Glossary

A

Abstraction: The process of withdrawing or removing details to highlight essential properties (e.g., the color of a pixel represented at one level as three bytes (red, green, and blue), or at a lower level as a sequence of bits).

Algorithm: A list of steps to finish a task; a set of instructions that can be performed with or without a computer.

API (Application Programming Interface): An external software library that provides a collection of features (implemented as functions or methods) that offer reusable functionality in a program (e.g., OpenGL is an external library that provides an API the can be used for programming of computer graphics).

Array: An indexable collection of values (e.g., a row, a column, or a collection of integers representing student grades).

Artificial intelligence: The capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange): A character set for representing numbers, punctuation, and letters in the English alphabet (e.g., the number 65 corresponds to the letter “A”).

Assistive technologies: Any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a person with a disability.

Attribution: The ascribing of a work (as of literature or art) to a particular author or artist

Automation: The use of a combination of mechanical and computer-based control systems to perform actions without the need of human oversight.

AUP (Acceptable Use Policy): A document defining constraints and practices that a user must agree to for access to an organization’s network and/or the Internet. Many organizations require that employees or students sign an acceptable use policy before being granted a access to the network.


B

Bandwidth: The bit-rate measure of the transmission capacity over a network communication system; or, the carrying capacity of a channel or the data transfer speed of that channel.

Binary: A discrete numbering system that can represent information using only two options (0 or 1, on or off, yes or no, true or false) to allow for digital processing.

Biometric: The process by which a person's unique physical and other traits are detected and recorded by an electronic device or system as a means of confirming identity.

Bit: A contraction of “Binary DigIT.” A bit is the single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as a 0 or 1.

Block-based programming language: Any predefined code that lets users create programs by manipulating “blocks” or graphical programing elements, rather than writing code using text with specific syntax rules. Examples include Alice, Blockly, Scratch, and Code Studio. (Sometimes called visual coding, drag-and-drop programming, or graphical programming blocks.)

Boolean: A variable data type or expression that can be set to either true or false.

Bug: An error in a program that prevents the program from running as expected.

Byte: A contraction of “BinarY TErm.” A group of bits, usually eight, processed as a single unit of data.

C

Censorship: The act of examining media for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds.

Cipher: A method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning; or, a coded message that requires a key to decode. The cipher cannot be decoded without the key.

Citation: A quotation from or reference to a book, paper, or author, especially in a scholarly work.

Client-server computing: a distributed application framework dividing tasks between servers and clients, which either reside in the same system or communicate through a computer network or the Internet.

Cloud-based computing: Applications, services or resources made available to users on demand via the Internet from a remote computing provider's server.

Code: One or more command(s) or algorithm(s) designed to be carried out by a computer using a programming language. See also: Program

Comment: A note in the source code of a computer program that helps explain the code to those who read it.

Command: An instruction given by a user telling a computer to do something, such as run a single program or a group of linked programs.

Compression: The process of reducing the size of a computational artifact (e.g., a file) using a digital tool which implements an algorithm that recognizes repetitive data and removes redundancy across the artifact.

Computer science: The study of computers and algorithmic process, including their principles, hardware and software designs, applications, networks, and impacts on society.

Computer system: A collection of one or more computers or computing devices, together with their hardware and software, integrated for the purpose of accomplishing shared tasks. Although a computing system can be limited to a single computer or computing device, it more commonly refers to a collection of multiple, connected computers, computing devices, and hardware.

Computational artifact: Something created by a human using a computer and can be, but is not limited to, a program, an image, an audio clip, a video, a presentation, or a Web page file. The computational artifact could solve a problem, show creative expression, or provide a viewer with new insight or knowledge.

Computational thinking: Process involved in formulating problems and solutions so that the solutions are represented in a way that can be carried out and processed with or without a computer.

Conditionals/Compound conditionals (“If” statements): Statements that run only when certain conditions exist. Often called a selection or “if” statement in a programming language, represented as an expression that evaluates to a boolean value.

