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Easter crafts, any besides eggs? Are there any home crafts regarding Easter besides eggs? Easter will be coming fairly soon calendar-wise after all. <Q> Making an Easter bonnet is a fairly common activity for young children round here (encouraged by schools, nurseries). <S> Decorated planters for spring bulbs (e.g....	For the detail-oriented, hand embroidery can be used to create an endless variety of Easter or Spring designs.
Can I make handmade invitation cards on a tight budget? I'm planning on making DIY cards for invitations to my sister's 8th birthday party. I want it to be special so I decided to do everything myself. But I'm really on a tight budget right now, and so I need advice on what materials I can use which will not exceed my ...	You could use an ink pad and decorative rubber stamps to make your cards as well, they are available in most art or craft stores.
Sewing machine: how to sew a straight line left ⇆ right (instead of front ⇆ back)? Instead of reinventing the wheel, I'm looking for advice to use a (basic) sewing machine to sew a line from right to left (or the other way). The feed dog of my sewing machine (and most machines) is made to stitch a line front to back ...	just pull back slowly the fabric to sew a straight line " On some sewing machines, you can lower the feed dogs instead of covering them. Then you can repeat the same process from the other side if the bunched up fabric hinders you too much.
Is there a method for setting up my palette on axes by Hue, Value, and Intensity? I'm a very technical person, even with painting.I wanted to set up my palette like a graph so that it does not become messy, no matter what color I want to mix. This is not an issue if I was only concerned with hue and value (e.g. hue is ...	You could mix your fully saturated base hues on one axis, run the desaturated mixes at a right angle to those and if there is room go off on a diagonal with tints of the colors you are using.
Advice on weaving/looming machine I am looking to create woven patches as a hobby. I was playing a bit with embroidery patches, but I want to see the difference between the two. My question is: what would be a starting weaving/looming machine for home use that does not require an entire room to store it? <Q> You can m...	Used Frame/tapestry, tabletop, folding floor looms are readily available for sale.
Advice for making wired jewelry charm I need to make the following symbol from crafting metal wire (5 mm) for a pendant. (It is a combination of zodiac symbols, for anyone who's curious.) How can I join the wire in between the places where the lines are overlapping ( the blue encircled part ), as well as where the two ...	Instead of trying to glue wires together, I think you could try sawing the pattern out of a solid metal plate.
How do I clean dried brushes? I have a bunch of brushes with dried paint and glue. I've tried to clean them up but they're still hard. What medium is best to restore my brushes? <Q> You need a Brush Cleaner and Restorer formulated for this task. <S> There are a few of these available, only in art supply stores; you'l...	I have also boiled brushes in water to soften the paint, and then scraped the paint out while soft.
Any White Pens/Markers To Write Over Black Pens? I'm just getting into drawing, and I've made a sketch that I would like to fill in with black, red, and white pens (or markers). Since pen is permanent, though, I'm concerned that I might accidentally go a bit into the white parts with the black pen, ruining my drawing. ...	The best white ink pens Matching the paper colour and white pen might be tricky. Personally, for purposes such as you have listed, I use the uni-ball Signa white gel pen UM-153.
How to dye or tint epoxy resin to produce translucent colors? A while ago I started crafting with epoxy resin. At first I just coated objects with clear resin, but recently I experimented with adding colors to it. I got nice results with powders (like glittery eye shadow) and a tiny bit of acrylic paint, but the resul...	I used alcohol based food colorings at first, but they are hard to dispense (too liquid, the resin turned cloudy because there was too much liquid compared to the amount of resin)
Removing stitching from jacket I have a sports jacket from a team I used to play for. It's a very high quality jacket and I would like to continue wearing it, but the team name is written in large text across the upper-back of the jacket. I would like to remove this writing but I don't know how. It appears to be some ...	I’d be using tweezers to remove the final remaining thread with a magnifying glass if needed.
