Arlington Tech

Arlington Tech

AP Computer Science Principles


Wednesday, August 31st

Classwork

Today in class we will begin setting up our development environment, which we will need to write and run Python programs.

Specifically, we need to:

  1. install the xcode command line tools. This is most easily done on our school Macbooks by running the following command in your terminal window:
      $ git
    
    This will offer the the option of installing xcode, which you should accept.
  2. Download dot_vimrc.txt and rename it to .vimrc in your home directory.

Homework

Monday, August 29th

Welcome to AP Computer Science Principles!

Homework: Starting Out in Computer Science

Computer science has changed the way we communicate with each other, make art and movies, grow food, and even treat illnesses. Everyone can learn computer science and make a difference.

Read the following quotes from students:

In the first week of this class I was falling behind quickly. There was a lot of new information to learn. To keep up, I had to find a better way to study. I tried to find connections between the material and what I already know. That really helped me remember things. I also tried to not overdo it. I started taking small breaks in-between lessons and when I came back I checked if I still remembered what I was studying before. It helped a lot.
Some days I felt tired and would drift away in my thoughts. It was a real problem because I would miss so much of what we were learning. So I started going to bed a bit earlier and I tried my best to pay attention. At the end of every class our teacher summarized what we learned that day and that was really helpful. I started taking more notes because that also kept my mind from wandering. These little tricks got me through the class and I learned more.
I can be pretty forgetful sometimes and it was a problem in this class. I think it's because we did so much on the computer. For my other classes I take notes on paper and read through them again at home. So the trick that I found helpful in this class was to take notes on paper anyway and to test myself about the concepts. I wasn't sure if it would work at first, but I think it ended up being a big help.

Then complete the Reflect and Summarize paragraph on our Canvas site before midnight tonight, Monday, August 29th.