Computers, mobile devices and other technological advances play an increasingly important role in all areas of life. The overall goal of the computer science and technology department is to develop student’s computer literacy and technology proficiency with cutting edge devices, software, tools and social media in order to prepare them for the high-tech workforce they will soon be entering. Computers are used in just about every field, and successful careers will depend on the professionals’ ability to work within technological frameworks. With the proliferation of mobile devices, computational tools and the “always on, always connected” mentality, we must teach students to comprehend, manage and find balance in their lives.
In preparing students for our ever-evolving technological workforce, we encourage and often require students to use technology in their school classes to research, write papers and projects, compute mathematical formulas and perform scientific research, and create presentations and other computational artifacts. We also endeavor to build good digital citizens who are respectful of others, take technology usage seriously, achieve the appropriate balance with respect to digital experiences and leverage technology for the greater good and benefit to society.
In addition to its focus on technology integration across disciplines, North Shore Hebrew Academy High School has introduced Computer Science Essentials for all Freshmen. This ensures that all students will satisfy the New York State graduation requirement of enrollment in at least one computer science class. Additionally, the computer science department provides a robust offering with multiple classes, clubs and opportunities to learn about computer science and technology as a core focus for those students who want to pursue more in-depth learning of computer science and technology concepts.
There are multiple paths that students may pursue. These include a two year path to further explore computing concepts and mobile application development, a three year path with coding and data science choices, a four year programming languages and constructs path and a four year data science and artificial intelligence path. Throughout these courses, students learn skills, use tools and build apps and applications that solve real world problems. They will study the impact of technology in society. And, they will also have the opportunity to submit projects to numerous expos and competitions, participate in hack-a-thons and join the robotics team as programming specialists.
View Computer Science and Technology Curriculum Path in PDF.
Course Descriptions
Computer Science and computational problem solving are fundamental skills for engaging the 21st-century marketplace of ideas and economies. All students should have the opportunity to learn these skills as they will use them in whatever career they are likely to enter. This is one of the reasons NYS has made computer science a graduation requirement.
There are several units of study in computer science essentials gradually building students up to a level of comfort that they too can create and develop sophisticated computing innovations and computational artifacts. The topics include: Your Digital Life, Computer Science For All, Introduction to Web Development, Introduction to App Development, Graphics & Animation with Python and Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
This course is equivalent to a semester-long, college-level course in computer science. The course continues to teach students about computer science focused around seven big ideas: creativity, abstraction, data & information, algorithms, programming, the Internet and global impact. The course will use MIT App Inventor and the Blockly programming language to teach students about programming concepts in the context of mobile application development. The AP Computer Science Principles course includes a performance based task where students creatively design their own unique programming app. Collaboration will also be a key component in the class. AP CSP is designed to be a prerequisite for AP CS A and/or Mobile Apps & Entrepreneurship IS.
College Python Programming is equivalent to a first-semester, college-level course in programming. The course introduces students to coding essentials including problem solving and program design, algorithms (sequence, selection/decisions, iteration/loops), data collection (lists, sets, dictionaries and scalar values), abstractions (procedures, functions), graphical user interfaces and user experience design. This is a project-based learning course where Python applications will be created and explored within a backdrop of traditional problems and more current computer science fields such as data visualization, machine learning, web scraping and integration with engineering projects. Collaboration will also be a key component in the class. Students may opt to earn college credit through LIU upon successful completion of this course.
This course introduces students to the main ideas in Data Science (DS), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) through project-based learning. Students will learn to ask questions of data and represent data through visualizations. They will also use critical thinking skills to look at how data is presented to them or used in articles and social media. The projects will range from exploring how AI is used in image recognition or price predictions, to how Spotify creates a shuffle list of their favorite song list. The course will cover the technical side of DS and AI, where students will be introduced to software used in the industry: Python, Pandas, scikit-learn, Colab Notebooks. In addition, the course will examine the implications of DS and AI including Data Ethics, Data Privacy, and how AI impacts all areas of our life.
This course is equivalent to a semester-long, college-level course in computer science. The course introduces students to computer science with fundamental topics that include problem solving, design strategies and methodologies, organization of data (data structures), approaches to processing data (algorithms), analysis of potential solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing. The course emphasizes both object-oriented and imperative problem solving and design using Java language. The AP Computer Science A course includes a minimum of 20 hours of hands-on structured lab experiences to engage students in individual or group problem solving. Prerequisite: AP Computer Science Principles. Teacher recommendation and administrative approval are required for enrollment.
In this Machine Learning class (ML) students will take a deep dive into the world of AI and Machine Learning and will understand the “magic” that’s behind chatGPT, image recognition, and more. Students will work in Python and will be introduced to various types of machine learning - supervised ML, unsupervised ML, and reinforcement learning. By the end of the class students will have a portfolio of projects that will include Regression Models, Classification Models, neural networks, Sentiment analysis, Clustering, and Natural Language Processing.
Extracurricular Computer Science and Technology Clubs
Students involved in this national club study specific aspects of computer science each year and participate in a global impact project. They collaborate with other girls in an environment, which fosters confidence and excitement about women in computer science. A faculty member from the Computer Science and Technology department will act as an advisor.
Faculty
