ABOUT ME

  My name is Tom Bertin and I teach or have taught Computer Science, Computer Technology, Computer Engineering, Robotics, FIRST (usfirst.org morphed into IDC3OR ), Business, Mathematics, Careers, and Religion at Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School in Oakville, ON, Canada.

  Aside from the looks of dumbfoundment followed by clarity/obviousness when I'm challenged to "Prove there is a God." and I present Descartes's and Pascal's thoughts on the matter, I'd have to say that the most rewarding aspect of my job comes from coaching the Varsity Boys Baseball team every Fall.  With skill levels ranging from Oakville House League to the Elite/National Team level, the complexities that must be balanced abound.  

  I would be remiss here if I didn't mention FRC Team 3161, the Tronic Titans.  Year after year, they are always exceptional individuals with razor-sharp acumen.  A tonne of fun, indeed.  The same has to be said of the annual DWITE, Don Mills Open, and ECOO Programming Teams.  To call them "competent coders" would be an understatement.

  That's about enough rambling from me.  Thank you for visiting my site.

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RANDOM RUMINATIONS

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  Random Rumination 1).  A general note to students in my C.S. classes:  "You might think that my lecture notes are incomplete, this is done deliberately.  I expect that students will use what I provide as scaffolding and complete them with details and discussions that happen in class and the references.  Additionally, your own personal thoughts when filling in details are important.  You might think of something in a slightly different way than someone else.  Your own reminders are important.  I have taught much of what" the Ministry "has to offer in the way of" C.S. "courses.  When I stand up in front of the class, my goal is not to present material, but to convey concepts to people, to demonstrate how a person puts together concepts to solve problems.   Many times I will come into class with a topic, write code, explore, make mistakes, fix them, explore student suggestions, etc.  It would be much easier for me to simply present canned code (a 'solution'), but far less useful.  I want you to be the person that can get from the problem to the solution.  The solution is not the answer."  The critical thinking process by which you journey from problem to solution is the answer.  "When we are in the same room together, take advantage of it.  Ask questions, stop me, ask the person next to you what they think, etc.  If you don't understand, then chances are others do not as well!  Your goal at school is to learn, don't let your ego get in the way of that.  Remember, a textbook" or a learning management system "does not understand anything, videos are not the same as a lecture, they each have their pros and cons, take advantage of each medium." [1]

[1] Arnolds (sic) homepage. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2015, from http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~arnold/

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Random Rumination 2).  "Sir, with all due respect, that's not fair!"

My initial salvo is as follows...

<Please click here.> [2]

and then a fascinating discussion ensues...

[2]. Assessment Is - BCSSA, bcssa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DamianCooperPresentation.pdf.     Accessed 07 July 2024.

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  Random Rumination 3).  Why is Python taught at HT (ICS4U) and *NOT* Java (AP)?  Java was taught at HT from 2004 until about 2014 +/- 1 year.  What I observed was that Java's syntactical learning curve was too steep to overcome to cover advanced computer studies topics by the end of the semester.  Using Python, I can generally get to *FUN* projects by the end of the semester.  In my opinion, Java's intense syntax slows the learning of novice programmers.

  It is my belief that Python allows for a higher level of human thought abstraction than Java.  More learned individuals opine on this concept <here> and I wholeheartedly agree that real programming can be done outside of a .ASM environment.

  This discussion can be distilled to the essence of the classic causality dilemmas "concept-language/chicken-egg".  You need a programming language to learn computer science concepts but you need to understand basic computer science concepts (thinking?) to learn programming!  As mentioned above, it has been my experience that complex syntax hinders computational thinking.  (<Please click here.> for an amusing ACSE conference anecdote that I personally witnessed.  (If the intricacies of Java were not broached in such a setting, what makes one think that path could be walked at the secondary level?))  Therefore, I have chosen to start your journey toward understanding computer science concepts with what is clearly the less graphically fettered syntax of the two (2) languages above.  University of Toronto Professor Zingaro offers this:  <Please click here.> [3]  

[3] “Learn to Code by Solving Problems: A Python Programming Primer: Zingaro, Daniel: 9781718501324: Books.” Learn to Code by Solving Problems: A Python Programming Primer: Zingaro, Daniel: 9781718501324: Books - Amazon.Ca, www.amazon.ca/Program-Solving-Problems-Daniel-Zingaro/dp/1718501323/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=Xwtpl&content-id=amzn1.sym.0b43064a-a03f-4847-b45b-994dfa57af29%3Aamzn1.symc.50e00d6c-ec8b-42ef-bb15-298531ab4497&pf_rd_p=0b43064a-a03f-4847-b45b-994dfa57af29&pf_rd_r=S3NP88BVM67SD0KYASBX&pd_rd_wg=MxQb4&pd_rd_r=5d9b27b2-e5c2-45e5-8078-04f92e6dd36c&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.

Mr. Peter Peens (OCT Registration Number = 177647) offers this invaluable "concepts comparison chart" between ICS4U and ICS4UA at:  <Please click here.> [4]  

[4] Beens, P. (2024, August 27). AP CS Course Outline. acse.net Google Group. Retrieved September 8, 2024, from https://groups.google.com/g/acse_discussion. 

  and finally...

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  Random Rumination 4).  The following musing is aimed at those leaving our HT community next September.  It does not necessarily have my endorsement.  Consider it as, simply, something to ponder.

"Programming as a profession is only moderately interesting.  It can be a good job, but you could make about the same money and be happier running a fast food joint.  You’re much better off using code as your secret weapon in another profession.  People who can code in the world of technology companies are a dime a dozen and get no respect.  People who can code in biology, medicine, government, sociology, physics, history, and mathematics are respected and can do amazing things to advance those disciplines." [5]

[5] Shaw, Z. A. (2017). Advice from an old programmer. Learn Python the Hard Way. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://learnpythonthehardway.org/python3/advice.html

  Read Shaw's entire thought process on this matter at:     <Please click here>.          

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  An open challenge to my students (since some of you are quite curious about my personal/professional background and...  honestly... there is no reason to be so):  There are enough "breadcrumbs" on this site to draw an optimized 2-node (For this challenge, a node is a person, place, or thing.) connection between Canada's first Prime Minister and yours truly.  (Ask me about "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" - same idea)  Research, research, research...  Ask me questions.  Put the pieces together and I will award you "Reflective, Creative, and Holistic Thinker" bonus marks.  (See me in person for a rubric.)  Beware of misinformation that I have purposefully planted on the Internet (proper vetting of your sources easily weeds this false information out).  Begin your sleuthing at: Bonus Marks

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