I created an online course using Schoology to introduce high school students to computer science with an emphasis on Mathematics. The course is a combination of classroom and online work. The students are encouraged to work in groups while in class and they can continue working online at home.
Video
The video describes the audience, the online course and it's objectives. This course came as a need from the local high schools. Students are interested in computer programming and they should be because it will be the beginning of a career in computer science. However, students are not college math ready especially not the math necessary to pursue a degree in computer science. My idea is that if math is combined with another subject the students will see the value of math and will consider taking more math classes.
Schoology LMS
Schoology has a bonus in that it can integrate with other LMS systems and it has tons of features already built in with it. It’s easy to take the pre-made features and use the for the class without having to redo or have to have something created. Schoology makes it very easy to use and to add content. The students enjoy the simplicity of it and once they knew how to use it, they had no trouble login in and getting to work.
Sample Worksheets from Course
As much as students want to spend all their time in front of the computer screen, there needs to be interaction amongst their classmates. I created worksheets to get the students away from the computer and to take some time to think about what they are working on. This first worksheet, helps the students to think about coordinated and how the characters move on a graph.
This worksheet is used to help the students think about their game and what it will consist of. Having a good plan in the beginning will help them execute their ideas.
Original mapping for LMS
Good planning makes for good projects. This is my original brainstorming for the progression of the course. This was done with mind node as it makes it easier change colors and shapes.
