Friday, April 29th

Greetings Class.  There are 2 things for you to do today.  I know a bunch of you just want to play games and talk but we need to move into Arduino next week.

Next week we're getting into some basic Arduino.  Today you need to do some reading and POST what you think you'd like to do and why.

One of the main advantages of this course is that you get to branch out and do what you want to do.  In order to appreciate what Arduino can do you should read this site this period. It will explain Arduino and Lilypad plus shields.
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/what-is-an-arduino

Now explore some things you can do with Arduino:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Projects/
https://www.hackster.io/arduino/projects
http://playground.arduino.cc/Projects/Ideas
http://www.electronicshub.org/arduino-project-ideas/

Check out some shields here.  Look at some of the links and if there are any shields you'd like to work with, make note of them.
http://www.shieldlist.org/

By the end of this class you should have some idea of what you can do with Arduino or what projects you'd like to do for your culminating.  You can work in pairs for it or alone.

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For those interested in Lilypad, please read this:
http://lilypadarduino.org/
http://sewelectric.org/diy-projects/
http://www.instructables.com/howto/lilypad/ 


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YOUR ASSIGNMENT THIS PERIOD:
Make a blog post stating:

1.  What projects you'd like to do for Arduino, or Lilypad
2. Why you want to do those projects
3. A link to the projects that interest you.

You must find at least one project that interests you the most.  If the links don't have it, use the might Google!

Python Practice Test

Try this practice test.
If you can do it, you should be fine for the real test.
If you have any difficulty, you should be asking questions!

Python Practice Assignments 2

Yay more practice assignments before the test!

1.  Create a calculator that can add, subtract, multiply or divide.

·         First it will ask you what calculator function you want.

·         Then it asks you for the 1st number.

·         It asks you for the 2nd number

·         It prints the formula and the answer in one line

·         It will ask you if you want to go again.  Entering n will exit and it will say "Bye!"

·         The output should look like below:

This can be done in 18 lines!

2.  Create a math quiz game with 5 questions which will tell you your mark and percentage at the end!

·         It will ask all 5 questions first

·         It will tell you what you got out of 5.  Then it will tell you what your percentage is.

·         You output should look like the following:

The last line is:         print "You got ", score*100/5, "%!"

This can be done in 18 lines and fast with a bunch of copy and paste!

3.  Create a lottery game that allows you to pick a number from 1 to 100 for $1.

·         First it tells you that you have $50.

·         Then it asks you how many tickets you would like to buy for $1 each. 

·         If the user enters more than 50 tickets, it asks them to pick again!

·         Then it gives you that many random numbers from 1 to 100.  The numbers can be the same.

·         It picks a random number.  If you have a ticket that matches the number, you win $100! Otherwise, you lose. (Note: you can pick a random number at any time in the program)

·         It will totally your money at the end (win or lose)

·         It will ask you if you want to play again, keeping the same value of money for the next game

The output will look like this:

This can be done in 27 lines!

4.  Create your own program that you think should be on the test.

Include instructions similar to those given in class and an answer.

The program should include 4 of the following elements:

1.       raw_input

2.       input

3.       for loop

4.       while loop

5.       random

6.       if , elif and else

The program answer should be no longer than 30 lines of code.  Email it by Friday at 9pm!

Jones in the Fast Lane - Blog Post

Jones in the Fast Lane is a game from the 80's.
It's old but it is a classic game that helps you understand careers, money management, time management, education and how it all links together.

Go to this website to play:
JONES IN THE FAST LANE

Pick PLAY GAME.

You can play in groups of 4, but it is probably best to play in a group of 2 against Jones (the computer) when it's your first few games, just so you learn how to do things faster.

It will ask you to set your goals which is related to the objects to win the game.

There is money, happiness, education and career.

There is a time clock at the bottom of the screen that represents the week and how much time in the week you have left.  There is a calculator at the bottom right that represents your money.

HINT:  If you forget to eat that week, you lose time in the next week!

Jones in the Fast Lane Blog Assignment
1.  Describe your winning strategy with respect to each of the goals:
a) Money
b) Happiness
c) Education
d) Career
2.  Give at least 5 tips that will help someone new win the game.

IF you can win the game on the medium starting difficulty settings, post a picture of how many weeks it took you, and what career you had in the end!
Here is one at 35 weeks being a Factory Manager making $40/hr:

Python Practice Assignments

Python Practice Assignments

As the test nears, try these assignments.  If you can't do them, you -will- fail the test.
The test will be based on these.  It is open book and you can reference them.  You will not need to hand these in, but I am allowed to ask you to modify the answers to these exercises on the test.  If you don't have the answers, you may not be able to finish the test in time.

