As part of my role as Director of Innovation and Design at Ursuline Academy, I designed and taught two computer science courses. The courses run quartly, making them fast-paced introductory experiences in CS, ideal for experimentation. My goal for 7th and 8th grade students is to create opportunities for them to connect computer science with the physical world, and gain a sense of the variety of ways that code is used in the objects they interact with every day. This class is a joyful experience which allows students to explore code in playful, personally meaningful ways.

Seventh grade students begin by doing a variety of explorations in circuit design. They experiment with switches, different kinds of LEDs, and various conductive materials. Creating analog switches allows them to begin experimenting with the same kind of logic they will use when they code their circuits. They design their final paper circuits in Adobe Illustrator, cut them out with a laser cutter, and apply their circuits by hand. They learn how to connect their paper circuit to a circuit board, and use code to turn their LED’s on and off, creating patters with light.

For the following project, students deepen their understanding of computer science as they create multi-level games using Scratch. Each student then creates a custom game controller for their game, allowing players to control their game using gestures and full-body movements.

Eighth grade students begin by creating a virtual pet that responds to voice commands. Through this project they learn how data is used to train machine learning models. They work together as a class to help each other create the individual data sets they will use to train their virtual pets. Using a micro:bit, a servo motor, and lots of craft supplies, students bring their pets to life. Once their pets are complete, students can interact with them using voice commands.

For the remainder of the quarter, eighth grade students progress through a variety of robotics challenges, which help them design and test an increasingly complex robot, using LEGO EV3 robotics kits. For the final challenge, students work in teams to design obstacle courses. Each team must be able to use their robot to carry a small rubber duck through their own obstacle course, as well as the courses designed by other teams. Through this project students engage in an iterative design cycle, which prompts them to redesign both their robot and their obstacle course.