App Creators: Lesson 1

Read over PLTW Activity 1.1: The App Revolution. Then, match each vocabulary term below the the correct definition.

• computer scientists

• the science of creating artifacts and solving problems using the help of a computer; some of the areas of focus include software engineering, programming, data analysis, algorithms, graphics, and animation

• computer science

• scientists who apply their knowledge of computation to creating solutions using a computer system

• camelcase

• a type of software application designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer

• mobile application

• the writing of compound words (like variable names, procedure names, and file names) by starting each word with a capital letter

• emulator

• a simulator that imitates a program or events

Read over PLTW Activity 1.2: Amazing Algorithms. Then, write the vocabulary term for the following definition: an ordered set of instructions that are used to carry out a task.

Read over PLTW Activity 1.2: Amazing Algorithms. Then, write the vocabulary term for the following definition: a diagram that represents an algorithm, work flow, or process, and uses geometric symbols connected by arrows to show the direction of the flow of action.

Read over PLTW Activity 1.3: The Germ Guide App. Then, match each vocabulary term below the the correct definition.

• controller layer

• the layer of an app that the user sees and interacts with

• view layer

• the layer of an app that contains the program that tells the app how to behave

• user interface (UI)

• a representative consumer for whom a hardware or software product is designed

• incremental approach

• an approach to programming where the programmer adds and tests code in small chunks at a time to make sure it behaves the way they want it to, before adding more code

• end user

• the visual part of a computer app or operating system, through which an end user interacts with the computing device or software

Read over PLTW Activity 1.3: The Germ Guide App. Then, match each vocabulary term below the the correct definition.

• event handler

• an action or occurrence that happens during runtime that will trigger a response or behavior by the software; examples include user-initiated, such as clicking a button, or external, such as the device receiving an SMS text message

• event

• type of computer programming where the program responds to an input (or trigger)

• event-driven programming

• in a program, an event that is triggered by user interaction with the user interface

• user-initiated event

• a block of code that is triggered when a certain event happens

Read over PLTW Activity 1.3: The Germ Guide App. Then, write the vocabulary term for the following definition: a set of instructions that a computer executes to achieve a particular objective.

Read over PLTW Activity 1.3: The Germ Guide App. Then, write the vocabulary term for the following definition: the period when a program is running; begins when a program is opened (or executed) and ends when the program is closed.

Read over PLTW Activity 1.3: The Germ Guide App. Then, write the vocabulary term for the following definition: the process of reducing complexity by hiding unnecessary details to make it easier to think about a problem.

Read over PLTW Activity 1.4: Coding With Conditions. Then, write the vocabulary term for the following definition: a command that performs different actions depending on whether a condition is true or false.

Read over PLTW Activity 1.4: Coding With Conditions. Then, write the vocabulary term for the following definition: a form of mathematics in which an expression is reduced to either True or False.