Hi all,

Here are two very well-written articles that articulate what I have been saying for a while about the need for more students to go into computing as a field of study.   

http://www.csedweek.org/newsroom/blog/10-ways-to-compete-in-a-digital-world/

 

http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_on_the_issues/archive/2012/12/12/investing-in-american-innovation-and-the-next-generation.aspx

 

Mr. Svetlik

 

 

 

Hi all,

A rather good article that was sent to me about the power of "stupidity". 

When challenged with new things, "stupidity" can actually be an asset. 

http://jcs.biologists.org/content/121/11/1771.full

Thanks,
Svetty

Making the Triangle Class

Hi all,

Hope you're having a nice weekend.

So I've had the chance to see some of you working on the Triangle class.  Neat stuff.  Looks like many of you are making good progress.  It's exciting for me to see how far you've already come in only a few short weeks.  You have no idea how much potential you have right now to do some amazing things with this stuff... you will soon see.

For anyone who could use a little boost towards getting the assignment done right, here's a skeleton of how the Triangle class should look.  I'm leaving out the body of each of the methods here, so you'll need to add them in to have the assignment work as intended.  Remember to use the Circle class as a starting point.  It was intended to help you get through this with minimal stress.  Remember, too, that you'll also need to write the complete TriangleTester program according to the directions on my DHS web site... DON'T FORGET ANY PARTS OF IT!

public class Triangle
{
   //PART I:  INSTANCE VARIABLES
   private double base;
   private double height;

   //PART II:  CONSTRUCTORS
   public Triangle()
   {
   }

   public Triangle(double b, double h)
   {
   }

   //PART III:  ACCESSORS
   public double getBase()
   {
   }

   public double getHeight()
   {
   }

   //PART IV:  MUTATORS
   public void setBase(double b)
   {
   }

   public void setHeight(double h)
   {
   }

   //PART V:  GETAREA
   public double getArea()
   {
       //DON'T FORGET THAT INTEGER DIVISION THING
       //I SHOWED YOU AT THE END OF THE PERIOD!!
   }

   //PART VI:  TOSTRING
   public String toString()
   {
   }
}

Hope this helps... let me (or Spencer, Daniel, Adam, Stephen, or any of the other veteran students) know if you need any extra guidance.

See you all soon,
Mr. Svetlik

For Mac Users

Hi all,

This comes from Spencer Delman.  Seems like the Mac world continues to be an odd one for syncing with Java.

--------

Svetty,

 

Oracle just rolled out an update to fix the problems with java 7.  Rather quickly if I do say so myself! See ya tomorrow.

 

 

http://osxdaily.com/2012/08/30/java-se-7u7-update-fixes-security-issue/

 

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk7u7-downloads-1836413.html

 

Thanks,

 

Spencer Delman

 

 

Keep us posted if you are running into any issues with your Mac.

 

Mr. Svetlik

Some Hints for the First Quiz

Hi everybody,

Hope you are enjoying your three-day weekend.  I'm not sure that I can remember a nicer Labor Day outside than today.

As I mentioned in class at the end of the week last week, tomorrow (Tuesday) you'll take your first quiz of the year.  To prepare for this quiz, you'll want to have read Chapters 1 and 2 of the textbook completely, and be familiar with each of the concepts presented therein.

Remember that whenever you hear me ask for you to read a chapter in the text, I'm not just asking for you to glance through the sections.  In computer science, reading a text involves more than just merely familiarizing yourself with terminology in a given chapter.  Instead, if you really want to master this material, I suggest that you run each of the example programs that go with the chapters AS you read the book.  That'll give you the experience of being able to see firsthand what a given line or block of code does.

Here are a few other suggestions for the quiz tomorrow that I think will be of benefit to you:

1.)  Be prepared to know what a syntax error is and another way of referring to a syntax error.  (Hint:  What specifically detects syntax errors, and what informs you when you have a syntax error embedded in your code?)

2.)  Be prepared to articulate what common features belong to generally all Java applications (e.g. "public class Foo", "public static void main(String[] args)", semicolons at the end of each line of executable code, etc.)

