Big ideas

Creative Development

Summary

As computer science has many creative liberties and nuance, Creative development(CRD) is the designing, testing, prototyping, and reflecting in computer science. Additionally, collaboration is also important in CRD, because considering multiple perspectives allows for improvement.

Course Topics Covered

• Debugging assignment: We had to debug already written programs meant to do things like make messages in python. To do this required prototyping and testing to make sure the program worked as intended with what we added.
• Card games flowchart: We had to take common card games(e.x. blackjack, snip snap snorum) and turn them into a flowchart. This involved collaboration not just with our team, but with other people who played our game.

Relation to CS

Creative development is needed in computer science because of the creativity that programming requires. When you code an idea you have, you are uing creative development. When you are discussing ideas back and fourth with a partner, that is creative development. A lot of things in programming require you to be creative, and so you need reative development.

Data

Summary

Date is information. This specific big idea goes over how data is processed and stored, and why it is important. Data is what allows us to use computers to their full potentional, so data is a pretty important in the modern world.

Course Topics Covered

• Binary: A numerical system that only holds 2 digits to represent all of it's values. It's used to send information between computer to another computer.
• Digital and Analog information: Digital information is any data stored, read, or transfored to another computer or machine. Analog information is data that is continuous, real-world information. We had to learn about compressing data with lossy and loseless compression, along with converting one to the other.

Relation to CS

Data is everywhere in computer science. It is used to take things through the internet. It is what makes up code. It it the statistics on your worksheets. Data keeps us learning and makes the world turn.

Programming and algorithms.

Summary

Programming and algorithms are how we work and communicate with computers. Any program requires programming and by extension an algorithm. Sometimes you need multiple algorithms in a program to help it run.

Course Topics Covered

• Calculator project: With the use of the programming language python, we made a calculator that was not suppsosed to crash if the user divided by 0 or put in a letter.
• Create task: We were assigned to create something of our choice using algorithms and python. What me and my partner created was a pet store.

Relation to CS

Algorithms are how programs are coded, and we use these programs on a daily basis. From video games to websites algorithm and programs are used everywhere. Stuff like abstraction and variables make simple ideas more complex and widely used.

Computer systems and networks

Summary

Networks and systems are how computers communicate data between one and another. An example of one of these is the internet. Along with going over the most common computer networks and systems, we also went over problems with them, such as how scammers use faulty networks and systems to steal data.

Course Topics Covered

• The world wide web: a hypertext-based information system. Runs on the Internet.
• Keylogging: Keylogging is the use of a computer program to record every keystroke made by a computer user.

Relation to CS

Networks are needed in computer science for quick data transfer, a vital asset to modern day computing. Without easy data transfer, things like the internet that have things like the world wide web would be nonexistant. Along with that we went through how some people use programs and networks for scams like phishing or keylogging.

Impact of computing

Summary

Computing is everywhere in the modern day. Your kids play games on the computer. A company works on a computer. It plays a big part in our day to day lives. Commuting allows for quick communication, data transfering, data proessing, and more.

Course Topics Covered

• Digital divide: The gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the internet, and those who do not.
• Safe computing: Decryption and encryption. We learned how anti-viruses worked and different scamming techniques like phishing.

Relation to CS

There are multiple aspects of Modern day computing. Some people still ask if it's safe. Some people believe computers are the best invention made. Some people can't access the internet because of the digital divide.