Control: The power to direct the course of actions. In programming, the use of elements of programming code to direct which actions take place and the order in which they take place. A programming (code) structure that implements control. Selection (“if” statements) and loops are examples of control structures.

Cookies: A small file or part of a file stored on a user’s computer, created and subsequently read by a website server, and containing personal information (such as a user identification code, customized preferences, or a record of pages visited).

Copyright: A legal right created by the law of a country that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights for its use and distribution.

Creative Commons: A collection of public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work, used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created.

Cyberbullying: Using electronic communication to intimidate, humiliate, or threaten another person.

Cybersecurity: The protection against access to, or alteration of, computing resources, through the use of technology, processes, and training.


D

Data: Information used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation.

Data mining:

Database: A collection of data organized for search and retrieval.

Debug: To find and fix errors in an algorithm or program.

Decomposition (Decomposing): The process of separating into related parts or elements.

Decryption: The process of taking encoded or encrypted text or other data and converting it back into text that you or the computer can read and understand (often called plaintext).

Design thinking: A methodology used to solve complex problems and find desirable solutions using logic, imagination, intuition, and systemic reasoning to explore possibilities of what could be and to create desired outcomes that benefit the end use.

Digital identity: Information on an entity used by computer systems to represent an external person, organization, application, or device.

Digital footprint: The collected information about an individual across multiple digital sources.

Digital globalization: The unrestricted flow of electronic data and products.

Digital literacy:

Digital permanence: The history and development of digital storage techniques, specifically quantifying the expected lifetime of data stored on various digital media and the factors which influence the perpetuity of digital data.

Domain Name System (DNS) server: An Internet service that translates a domain name to the correct IP address (e.g., amazon.com to 72.21.215.90).


E

Ergonomics:

Emerging technology: A new technology that is currently being developed, or will be developed in the near future.

Encryption: The process of converting information or data into a code that is not human readable (often called the ciphertext).

Equitable access: Robust and reliable access to current and emerging technologies and digital resources, with connectivity for all.

Extraction: The process of retrieving relevant information from data sources (like a database) in a specific pattern

F

Flaming: A written version of verbal and/or emotional abuse to invoke certain emotions and responses such as rage, sadness, humiliation, self-doubt and more.

Flowchart: A diagram of the sequence of movements or actions of people or things involved in a complex system or activity.

FTP: needed for new 9-12 standard 34b

Function: A named piece of code that can be called over and over again, sometimes called procedures or methods; a segment of code that includes the steps performed in a specified process.

G

Geolocation: The process or technique of identifying the physical location of a person or device by means of digital information processed via the Internet.

H

Hacking: Using a computer to create or explore some new idea; more pejoratively, to gain illegal access to a computer.

Harassment: To annoy persistently.

Heading: A title or summary for a document or section of a document.

Hexadecimal: A number system with a base of 16, compared to the decimal number system (base 10) or binary number system (base 2),which uses the letters A through F to represent 10 through 15 in decimal (e.g., hexadecimal 10 is equal to 16 in decimal)..

Hierarchical classification: A classification system where entries are arranged based on some order of rank structure.

HTTP: needed for new 9-12 standard 34b

Hyperlink: A link from an HTML file to another location or file, typically activated by clicking on a highlighted word or image on the screen.

I

Information: Data that has been processed.

Ideation: The capacity for forming ideas.

Infographic: A visual image or group of images combined with simple text to represent complex data in a simplified way.

Initialize: To set something (such as a computer program counter) to a starting position, value, or configuration.

Input: A device or component that allows information to be transmitted to a computer.

Intellectual property: A work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a piece of writing or a design, to which one has ownership and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, or trademark.

Internet of Things (IoT): The ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication that occurs between objects and other Internet-enabled devices and systems.

Internet Protocol (IP) address: A collection of numbers (often four numbers separated by a period, such as 72.21.215.90) that is used to uniquely identify each device connected to a computer network, such as the Internet.

Iteration (Loop): A repetitive action or command typically created with programming loops. Loop is the action of doing something over and over again.

J


K

Keyword: Main or significant term used to search the internet for content; also used to represent the words that comprise a computer programming language.

