McKinley Academy students are getting the chance to learn about the latest technology as the school introduces a new education pathway: computer science.
Science teacher Christopher Adams spent his summer taking a course about teaching computer science to prepare to present the new material. In an interview with the Sun, he explained that the school is currently only offering a single class in the curriculum, one that teaches the essentials of computer science.
Computer science instruction was new to Adams who originally taught basic science.
“When I was going through the training, oftentimes they said ‘the only way you’re going to be able to learn it is through having more experience doing it,’” Adams said. “So I’m really enjoying working with the students and learning as much as they’re learning.”
The course includes a focus on developing phone applications that control robots. Adams said he was particularly excited about that.
“[I’m excited] because students do think a lot about what’s going on in their phone, on their phone, [and] on their laptops,” Adams explained. “I think it’s kind of connecting some dots for students when they start to see how an application is actually made; it’s not just something you tap on your phone, there’s a reason, and there’s some coding behind it that makes it really interesting.”
Adams said that collaboration is a large part of computer science.
“You can’t do this on your own oftentimes,” Adams said. “In computer science you need to work off each other.”
Adams said the hardest part about computer science is learning the language. The subject requires people to think differently and learn different ways to communicate.
Adams has plans to include more computer-related courses in his curriculum. Next year he will be teaching cybersecurity and computer science fundamentals.
By Molly Ann Howell
Sun Correspondent