Exercise #1

Create a program that asks you to enter a number

·         If the number greater than 10 it says “Too high!”

·         If the number is less than 10 it says “Good!”

This can be done in 5 lines

Exercise #2

The program asks you what you got on the test

·         If you got higher than 80, it says “Great!”

·         If you get lower than 50, it says “Bad!”

·         If you get between 50 and 80 it says “You need to improve!”

This can be done in 7 lines!

Exercise #3

You have $10 in your wallet.  Make a program that looks at what you can buy from a menu.

•       There are 3 items you can buy:

o   $5 – chips, $10 – cake, $15 – pizza

•       It asks you what you want to buy

•       If you can afford it, it says you bought it

Exercise #4

Create a program that asks you what your name is

•       It will keep asking you what your name is until you say your name is “Bob”

This can be done in 4 lines

Exercise #5

Make a program that calculates your average mark.

·         It will ask you how many marks you want to enter

·         It will ask you for each mark

·         It will tell you the overall average after you enter the last mark

The output will look like this:

This can be done in 8 lines!

Exercise #6 (need Lesson 6 for this)                                                                                                              

Rewrite the answer to Exercise #5 using For-Loops

Exercise #7 (need Lesson 7 for this)

Create a program that plays Rock-Paper-Scissors with you. 

•       The user picks 1, 2, or 3 to represent rock, paper or scissors

•       If the user enters a different number, it asks for a number again

•       It tells the user if they won, tied or lost, then asks if they want to play again.

•       The output should look like this:

This can be done in 45 lines!

Thursday, April 21 - Cover Letters Blog Post

Now that we know how to make a good resume, we have to make a good cover letter.
The cover letter is like the back of a book.  It gives a summary of what is to come in order to make someone interested in reading what is inside!  If your cover letter is garbage, the person won't want to read your resume.

Read some actual cover letters from the Math Tutor Job:
COVER LETTERS

Make a blog post with the following:
Cover Letters Blog Post
1.  Rank the Top 3 cover letters and write at least a paragraph or more about why you think they are the best.
2.  Rank the Bottom 3 cover letters and write at least a paragraph or more about why you think they were the worst.

Wednesday, April 20th - Resumes Lesson

Wednesday, April 20th - Resumes Lesson
Today we did our epic resume lesson.  What you should have taken away from it was this:

1. Competition is in everything
2. Your resume goes up against 100's if not thousands of others
3. Each point on your resume that relates to the job is like a weapon you bring to the table
4. It is like a Battle Royale between you and everyone else.  Do not bring a knife to a gun fight.
5. Pokemon!  Collect all those job related experiences!
6. If you don't have experience, go get some.  Volunteer.  Network.  Do not bring a fist to the fight!
7. HR interviewing you is different than an owner of a company
8. Make a custom resume for EACH job you apply to
9. You can rearrange your resume order to bring your strongest points first!
10. You can still get a job based on weird factors

Please read this epic comic series that puts the entire job hunt process in an amazing perspective:

EPIC CAREERS COMIC

Resume Intro Assignment

Resume Intro Assignment
You are in charge of hiring tutors for a math clinic at Danforth Tech!
The following job description has been posted.  Please read it so you understand the employee you are trying to hire:
MathTutorJob

In 1 week of posting this ad, you received 21 resumes!
These are ACTUAL resumes received for this position.

Your job is to rank these resumes from best to worst.
Resumes for Math Tutor Job

Resume Intro Blog Post Assignment

3 Best:  List the 3 best applicants.  For each applicant, explain why they are in your top 3.  List the top 3 in order from #1, #2, and your #3 pick.

3 Worst:  List the 3 worst applicants.  For each one explain why they were the worst 3.  List them as #1 worst, #2 worst, #3 worst.

Your blog post should look like this:

3 Best:
#1 - JosieSmith45:  I believe this is the best resume because [LIST 3 reasons]...
#2
#3

3 Worst:
#1 Worst - JosieSmith46:  This was the worst resume because [LIST REASONS!]
#2
#3

Flying Through Python

Before we get into Arduino, please complete the following Python Lessons:
Unit 1: All Lessons (1-7)
Unit 3: All Lessons (Bonus, 12, 13, 14,15)

After this we'll get into Arduino which uses a lot of the same concepts as Python.