3.)  Be prepared to know multiple ways for how to write comments into your code.

4.)  Be prepared to know multiple ways for how to declare AND initialize a variable (such as an int or a double).  You'll want to make sure you've read Chapter 2 to fully be able to grasp this one.

5.)  Be prepared to know the file extension types for source code files (.java) and bytecode files (.class), and know the different purposes for each type of file.

6.)  Finally, be prepared to articulate the distinction between a BlueJ project and just a regular folder.  It is possible to convert any folder into a BlueJ project by opening that folder using the "Non-BlueJ Project" feature.  Most significantly, this allows you to open up the folders within which the example textbook files are contained.  This also allows you to get at the contents of .zip files from within BlueJ. 

The way this works is that BlueJ adds a single .bluej file into the folder so that it is recognizable as a BlueJ project at any other point you decide to access it from within BlueJ.  This feature also allows you to open up the project automatically simply by clicking on the .bluej file (it'll usually be named "package" when you look it up).

Hope this helps you do well on the quiz tomorrow.

See everybody then.

Mr. Svetlik

Hi everybody,

Well, we made it through our first day.  Many of you reported back to me that you were able to get the installation of the software going, but several of the Mac users seemed to have some issues getting things up and running.

I did a little further research and came across a few suggestions and resources that I hope help all of you.

1.)  First, it seems that depending on which version of Mac OS X you have, you may or may not already have the Java Software Development Kit already installed.   It really depends on how new your computer is and what version of OS X you're running.

Follow the link here for further details.

http://java.about.com/od/gettingstarted/a/javamacosx.htm

2.)  If it turns out that you already have the Java SDK installed, you can update your version to the most up-to-date version by going through Java -> Java Preferences.

3.)  If you need to manually install the Java SDK, you can go to the same web site that I went to for getting the installation file:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

You'll want to select the JDK download, and select Mac OS X.  You'll have to agree to the license agreement to perform the download.

4.)  CRITICAL STEP:  Whether or not the Java Development Kit is already on your computer or you install it yourself, you are still going to need to copy the seven jar files from my CD and put them onto your own machine in this location:

/System/Library/Java/Extensions

This is critical to making sure that all programs we write for this class end up working properly.

5.)  Finally, after doing all this, you'll need to install BlueJ, which is the actual environment in which we write our code.  I included directions for how to perform the install, but here is a YouTube link that might also help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcmQ1y6RYDE

6.)  I'll go through in class today how to access the DoesItWork file, and how to verify that everything is up-and-running.

If you are a Mac user and you do end up getting things to work, I would appreciate it if you sent me an e-mail to let me know, and also let me know if there is anything helpful that you did that I can share with the rest of the class. 

Hope this helps all of you.

See you all soon.
Mr. Svetlik
 
     

First Day Excitement

Hi all,

As the school year approaches, I am looking forward to a year unlike any other I've ever had as a teacher at Deerfield High School.  For the first time ever, four sections of AP Computer Science will be offered at our school.  I have been given the rare gift of teaching each of these classes.

More students have signed up for this course than ever before.  And for good reason, I believe... you have much to gain in learning the art of computer science.  Invest yourself fully into what this course offers you, and you will discover a whole world of possibilities awaiting you.  Of the top ten most in-demand or most rewarding careers, computing, computer science, software engineering, and associated career paths consistently place towards the top.

(See http://www.cnbc.com/id/46994473/The_Best_Jobs_for_2012?slide=1.)

AP Computer Science is your first glimpse into this world of computing.  I sincerely hope that those of you who take this class find this to be an exciting, challenging, and ultimately rewarding experience. 
And I will do my best this year to help you find success along the way.

As we move through this class together, I intend for this blog to be a primary way in which I communicate with students.  As I come across new resources, I'll share them with you here.  I might send hints to homework assignments here now and then, too.  So, what I'm saying is that you'll want to get comfortable with this site, and rely on it as we progress through the year together.
I look forward to an exciting year sharing my love of programming with you.

Mr. Svetlik