How do you make a large grafitti stencil? When it comes to making large complex grafitti stencils (say, 2x2 meters or larger), how is it actually done? With small stencils with fine details I assume you can just get stiffer card to keep the small cut parts into place, but how do you keep a large stencil in place, so th...	You might be able to glue (or tape) toothpicks (or thin wire) to the front of such details to strengthen them up a little.
What Is "liquid white" that Bob Ross uses? I am doing some acrylic painting and watched some Bob Ross and he wets his canvas with "liquid white" and then paints on it while it's wet. Is this just acrylic white paint or is it gesso? I have tubes of white paint but it is so thick, definitely is not liquidy. <Q> It's a pr...	Liquid White is one of three Bob Ross Liquid Basecoats essential to the Bob Ross Wet-on-Wet Technique®.
How to tell which way a colour is leaning? I'm only just now learning how to best estimate less or more vibrant colours and a large part of this seems to be to see what colours make up the secondary colours being used to mix. I'm finding it very difficult to tell which colours are made by which primaries. I would like...	Search for a color wheel, more details are better.
What are good ways to spray paint a QR code on a footpath? The QR would be of a URL. The QR should be big enough like 4 A4 size papers. I though of cutting out the white boxes from a printed paper and spray on it but what about white dot islands. The precision needs to be good enough for a cell phone camera to detect i...	Here's a QR Code Stencil Generator which automatically generates thin bridges between islands. A brighter background colour will help it stand out much more than paint on a dingy pavement/sidewalk.
Are there cases where we do not reverse stitch when sewing? I purchased a Singer Start 1304 Sewing Machine and am watching tutorials. In one of them, the lady demonstrates how to make a simple stitch. She goes a few stitches forward, a few stitches back, and continues stitching forward to the end. Then she goes a few...	Back stitching helps secure your stitch and is very useful.
Prevent black colored pencil from blending into adjacent colors I'm new to drawing with colored pencils. I've drawn a bear that has a nose and mouth in black, but I can't quite figure out how or when to draw these black parts without accidentally grabbing some of the black color when filling in adjacent colors. I've tr...	Also consider that when the tips of the lighter colors aren't clean (having black on the tip from previous blending) they can give darker smudges on former layers, which might be causing the blending issue. Try out some different smoothnesses, but don't go for very smooth paper at first (like the ones that say they're ...
My Mod Podge coat is still sticky. What do I do? I painted some Jenga blocks and gave them a clear coat in Mod Podge to seal the paint. The Mod Podge coat is still sticky after a few days, which is definitely not good for Jenga blocks. How can I make the blocks not sticky? UPDATE Unfortunately after more than a month...	Another solution is to give the item time for the Mod Podge to dry and cure, then spray it with several light coats of a clear acrylic sealer.
Is coconut shell good to produce charcoal for drawing? Is coconut shell good to produce charcoal for drawing? Does the material that we use to make the charcoal decide its tonal character? <Q> Is coconut shell good to produce charcoal for drawing? <S> I am sure that will work just fine. <S> It does depend on the ty...	Various kinds of wood can be used to make the charcoal, but that isn't the major factor that controls the drawing characteristics. Like graphite leads, the hardness is the major factor driving the drawing characteristics.
How can I make a faux gold finish less garish? I just purchased a cheap gold lamp. As expected, the gold is typically super shiny and yellow (see below). How can I make it look more like weathered/antique gold? <Q> I assume the look you're hoping for is a little like this, a dirty gold: <S> source , actually a 3d...	A coat or two of satin varnish will also make the shine less garish, but test how will it sticks.
How Do I Save This Shirt This is the shirt I purchased when I was heavier: I was able to slim the sides. Unfortunately, fixing the shoulders was a train-wreck (now I've learned the hard way: I need to take-in the shoulders) When I tried to sew along the thread seams, it was crooked and I couldn't put on the shirt. ...	Sew a wild criss-cross pattern all over the tear and make sure the edges of the stitches overlap the edge of the patch below (to keep it from fraying). Just lace the gap from the shoulder seam all the way through the side seam only on that particular side (if your mind is able to allow asymmetry, which a matter of fact...
