Computer Science & Applied Technology

Saint Joseph High School requires all students to participate in our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
initiative. Students in all grade levels are required to bring their own laptops or tablets for classroom use. The
integration of technology in all aspects of our school day makes it necessary for students to have immediate
access to devices in order to enhance their educational experience, to increase engagement, and to develop
skills. Our goal is to augment our students’ educational experience by supporting and promoting student
learning that utilizes the most efficient and effective technology. Students will be provided high quality
instruction, using technology as a resource that enhances student learning by complementing and re-enforcing
acquired knowledge, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.

• State-of-the-art fiber optic network infrastructure
• Seamless online platform and student information system
• Membean, differentiated online vocabulary instruction
• Acellus, online learning in a multitude of subject areas
• Mastering Chemistry and Mastering Biology
• Computer Science Java Advanced Placement (AP)
• Computer Science Principals Advanced Placement (AP)
• Python Programming II Honors
• CAD (computer aided design) software and physical modeling
• Project STEM Pathways in Computer Science
• 3-D modeling printers
• Biometric scanning
• Google Classroom
• Smartboards
• Swivl Robots
• Zoom live streaming
• Extensive Digital Library
• Robotics / Makerspace Facility (2800 square feet)
• Financial Literacy Lab

Computer Science Skills for an Ever-Changing World
SJHS offers a computer science curriculum encouraging students to study systematic approaches to
problem-solving within a computing environment. As students move through their course of study, they are
better equipped to engage in logical reasoning while learning to analyze information, processing tools, and
systems.

Computer Animation - 0360 
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: none
This course introduces students to the basics of computer animations, including animations scripting and layout, creating cell animations, and Web graphics. Students gain experience in making a script by manipulating graphics to create an animation sequence using key-framing and onion skinning techniques. Students learn to manipulate images by changing the size, direction and shape of their image, and they will learn to download animations onto the Web.

Computer Science I: Java - 0149
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: None
Students will be introduced to computer programming through the object-oriented language called Java. They will learn about data types, control statements, iteration, and user-defined methods. Students will also be exposed to basic HTML, applets, and graphical user interfaces.  

Computer Science Java Advanced Placement - 0175 
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level: 11, 12
Prerequisites: “B+” or better in Computer Science I; enrollment in Pre-Calculus or Calculus; “B+” or better in math courses 
The course is designed to give students a thorough understanding in problem solving and object-oriented program design using the Java language. The course will focus on topics recommended by the College Board for success on the Advanced Placement Exam including: computer architecture, Java syntax and semantics, conditions, logical expressions, selection and control structures, abstract data types and class design, and implementation. Students will also study and modify large case studies. Students are required to take the Computer Science- Java Advanced Placement Exam. 
Receives Greater Weighting in Student’s G.P.A.

Computer Science Principles Advanced Placement – 0176
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level:  10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: “B+” or better in Computer Science I, Exploring Computer Science or Python; “B+” or better in math courses.
AP Computer Science Principles introduces students to the foundational concepts of computer science and challenges them to explore how computing and technology can impact the world. With a unique focus on creative problem solving and real-world applications, AP Computer Science Principles prepares students for college and career. Students are required to take the Computer Science Principles Advanced Placement Exam. 
Receives Greater Weighting in Student’s G.P.A.

Digital Media - 0369 
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite:  none
This course covers the basics of the essential Adobe Creative Cloud programs such as InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Students will learn to create artwork with a focus on the design elements and principles of art and will develop their personal creativity through problem solving and individual interpretation. Students will also learn to extend the concepts of these programs through the function of motion features in Photoshop, which they will use to create short movie clips, with advanced work produced in Adobe Premiere Pro. After each section, students will utilize the skills and knowledge they have learned to create a final piece that expresses both their individual creativity as well as their understanding of the software.

Exploring Computer Science - 0141
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 9, 10
Prerequisite: none
This introductory course focuses on three main themes: problem solving & computing, web development, and interactive animation, and emphasizes the major components of the Internet, social media, and websites. Problem solving teaches design, code programming, testing, and verification skills. Web development includes building a personal web page. Students who enroll in this course will develop the foundation to advance in web design, graphics, coding, and animation. Assignments are socially relevant and will culminate in final projects. 
 

Independent Projects in Computer Science I - 0155 
Independent Projects in Computer Science I - 0156 
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 12 with departmental approval only 
Prerequisite: “B+” or better in AP Computer Science 
Under the guidance of a technology faculty member, students work independently on computer science topics such as HTML & Java script, Java programming, or other graphical user interface programs. A final project is required at the end of each semester in which the course is taken. 

