PTAA students acquire a working knowledge of computer concepts and essential skills necessary for work and communication in today's society. Students will learn safety, security, and ethical issues in computing and social networking. Students will also learn about input/output systems, computer hardware and operating systems, and office applications. Additionally, our school believes computer science coding, engineering and programming should be part of the core curriculum, alongside other core courses.
Computer classes are equipped with iPads and desktops that provide 1:1 ratio for student use during computer science classes.
Our projects are structured according to the Technology Design Cycle (adapted from IB MYP): Investigate, Plan, Create and Evaluate, which is the natural process that students go through when completing a technology project. This gives students multiple opportunities for formative assessment and feedback during the development of a project. Students are encouraged to learn how to learn with technology, to be independent and critical thinkers and to work cooperatively within the classroom environment.
PTAA classes use the International Society for Technology in Education National Education Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S):
"The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S) identifies six major standards and related performance indicators, detailing what students should know about and be able to do with technology to support their learning, communications, research, problem-solving, and productivity." From: National Educational Technology Standards Overview.
Emphasis at PTAA is placed on Computational Thinking and Coding in Computer Science. During the last few centuries, reading and writing were essential to a successful life, becoming cornerstones of school curriculum. We all know that today’s generation of students needs a myriad of skills to be successful, far beyond reading and writing; but just as those form the basics to a quality education, so too should programming. The analytical and mathematical skills, and understanding of not only how things work and how to control those items in this increasingly interconnected world, are all essential elements today’s students can learn through programming. Coding is the act of writing a program in a programming language. So when people say you will need to know coding, they are saying you need to know two things: you need to know the language and you need to know how to use the language.