Something against hand pain due to writing? I sometimes write for hours per day (calligraphy), and my hand starts hurting because of holding the pen for so long. Is there a solution to this problem, e.g. some kind of glove or pen-strap that reduces pressure on the fingers? <Q> If your hands start hurting or feeling ...	I personally will take breaks to stretch my hands and massage the sore parts of my fingers. The common technique is to stick the pen into some form of foam or rubber grip, or even a rubber ball. I've seen something that you can rest your hand on while you write that allows you to move more freely, like a mechanics cree...
What papers are suitable for markers? I am planning on using markers for a drawing. As I have never used markers, I lack knowledge about them. Is it okay to use them on normal drawing paper, or should I use sketch paper? <Q> I'm not sure what you're defining as "normal drawing paper" or "sketch paper," but you can ulti...	Weight Markers will generally soak into the paper and bleed to some degree (with some brands tending to bleed more than others); working with a thicker paper like bristol or watercolor paper will tend to resist bleed-through better than thinner papers like newsprint.
How can I make paper look old without wetting it? I want to make paper look aged and then print on it a picture, I tried with coffee but the results were bad, the picture quality is poor on the coffee paper compared with the white paper, the colors are really dull and it is less saturated. I tired to fix this with phot...	Showing the paper alone might work but may burn the paper and also takes time since we should take care not to burn it. If you have a candle or heat source you can try to hold the paper over it carefully and "bake" the paper to get it to a different color.
How can I keep my paint brushes long lasting? I am not a trained artist.My paint brushes are getting damage easily after finishing one or two creations.Below I have added the images of the brush that I am using now.I do not know what are best types of paint brushes that I can use corresponding to acrylic color that I a...	Natural hairs usually paint better (depending on the paint you work with, your style, the size, etc., and high-quality acrylic bristles are improving), but they are more susceptible to degradation, as organic fibers tend to be, so you have to make sure you take good care of them. I leave my brushes in a jar with soapy ...
How can I secure stiff fabric to wood without risking ripping and without adhesives? I am planning a project using simple 1" x 2" pieces of wood and attaching a length of textile between the planks. The wood will be about 12 inches long, and the fabric will go from long-edge to long edge and up to 3-4 feet wide. So, 1...	Instead of adding any holes or other fittings to the fabric, you could design the brackets to clamp the fabric, along its entire width .
Where can I find/make paintable opaque green domes? I've been looking for an item I need which is a hollow hemisphere with outer diameter of ~25 mm. Ideally, I'd like them in green, but I can only find them in clear. Do these sorts of domes exist in opaque color? Would I be able to just stain the clear ones? Is there ...	If you are feeling crafty you could make paper mache (papier-mâché) domes using a ping-pong ball or similar as a form.
How can one leave internal void cavity in fused glass piece I am trying to make a solid fused piece that would have a shape in the center. I suppose you could make the shape in the glass with a fuse step and then tact fuse a top and bottom on to it. I am worried about losing some features and having the glass collapse....	You could embed a specific shape in fused glass by making the shape out of a material that melts at a higher temperature. If I understand you correctly, you just want to cut out the hollow of that shape in your glass square.
Determine kind of jewelry I have found my grandmother's brooch. She is dead now, so I can’t ask her about it. Can anybody determine what kind of jewelry this is? I'm also curious about whether this type of jewelry had or has value of significance, if someone happens to know (yes, maybe it’s cheap, it doesn’t matter)...	The brooch appears to be handmade costume jewelry (i.e., decorative but not containing elements of significant value like gem stones or a lot of precious metals). The shade of the metal could indicate silver, but the dark and consistent shadows in all the recesses could mean it's a non-precious metal that was dipped in...
Why and how do some people use circular knitting needles when working flat / not in the round? Some people use circular knitting needles when they are working flat, aka not working in the round. Why is that and how does it work? <Q> I personally only use circular knitting needles. <S> To work flat on circular needles, ...	With circular needles most of the weight is in your lap.