Mobile Apps Design – 0143
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 10, 11, 12 
Prerequisite:  none
This course covers the basics of mobile app design for Android.  The course teaches design for aesthetics and functionality using critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Exploration of a visual programming tool to create apps on Android phones & devices.  Assignments are individualized and will culminate in a final design project.

Photography and Broadcasting I – 0194
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12 
Prerequisite: none for photography/videography/TV/radio production; Instructor recommendation for sports broadcasting portion only.
This year-long co-curricular course provides students with opportunities to develop and to refine skills in photography, videography, sports broadcasting, and TV/radio production.  Students interested in photography and videography will have their work shared with the school community through the school website, social media, and various contests.  Access to a video camera is highly suggested.  Sports broadcasting students will be trained in the various aspects of live online radio and video streams for sporting events. Flexibility with the schedule is required as students will need to take turns broadcasting, producing, filming, and spotting for games during each athletic season. Photography/videography/TV/radio production is open to all grade levels.  Sports broadcasting is open to junior or senior students. Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit. These courses take place outside of the regular school day. Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation. Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Photography and Broadcasting II – 0195
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12 
Prerequisite: none for photography/videography/TV/radio production; Instructor recommendation for sports broadcasting portion only.
This year-long co-curricular course provides students with opportunities to develop and to refine skills in photography, videography, sports broadcasting, and TV/radio production. Students interested in photography and videography will have their work shared with the school community through the school website, social media, and various contests.  Access to a video camera is highly suggested.  Sports broadcasting students will be trained in the various aspects of live online radio and video streams for sporting events. Flexibility with the schedule is required as students will need to take turns broadcasting, producing, filming, and spotting for games during each athletic season. Photography/videography/TV/radio production is open to all grade levels.  Sports broadcasting is open to junior or senior students. Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  These courses take place outside of the regular school day. Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation.

Photography and Broadcasting III – 0196
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12 
Prerequisite: none for photography/videography/TV/radio production; Instructor recommendation for sports broadcasting portion only.
This year-long co-curricular course provides students with opportunities to develop and to refine skills in photography, videography, sports broadcasting, and TV/radio production.  Students interested in photography and videography will have their work shared with the school community through the school website, social media, and various contests.  Access to a video camera is highly suggested.  Sports broadcasting students will be trained in the various aspects of live online radio and video streams for sporting events. Flexibility with the schedule is required as students will need to take turns broadcasting, producing, filming, and spotting for games during each athletic season. Photography/videography/TV/radio production is open to all grade levels.  Sports broadcasting is open to junior or senior students. Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  These courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation. Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Photography and Broadcasting IV – 0197
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12 
Prerequisite: none for photography/videography/TV/radio production; Instructor recommendation for sports broadcasting portion only.
This year-long co-curricular course provides students with opportunities to develop and to refine skills in photography, videography, sports broadcasting, and TV/radio production.  Students interested in photography and videography will have their work shared with the school community through the school website, social media, and various contests.  Access to a video camera is highly suggested.  Sports broadcasting students will be trained in the various aspects of live online radio and video streams for sporting events. Flexibility with the schedule is required as students will need to take turns broadcasting, producing, filming, and spotting for games during each athletic season. Photography/videography/TV/radio production is open to all grade levels.  Sports broadcasting is open to junior or senior students. Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  These courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation. Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Productivity Tools and Applications – 0151
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 9, 10 
Prerequisite: none
This semester long introductory course prepares student to use business productivity tools effectively and efficiently.  The course will cover the following topics:  Microsoft Office 2016, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Sheets, Forms, Calendar, and Classroom.  

