This course teaches the fundamentals of programming using the p5.js library. Students not in the honors track are eased in using block programming before switching to a text-based IDE.

Students learn the fundamentals like variables, loops, conditionals, and objects. Projects that students have made include an animated clock that tells time, a music visualizer, and a drag-and-drop geography game to learn the countries of Europe.

The sophomore-level course dug into full stack programming, used data from APIs, and dabbled in other fun things like using HTML and JavaScript to create interactive VR scenes (students could combine their smartphones with a Google Cardboard headset to get a full VR experience!).

Students also had the option of completing an internship in the community during the summer, which this class helped prepare them for.

Projects that students have made include an animated interactive 3D solar system, a color-coded map displaying air quality from a REST-based API, and an app that uses the weather to suggest outfits for you to wear.

AP Computer Science Principles delved into a lot of concepts beyond just programming, like how the internet works, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data analysis and visualization, and being able to talk about and explain coding design choices (a key piece of the AP exam).

Projects students have made include a text adventure game, data visualizations using open data from Spotify, and a filter that pixellates the image from a webcam.

Web Dev IV morphed a bit over the years, but largely served as a culmination year where students could continue to explore different areas of programming and also devote more time to a final project.

Projects students have made include a mini Facebook clone (complete with login and likes), a networked multiplayer fighting game, and an environmental beach-cleanup mobile app.

I was the club advisor and mentor for WeCode, an on-campus club founded by a student of mine. The club’s mission was to create an inviting space for the girls interested in computer science to meet, hear off-campus speakers, do extracurricular coding, go on field trips, and do outreach visits at local middle schools to encourage more girls to explore computer science. We had a lot of fun, and on our (fully student-organized) field trip to UCLA, we even got to peek into the room that served as the “Birthplace of the Internet”!