Trying to turn a vintage wash basin into a vessel sink. How can I get rid of this standing water? First off I screwed up where I drilled the hole for the drain. The middle of the bowl is actually raised so the water pools in a circle around the drain: I'm curious what my options are now... Is there any way I can sa...	Plugging the center hole will probably (as you suggest) result in something that does not look very good (unless you can perfectly match the color on the ceramic), so I think your best option is to introduce a smaller additional drain hole somewhere along the bottom of the trough.
Is there a tool that will make a rounded cut in flat metal wire? Is there a tool that can cut flat 5mm-wide aluminum jewelry wire to leave a rounded end? (An as-yet nonexistent extremely heavy duty nail clipper comes to mind). In the image below, the wire on the left is an example of what we started with. We've used ...	The heavy-duty nail clippers you were thinking of do exist , but I suspect that they'd push the strip out when you squeeze them. As you're only working in thin aluminium, I suggest a gouge chisel .
What kind of paint should I choose to start painting? To start painting what paint should I choose? Oil, acrylic, or another? I use pencils now, and would like to upgrade to colors. <Q> A lot is based on opinion where to start. <S> As a child, I started with watercolor. <S> For some artists, they say that watercolor is...	I have found with oil paint, it is beautiful ability to blend colors, compared to acrylic or watercolor. It depends on what you would like/enjoy to get involved in.
How do I replicate this misty spray paint texture/pattern? I am restoring some old Microscopes and the existing coatings are in poor shape. I would like to strip the castings and refinish them to look as original as possible. Unfortunately, I am unable to determine what coating or process was used to achieve the fine w...	If the material is metal, one can use a wrinkle finish powdercoat to accomplish this result.
What is the best method of hanging canvas on a wall to work on? I've seen several videos and images of artists having their canvas stuck on the walls - paintings that they are currently working on. I was wondering how they stick/place it on there? These canvases are still unstretched and aren't framed, like those in ...	It is easiest to use prestreched, factory gessoed canvas, but you can also stretch the canvas on a temporary frame, gesso it and then unmount it and, relatively, paint on it loose, the gesso drying pretty much stiffens it In addition to Not The Face 's answer, I suggest using thumbtacks .
Where can I find good crocheting patterns? I'm pretty new to crocheting and am trying to find interesting patterns online. I'm especially interested in crocheting rugs. Sadly, I haven't had too much luck finding patterns for them. Can somebody recommend a good site or a person to get crocheting patterns from? <Q> The b...	I've had very good luck with The Crochet Crowd ; many if not most of the patterns are linked (with permission) from the designs available through yarn companies directly, but with extensive notes and video tutorials that address both actual errors and design elements that may feel like errors but are correct.
Can you use Poster Paint for fantasy miniatures? I recently came across an old version of HeroQuest whilst having a sort-out, and remembered back to when I used to paint these (as well as some other similar) miniatures. I also remember how much they cost. So I was looking at some videos on YouTube and found a few peop...	The poster paint is also designed to be used on large areas, and using it on a small paintbrush isnt going to be easy. I don't recommend using poster paint:
A kind of paper where you can pull away the top layer? I’m trying to make a Mother’s Day art project with my toddler. My idea is to trace their hand on some special paper, use a craft knife to cut the hand outline out, and then pull off the hand. My toddler would then paint the paper, and once done, I would pull off t...	In a project like yours, you may wish to use a stick or stick and spray combination, to ensure you get enough adhesive around the edges of the cut-out to prevent glue from bleeding underneath. What you are looking for is called frisk or frisket film .
How much fabric is needed in this instructional? My wife comes and asks me whether or not she has enough fabric to complete a project. She gives me a square footage of what we have on hand and then a yardage — not square yardage — called for by the instructions : I double check just in case, but nowhere does it s...	The width of fabric is usually measured in inches (in US) and most common widths are 44/45 inches and 60 inches. What was a surprise was a "standard" width is not standard.
