1. Project based learning in CS

2. About Me Cam Joyce Johnston Heights joyce_c@surreyschools.ca
Teach Math and CS
Great wedge for introductions
BASc = Computing Science
Somehow qualifies me as an expert in all things tech related
Ask Cam, he’ll know?

3. Are you in the right place?

4. Greenfoot as a tool for learning CS/CP
IDE for basic/rapid game development
Create a World and Actors who live in the World
Visual IDE based on BlueJ
Extension: Droidfoot
Supported Languages:
Java
Stride (new)

5. You might want to install now…

8. Sharing

9. Troubleshooting

12. Functions, Methods, Modularity
Planning Before
Logical progression of content
Basics of the Language
Decisions and Logic
Iteration
Functions, Methods, Modularity
Classes …

13. Assignments Write a program to:
determine if a given year is a leap year
practice basic arithmetic using random numbers
3 * 5 = ? = ? …
Sum the first 100 integers

14. Read source code documentation
Planning Now
Progression of Project
Make a picture
Create a character
Create a game …
Read source code documentation
Create a method
Make a picture
Use methods
Use basic data types

16. My favorite activities
Support Visualization
Incorporate multimedia
Have a low floor and high ceiling
Can be Individualized
Towards Interests
To complement ability
To avoid plagiarism
Are engaging
To a broad audience (not just those that enjoy CS)
Students work from home when it’s not required

17. Logical Operators
Casting
If/Else Statements
Make a Character
Arrays
Random Numbers
Math Operations

18. Floor

19. Student work - Frog

20. Student Work – Board Games (2D array)
Chess
Reversi/Othello
Gomoku (like connect5 meets Go)
Connect4 Go
Stratego
Minesweeper/Battleship hybrid
Checkers

21. Student Work – Projects CS11
Asteroids
Tower Defense
Air strike
Tank battle
Platforms are possible but them gravity and physics creeping
Scrolling worlds are another hot topic
I have written helper classes to speed up the process if students want to implement these in projects
Basic on purpose
Those that are capable can learn from my examples and write more robust examples

22. Computational Thinking
The Picnic Competition
Students design an Ant to find food and return it to a Nest
Obstacles can block Ants
Food is worth different point values
There are several Ants and several Nests
Spiders are a danger to Ants, they can take points away
...
Here is last semester’s live competition

23. I still… Use regular practice of skills like I did before
codingbat is a nice tool
Skill practice is important
I don’t start with skill practice anymore though
I start with projects that motivate students to learn a skill

24. CodingBat Can author custom questions also Java and Python supported
Nice prequel to CCC online grader

25. Hackathon - 20 minutes? Space game Spaceship
Sound and images at mrjoyce.wordpress.com
Spaceship
Tracks mouse
Moves by keyboard
Fires a Missile at Aliens
Explodes if hit
Motivates further discussion
Fire a Projectile at an Enemy

26. Thanks! Cam Joyce Johnston Heights Sec. joyce_c@surreyschools.ca
mrjoyce.wordpress.com
In progress