Why: The story drives everything. Computer-generated graphics and special effects make movies and games captivating, but the story is the foundation. When learning to program, students want to develop games with good graphics. However, the imagery we see and love is generated by the digital media expert working alongside the programmer. Coding is only part of the equation. Focusing on a text-based experience allows more space to develop core programming skills around modular approaches, data structures, and algorithms.

What: Students will use the Python programming language to create a text-based interactive adventure that is linked to a novel being studied at the Prep School.

Year: 9

Medium: Web-Development

Why: There are lots of articles out there about why learning web development is essential. Not the least of which is the opportunities that are available for web developers. In the past mobile apps were the big push, but we see a shift to web apps. Web app development has a low entry point, is highly flexible, allowing great creativity, which is not the case with mobile apps. If you are thinking of launching a product or idea, you will start with a web app. Though there is a good chance you will use a third-party resource like Wix, we are learning how to build the sites from the ground up, giving a greater appreciation and the underlying ideas, allowing more adept use of other tools in the future.

What: Students will use JavaScript to parse, analyze and represent data from a reliable online sources that relate to the UNSDGs.

Year: 9

Medium: Arduino

Why: The comic book to the left is an excellent summary of the history of robots and drones. Robots and drones are becoming commonplace in not only our working life but also our personal lives. To engage with robotics, understanding the underlying software and hardware components (control systems) is essential. What is becoming more apparent is the need to consider both the social and ethical impacts as robots become more commonplace in society. This unit gives students a basic understanding of how software and hardware interact and how and why designers must consider both the function and form of robotic solutions.

What: Students will be provided with opportunity to design and implement a functional hardware component that successfully completes a simple task, with the possible extension of it being able to interface with other modular components.

Medium: Python, Google CoLab

Year: 10

Why: I have no doubt you have heard someone say, "It was a data-driven decision." Have you ever looked at an infographic, and something felt a little off? Is it funny, or scary, how a company seems to know what you want, sometimes before you do? Our world is drowning in data, data that, when analyzed, makes what was once unpredictable, predictable (or seem that way). Developing comfort with and being able to apply data critically and ethically, while being conscious of bias, are high-demand skills. Moreover, they will make you a more critical consumer of information. Coupling this wealth of data with an ever-growing number of robust Application Programming Interfaces (API) that can manage, process and represent data in beautiful and convincing ways gives corporations and individuals great insight and power. In the words of Peter Parker, "With great power, comes great responsibility." This unit delves into fundamental programming techniques needed to begin to wrangle, manipulate and represent the story of data, a skill only possible through leveraging ever-changing APIs.

What: For this project, you will be focusing on developing modular approaches, algorithmic development and data structures. The deliverable product is the representation of data to convey a message. The programming medium will be Python, and as a starting point, everyone will use Google CoLab.

Medium: Open

Year: 10

Why: The challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow require genuinely interdisciplinary thinking. Through this program, you have developed core design and project management skills while delving into the technical elements of programming and robotics. Furthermore, authentic design requires deliberate thought around how and what technology to leverage and coordination and input with and from other experts. This design project gives the ability to make choices and collaborate across streams with the ultimate goal of self-direction and personal growth. The design brief is the same as all streams. Coordinate, collaborate and be sure to bring any ideas you have forward.

What: For this project, you will be completing a predefined MYP unit. It is open-ended on how you approach your solution.

Medium: Open

Year: 10

Why: Do you have any big ideas? When I was younger, I imagined how much better a ride I would get on my bike if I could magnetize my bearings. But, alas, I didn't even know where to start the project. This project is about thinking big but starting small. So often, great ideas stall because auxiliary concepts need to be learned and developed in isolation. This project will give you a chance to do this. The hope is that your big idea will continue development beyond this course, and perhaps you will find some overlap and development partners.

What: For this project, you will identify a big idea or concept you are interested in developing. For example, you might want to build a smart sock or designing a site to show your love of LEGO. You are not producing the big idea but are identifying a range of skills required to develop the big concept and choosing a few to develop in isolation. The deliverable is a modified criteria A-D and a selection of teaching artifacts that demonstrate the learning.