non-trivial (something that will take several weeks to complete)
3. Amaze me

I had them write about what they were going to work on first. So far this has kept them much more engagged then they normally are this time of year. Plus it has been a lot less work for me.

In short, I have been amazed. Plus, anything that cuts down on the amount of nagging I have to do everyday is a total win.

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Algorithms Doing the Robot Part 1

The CS Principles class just started Unit 4 - Algorithms this week. The intention is to teach them how to develop methods, and to use these methods to build algorithms.

In the class we are stuck with C++. There are good and bad things about this as a teaching language - I get a lot of strong opinions from folks about it. It is the language my county has chosen for this level of programming, so that is a debate for another day.

One benefit is the mechanics of creating a method are very similar to Java, and most of my students move on to take the APCS course.

Looking back over what we did last year overall they did learn the mechanics of methods. This is one of those topics that you teach, and you think they get it, and then three weeks later they have forgotten the whole business. For the current APCS course this is a big problem since the framework for most free response questions is a method.

On the other hand we got a bit too bogged down with C++ and didn’t spend enough time on algorithms. It is easy to do, I have taught C++ since it was the AP language over a decade ago and I have a ton of materials developed. As most people with small children know, February is flu/strep month so I was out a fair bit while we were covering this topic, and C++ worksheets make super sub-plans.

Algorithms are one of the core Big Ideas of CS Principles. The Learning Objectives that relate are:

LO 17: The student can develop an algorithm.
LO 21: The student can explain how programs implement algorithms.


These are being assessed though the Programming Portfolio. The Programming Portfolio item states that students must include "a description of the algorithms these programs implement". So at a minimum they need to be aware fo when they have developed an algorithm and articulate what it does.

You can find the full collection of CS Principles documents here. Many are still works in progress, but you can get a sense of where the course is going.

So this year I am trying to move beyond just teaching code and do more activities to build algorithmic thinking. More on that tomorrow.

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End Your Concerns With Pranksters By Doing A Reverse Cell Number Look Up

By Ryon Guttorp

Knowing is half the fight. Once you understand if the company demanding money is real or not you can handle it appropriately. You can block their number or talk to them if it is your neighbor. Many of the time, all it takes is a request from you and your telephone company can obstruct a number and business who require payments are frequently fraudsters. Once you have the realities, you can choose how to manage it.

The majority of individuals feel that without a name you can not learn info on someone so the telephone call keep coming. This use to be the means it worked. Technology the way it is, you can search for home phone subscribers and likewise cell phones. You do not should have a name prior to searching. Simply a telephone number is all it takes. You can then learn the name and address of any telephone number owner, who their supplier is, and a wide variety of other information on that person.

You will then be able to decide exactly what to do to make the phone calls stop when you have all the responses you need. You can show them if you find out it is a bogus phone number to a business you have actually never heard of. If you find out that it is your next-door neighbor calling you, you can block the number from calling you through your phone service provider. You will simply have even more choices on exactly how you can stop the calls.

Just think of the ability that you have to manage those prank calls in the middle of the night that awaken you or your family. It does not matter if all they do is hang up on you without speaking with you. As long as you have a phone with caller ID on it and you can see their telephone number, you can search for that number. You will find out quickly who you are dealing with.

It does not matter if their number is unlisted or not; with reverse cell number lookup you can still learn the required info. You have the right to know who they are if they have actually been calling you at your home or on your cell phone. Whether they live throughout the nation or right next door you can find out who provided their cell phone service which permits them to bother you and your family.

Prank calls commonly come from kids who wish to play tricks on individuals. Various other times it is made use of to terrify you rather than just annoy you. This could be particularly true if the individual on the other end is a heavy breather. If they take place to answer and it is often suggested to do simply that, this can always spook your kids. The prankster does not care exactly what they do to your household. Use the tools you have in order to stop it prior to it ends up being even more of an issue.

There is no damage in discovering exactly what you have to understand. It is definitely legal for you to try and stop the harassment. Nobody however you understands that it ares happening. No one but you can make it end. The only means you will stop it is to learn who is doing it to your household.

For a basic search, there is typically no cost. It is cost-free to discover the name of the person calling you in the majority of situations. , if you need to know more about the person there might be a small fee involved.. Considering your households need to be prank caller complimentary, do you not think that a little fee would be cash well spent if you put it towards a reverse cell number lookup? All it takes is a desire to be free of unknown callers, a phone and a computer number to obtain you on your means to learning who is calling you.

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You dont have to be stressed up anymore. Click the following link to discover now who your girlfriend or boyfriend has been calling or who is bothering you every night by using a reverse cell phone search

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