Publications:  Yearbook I - 0260
5 credits, year
Grade Level:  9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite:  none
This course will be a practical workshop that will afford students the opportunity to work on the total development of the Annual Yearbook, from start to finish. Skills in design and publication will be taught and enriched. Yearbook is a co-curricular course.  Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  The courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation.  Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Publications:  Yearbook II - 0261
5 credits, year
Grade Level:  10, 11, 12
Prerequisite:  none
This course will be a practical workshop that will afford students the opportunity to work on the total development of the Annual Yearbook, from start to finish. Skills in design and publication will be taught and enriched. Yearbook is a co-curricular course.  Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  The courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation.  Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Publications:  Yearbook III - 0262
5 credits, year
Grade Level:  11, 12
Prerequisite:  none
This course will be a practical workshop that will afford students the opportunity to work on the total development of the Annual Yearbook, from start to finish. Skills in design and publication will be taught and enriched. Yearbook is a co-curricular course.  Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  The courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation.  Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Publications:  Yearbook IV - 0263
5 credits, year
Grade Level:  12
Prerequisite:  none
This course will be a practical workshop that will afford students the opportunity to work on the total development of the Annual Yearbook, from start to finish. Skills in design and publication will be taught and enriched. Yearbook is a co-curricular course.  Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  The courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation.  Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Python Programming – 0146
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12 
Prerequisite: none
This introductory course emphasizes principles of software development, style, and testing. Topics include procedures and functions, iteration, recursion, arrays and vectors, strings, an operational model of procedure and function calls, algorithms, exceptions, object-oriented programming, and GUIs (graphical user interfaces). Assignments use graphics and GUIs to help develop fluency and understanding.

Robotics I – 0190
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12 
Prerequisite: none for Robotics I, all others require previous level course
The objective of this course is to introduce the students to team building, construction, basic programming, and problem solving strategies. This course will involve students in the development, building, and programming of a competition robot in the FIRST program. Students will work hands-on in teams to design, build, program, and document their progress. Topics may include motor control, gear ratios, torque, friction, sensors, timing, program loops, logic gates, decision-making, timing sequences, propulsion systems, and binary number systems. Students will increase skill and comfort level with each year of involvement. Robotics is a co-curricular course.  Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  The courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation. Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Robotics II – 0191
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level: 10, 11, 12 
Prerequisite: none for Robotics I, all others require previous level course
The objective of this course is to introduce the students to team building, construction, basic programming, and problem solving strategies. This course will involve students in the development, building, and programming of a competition robot in the FIRST program. Students will work hands-on in teams to design, build, program, and document their progress. Topics may include motor control, gear ratios, torque, friction, sensors, timing, program loops, logic gates, decision-making, timing sequences, propulsion systems, and binary number systems. Students will increase skill and comfort level with each year of involvement. Robotics is a co-curricular course.  Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  The courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation. Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Robotics III – 0192
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level: 11, 12 
Prerequisite: none for Robotics II, all others require previous level course
The objective of this course is to introduce the students to team building, construction, basic programming, and problem solving strategies. This course will involve students in the development, building, and programming of a competition robot in the FIRST program. Students will work hands-on in teams to design, build, program, and document their progress. Topics may include motor control, gear ratios, torque, friction, sensors, timing, program loops, logic gates, decision-making, timing sequences, propulsion systems, and binary number systems. Students will increase skill and comfort level with each year of involvement. Robotics is a co-curricular course.  Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  The courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation. Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Robotics IV – 0193
5.0 credits, year
Grade Level: 12 
Prerequisite: none for Robotics III, all others require previous level course
The objective of this course is to introduce the students to team building, construction, basic programming, and problem solving strategies. This course will involve students in the development, building, and programming of a competition robot in the FIRST program. Students will work hands-on in teams to design, build, program, and document their progress. Topics may include motor control, gear ratios, torque, friction, sensors, timing, program loops, logic gates, decision-making, timing sequences, propulsion systems, and binary number systems. Students will increase skill and comfort level with each year of involvement. Robotics is a co-curricular course.  Co-curricular courses are an extension of the learning experience, and students may be awarded high school credit.  The courses take place outside of the regular school day.  Students interested in participating in these activities for high school credit will need to adhere to attendance and participation policies. The co-curricular courses do not waive any of the requirements for graduation. Students may still participate in these activities without receiving high school credit.

Technical Drawing - 0351 
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: “C” average in Geometry 
The universal language in the world of technology is precision drawing. All manufactured products, homes, office towers, and entire cities take form first on the designer’s drawing board. Engineers, carpenters, architects, and machinists must be familiar with technical drawing. 
This course will cover sketching, dimensioning, orthographic projection, sectioning, and auxiliary views. Students will prepare drawings using both computers and paper and pencil.

Web Design - 0180 
2.5 credits, semester
Grade Level: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: Exploring Computer Science or Digital Media 
Students will learn the basics of web design using the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), XHTML, and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Emphasis will be placed on tags, images, internal and external hyperlinks, color, tables, frames, forms, and cascading style sheets. Layout and design considerations will be studied through the evaluation of current websites. Students will work on designing personal web pages and web pages for SJHS faculty, departments, clubs and activities. Adobe Dreamweaver will be used to write and test the web pages that students create.