SUCCESS

15 Transition Year students attended the ComputeTY 2016 week long course at Dublin City University on the 25th January.

Two of the students were singled out for their skills in Java programming and HTML/CSS coding. Congratulations to all of the group who worked industriously and with great enthusiasm at acquiring an understanding of the CODING world.

ComputeTY Course/Stream Description

Web Design

In this course, students get to design and build a web site on a topic of their choosing. They learn how to create a basic site using raw HTML tags, control the look-and-feel of the site using CSS styling and add some animation using Javascript. They will also create their own website banner using a graphic design application and record their own video to embed into their website. This course is suitable to all students, regardless of their academic ability. Students who have an interest in writing, editing and design may find it particularly suitable. Link: http://www.w3schools.com/

AppInventor

In this course, students will develop their own mobile apps using AppInventer, a programming environment developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Students learn the basics of app development using the graphical programming language of Scratch. The apps they develop can then be easily installed on any Android device or ran on the Android Emulator on the PC. This course is suitable for any student who is interested in learning the basics of programming. Link: http://appinventor.mit.edu/

Introduction to Programming

In this course, students learn how to program in Java, the most popular programming language in the world. Students are introduced to basic programming concepts using a Pac-Man like learning environment developed at DCU and by working in groups to program fun quizzes based on their interests. No knowledge of programming is required for this course. However, it is slightly more difficult than the AppInventer course and would therefore be particularly suited to students who have already been exposed to some programming, e.g. students who have already worked with a graphical programming language like Scratch and are ready to move on to new challenges.