Intro to Computer Science
2007-2008

Syllabus

Unit 1: Information Representation

Readings:

• The Most Complex Machine by David J. Eck, chapter 1.1
• Code by Charles Petzold, Chapters 1-3

Exercises:

• Basics of Computer Science, animated: Numbers
• Basics of Computer Science, animated: Text
• Basics of Computer Science, animated: Images and Sound

Hands-on Exercises: Photoshop Tutorials from Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Classroom in a Book

• Lesson 3: Basic Photo Corrections
• Lesson 4: Working with Selections
• Lesson 5: Layer Basics
• Lesson 8: Painting and Editing
• Lesson 9: Basic Pen Tool Techniques
• Optional: Lesson 6: Masks and Channels
• Optional: Lesson 7: Retouching and Repairing
• Optional: Lesson 10: Vector Masks, Paths, and Shapes
• Optional: Lesson 11: Advanced Layer Techniques
• Optional: Lesson 12: Creating Special Effects

Unit 2: Circuits

Readings, part 1:

• Code by Charles Petzold, Chapter 4: Anatomy of a Flashlight
• Code by Charles Petzold, Chapter 5: Seeing Around Corners

Readings, part 2:

• Code by Charles Petzold, Chapter 6: Telegraphs and Relays
• Code by Charles Petzold, Chapter 10: Logic and Switches
• Code by Charles Petzold, Chapter 11: Gates (Not Bill)

In-class Exercise on Logic: A Usual Day at Unusual School

In-class reading & exercise: Converting truth tables into Boolean expressions

Readings: Karnaugh Mapping

• Introduction
• Venn Diagrams
• Boolean Relationships on Venn Diagrams
• Karnaugh Maps, Truth Tables, and Boolean Expressions
• Logic Simplification with Karnaugh Maps

Online (Virtual) Circuit Builders

• http://www.jhu.edu/~virtlab/logic/logic.htm
• http://math.hws.edu/TMCM/java/labs/xLogicCircuitsLab1.html

Unit 3: Programming in Scratch

Download Scratch at home (don't register just yet)
Watch Scratch videos
Work through Scratch cards

Unit 4 : Programming with Karel J Robot

Readings:

• Karel J Robot: A Gentle Introduction to the Art of Object-Oriented Programming In Java, Chapter 2
  Primitive Instructions and Simple Programs

Downloads:

• BlueJ information
• BlueJ download
• Karel J Robot (download the simulator)
• Help for using the Karel J Robot Simulator

Homework 1

• assignment: ArrangeBot
• VertBeeperLine.kwld (download this to your BlueJ project folder)

Homework 2

• Reading: Karel J Robot, Chapters 3.1-3.3
  Extending the Robot Programming Language
• assignment: StairSweeper
• stairs.kwld (download this to your BlueJ project folder)

Homework 3.1: Harvester

• Reading: Karel J Robot, Chapters 3.8-3.10
  Tools for Designing and Writing Robot Programs
• Write harvester programs
• BeeperField.kwld
• BeeperField2.kwld

Homework 3.2 -- USE THE SAME BLUEJ PROJECT AS IN HOMEWORK 3.1

• assignment: Diamond Harvester
• DiamondBeeperField.kwld (download this to your BlueJ project folder)

Bonus Project 1

• assignment: PlanterBot
• planter.kwld (download this to your BlueJ project folder)

Sparse Harvester (using the same BlueJ project as in Homework 3)

• sparseField.kwld (download this to your BlueJ project folder)

Homework 4

• assignment: SuperHarvester and Replanter (two parts -- one BlueJ project)
• FieldWithWalls1.kwld (download this to your BlueJ project folder)
• FieldWithWalls2.kwld (download this to your BlueJ project folder)

Homework 5

• assignment: Steeplechaser
• Steeplechase1.kwld
• Steeplechase2.kwld

Homework 6

• assignment: CarpetingBot
• Carpet1.kwld
• Carpet2.kwld

Homework 7

• assignment: Robot Arithmetic
• add1.kwld - for part 1
• add2.kwld - for part 2

Midterm Quiz/Test/Exam

• review sheet

Interlude: Technology and Elections

• in honor of Super Tuesday, we'll be watching Hacking Democracy
• New York Times article Can You Count on Voting Machines?
• investigate Punchscan vote capture system

Web Site Design and Implementation

• Assignment 1: Learn some HTML
• Assignment 2: Learn more HTML
• Assignment 3: WYSIWYG editors
• Assignment 4: Redesigning a Web Page
  Interview with J.K. Rowling (download)
• Assignment 5: Design with CSS
  download the poem file

Multimedia Programming using Python

Readings:

• Introduction to Computing and Programming in Python: A Multimedia Approach , Chapters 2-3
  Introduction to programming, modifying pictures using loops

Downloads

• CD provided with JES software, multimedia files, and mediaTools
• if no CD, then
  • Download mediaTools for Mac or mediaTools for Windows
  • Download kJES - the software, "MediaSources" folder (useful images and sounds)

Assignments

• reduce the red in a photo by 80%
• increase the red in a photo by 20%
• create a negative of a photo
• convert a photo to grayscale
• reduce the size of a photo by 50%
• double the size of a photo
• take a photo of a person against a green screen and put the person against some other background
• use edge detection to create a line drawing of a photo

Database Design and Implementation

Readings:

• Introduction to Database Theory (pdf)

Downloads:

• MAMP (PHP development environment for Mac)
• WAMP (PHP development environment for Windows)

Learn SQL:

• Online SQL Tutorial
  learn the basic commands, in particular the SELECT query, INSERT statement, and UPDATE statement
• Advanced SQL Tutorial