L


M

Malware: Software designed to negatively impact a computer’s normal functioning.

Metadata: Information that describes other information, such as descriptive data, organizational descriptions, and procedural information regarding the creation and technical specifications of the information. For example, an image file may contain metadata regarding the time and place of the picture creation as well as technical specifications about the camera used.

Multimedia: Using, involving, or encompassing several content forms (e.g., images, sound, video).

N

Netiquette: The correct or acceptable way of communicating on the Internet.

Net neutrality: The principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the sources, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.

Network: An interconnected system of computers, peripherals, terminals, and databases connected by communication lines.

Nested Loops:

O

Operating system: Software that controls the operation of a computer and directs the processing of programs.

Output

Any device or component that receives information from a computer.

P

Packet sniffing: The ability to intercept and read the information within network packets that are sent as plaintext (not encrypted).

Password: A string of characters used for authentication to prove identity in order to access approval.

Peer-to-peer computing: Two or more computers with similar access privileges and responsibilities that communicate directly in order to share resources and services, rather than going through an intermediate server.

Prototype: A first full-scale and usually functional form of a new design.

Perseverance: Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.

Personal security: Actions which reduce the risk of threats and protect the user from hurtful disruptions in the patterns of daily life.

Phishing: The fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Pixels: A contraction of “Picture Element.” Any of the small discrete elements that together constitute an image (as on a television or computer screen).

Portability: The ability of a user to export data, information, or software entered into or created by a software application or computing platform so it may be used in other applications or platforms.

Problem-solving process: Problem definition > Problem Analysis > Generate possible solutions > Analyze solutions > Selecting appropriate solution(s) > Evaluate solution

Program: An algorithm that has been coded into a form that can be run by a machine.

Programming (Coding): The art of envisioning, designing, and implementing a computer program using some computational language.

Programming language: A vocabulary and set of grammatical rules for instructing a computer or computing device to perform specific tasks.

Pseudocode: A notation resembling a simplified programming language, used in program design.

Q

Queue: A data structure that consists of a list of records arranged so that records are added at one end and removed from the other. Sometimes described as First In First Out (FIFO).

R

Recurring standards: Key practices or concepts that appear at grade levels along the K - 12 continuum with progressive complexity. Rather than repeating these standards at multiple grade levels in this document, they are included on the Digital Literacy and Computer Science Course of Study Recurring Standards pages.

Router: Device or software that determines the path that data packets travel from source to destination.

S

Scalability: The ability of a process to maintain functionality and integrity as the scope and size of the process increases.

Selection: Using a Boolean condition to determine which of two parts of an algorithm is used.

Sequencing: Doing steps in order.

Servers:

Simulation: The production of a digital model of something, especially for the purpose of study.

SMTP:

Social engineering: The management and manipulation of human beings in accordance with their place and function in society.

Software piracy: The illegal copying, distribution, or use of software.

Spoofing: To deceive or hoax; often used to indicate identity deception of email or network addresses.

Stack: A memory or a section of memory in a computer for temporary storage in which the last item stored is the first retrieved. Sometimes described as Last In First Out (LIFO).

Switch: A high-speed device that receives incoming data packets and redirects them to their destination on a local area network (LAN).

System: A set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole, in particular; a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized scheme or method

T

Table: A collection of arrays, which create rows and columns for ready reference; a database is represented by a collection of tables that are used to store information.

Two-factor authentication: A security mechanism that requires two types of credentials for authentication and is designed to provide an additional layer of validation, minimizing security breaches (e.g., a password, and a text message confirmation).

U

Unplugged activity: An activity that teaches the fundamentals of Computer Science without digital tools, using physical implements such as card activities, strings, crayons, or puzzles.

V

Variable: An element, feature, or factor that is liable to change; in a programming language, a symbolic representation of some state or property of the program.

Version control: The consistent management of historical changes made to a digital artifact by collaborators.

Virus: Programming code that has been written to cause corruption of data on a computer; often attached to an executable file that spreads from one file to another once the program is executed.

W

Website: A collection of interlinked web pages on the World Wide Web.

X


Y


Z


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