Transitioning to Text-Based Languages and CS A¶
After you finish this Mobile CSP course, we hope that you will want to take more Computer Science courses and learn more programming languages! Ask your teacher what other courses are offered at your school. There is a more advanced AP Computer Science course called AP CS A, which uses the Java programming language. If your school doesn't offer it, talk to your teachers and principal about adding the course. Here is a table comparing App Inventor blocks and AP CSP pseudocode with Java commands.
For another visual introduction to object-oriented programming, try Greenfoot - an interactive visual world as an introduction to Java. It requires download/installation but can be run from USB. Here's a simple tutorial. Python is an excellent text-based programming language that's easy to pick up. Here's an online, interactive Code Academy Python tutorial that you can try (the Python 2 course is free, but you have to pay for the Python 3 course which is with a Pro subscription). Code Academy also offers short tutorials in Java, HTML, Javascript, and other languages. Another alternative is EarSketch with Python, which is a great introduction to learn Python coding through music composition! Code Combat is a platform that has free starter levels to learn Python or Javascript while playing in a computer game. Web design and programming can be a lot of fun! First, learn the language of web design, HTML, at https://www.w3schools.com/html/ using their interactive demos and exercises. You can also learn CSS for adding style to your web pages.
The main programming language used on the web is Javascript (which is a different programming language than Java but shares a lot of the same commands). It works right in your browser. W3Schools has an excellent tutorial for Javascript too at https://www.w3schools.com/js/.
Khan Academy also has tutorials on JavaScript, HTML/CSS, & SQL. And
Code HS has options for Java, Python, and Web Design. Cyber Security is also a fun topic to explore. There are Capture the Flag (CTF) contests for high school students where participants can break codes and find hidden flags. You can explore the problems even after the competitions end. Here are some high school CTFs and tutorials with practice problems:AP CS A and Java¶
Mobile CSP is piloting a new curriculum for AP CS A called CS Awesome!. You may want to try your hand at some object-oriented programming in Java with Turtles in Unit 2.
Python¶
Web Design with HTML and Javascript¶
Processing¶
Processing is a programming language used for drawing and animation. The original version is based in Java, but there is also processing.js which is a Javascript version and a processing.py Python version. Here are some online tutorials and interactive coding sites for Processing:
Cyber Security¶