How can I force metal sheet to rust rapidly? Basically my metal sheets are new and I need them to be with that rust effect rapidly. Thanks <Q> The corrugated certainly looks like galvanized steel where some galvanized has corroded. <S> You need to remove the remaining zinc . <S> Dissolving it with hydrochloridic / mur...	A mixture of hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and salt will cause steel to rust at a fast pace.
What tool or technique is best for cutting circles in matte board? I am laying out a frame where I will have to cut approximately 200 aligned 35mm circles in a matte board or foam core board. I will be putting plastic coins into the holes and backing with another board (exposed foam board or something with a little giv...	You may be able to create your own punch by finding a piece of steel tubing of the correct inside diameter for your holes.
How to retroactively remove the shiny effect of graphite pencils? I made a sketch using graphite and charcoal pencils in low-light. When I looked at the sketch under normal lighting, it was very shiny. How can I retroactively make a graphite sketch less shiny? <Q> If you use graphite, then you have the properties of...	Using 7B instead of charcoal will give the drawing an even shiny effect. To make it less shiny after using it, you most likely need to apply a layer of something which washes away (partially) the shine, but still leaves the drawing visible. Limit how hard you press with the pencil.
How can I use a fountain pen while onboard an airplane? When a fountain pen is onboard an aircraft, it can leak ink due to the strong pressure difference inside the pen vs. outside the pen. This can result in messes to clean up on the flight even if the pen is not used, and at best ink blots when it is used. Most of t...	If boarding with it completely full prevents leaks in storage, that's because there's no bubble of air at ground pressure in the ink. After having used it (and before descending) you can always take out the cartridge and place it in a sealable container or bag.
Remove scratches from a (resin or plastic) stuffed animal eye I recently visited my childhood home and brought back some of my old favorite stuffed animals. One of them, Snip the Beanie Baby, has noticeable scratches/dents/nicks/chips on her eyes. What is the best way to repair scratches like these without resortin...	, you can try to apply a thin layer of transparent nail polish - preferably extra-diluted (with acetone) for a shinier / smoother final look.
Gold nibs vs steel nibs in fountain pens - Does it really matter? I recently purchased a steel nib fountain pen of Parker. I saw that the gold nib one was more expensive and I thought that gold nib might be for style hence I didn't purchase it. What are gold nibs made of? Are they worth the price? Do they serve any ot...	Although corrosion of nibs is no longer a problem, gold nibs have other advantages.
Using microcontrollers in an Introductory course Are there any advantages to using small microcontrollers (such as an Arduino, etc.) with tactile, physical I/O (such as buttons, LEDs, robotic actuators, etc.)? For instance, does it help create more interest in learning computer programming, or widen the potential audie...	Microcontrollers + hardware allow students to build something "tangible". For one who is experienced and/or is inclined toward mechanical/electrical engineering, then Arduinos are fantastic. If you're not producing something tangible, I don't see much benefit to using microcontrollers.
on-What are pre-requisites for teaching version control to a high school CS class? I'm interested in introducing version control to a HS CS class, and was considering starting with Github since it's a fairly standard tool used by developers. What are pre-requisites for understanding version control that I should make ...	The only pre-requisites to using a computerised revision control system are: Use of a computer. The most obvious prerequisite would be to get to the stage where rather than starting to write a program from scratch, it's better to take something old and re-purpose it.
How to raise students' security awareness in programming? My first website with a login form had the password hardcoded in the JavaScript code, and if the entered password matched it would redirect to a private URL that was just not linked anywhere, but still public if anyone knew the URL, and yes, that URL was also ha...	As other answers have said, a game is the best approach; preferably a readymade "Please hack me" style website for them to attack. Further you can create teams which can try to work together on specific challenge. In terms of resources, I'd provide info about attack vectors, threat models, etc.
Should I teach modern web development in an introductory programming course? How? I'm currently teaching a introductory programming class in a technological university course (FYI, this is a type of university course that is not a BS). The recommended language to use for this class is C and I'm following this guidelin...	If you want to teach students programming concepts along with web-development (HTML/CSS/JS) you should consider lacing programming examples or lessons with examples of HTML/CSS/JS or similar concepts in both.
