Computer Science is a subject that is a bit misunderstood in most schools. Teachers assume that students know what they are doing when it comes to using computers and how to write programs. Often, students are given a simple assignments and told to code them, pass them off, and get a grade. When students do their assignments and don’t understand the “code” they often feel confused and don’t understand why they didn’t get a “grade” on their computer science project. So, what is the real deal about computer science?
The first thing a student needs to understand is what computer programs are, how they work, and what they are used for. The next step is understanding how computer science courses are taught. In essence, students need to learn computer programs first before they can understand how to program them.
What happens in a typical computer science class is that a group of students sit down with a teacher and works on a large board or whiteboard. On the board or whiteboard are pictures of computer programs. The student that sits down next to the student that is next in line reads the description of the program and tries to mimic how it would be used. The student that comes across the answer that they were incorrect is the one that gets the “grade”. Everyone is then graded on how well they have done the reading, writing, and pretending to use the program.
After this, the student that made the mistakes is given a chance to try again. If they still can’t figure out how to use the program, the student is allowed to call in an example of how to program the computer or ask for help from someone else in the class. This shows the rest of the students that even though a computer program is complex, it’s not impossible for someone to actually figure it out. Then everyone has more confidence in each other and begins to feel comfortable using the computer.
In a typical class, the student will be given a series of computer programs to try. They will be shown how to make them and follow step-by-step instructions as to useful source how to complete the programs. The student explained will also be able to explain each of the programs and why they were put into place. Computer programs are normally built around games, such as Tetris or Pong, but they could be anything that the teacher thinks a student will need.
Another part of a typical computer science lesson involves working with actual equipment. Students will be given a variety of computer hardware to use. They will be expected to look at the different pieces and see how they do what they are supposed to do. For example, the student will be shown a mouse and keyboard, with the mouse they will be able to operate a computer using just their eyes. The keyboard will give them commands to type something.
The most common thing that a student will do is type a text message into a phone. A student explained, will be able to explain that a text message is simply a message that is sent from a computer to someone else. The student will demonstrate with their computer hand how they type the text messages and then type out the message in the phone. This could be demonstrated with an explanation about how the computer stores the messages and sends them out to whichever phone number the user has chosen.
Other things that the student will be able to do our program a computer, print a document and upload it to the Internet. The student explained, will be able to tell their students about the types of programs that they can do with the computer. A typical computer will have basic software that a student can download and begin using. As they learn more about how to use the computer and programming, they will be able to begin creating more complex programs.