Week 1 Lab: Intro to Class

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Today is an introduction to the course and a discussion of what programming is. We’ll do a short “lab” today that will get you familiar with the format for the course.

All labs in this class will be done using pair programming. Pair programming is based on the idea of “two programmers, one computer:” two programmers work together on the same code using one computer between them. One person is the driver: they are the person using the computer and typing the code. The other person is the navigator: they do the bigger picture thinking, look up relevant information, and help spot mistakes. In this class, students will switch roles on a regular basis. Students who participate in pair programming get stuck and frustrated less often than students working by themselves and are also able to practice teamwork and communication – which is why we practice it in this class!

Exercise 1 - Decide who’s driving and who’s navigating

You’ll be randomly divided into pairs. Find a place to sit where you’re next to your partner. Then decide who will be driving (typing) and who will be navigating (acting as support).

Normally you’ll switch places partway through class so you each have a chance to drive and to navigate. This is a short exercise, so you won’t do that today.

Exercise 2 - Write instructions

The main task for today: with your partner, write out instructions for how to make a pizza.

The driver will be doing all of the typing; the navigator will help by offering suggestions, looking things up, etc. You can use any resource you have available to you to help.

Be as specific as possible! Assume that you’re writing instructions for someone who had never seen or had a pizza before. Also be creative! There are many different ways to make a pizza.

Exercise 3 - Be prepared to share with the class!

We’ll take some time to share our pizza making instructions out loud and see how different they all are. You and your partner don’t have to share, but be prepared to.

Exercise 4 - Take screenshots

For every lab and studio you do in this class, at least one person in each pair/group will be expected to submit screenshots showing the work you did. You’ll submit your screenshots on D2L. We’ll practice that today.

Today, everyone will take a screenshot and submit it. The place you’ll turn them in on D2L is under “Assignments” and is called “Screenshot Practice Exercise”.

Driver: Submit a screenshot of your written pizza instructions.
Navigator: Submit a screenshot of an image of a pizza you’ve found through Google (or your search engine of choice).

MacOS and Windows both have built-in applications for taking screenshots. If you need a refresher, here’s a reference for taking screenshots. (For the future, this can be found under “Reference” in the sidebar of this site.)

NOTE This “lab” is for practice and is ungraded! The first graded lab will be on Wednesday.