The Female Perspective of Computer Science
This blog looks pretty cool and provides a different view of Computer Science education. I like the fact that there are some very interesting and hard questions being asked as well.
Learning Computer Science does not have to be hard and painful for the teacher or the student, but it often is painful for both. Something is going wrong if this is the norm.
Tech Industry Searching for Girls Gone Geek
The title of this article is the whole reason girls are running the other way. The term Geek and Nerd just does not resonate with girls. Who wants to be a stereotypical Geek or Nerd? The truth is that today we are all Geeks and Nerds as we all use computers, iPhones, smartPhones, and gadgets galore. Nerds and Geeks of ten or twenty years ago were the only people using computers and gadgets. The days of the classical Nerds and Geeks are gone as the ones that still exist in that sense are locked away in the basement drinking Jolt Cola eating cold pizza. Today’s Geeks and Nerds look just like everyone else and prefer to not be lumped in with the stereotypical Nerds and Geeks of yesteryear. If you have a phone or a laptop, you my friend are a big fat Nerd! Admit this to yourself, go pop a can of Jolt, and kick back and Nerd out on Facebook! Oh, by the way, Nerds and Geeks made Facebook!
Big Data and the abundance of data is quite a popular topic these days.
The topic of big data overlaps many different disciplines and affects much more than just Computer Science.
Companies like Walmart and Google examine and create lots of data.
I tell my students this every single day.
It seems that some of them get it some do not.
Google Page Rank Algo is Old as Dirt
It is not quite as old as dirt, but the algorithm has been around for some time.
Many of the algorithms commonly used today for sorting and searching are also quite old.
Tag Clouds are cool things to discuss and they make for nice assignments for students. The discussion of Tag Clouds gives students a better idea of how page ranking works. I have my students create a basic tag cloud program and they really enjoy it.
Cisco Futurist Says Robots Will Replace all Workers in 25 Years
This is not that hard to believe if you follow robotic developments.
The advancements made in robotics lately are amazing.
I think I am going to go watch iRobot again to make sure I am prepared.
The University of Texas Computer Science Roadshow is visiting my school on Friday and bringing along their Robotic Soccer team. I will have to keep my eye on those soccer playing job thieves.
Humanoid Robots with Social Skills
Now if we could only teach these social skills to real people we would be in business.
I use ciphers and codes in my Computer Science classes as discussion topics and lab topics. There are many different types of ciphers. Codes are a big part of our everyday life and have been a big part of our history. Students relate to these topics and enjoy discussing them.
I presented a Model Classroom session at the TCEA State Convention on February 11 over Ciphers and Codes.
Ciphers
Substitution Ciphers
Transposition Ciphers
Ciphers and Codes Slides
Ciphers and Codes Lesson Plan
Youtube – National Treasure Secrets and Codes
Ciphers and Codes materials will be included in the new 2010-2011 A+ Computer Science Curriculum which contains labs with solutions, slides with examples, quizzes, tests, and related materials.
Pygame – A Game Programming Library for Python
This library is great and it allows for amazing game creation in python.
I will be posting some slides and lab examples over the weekend.
Python is used in many College Science courses as the computational vehicle.
Python is a great language for students new to Computer Science.
The syntax is simple and it is very easy to get programs up and running quickly.
print "A+ Computer Science Rocks!!" Teaching Computer Science Using Python - TCEA Presentation
Erasing Our Innovation Deficit
There are lots of great points in this article. As we innovate, we create jobs and very good jobs that last. We must be the ones to create the next great gadjets, gizmos, and world-changing devices.