Weekly outline

  • Introduction

    • Javascript basics URL
      To finish this course, you'll need to be able to read Javascript programs. Skim through this online tutorial on Javascript basics before coming to class or when you can't understand a piece of code.

  • Lesson 1

    • Flipped classroom activity URL
      This quick introduction to binary numbers and conversion to/from everyday numbers was produced by the BBC, and includes some multimedia. Check it out before class for a deeper understanding of binary.
    • Decoding files Lesson
      This presentation on binary numbers and bitwise operators will get you up to speed on this foundation subject within 30 minutes. You will break Javascript (on purpose) by giving it a number too big to handle, and reflect on what it means for your decoding. At the end, you will decode a piece of data from a binary file.

  • Lesson 2

    • Flipped classroom activity URL
      Skim through pages 1-18 of this lesson on recursion. You don't have to completely understand the concept, but you should know enough not to be completely thrown when you encounter functions that call themselves in this week's lesson.
    • Loops vs. algorithms Lesson
      Loops are often used as an easy way to find the position of an item in an array of items. For example, to find the position of 19 in a list, you might write a for loop to check the list at each position from the first item to the last until it finds 19. But what if the list is already sorted? If so, there is a better way, called binary search. But it takes a little more from the programmer to make this work. In this section you'll learn about speeding up searching and sorting. Though you'll rarely need to resort to algorithms, this may come up when you're dealing with large amounts of data that seem to freeze your computer when using normal looping methods.

  • Lesson 3

    • Flipped classroom activity URL
      This tutorial on beginning regular expressions should get you up and running within 30 minutes. Regular expressions are a kind of wildcard search feature for text.
    • Regular expressions and parsers Lesson
      Resources on regular expression syntax abound on the Internet, yet most of the tutorials don't tell you about their most important use. It is no exaggeration to say that regular expressions are what make modern programming languages possible. Thanks to Javascript's open source community, you will be able to design and build your own simple language in the browser during this lesson.

  • Lesson 4

    • Flipped classroom activity URL
      Go to this Examples page of the 3D programming library we'll be using in this lesson, and browse through the pages for about 30 minutes. By the end you should have some idea of what 3D can be used for, and the kinds of advanced special effects you can achieve, including shiny materials, decals, and more.
    • 3D computer graphics Lesson
      What do driving games and walking games have in common? A camera, one or more light sources, and 3D graphics primitives. Learn the terminology of working in 3D and how to set up a simple scene, which you can animate moving around inside.

  • Credits