Welcome to AP CSP!

I hope you are enjoying your Summer Vacations. We have an exciting year ahead of us!

I have designed this website to help you with complete your summer assignment. Please read through all of the entire website, watch the all of the videos, and review all of the documents and links provided.

-Mr. Paulsen

Summer Assignment Overview

One of the unique things about the APCSP Exam is that it includes two Artifact (read: project) based Performance Tasks that you will have the opportunity to complete in class before the exam. These two Performance Tasks are the Create Task, a mobile app development project, and the Explore Task, a research project focused on a Computing Innovation.

For your Summer Assignment this year, you will begin preparing for these Performance Tasks by completing a Practice Explore Task. There are two components to this task that you will have to complete. The first component is the creation of a Computational Artifact identifying and describing the purpose or function of the Innovation you are choosing to research. The second component is a set of five Written Responses where you will discuss aspects of your Computer Innovation's functions, relationship to economy and society, and data privacy and security concerns.

I would also like you to join our Google Classroom page. We will be using Google Classroom to submit many of our assignments this year, and I would like for you to become acquainted with the platform. We will also be using the tool to conduct online discussions of readings, videos, and current events in computing throughout the year. To become acquainted with the platform, you are expected to submit all of your work for this assignment through Google Classroom. All of the documents that have been provided here, have also been provided as templates for your use there.

Finally, I would like for each of you to create a post introducing yourself to the class. Please include your name, your grade, your history with computing, and what you are most hoping to get out of this class. For those who are looking to get a little more creative, please feel free to share your introduction as a selfie-cam video. If you decide to make a video, please be sure to host the video in your Google Drive account for your own privacy protection and to ensure that your classmates will be able to view it.

Finally, I would like you to complete the Google Form at the bottom of this page, which will help me learn more about you all before we begin the school year.

Good luck and have a wonderful summer!

Mr. Paulsen

APCSP Explore Performance Task Summer Practice 2018

Key Terms

Explore Task

Directions and How-To Videos

Official APCSP Explore Task Description and Video Walkthrough

Official APCSP Explore Task Scoring Rubric and Video Walkthrough

Explore Task Documents

Exemplary Student Work Example - Instagram

Research Tools

Below you will find a list of research tools that may help you complete your Explore Performance Task. This list is not exhaustive, and you may use any resource that you believe provides you with quality articles that meet the requirements of the task,