Session D-2: The Fourth R
Namrata Pandya · DigitalCommons-IMSA (Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy) · 2015
What basic skills do kids today need to thrive in the 21st century digital age? In addition to the 3 R’s of “reading”, “riting”, and “rithmetic”, a student today needs a fourth R: “rithms”, as in algorithms, or basic computational skills. IMSA has taken steps to expose all our students to this basic skill and has made a course in computer science, a requirement for graduation. How do we keep our advanced students interested in computer science? This year we introduced a course in cyber security and android apps development. We will walk through some of the topics that keep our students engaged in this class and discuss the online resources available for these topics.