Instructor Access (optional grading support) for Unlimited Access families is available for this course!

In this approved AP course, students work with data and learn the skills of computing, problem-solving, programming, cybersecurity, and more. Prepare your student for the AP test, to earn college credit — or simply give your student AP credit on his or her transcript!

Note: This course prepares students for the AP Computer Science Principles test. In order to list this course as AP on a transcript, it must be taken as a live, interactive course. However, students taking the recorded version may still take the AP test.

 How to get the most out of AP Computer Science Principles, Part Two with Margaret Morrow:

• First, read the course details below along with the syllabus and welcome letter.

• If you did not complete part one:  Purchase an inexpensive Android phone or tablet, the Welcome letter suggests some strategies. If you prefer, you can complete the programming projects using a tool of your choice. Each project specifies the elements that must be incorporated. Students have substituted Scratch, Python, and Java based projects for the App Inventor projects in the curriculum.

  • Sign up for a Google account, then sign-up for the course site at http://course.mobilecsp.org  

  • Click on the “registration” link which is located in the blue banner on the top of the page.  

  • Enter your Google Account information, and you’ll be able to begin the class.
    
    

• Prepare either an electronic or paper notebook to keep track of information in the video lectures.

• Each week contains: up to two recordings, one or more lessons, and several lessons within the course to complete.

• Most units culminate in a quiz, and the course culminates in a final project.

• To begin the course, click on the "Recording" for topic 1, and watch Professor Morrow’s lecture for Class One. Complete lessons 5.02 through 5.06 on the course.mobilecsp.org website.

• All lessons on the Mobile CSP site have built-in quiz questions that are graded as students progress.  And most quizzes on the Caravel site will be scored automatically. Answer keys are provided for those that are not.  

• Class assignments including apps can be graded for completion.

• The end of semester project will require grading using the grading rubric on the College Board Website (these are included in the Caravel site, and in the http://course.mobilecsp.org website).  The project is referred to as the “Create Performance Task" both in the course and by the College Board.

• Several assignments and projects are demonstrated during the videos.

• If you need review, go back and watch the recording again and/or go over the PowerPoint.

• Repeat until all 28 classes (14 weeks) are complete.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

• If you are taking the AP exam, students have to submit two projects to a digital portfolio along with taking the multiple-choice exam. The local high school which they register with should give them access to take both.   To access the digital portfolio, the school should provide instructions along with an access code. The parent should be responsible for monitoring the student for the classroom hours needed to create the portfolio. If the school does not provide the access to the Digital Portfolio, I provide access to and monitor their digital portfolio as a part of "Instructor Access."   Students register with their local high school to take the multiple-choice portion. They are assigned an AP Student ID that ties both together.

Special Notes: This is Part Two of a 2-part course. This course only takes 20 students. We recommend registering early.

Total classes: 14 recorded live class sessions plus pre-recorded lessons.

Duration: 60 minutes per recorded live, interactive class. Pre-recorded lessons are 20-30 minutes.

Prerequisite: AP Computer Science Principles, Part One

Suggested grade level: 10th to 12th grade.

Suggested high school credit: One full semester AP Computer Science

Instructor: Margaret Morrow, PhD

Instructor Email: peggymorrow@protonmail.com

Course description: The course is designed to give students foundational computer science practice and experience at a college level. Students will have two software options for the course: option one - the Mobile CSP curriculum which was developed collaboratively by both Trinity College and the College of St. Scholastica, and option 2 - the Beauty and Joy of Computing which was developed at University of California’s Berkeley Campus. Option 1 requires having a mobile device (android or apple) to test out apps; option 2 requires a browser.
During the course, students complete several programming projects (they will create Android-based apps). At the end of the second semester, students can take the AP Computer Science Principles exam to earn college credit.

AP Computer Science Principles Exam Overview:

AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) is unique from other AP courses and exams in a number of ways. The assessment consists of two parts: (1) 30% of the grade consists of a through-course assessment composed of a performance task that students complete in class, with 20 hours of in-class instruction time, and (2) 70% of the exam grade is a Two-hour end-of-course paper and pencil exam with 74 multiple-choice questions that is administered in May (this part of the exam will need to be completed in a local school that proctors AP exams).

Course outline:

Unit 6 - Using and Analyzing Data & Information
Class 1: Parallel lists and Big Data
Class 2: Data Visualizations and Fusion Tables
Unit 7 - Communication Through the Internet
Class 3: The internet
Class 4: Hubs
Unit 8 - Programming Performance Task #1
Classes 5-12
Unit 9 - Impact of Computing Innovations Performance Task #1
Classes 9-12
Unit 10 - AP CS Principles Exam Prep and Exam
Class 13 - Exam Prep and Exam
Class 14 - Exam Analysis

Course materials:

Required Textbooks:
2.     Blown to Bits Book - available online for free - http://www.bitsbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/B2B_3.pdf
Software:
6.     MIT’s App Inventor Developers: Google/MIT/College Board http://ai2.appinventor.mit.edu
7.     Mobile CSP https://course.mobilecsp.org/mobilecsp/course
8.     Beauty and Joy of Computing
9.      or Offline Version
10.  Chrome or other browser

Hardware:
3.     Windows-based laptop or desktop for completing programming tasks (this is difficult from a phone or tablet device)
4.     Optionally, for Mobile CSP Curriculum - An Inexpensive android device to run their apps on (phone or tablet) or android emulator software that they can run on their PC.  As a side note, my husband purchased a $5.00 no-contract Trac-phone (he did not purchase minutes), and it works great.  It does not have an accelerometer (a sensor that allows the phone to detect that it is turned or shaken), but it does have the features needed to complete the coding assignments.

Other:
1.     A Google Account

Homework: Assignments will include hands-on app development, reading, and writing. Students can expect 2 to 5 hours of time per class (outside of class time) dedicated to homework. Regular feedback will be provided to the students and their parents to ensure that all are aware of the progress being made throughout the course. An answer key is provided for this course.

Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2023 Homeschool Connections and  Margaret Morrow All rights reserved.

This course is designed by Margaret Morrow.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.

Technical Help: If you experience technical difficulty with watching the recorded classes or have a question about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.