There are two workshops that are available when you sign up for Computing Insights for Teachers. These sessions take place at the St. George campus at the University of Toronto, an introduction to programming fundamentals, and an introduction to Java and object-oriented programming.

Each version of Computing Insights for Teachers consists of full-day workshops for a week in mid-August (three days for the fundamentals course). The sessions consist of a mix of classes, discussions and labs. We provide exercises to work on alone or in groups, and will be there to provide individual assistance at all times. The combination of teaching and practical labs provides the most effective learning experience in this short time, and in past years the labs were often the most popular part of the course.

The fundamentals course is relatively new, and is aimed at teachers who have used computers but never learned how to program before, or teachers who have learned how to program, but would like a refresher. This course will also help to demonstrate how computer programs fit into the larger picture, given recent advances in technology and new programming languages. Java is the language used to demonstrate this course.

The introductory Java program is intended for any high school teacher who knows how to program in any language. No object oriented knowledge will be assumed: the main purpose of this course is to convey a working knowledge of Java and object oriented programming, as well as an understanding of which topics beginning programmers have the most trouble with.

For each of these courses, we will be accepting people on a first-come first-served basis.