Conference DetailsThe 2015 ACSE Conference will be held at the York Campus of Seneca College on Saturday, February 28, 2015.
Location and Parking Details
The map below shows the parking lot and conference building.
Determine which sessions you are most interested in attending by checking the Session Grid and Descriptions below.
Keynote SessionChris Tyler, Industrial Research Chair, Open Source Technology for Emerging Platforms @ Seneca College Session Grid(subject to changes: Last update: February 27, 2015) Sessions
There is no argument in the value of having students write computer code from a critical/computational thinking standpoint. Students as young as kindergarten can begin to explore theories of computer science. Whether the algorithm is how to make toast, sort data or how to find the factors of a composite number, kids of all ages can understand the procedures. A student cannot develop an 'app' to find the area of a circle without first understanding the formula and algorithm for solving this problem – yielding the learning of formulas as a bi-product of this process. This session will range from the very basics of learning to block code, to actually coding an 'app' to support elementary numeracy curriculum using block code so students don’t lose sight of the task by focusing on syntax.Presenter: Brian Aspinall, Elementary Teacher, Presenter, Blogger SESSION 2 - 11:10-12:10
Processing (www.processing.org) is a popular Java-based programming environment that emphasizes quick exploratory development with applications in visual art and design. It's freely available for all contemporary operating systems. Processing offers a fun and accessible path into computer science for novice programmers, supported by a wide range of well written documentation in print and online. In this talk I will introduce Processing, talk about its strengths and weaknesses as a tool for introductory programming, and demonstrate some simple programs written in Processing.
Arduino is the ultimate open source electronic brain that is giving students the power to create inventions like never before. This hands-on workshop will not only teach you how to use Arduino, but it will also give you the tools you need to design a high school curriculum. The workshop will teach some basic labs, and show examples of student work including a music making machine, a 3d printer, Lilypad wearable electronics and more. The science, math, and robotics program (SMR) at John Polanyi CI in the TDSB teaches Arduino from Grade 9-12 in their technology classes. The school also does Arduino robotics outreaches to its feeder schools, and has helped design the Arduino kits for the TDSB's STEM program. This workshop will have students from the SMR program helping to display their work and it will use the resources from the program.
In this beginners session we will explore how to use a breadboard to create simple electronic circuits. This hands on lab, will teach you how to: classify resistors, wire up an LED, use a potentiometer to increase and decrease the intensity of the LED, use transistors to make an LED flash, and finally you will work with a 7-segment LED display. No experience necessary for this lab, just a willingness to learn, explore, and tinker with basic electronics. Handouts, labs, and a slideshow will be provided.Note: Limited to a maximum of 20 attendees.Presenter: Robert Ceccato, Teacher, St Joan of Arc, YCDSBResource: ACSE 2015 Electronics Primer.zip
SESSION 3 - 2:10-3:10Attendees will be introduced to EveBoardOne's educational platform and learning system for use in teaching circuitry, electronics, computer programming and more. This hands-on session will immerse attendees in the educational potential of the Raspberry Pi, Scratch and Python in STEM education.
Touch Develop uses the latest web technologies to bring a cloud-connected, touch-friendly app creation environment to your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android or Windows Phone device. In this session you will learn about Touch Develop and how it has been used within the Techno Girls program to broaden participation in CS.
How do you get your students to participate in programming contests? This workshop is designed for staff advisors who are interested in starting or building a school team.
Discover how lightbot (http://lightbot.com) can be used as a tool to introduce programming concepts to kids at any age. In this session we will take an interactive approach to learning and discuss various methods of getting students interested in problem solving using programming skills. SESSION 4 - 3:15-4:15
C# and Visual C# is a modern, general purpose, object-oriented programming environment that is ideal for introductory and advanced programming courses. In this session the two (2) presenters will share their experiences of teaching secondary students using this language. Code samples and assignment ideas will be discussed throughout the session.
Processing is a powerful and easy to learn graphics system that now features a Python mode. Look at how you can use it in the classroom to build simple to sophisticated games with examples of student work created this past semester. We will also explore some of the extension libraries that allow integration with the Arduino, sound playback and synthesis and more.
Many programming contest questions can be solved directly through the use of appropriate data structures and/or algorithmic techniques, such as heaps, balanced search trees, graphs, graph traversal algorithms, divide-and-conquer (and other recursive algorithms), dynamic programming, etc. These advanced data structures and algorithmic techniques require care in their application but once learned, they become a valuable addition to a programmer's toolbox.
Formal algorithms analysis is a hard concept for most students to grasp even at the post secondary level. This talk will look at teaching algorithms analysis through examples of algorithms with different run times. Resources: Catherine Leung acs2015.pdf | http://cathyatseneca.github.io/DSAnim/ | http://cathyatseneca.gitbooks.io/data-structures-and-algorithms/ | http://github.com/cathyatseneca/acse2015
This session addresses Scratch coding for elementary taught by secondary students. Code Tiger is a club at Harbord CI where students plan learning activities for nearby feeder school participation. The student club executive will share how the club is organized through Google, and plans, challenges and successes. The Code Tiger goal is to teach 21st Century literacy and inspire students to code and collaborate within our FOS. |
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