Month: February 2014

Computer Science: Not Just an Elective Anymore – Education Week

By Liana Heitin

Computer science education is getting something of a fresh look from state and local policymakers, with many starting to push new measures to broaden K-12 students’ access to the subject.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia now have policies in place that allow computer science to count as a mathematics or science credit, rather than as an elective, in high schools—and that number is on the rise. Wisconsin, Alabama, and Maryland have adopted such policies since December, and Idaho has a legislative measure awaiting final action.

At least eight more states are in the process of reviewing proposals for similar legislative or regulatory changes.

“The amazing thing is not only the level to which policy changes are increasing, but the diversity, both regional and political,” of where it’s happening, said Cameron Wilson, the chief operating officer for the computer science advocacy group Code.org. “These are red states and blue states, and they’re all embracing this.”

continue reading:  Computer Science: Not Just an Elective Anymore – Education Week.

10 iPad apps developers will love | ITworld

When the iPad was introduced, most pundits opined that it might be nice for reading online, but that it would never be useful for creating content, much less doing real work. And yet, here we are, a short while later, with 10 meaningful iPad apps for developers, ranging from hardcore development environments to remote consoles.

Without an external keyboard (of which there are many for sale) you lose screen space to the soft keyboard when entering text, though using the iPad in Portrait mode minimizes the amount of space you lose. The good news about using the on-screen keyboard with several of the apps listed is that the apps provide worthwhile enhancements, such as the onscreen equivalent of a TrackPoint joystick.

see slide show at: 10 iPad apps developers will love | ITworld.

There are no computer science teachers in NY | Crain’s New York Business

BY MATTHEW FLAMM , FEBRUARY 5, 2014 11:19 A.M.

At least, not on paper. Fred Wilson and others are trying to change that.

The state does not recognize computer science as an official subject, which means that teachers do not get trained in it while they are becoming certified as instructors.

That’s one reason public-school students have little exposure to the skills needed to snag computer-software programming jobs, which are expected to grow faster than any other profession during the next decade.

Out of 75,000 teachers in New York City public schools, fewer than 100 teach computer science. While state officials are trying to modernize the education syllabus, industry leaders have been filling in the gap with a handful of innovative efforts that illustrate the ad hoc nature of the solution to the shortfall of qualified teachers. But it will be years before all 800 of New York City’s middle and high schools can offer even a single computer-science class.

It is widely acknowledged that for New York City to prosper in the 21st century, its middle and high schools must teach computer science. What is not so well known is that there are no computer-science teachers in New York—at least not on paper.

via There are no computer science teachers in NY | Crain’s New York Business.

What’s the best programming language to learn first? | ITworld

This debate has raged on for a long time. In your opinion, what is the best programming language to learn as your first programming language?

When I’m asked this question, my approach is to consider which language will be the most valuable throughout a career. Making matters more complicated, you won’t just be learning the language, you’ll be learning all of the fundamentals and concepts of programming simultaneously.

via What’s the best programming language to learn first? | ITworld.

CodeCombat

When making Skritter, George didn’t know how to program and was constantly frustrated by his inability to implement his ideas. Afterwards, he tried learning, but the lessons were too slow. His housemate, wanting to reskill and stop teaching, tried Codecademy, but “got bored.” Each week another friend started Codecademy, then dropped off. We realized it was the same problem we’d solved with Skritter: people learning a skill via slow, intensive lessons when what they need is fast, extensive practice. We know how to fix that.

Need to learn to code? You don’t need lessons. You need to write a lot of code and have a great time doing it.

That’s what programming is about. It’s gotta be fun. Not fun like yay a badge but fun like NO MOM I HAVE TO FINISH THE LEVEL! That’s why CodeCombat is a multiplayer game, not a gamified lesson course. We won’t stop until you can’t stop–but this time, that’s a good thing.

If you’re going to get addicted to some game, get addicted to this one and become one of the wizards of the tech age.

via CodeCombat.

Flowlab Game Creator

Make Games, Right in Your Browser

Everything lives in your browser. Making changes is a snap, just press escape to open up the in game builder, then resume playing to test your updates. With no build/deploy process to wait on, updates are quick and painless.

Create Behaviors Visually

No programming experience is required, use flow based programming to visually link simple behaviors into complex game logic. Behaviors are easy to use, but flexible enough to assemble into sophisticated game mechanics and logic.

via Flowlab Game Creator – about flowlab.

Beta!

Beta is a self-organized learning environment optimized for classrooms and workshops

Beta is designed to support self-driven learning. Through their relationship with Beta, students will engage STEM and computer science concepts in a fun way. While Beta can be played alone, it is best experienced in a community! Our ‘Code a Game in a Day’ workshop and curriculum provides educators with the structure needed to unleash the programmer within their students. The Beta Net enables players to instantly communicate, share and connect their work with other players.

Object-Based Programming

Computer Science Terminology

Keyboarding

Game Design

System Design

Core Mathematics

via Beta!.

How Many Lines Of Code Is That? – Edudemic

By Katie Lepi on February 6, 2014

Understanding how to code is a great skill to have. In fact, it is growing to be an important part of a well-rounded education – slowly but surely. With so many careers of the future slated to be STEM based, knowing how to code can be a huge bonus in the job market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, two of the fastest-growing occupations are in computer science and related fields – expected to grow 53.4% by 2018.There are so many different resources out there to help you learn how to code, and yet so many people still don’t know how, and don’t value the skill a whole lot. Luckily, there are big efforts being made to bring awareness to coding. The Hour Of  Code is probably still the most well known at this point, but look out for more to come!

The handy infographic below takes a look at how many lines of code it takes to create…stuff. From basic iPhone games to entire operating systems for computers, just how much code does it take to make our electronic lives happen? Just a fun, visual way of showing just how much coding is in our daily lives!

How Many Lines Of Code Is That?

100,000 to 999,999 lines of code: iPhone apps, older (80s) versions of software like Photoshop

Between 1 and 5 million lines of code: Photoshop CS6, Hubble Space Telescope, US Military Drone

Between 5 and 10 million lines of code: The latest version of Google Chrome, the Mars Curiosity Rover

Between 10 and 25 million lines of code: Total flight software for a Boeing 787, MySQL, a Chevy Volt

Between 25 and 50 million lines of code: Microsoft Office 2013, Windows 2000

Between 50 and 100 million lines of code: US Army Future Combat System, Large Hadron Collider, Facebook, Mac OSX Tiger

Over 100 million lines of code: Car software for a modern high end car, the US healthcare.gov website (reportedly)

via How Many Lines Of Code Is That? – Edudemic.