Page 25 - Class Catalog

COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES

Creative Computing (MS & HS) - Creative computing supports the development of personal
connections to computing, by drawing upon creativity, imagination, and interests. Many young
people with access to computers participate as consumers, rather than designers or
creators. Creative computing emphasizes the knowledge, practices, and fundamental literacies
that young people need to create the types of dynamic and interactive computational media that
they enjoy in their daily lives. This course uses a platform called Scratch to develop creativity
and teach basic programming skills. All students will be required to complete a year-end project
in which they will go through a project design process very similar to that of SCRUM used by
Raytheon, including a design sprint. Typing will also be incorporated into this course using
Mavis Beacon Keyboarding for Kids (which students will be able to keep) in which at home
practice will be required and part of the student’s grade. Prerequisites: None A Laptop is
required; a tablet or mobile device may not be used in lieu of a laptop. Internet access for this
course is optional. Instructor: Lisa Mellady

Build A Gaming PC (HS) - Desktop, Laptop, Tower. BIOS, DDR, HCL. Minecraft, Fortnite, Mario
Kart. Did you know what the first six were? No doubt you could identify the last three. Without
hardware, gaming would not exist. It is the foundation of all things computer. In this course we
will enhance your understanding of computer components, computer memory, processing
devices, and input devices. We will study how they work, how they impact one another, and how
to solve problems as they arise. Then we will put our new found knowledge into practice by
collaborating to build a working gaming computer. Course will include: Hardware Architecture,
Software Implementation, Troubleshooting, and Basic Coding. Prerequisite: None. This is a
beginning level foundational course. Students must be willing to learn, collaborate, and offer
suggestions. Some handouts and videos will be required as homework. This class is heavily
hands on and collaborative. Instructor: Jennifer Paolini

Web Design (HS) -This course will be guiding the beginning student in the field of Web Design.
We will cover adding, styling, and modifying text, adding links, working with tables, creating
forms, controlling page layouts, adding semantic tags, adding canvases, adding audio and video,
publishing your web page in HTML5 and CSS and working with JavaScript. We will be learning
how to write the language in Notepad ++. We will not be using a web development application.
This is a nuts and bolts type of course that is focused on learning the language of HTML5. This
is a project-based course and students will be required to complete a final project. There will
also be a written final at the end of the Fall Semester. A Laptop is required; a tablet or mobile
device may not be used in lieu of a laptop. Instructor: Lisa Mellady

Microsoft Excel (HS-Adult) - Exploring a Business, Science, Computer Science or Mathematics
Career? Ever tried to analyze data by hand? Working on a science fair project? Interesting in
basic computer programming? This Excel course will teach a two-fold approach. We will learn
Excel’s most popular uses such as analyzing data, create spreadsheets and graphing
information. In addition, we will use Excel’s imbedded VBA language to learn the basics of
computer programming. This course will cover basic operation, charts, xml spreadsheets, and
macro programming. Whether you are analyzing data for your science fair project or looking to
design a fun old school game, this course in Excel will not disappoint. Prerequisite: None. This is
an entry level class. A laptop or tablet and access to Microsoft Excel is required. Instructor:
Jennifer Paolini