" BLOSSOMS stands for Blended Learning Science or Math Studies. It is a project sponsored by MIT LINC (Learning International Networks Consortium) a consortium of educators from around the world who are interested in using distance and e-Learning technologies to help their respective countries increase access to quality education for a larger percentage of the population.BLOSSOMS Online"

In this lesson students consider a number of computing devices to determine what types of inputs and outputs they use. Groups are assigned to a computing device and based on a teacher-provided definition of input and output, list the inputs and outputs of their device. Earlier in the activity students are prompted to focus on more obvious physical inputs and outputs (e.g. a keyboard as an input or a screen as an output) but later discussions lead students to consider less obvious examples (e.g. that a touch screen is both an input and output, or the fact that the Internet can serve as both input and output). Throughout the lesson the teacher records inputs and outputs that are identified on a T-Chart at the front of the room. To conclude the lesson students examine common activities they do on a computing device and select the inputs and outputs used for that activity from the chart.

Students complete two unplugged card sorting activities to explore the meaning of processing and its relationship to problem-solving. The first activity has few constraints and is used to introduce a high-level definition of processing. The next introduces more constraints that force students to develop an algorithm that will always successfully process the cards. Students iteratively develop, test, and share their algorithms with classmates. A wrap-up discussion has students reflect on the different types of problem-solving they used in these activities and the value of producing an algorithm to solve a problem.

To conclude their study of the problem solving process and the input/output/store/process model of a computer, students will propose an app designed to solve a real world problem. This project will be completed across multiple days and will result in students creating a poster highlighting the features of their app that they will present to their classmates. A project guide provides step by step instructions for students and helps them organize their thoughts. The project is designed to be completed in pairs though it can be completed individually.

Welcome to Computer Science Principles! The first lesson is about getting students excited about the course and connecting their own personal interests to computer science. Students are asked to share something they know a lot about and teach it to a small group. Groups make a “rapid” prototype of an innovative idea and share it. Students watch a brief video about computing innovations. The lesson ends with students logging into the Code.org CSP course web site, and answering a brief prompt about what “computer science” means to them.

In this lesson, students explore more deeply how communication between multiple computers can work over the Internet. They do this by playing a simplified game of Battleship, in which the first game is played unplugged, in their table groups, and the second game is played using the Internet Simulator, so that multiple students can connect to each other and see each other’s messages. Students must devise a messaging protocol that makes it clear who is sending the message and who the intended recipient is.

Students then devise a *binary protocol* for playing this game which will entail developing an addressing system for players, as a well as a formal packet structure for transmitting data about the state of the game.

**NOTE**: this is a large lesson that will likely need to span 2 days of class.

Exploring Computer Science is a yearlong course developed around a framework of both computer science content and computational practice. Assignments and instruction are contextualized to be socially relevant and meaningful for diverse students. Units utilize a variety of tools/platforms and culminate with final projects around Human-Computer Interaction, Problem Solving, Web Design (HTML, CSS), Programming (Scratch, Edware), Computing & Data Analysis, and Robotics. ECS is recognized nationally as a preparatory course for AP Computer Science Principles. Watch this video and view this fact sheet for more information.

Developed by the NYCDOE CS education team, the Introduction to Computational Media is a yearlong (108 hours) creative computing course for high schools using the open source Javascript library p5.js. By understanding how code can be a medium for creative expression, students will learn the fundamentals of computer science while designing and prototyping interactive projects that run on a browser. Additionally, students will learn how HTML/CSS elements can interact with p5.js to fully take advantage of developing content for a browser. This course has been implemented in NYC schools via CS4All’s Software Engineering Program (SEP), revised by classroom teachers with guidance from the Processing Foundation, and aligns with the CS4All Blueprint for CS education that emphasizes a hands-on CS approach called creative computing. Watch this video and view this fact sheet for more information.

This is an engaging project for students who have never programmed before. Students create a musical light show by designing and programming their own Arduino-based circuit. They will problem-solve timing, frequency, color, circuit design and the language of Arduino-based programming to create custom made light-up electronic music boxes. This project was developed by Allen Distinguished Educators Tracey Winey and Dawn DuPriest.

Drag text review activity to help students recognize the major characteristic of each storage device type.

Accordian style presentation showing the different types of storage media with information regarding the characteristics of each.