Getting Started

Welcome!

Welcome to Foundational Concepts of Computer Science. This first course towards your CS Endorsment in the state of Iowa is designed to give you a solid overview of the dispiline of computer science.  It is not intended to make you an expert in any one sub-discipline of computer science, but instead, to provide you exposure to the topics and vocublary of the various elements of the field that are covered by the CSTA/Iowa K-12 standards.

I will talk about the philosophy and structure of the course at our first meetup on Tuesday, June 8.  But to be a little more prepared for this meetup I will ask that you complete the following activities prior to the meeting.

 

Activities

 

  1. Review the Syllabus

    I always think it is important that students understand the structure of a course.  This includes how content will be delivered and how grades will be earned. While we will discuss this in some detail during our first meetup on Tuesday, June 8th, it will be streamlined if you take some time to read/review the syllabus.

  2. Complete a self-introduction

    We have conducted two external evaluations of our endorsement certificate program since it launched in 2018.  Both reviews have shown that one of the TOP things that teachers have appreciated about our program was that they had forged a community of peers/colleagues who they were able to turn to for help/advise as they worked on teaching CS in their own classrooms. 

    This result has not surprised us, as one of the fundamental design principles since we got started developing our program is that we design our instruction to be taught to cohorts of peers who work their way through the courses largely together as a group.  At times that may frustrate you as you will have situations where you prefer to work on your own and at your own pace.  But in the end, we believe you will understand why we have designed things the way we have.

    In order to get started with that sense of community, it will be helpful if we all make self introductions.  While we will do some of this "live" at our first meetup on June 8th, not everyone will be there.  Furthermore, sometimes you remember that someone said something but you can't remember WHO.  As such, I want to have a more permenant place for self introductions.  As such, I would like you to prepare a 1-2 page google document to share with the others in this cohort that includes the following information:

    1. Your name and photo
    2. Your school and district
    3. The subjects you currently teach (If you are a coach or advisor or hold other roles in your school we want to hear about that too.)
    4. At least three "fun" facts about you (this might be family information, fun places you have lived, where you grew up, what you would be doing this summer if you weren't be foreced to take this class *wink*, your fun story about meeting a celebrity, etc.)  Just give us something that helps us get to know you as YOU.
    5. Your experience with CS so far (Don't worry if the answer is "none")
    6. Why you are in this program.

    Again, while I will ask those of you at the first meetup to share some of this information, getting it down in writing is beneficial in the long run.

    When you have completed yours please add it to the Bios folder at:

    Mine is already in there as a starting point, but yours doesn't have to be as long or as detailed as mine.  Please share what you are willing to share about yourself.

     

  3. Prep for chapter 1 by looking at the instructional materials

    Each unit in our course follows a very similar pattern of:

    1. Reading sections of the textbook.
    2. Watching a series of videos to support/expand on the textbook
    3. Considering a series of "study questions" to help you see if you understand the key elements and competencies of the unit.
    4. Meeting with a small study group to discuss/review the study questions
    5. Submitting additional questions to the faculty.
    6. Watching response videos preparred based on your questions
    7. Attending a weekly "meetup" for further discussions on the material/study questions
    8. Completing a competency demo on the key concepts of the unit.

    I will talk about this process at our first meetup on June 8th.  But to give you a frame of reference for the discussion it would be helpful if you have looked at the schedule/materials for Unit 1.