ICA-CP First Day Handout 2007-2008

ICA Computer Programming Class

Class Meeting Policy
1) For individual assignments, each student must turn in her own work, but may consult with other students.
2) You must bring your flash drive with you to every class meeting.
3) The Internet and class time are to be used for programming class related assignments only, not for playing games, reading email, or working on assignments from other classes.
4) No food and/or drinks are allowed over keyboards and computers.
5) Each student is responsible for keeping backup copies of her work on her flash drive, on the R drive, or other storage medium.
6) Each class meeting, the first activity of the day is to read the ICA-CP class blog located at http://ica-cp.blogspot.com/. Each student is responsible for any announcements made in the class blog, whether she was at the class meeting for the day or not.
7) Students may email Mrs. Clingingsmith at dclingingsmith@icacademy.org
8) Each student must set up a blog that is easily readable.

Homework Policy
1) After each class, each student must write a blog reflecting upon computer programming/engineering ideas she learned in class that day. The reflection must be at least 125 words long. It is due before the next class meeting begins. Generally, the blog is homework, and class time will not be used.
2) Programming class assignments may involve out of class time if the student is unable to finish them during allotted class time.
3) Some homework assignments will involve working in teams. Other assignments will be individual efforts.

Grading Policy
1) Grading formula
1a) 40% programming assignments
1b) 20% daily reflection in a student’s blog
1c) 25% quizzes and tests
1d) 15% quarterly and semester projects
2) Assignments
2a) Assignments are due by the date and time specified.
2b) Late assignments are subject to a 10% penalty for each class period missed.
2c) Assignments are not considered to be “turned in” unless they are properly named and in the correct directory on the “R” drive or other designated storage medium.
3) Blogs
3a) Each daily class blog entry is worth 10 points. If the blog entry is written after the due date and time, points will be deducted. Example: If class begins at 10:00 AM, and a blog entry for the previous class meeting has a date and time stamp of noon, it is late.
3b) If a student is absent from a class meeting, she is excused from writing a reflection in her blog for that day.
3c) Student blogs must be easily readable. If the blog is not readable, credit will not be given.
4c) Each student must read the class blog whether or not she attended class that day.

ICA Computer Programming Class Outcomes
The computer programming student will be able to:
1) Identify a set of program requirements by watching and/or interviewing subject matter experts.
2) Write a step-by-step algorithm from a set of program requirements. Or, write an algorithm from an existing Java program which may including observing special application computers such as microwave ovens, washing machines, and robots,
3) Design, code, test, and debug a syntactically and semantically correct Java program from an algorithm using an editor such as BlueJ.
4) Work on programming projects in collaborative teams, using software engineering methodologies such as software life cycle and code reusability.
5) Use a critical thinking tool, SEXI, to explain programming and computer concepts through different mediums such as podcasts or a blog. SEXI is an acronym for State, Explain, Elaborate, and Illustrate.
6) Identify and explain major components of computer hardware.
7) Identify and explain the relationship between computer hardware, the operating system, and software.
8) Identify and explain major concepts in Object Oriented Programming such as classes, objects, arrays, and inheritance in the Java programs she writes, for example, using comments in Java programs to identify code segments which implement Object Oriented Programming concepts.
9) Write a daily reflection in a blog.
10) Write and run Java programs for a variety of platforms including PC computers, computer simulations, and robots.