I have been asked to share this - I usually do this during my second unit in APCS Principles - The Internet Unplugged.

Writing is a big part of doing well on the new Performance Task assessments for the course. I have found this activity to be a great way to get them writing. I do not grade for grammar or spelling at this point. I want them writing, we can work on mechanics later.

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One activity that works really well to get students writing is an online debate using a discussion board. The point of this activity is to get them used to thinking and debating a topic and responding to other students. In the beginning students tend to take a very surface approach to topics. Debating lets them really delve in and explore the why behind the points they are making.

This activity works well in several areas of the APCS Principles curriculum. It is simple to grade and really gets the students engaged in writing.

To get them ready we play a game in class to get them used to pros and cons, then we debate a current event topic online. The in class debate topic does not necessarily need to relate to computer science. For the online topic I usually pull a current event that relates to something like privacy or online ethics.

The in Class Game:

Have the students line up into two equal lines. Make one like pro and one line con.

Then explain the rules:

• the two lines take turns
• after a student goes they move to the back of the line
• if you are in the pro line you must be for the resolution, if you are in the con line you must be against it, no matter your own personal opinions
• whoever is at the front of the line earns a point for every time they
• add a new point or
• rebut a point made by the other team
• No points are awarded for repeated points or responses

Once they understand the rules reveal the topic reveal the topic. As they take turns keep score.

Topics that work well are things like:

• Resolved: the minimum driving age should be raised to 18
• Resolved: cell phones should not be allowed in schools
• Resolved: social media sites should be limited to people over the age of 18

As you move to the online debate a similar format works. In addition students may earn points by by responding with a related fact as long as they provide a link to a reliable source.

I usually let the online debate go on for 3 - 5 days. In the end you can add up points and declare a winner. You can even post a daily point tally. I do usually try to keep the total points close to keep everyone interested.

For topics for the online debate try to pick something currently in the news. The first time I did this activity Congress was debating some Internet piracy legislation that was being heavily covered in the news.  Computer Science is constantly in the news there is almost something in the headlines related to the Learning Objectives.

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The applications to pilot the new CS Principles class are due today. As folks were working on their submissions I have had several questions about books I used as a part of developing curriculum for the course.

I want by starting with a caution. Relying too much on one book runs the risk of locking in your curriculum. The course is most powerful when you have the flexibility to adapt what you are doing to where the students interest point. Relying on only one book you run the risk of robbing them of this experience.

Also, you as the teacher need to be driving your course. Obviously we need materials to fill in gaps in our own knowledge, but you ultimately need to develop these materials to meet your students where they are and pull them into the course.

So, now that I have warned you, here is my partial  list of books I used over the past two years.

• CS Principles Bookshelf
• Blown to Bits
• also Tubes

I am curious, what books have you all been using? Anything unexpected?

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In CS Principles we have moved on from Data and are now covering Questions. In this unit we cover logic gates and if-thens. I want the students to make a connection between the hardware, all the binary we did earlier in the year, and how conditionals work in programming,

image from logic.ly online demo

Logic Gates Video

This explanation starts with a scenario - What if you need to trigger an alarm in a room with two sensors?

I love this approach. So often we start with the truth table, then go to a scenario, and by that point you have lost them.

After this we used the Logic.ly website to let them try making their own logic gates.

Next class well be watching this video explaining how the OR and AND gates are made. The students had a lot of questions about this today and this makes it pretty clear.

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