Core Standards of the Course
Strand 1 (Semester 1 & 2)
Creativity and computing are prominent forces in innovation; the innovations enabled by computing have had and will continue to have far-reaching impact. At the same time, computing facilitates exploration and the creation of knowledge. This course will emphasize these creative aspects of computing. Students in this course will create interesting and relevant artifacts with the tools and techniques of computer science.
Standard 1
Computing fosters the creation of artifacts.
Standard 2
Computing fosters creative expression.
Standard 3
Programming is a creative process.
Strand 2 (Semester 2)
Abstraction reduce information and detail to facilitate focus on relevant concepts. Everyone uses abstraction daily to effectively manage complexity. In computer science, abstraction is a central problem-solving technique. It is a process, a strategy, and the result of reducing detail to focus on concepts relevant to understanding and solving problems. This course will include examples of abstractions used in modeling the world, managing complexity, and communicating with people as well as with machines. Students in this course will learn to work with multiple levels of abstraction while engaging with computational problems and systems.
Standard 1
A combination of abstractions built upon binary sequences can be used to represent all digital data.
Standard 2
Multiple levels of abstraction are used in computation.
Standard 3
Models and simulations use abstraction to raise and answer questions.
Strand 3 (Semester 2)
Data and information facilitate the creation of knowledge. Computing enables and empowers new methods of information processing that have led to monumental change across disciplines, from art to business to science. Managing and interpreting an overwhelming amount of raw data is part of the foundation of our information society and economy. People use computers and computation to translate, process, and visualize raw data, and create information. Computation and computer science facilitate and enable a new understanding of data and information that contributes knowledge to the world. Students in this course will work with data using a variety of tools and techniques to better understand the many ways in which data is transformed into information and knowledge.
Standard 1
People use computer programs to process information to gain insight and knowledge.
Standard 2
Computing facilitates exploration and the discovery of connections in information.
Standard 3
Computational manipulation of information requires consideration of representation, storage, security, and transmission.
Strand 4 (Semester 1 & 2)
Algorithms are fundamental to even the most basic everyday tasks. Algorithms realized in software have affected the world in profound and lasting ways. The development, use, and analysis of algorithms is one of the most fundamental aspects of computing. Students in this course will work with algorithms in many ways: they will develop and express original algorithms, they will implement algorithms in some language, and they will analyze algorithms both analytically and empirically.
Standard 1
An algorithm is a precise sequence of instructions for a process that can be executed by a computer.
Standard 2
Algorithms are expressed using languages.
Standard 3
Algorithms can solve many but not all problems.
Standard 4
Algorithms are evaluated analytically and empirically.
Strand 5 (Semester 1 & 2)
Programming enables problem solving, human expression, and creation of knowledge. Programming and the creation of software have changed our lives. Programming results in the creation of software, and it facilitates the creation of more general computational artifacts including music, images, visualizations, and more. In this course, programming will enable exploration and the object of study. This course will introduce students to the concepts and techniques used in writing programs and to the ways in which programs are developed and used by people; the focus of the course is not on programming per se, but on all aspects of computation. Students in this course will create programs, translating human intention into computational artifacts.
Standard 1
Programs are written to execute algorithms.
Standard 2
Programming is facilitated by appropriate abstractions.
Standard 3
Programs are developed and used by people.
Standard 4
Programming uses mathematical and logical concepts.
Strand 6 (Semester 1)
Internet pervades modern computing. The Internet and the systems built on it have had a profound impact on society. Computer networks support communication and collaboration. The principles of systems and networks that helped enable the Internet are also critical in the implementation of computational solutions. Students in this course will gain insight into how the Internet operates, study characteristics of the Internet and systems built upon it and analyze important concerns such as cybersecurity.
Standard 1
The Internet is a network of autonomous systems.
Standard 2
Characteristics of the Internet and the systems built on it influence their use.
Standard 3
Cybersecurity is an important concern for the Internet and the systems built on it.
Strand 7 (Semester 1 & 2)
Computation has changed the way people think, work, live, and play. Our methods for communicating, collaborating, problem solving, and doing business have changed and are changing due to innovations enabled by computing. Many innovations in other fields are fostered by advances in computing. Computational approaches lead to new understandings, new discoveries, and new disciplines. Students in this course will become familiar with many ways in which computing enables innovation, and they will analyze the potential benefits and harmful effects of computing in several contexts.
Standard 1
Computing affects communication, interaction, and cognition.
Standard 2
Computing enables innovation in nearly every field.
Standard 3
Computing has both beneficial and harmful effects.
Standard 4
Computing is situated within economic, social, and cultural contexts.
Computational Thinking Practices
Standard 1
Connecting computing. Developments in computing have far-reaching effects on society and have led to significant innovations. These developments have implications for individuals, society, commercial markets, and innovation. Students in this course study these effects and connections, and they learn to draw connections between different computing concepts. Students are expected to:
Standard 2
Developing computational artifacts. Computing is a creative discipline in which the creation takes many forms, ranging from remixing digital music and generating animations to developing websites, writing programs, and more. Students in this course engage in the creative aspects of computing by designing and developing interesting computational artifacts, as well as by applying computing techniques to creatively solve problems. Students are expected to:
Standard 3
Abstracting-Computational thinking requires understanding and applying abstraction at multiple levels ranging from privacy in social networking applications, to logic gates and bits, to the human genome project, and more. Students in this course use abstraction to develop models and simulations of natural and artificial phenomena, use them to make predictions about the world, and analyze their efficacy and validity. Students are expected to:
Standard 4
Analyzing problems and artifacts. The results and artifacts of computation, and the computational techniques and strategies that generate them, can be understood both intrinsically for what they are as well as for what they produce. They can also be analyzed and evaluated by applying aesthetic, mathematical, pragmatic, and other criteria. Students in this course design and produce solutions, models, and artifacts, and they evaluate and analyze their own computational work as well as the computational work that others have produced. Students are expected to:
Standard 5
Communicating-Students in this course describe computation and the impact of technology and computation, explain and justify the design and appropriateness of their computational choices, and analyze and describe both computational artifacts and the results or behaviors of such artifacts. Communication includes written and oral descriptions supported by graphs, visualizations, and computational analysis. Students are expected to:
Standard 6
Collaborating-Innovation can occur when people work together or independently. People working collaboratively can often achieve more than individuals working alone. Students in this course collaborate in several activities, including investigation of questions using data sets and in the production of computational artifacts. Students are expected to: