Our SuperQuest Summer Institute offers our most extensive course line-up.  This year we are excited to bring back CS4HS on Monday and Tuesday!

What is CS4HS?

CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) is a workshop sponsored by Google to promote Computer Science in high school curriculum (although it can also be applied to K-8).  It provides resources that help teach computer science principles to students in a fun and relevant way. 

Our Summer Institute will be enhanced with CS4HS workshops and presenters (more information will be available in the coming weeks) on Monday and Tuesday, August 2 & 3, followed by the workshops listed below. 

Participants may choose to either register for the entire 5-day SupeQuest Summer Institute or the Monday and Tuesday CS4HS activities only.

What Does it Cost to Attend?

Thanks to support from Google and ETIC, we are able to offer the first 70 registrants a scholarship which covers registration fees, breakfast and lunch, and on-campus housing (for participants that live further than 30 miles from the OSU campus).  All participants will be required to make a $100 refundable deposit, which will be returned to them after completion of the summer institute.  Cancellations AFTER July 1, 2010 will not be refunded. 

After the first 70 registrations, we will charge the following fees:

Are Graduate Credits Available?

All participants will be eligible to apply for graduate credits from Western Oregon University for $50 per credit. The 5-day program qualifies for up to three credits. Some supplemental work outside of class time may be required. Please visit the Division of Extended Programs at Western Oregon University for more information about credits and to download an application.

Available Workshops

 Alice 2.2 – Intermediate to Advanced (Wed-Fri)
Instructor: Don Slater
We are extremely pleased that Don Slater will present the second half of the Alice 2.2 workshop.  Don is a former Pittsburg high school teacher and now a CS professor at CMU and part of the Alice Development team.  His workshops are in high demand, so don’t miss this opportunity!  Being part of the Alice Development team, he knows all the tricks and special features of the software.  Prerequisite: the first half of the workshop (from Jill Jordan at the SuperQuest Summer Session in June 2010 or from Don in August 2009) or the equivalent experience with Alice. Topics include:

• More advanced versions of the Intro Topics from the SuperQuest Summer Session in June 2010 (especially viewpoints, camera positions and movement)
• Relating and moving multiple objects, grouping objects (arrays & lists)
• Music and Sound effects, adding text and 2D photo panels
• QuickTime movies and exporting Alice worlds to the web
• Teaching with Alice (techniques, shortcuts, resources)
• Alice as an: animation & storytelling tool, #D thinking tool, Introduction to programming
• Books, tutorials, assignments, practice labs, course descriptions, syllabi
• Working between Alice and a programming language like Java
• Alice 3 (there is Java back there)
• Alice 2.2 vs Alice 3.0 – what’s the difference, new interface, new sophistication - stuff that Java adds
• Sims2 character editor – create your own Alice Characters (with personality)
• Transitions to Java – full Java syntax for programming students
• Advanced animation with Sims

Game Programming for All Levels (Wed-Fri)
Instructor: Stevie Viaene & Mike Bailey
This workshop will explore game programming as a vehicle to attract students to the technology/engineering fields. We will examine game design engines, compare game design programming concepts to computer science concepts, and provide the opportunity to learn one game design platform while comparing it to others. We will explore model curriculum that uses game design to transition students into engineering and computer science and also consider game design as a stand-alone curriculum.
 
Java—two tracks available (Wed-Fri)
Instructors: Don Kirkwood & Team
We will offer an Intro to CS Using Java session for those of you who know very little or nothing about Java but want to learn how to introduce computer science to students or set up an independent program for a small group.  We will also offer Topics for Advanced Programming Teachers.  Participants will be invited to request specific Java topics (OOD, ArrayLists, recursion, Hash/TreeMaps, etc).  A primary focus for both sessions will be implementing modules from our new Discrete Math (Math-In-CTE and/or math by proficiency) Project.

K-12 Robotics (Tues-Fri)
Instructors: Don Domes and Dale Yocum
Wish you had more time than the Hillsboro High session in June?  Did you miss the June session all together?  Either way, we are bringing back a self-paced robotics class suitable for K-12 at OSU—this time for four days. Everyone, from the complete beginner to veterans, will get something out of this course. We have curriculums from Elementary to High School and there is always a robust exchange of ideas.

Mechanical LEGO design, TETRIX and Robot C, NXT programming, and sensors will be stressed through the use of challenges and competitions. Pedagogy, classroom management, team management, FLL research projects, equipment, challenges, grading and organization will be discussed. You will be provided a CD with extensive training materials that you will use in this class and the rights to use as you see fit when you return. We have curriculums that are age appropriate from Elementary to High School. FLL, FTC and FRC competitions will be explored.

Web Design Layouts Made Simple (Wed-Fri)
Instructor: Chris Winikka
There are many ways to design a web page, and many of them look great on your computer with your browser but look like a train wreck on other browsers or browser versions. In this workshop, we’re going to learn a variety of CSS tricks to make your pages pop on all browsers (even the ones that should have never been made). Topics covered will be creating multi-column layouts, shadow effects, using background images to style your page, making rounded corners, creating dynamic drop-down menus, effective use of color & type, using a template to populate a website, and solid strategies to deal with every web-designer’s nemesis: Internet Explorer. We’ll also devote time to discuss teaching strategies, assessment, and essential resources for the classroom. There will be something for every level of web design experience, and participants will receive a USB flash drive with programs to code your pages (Notepad++), test your pages on a variety of browsers, and more.

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