Projects Spring 2019

Smart Art is a project where students will learn about Spanish speaking cultures through the art and artists of different countries, such as Spain and Mexico. Students will learn about Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, while recreating artwork by these artists. Students will also learn web design and HTML coding by creating web pages to show what they have learned throughout the project. As well, students will learn about 3-D imaging software and be able to create their own 3-D artwork using a 3-D printer.

In this project students will investigate the subject of wealth inequality in the United States. Students will also work dynamically in teams of two to design a creative and visually rich basic website utilizing Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) that demonstrates the link between the past and the world today. By learning how to develop an original website they also learn the process of planning and designing web pages; the use of page layout techniques, text formatting, tables, graphics and images, multimedia, and hyperlinks while learning 21st century skills such as technology literacy, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

Students will be planning, promoting, and putting on our 3rd annual 5K Fun Run/Walk; Techy Trot 3.0. Students will map the course, design the advertising materials and race bibs, create the social media campaign, create online registration forms, and other logistics for the event. As part of the project students will also assess, integrate, and evaluate concepts to become proficient with locomotor skills, practice, and game situations to develop a comprehensive plan to identify areas of needs and goals of improving. Students will use a pedometer to record miles/steps travelled in various activities that incorporate each component of fitness to help make positive choices for themselves and the community around them to become more active.

Students will engage with the community by creating a proposal that aims to improve the quality of life in the International District by incorporating the use of technology and utilize any form of design thinking in order to communicate their intentions. The manifestation of their idea will be illustrated in any number of modes: CAD; computer aided drawing software, 3-Dimensional models, laser cutters, 3-D printers & any machinery within a Fab Lab workshop. A final essay will accompany the design and will be inspired and prompted by field trips, guest speakers, class readings of literature, philosophy, ethics, economics, social justice & urban planning studies.

In this project students will design and create algebra based video games using Bootstrap, a curriculum which teaches algebraic and geometric concepts through computer programming. Throughout the project students will focus on algebraic concepts like order of operations, linear equations, the Cartesian plane, function composition and definition, and solving word problems; all within the context of video game design. Students will write, compile, and troubleshoot their code with WeScheme, a cloud-based programming environment. At the end of the project students will have a working video game and will be able to explain the process they used to create their games.

AP Computer Science Principles introduces students to the foundational concepts of computer science and challenges them to discover how technology is impacting the world. The project will introduce students to the creative aspects of programming, abstractions, algorithms, large data sets, the Internet, cybersecurity concerns, and computing impacts. AP Computer Science Principles also gives students the opportunity to use current technologies to create computational artifacts for both self-expression and problem solving. More than a traditional introduction to programming, this inquiry-driven, hands-on class is a rigorous, engaging, and approachable course that explores many of the underlying ideas of computing so that all students understand how these concepts are transforming the landscape of the job market and world at large. Students will have the opportunity to take the AP CSP course exam and submit a digital portfolio of their artifacts; depending on the scores of both, students may be able to obtain a computer science college credit.