Wednesday, April 13 - Innovation Competition

Review the competition at this link here:
http://innovation-nation.ca/

Our Principal is looking for teams of up to 10 people to enter this competition, and stay over Saturday night in Hamilton for the competition on Sunday, May 29th.  Entering the competition is free and all transport will be covered to and from the event.

If you wish to enter this competition, propose an idea and submit a team list asap.

Tuesday, April 12 - PYTHON! Programming Unit Begins!

Welcome to our quick unit on Python Programming!

We use Python 2.7 at school.  You can use Python 2.6 or 2.7, any kind of Python as long as it is NOT Python 3.0!!!  Do a Google search for Python and you can go download this at home.

Python is on all the computers in the lab.  Just go to the Start menu and then click on the program indicated below:

This will open up a window that looks like this:

This is the OUTPUT screen, NOT the programming screen.  DO NOT program in Shell!

You must go to File --> New and you will get a new programming screen that looks like this:

THIS is the programming screen!
This is where you will type your program.
It is called "Untitled" right now because you haven't saved it and given it a name.

**when you save your program, make sure you type .py after the name.
For instance:   1stProgram.py
If you forget the .py, you will lose the Python color formatting!

Also do not use spaces or special characters (!@#$%^&*() in your program title.

As a shortcut, press F5 to verify and run your program!

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Until I move everything to a new server, we're going to use the old Python website here:
tiny.cc/python12

Today, do Unit 1, Lesson 1, 2 and 3.
I will review this on Wednesday when I return.

Friday, April 8th - Computer Building

Steps to Build a Computer:

Key terms:

• Ghz - gigahertz (the higher the better)
• Cores - number of "brains" (dual = 2, quad = 4)
• GB - gigabytes (1,000 megabytes of storage)
• DDR4, DDR3 - types of Ram

1. Pick a CPU (the brain)
1. AMD (cheaper, hotter)
2. Intel (more expensive, more efficient)
2. Pick a Motherboard (the spine)
1. ASRock, Gigabyte - cheaper
2. ASUS - higher end/gaming
3. Pick a Hard Drive
1. HDD - hard disk drive (a spinning disk)
1. Western Digital
1. Black - higher end, more reliable
2. Blue - cheaper, used for storage
2. 7500rpm = fast
2. SSD - solid state drive (like a bunch of memory sticks)
1. Intel, Samsung, Crucial (check failure rates)
3. Hybrid - SSD + HDD combined
4. Optional - Video Card
5. Optional - Sound Card
6. Optional - Network Card
7. Power Supply
1. Use this link to figure it out:  http://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator
2. Or enter your parts into https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/
3. Then select a power supply that has MORE watts than suggested!
8. Case
1. Mini-Tower (smaller sized case, could be hard to fit in cooling and video cards)
2. Mid Tower (average sized case)
3. Full Tower (lots of space for expansion)

Blog Assignment : 3 Computer Builds

Build 3 computers from either build site:

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/

http://www.canadacomputers.com/

Type 1 : High End

-build the most expensive computer you can find that will actually work

-include things like:

• liquid cooling
• fans and colors for your case
• fancy keyboards
• speakers and sound card
• dual graphics cards
• GO NUTS!

Take a screenshot of the shopping cart or parts list and post it on your blog entry.

Explain how you made the decision to pick each component.

Type 2 : Cheap End-build a computer for under $400 for your parents.

-remember that video, sound and network cards are built into most motherboards!

-no, your Mom does not need a fancy keyboard but they will need something to type and a mouse!

Take a screenshot of the shopping cart or parts list and post it on your blog entry.

Explain how you made the decision to pick each component.

Type 3 : Your ideal computer for under $1500

-build a computer that suits your own needs

-justify each part and explain why you picked it.  It should not be the same as the parts above!

Take a screenshot of the shopping cart or parts list and post it on your blog entry.

Explain how you made the decision to pick each component.

If you want to learn more about PC builds, please look at the Build Guide on PCpartpicker:

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/guide/#page=1&sort=a2

Thursday, April 7 - PC Parts

Computer Assembly:
Some core concepts discussed today:

CPU - the brain of the PC

• AMD vs Intel

Motherboard - the spine connecting the brain and parts together

• Specific to the CPU!

RAM - bookshelves in your room

• Specific to the CPU!

Hard Drive - the library

• HDD - solid disk drive
• Solid State Drive - super fast library

Video Card - enhanced graphics performance
Sound Card - enhanced sound performance
Network Card - for getting on the internet
Case - the body
CPU Cooling
Case Cooling
Power Supply - Make sure you have enough for it all!

Websites;
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/
http://www.canadacomputers.com/
http://www.newegg.ca/