UTeach CS Principles

Welcome to UTeach Computer Science Principles

Throughout this course, you will be introduced to this amazing world and the many ways that computer science has helped to shape nearly every aspect of your life. Whether it is the cell phone in your pocket, the game console connected to your television, the self-checkout register at the store, the robot-assisted surgery that saves your life, or the self-driving car that brings you to school, we are surrounded by the products made possible by centuries’ worth of technological advances in math, science, logic, and design.

Humans have long striven to develop the knowledge and skills needed to harness the varied resources of our world. With those resources, we have created tools and other technological artifacts that have allowed us to manage the challenges and complexities of life. Whether it was spears and stone axes to help us hunt or ink and paper to help us record our thoughts for posterity, technological advances have shaped the ways that individuals have related to the world around them and enabled us to achieve the seemingly impossible.

By the mid-20th century, these advances entered a new arena and the age of digital computing was born. The advent of the modern computer and its modular design, stored-program architecture, and ability to perform complex computations with both speed and accuracy opened the doors to a wealth of incredible innovations and fundamentally changed the way that we interact with others and the world around us. It is truly a remarkable time to live in, both as a consumer of digital computing and as an innovator of the new ideas that will shape tomorrow’s digital world.

innovation

The process of imagining something that does not yet exist, but that has potential value, and making it real through the application of design, implementation, and production.

Over the next several units, you will be introduced to a number of innovations in computing and digital media that have come to form the backbone of nearly all of our online and offline interactions. As you explore each new component of this digital landscape, you should get in the habit of asking yourself questions like the following:

What does this innovation allow me to do that I couldn't do before?

How can I use this innovation to create something that nobody has ever imagined before?

How can I use this innovation to create even better innovations of my own?

As this course guides you through the art and science of digital technology and helps you develop robust computational thinking skills, you will become a master of innovation and be fully prepared to thrive in our digital world!