Kelloggsville — What fascinates junior Alvin Nguyen about coding is that with one keystroke, he can change an entire program.
To demonstrate this, Alvin recently replaced a less than sign (<) with a greater sign (>) in the program he was creating. He hit return, and the images and words in the program instantly disappeared.
“I like making the code work and getting it to do what you want to do,” he said.
Alvin is one of nine students in the high school’s AP Computer Science class, offered the first time this school year.
With the opening of the high school’s new STEM wing, school leaders expanded the academic offerings by launching an introductory computer science class, said teacher Troy Ricketson. The program has grown to include two introductory classes and the AP class.
The high school’s computer science curriculum builds on the foundation established at the middle-school level, where students in grades six through eight can take a computer science elective as part of the program.
Classroom Development
Ricketson said the leadership team connected with the Microsoft Technology Education and Learning Support program, which brings volunteers professionals in computer science to work alongside students.
“It gives the students an opportunity to work with professionals and learn from them on how they create code and problem solve,” explained Ricketson, who teaches special education and computer science.
He said the TEALS program actually encourages instructors with little or no prior experience in coding or computer science. That approach allows teachers to learn and grow alongside their students, he said.
In the introductory class, students use the Microsoft MakeCode platform to create arcade-style games.
The AP Computer Science class, which uses code.org, introduces fundamental programming concepts, which students apply to develop a basic app with a functional user interface.
As part of the AP exam requirements, students must design a program that addresses a problem or explores a topic of their choice. They are also required to record a video demonstration of the program and write an accompanying essay.
Learning the Language
Alvin decided to create a program that provides information on the eight Ivy League schools in the United States. When the name of the school is entered, his program will show the name, location, nickname, logo, number of undergraduates, the number of post-graduates, endowment, number of staff, year founded and original name.
“I took the Intro Computer course and decided to take the AP course because I like computer science and find it interesting,” Alvin said. “I think it is cool that you can build something from scratch. I like to see how the structure works to make something happen.”
Junior Cody Liang said he is considering a career in computer science, such as coding or working on the physical components as a computer hardware engineer.
“I have a brother in this field and I have seen what it is about, so it spiked my interest,” Cody said. “I have enjoyed being able to create things. There are so many different ways to do the same thing and to find the option that does work has been interesting to me.”
Cody’s final project is a flag identification game. The program shows a series of 10 flags, offering four multiple choice answers. At the end of the program, it tells the user how many flags they identified correctly.
“This classroom has by far been one of the most talented, respectful and attentive students I have had,” said volunteer Dan King, who works for Microsoft and attends the class twice a week via video conference from Ohio. A local volunteer visits the classroom on King’s off days.
Ricketson said he is working to connect the class to the school’s robotics team, and hopes to offer an Artificial Intelligence class.
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