Welcome to Open House with Mr. Minich
at the Wyomissing Area High School
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View All Videos ===> Intro - VB - Java - Software Design - Conclusion - Goodbye
My teaching philosophy is....

to tap the students' enthusiasm & curiosity for computers & learning while teaching life-skills in problem-solving

Only a percentage of my current students will eventually use the Java, Visual Basic, or C++ computer languages in their job. In fact, those languages are virtually guaranteed to change in ten years.

But, students will be able to analyze problems, plan and create solutions, test and debug results, and generalize solutions. Some say that computer science is "calculus with a graphical interface." Computer science is based on the same logical foundations as mathematics.

My students will improve their logic and analytical skills as well as their ability to effectively communicate about technology. The special syntax of a particular programming language is important for efficiency. But thinking skills and knowledge of programming processes that provide quick and accurate answers are more important than memorization.

Every student will become a self-confident, life-long learner able to master new, computer languages and technologies quickly and with agility.

  Opportunities for Wyo computer science students...
  • think critically and analyze problems in greater detail
  • become better listeners, communicators, & team collaborators
  • learn patience & tenacity
  • learn how to quickly learn new technology
  • learn to think like a computer & predict how a computer will respond
  • solve complex, open-ended problems
  • make innovative use of knowledge, information, & opportunities to create new services, processes, & products & make a difference in the World
  • take advantage of the great demand in computer-related vocations
  • explore college majors that relate to computers & learn how computers tie into traditional majors like business, science, pre-med, communications, engineering, etc.
  • find a career that makes it exciting & rewarding to go to work each Monday morning
  • learn in-depth knowledge of how computers work (memory, operating system issues, etc.)
  • understand how the digital pieces of computers & the Internet fit together since they are foundation of the education & entertainment worlds that we live in
  • earn AP credits toward college degree

Our class web site at

              www.minich.name

includes online textbook, videos, interactive quizzes, practice tests, blogs, wikis, homework calendar, college info, & more.

Course Sequence:

Visual Basic Programming -

9-12th graders may take this course. Highlights include using Visual Basic, an object-oriented, event-driven, professional-grade, industry-standard programming language to create a "Game Project". For two months, students design, code, debug, & document their own custom computer game. Some projects are over 100 pages of code! Students learn how a computer "thinks" and its limitations. They hone their problem-solving skills, deductive reasoning, mental focus and stamina to become agile learners.

AP/Honors Computer Science - Java -

10-12th graders may take this course. This college-level course leads to the national 3-hour College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A exam in early May. Wyomissing students always score well above the national average which is especially impressive since most students are only sophomores! See our past scores here. Good AP scores often lead to college credits eliminating the need to take introductory computer programming courses. This course entails significant independent study and work on a home computer. A student can only take the AP level course if he/she earned an A in the prerequisite Visual Basic course.

Honors Computer Science I - Software Design -

11 & 12th graders may take this course. It is equivalent to a second-semester computer science college course! Students do full-scale application development creating Android smartphone & tablet apps. Very few schools in Pennsylvania or even the nation offer a similar, advanced course.

Honors Computer Science II - Software Design -
(coming in 2012-13)

12th graders may take this course. It is alsoequivalent to a second-semester computer science college course! Students do full-scale application development creating iPhone & iPad apps.

In the first course, Visual Basic, students learn and apply the concept of procedural programming. The programs are event-driven and make use of existing reusable objects that are built into the VB language. Students learn to arrange commands in a linear sequence and create methods & functions in order to reuse sections of code for efficiency.

In the second course, AP/Honors Java, students use abstract reasoning to model and create objects that can be reused in addition to methods and functions. The course focuses on object-oriented programming however students also learn common data structures and related algorithms.

In the third and fourth-year course, Software Design, students learn to make great use of online API's and technical reference materials. They also learn to separate the interface, programming logic, and data working towards a more contemporary Model/View/Controller (MVC) architecture pattern.

  

Our software is free!

Visual Basic students - microsoft.com/express/vb

Java & Software Design students - eclipse.org/downloads

Gift ideas for all students:
In order for a student to be able to work on assignments at home and transfer files to school, it is recommended that he/she set up a free account at dropbox.com. It is also helpful to have a USB flash drive which can be purchased for as little as $6.

Gift ideas for AP Java students:
Each workbook is about $15 and can be ordered through a local bookstore or from Amazon.com. The first two are recommended!

 
Opportunities for students with computer science background:
  • Lots of opportunities for those with Visual Basic, Java, or C++ experience. Visit monster.com and search for "Visual Basic", "Java" to or "C++" to see for yourself.
  • Lots of opportunites to work for the federal government which has put an emphasis on hiring computer scientists for espionage, anti-terrorism, homeland security as well as traditional computer programming needs.
  • There are many excellent computer science-related majors to choose from small, large, local, and prestigious colleges and universities such as computer science, computer engineering, management information science (MIS), information technology (IT), computer information systems (CIS), and many others.
  • Computer science knowledge benefits students in many fields of study including engineering, business, medicine, law, teaching, and many others. In fact, majoring in another field but having a minor in computer science is very popular these days.
  • FEMALES - Computer science is
    ... especially important for solving today's social problems
    ... very creative
    ... team-oriented
    ... valued, respected, & flexible
Notes to parents:
  • I often give graded and ungraded optional worksheets and programming project assignments. Students who are committed to doing their best in this class should do these assignments. Often, exercises on these assignments appear on quizzes and tests.
  • Students really need to do a lot of hands-on programming outside of class. Please encourage your child to use the free software at home.