How to encourage participation in the national olympiad in informatics? Currently, relatively few participate in the national olympiad in informatics (high school) of my country. This is partially because the first round takes a bit of time (up to 40 hours if one wants to reach a perfect score, but 10 hours should be s...	One approach is to host a contest for your students yourself.
How can I maintain interest in front end? When I teach front end web development, it always happens that I start the year with a bunch of students who are ready to redesign Facebook on day 1. With expectations like that, it's always a letdown when I start talking about what a tag is, what a markup language is, CSS prio...	Assuming that you have reasonably motivate students in the first place, the first rule of motivation is to explain the goal, and where that fits into a larger framework. Tell them a bit about how the web works, that there are engineers who work on the various parts, and that is their full-time job, and that they work i...
Encourage students to be independent As is often the case, there is usually more than one way to approach a problem or task. Currently, my students use what they were taught in the lessons (which is expected). When they stumble upon a problem (e.g. a project that has parts that they are unsure how to approach) they v...	Teach your students well, with many examples, and as they learn more they will begin to seek out knowledge on their own. Early in the process, you should emphasize using and applying documentation.
How to avoid getting emotionally attached to my students' projects? I run a workshop with a few students. They often do large projects alone that they inevitably run into trouble with. That's completely normal, it's why they need some help in the workshop. As the instructor, I usually spot the issue and solution prett...	If you are getting engaged in everything that your students do, then maybe you should become invested in some new project of your own to serve as a distraction from what your students are doing. What I do is try to follow the thought process of the student.
Workflow for Code Submission Next year will be my first year teaching AP CS A. While I've spent a lot of time preparing by choosing textbooks, picking an IDE, and writing the syllabus, I'm not yet settled on my workflow for how to push out assignment instructions/starter code and how to collect work back. I registere...	At the beginning of the term, I copy/paste all of the names from the course into an Excel spreadsheet and collect an email address from every student for a Dropbox.
Effectiveness of Parsons Problems I first heard of Parsons Problems thanks to CS Teaching Tips . They define these problems as follows: "Parsons problems are problems where students build programs from ordering small chunks of provided code." An example can be found here . When I research these, I see very litt...	I think Parsons problems offer a low-cognitive load way to offer practice for just about any code-writing topic.
What should be the difference between a university course and developer training? I teach university students and would like to start teaching prospective developers. As such, I have been thinking about the core differences between these two audiences. I find that students are sometimes less motivated and less prepare...	Developer training - students engaged in study, where being job ready is the end goal.
What are good projects for metaprogramming? When I teach metaprogramming like dynamically defining methods and method delegation, students usually understand what it is fairly quickly because it's simply a dynamic way of doing something they've already done. I now want to assign them a project that utilizes the metapro...	/ Module#attr_writer / Module#attr_accessor , which after all are typically the first example of metaprogramming a Ruby programmer comes in contact with: module MyAttrAccessor def attr_reader(*attrs)
Suggestions for encouraging good Coding Practices? From an instructor perspective (Middle School or High School), Is there a method, or a set of guidelines, for grading early coders' projects that could enhance good coding practices as the students advance further into computer science? Are any "online practice sites"...	Checkstyle gives them immediate feedback as they are writing code (in the same way compiler warnings/errors are presented in Eclipse) with the loss of points as incentive to not just ignore the warnings. I use an online auto grader for probably 95% of the assignments my students - high school, AP-A - do in class.
Teaching Other Markup Languages I've been spending a lot of time lately using both $\LaTeX$ and Markdown and have found them incredibly useful. Some colleagues were blown away by some work I'm doing with $\LaTeX$. The more I think about my own use of them, the more I think about teaching/learning markup languages on a ...	Well, depending on how many papers you have your class write, you can give them a quick crash course in $\LaTeX$ and have them write the papers (or whatever other written material) in it.
How to teach which loop should be used In most languages, there are many different types of loops. The most common ones seem to be for loop, while loops, and do while loops. What is the best way to illustrate the differences between the loops, not in terms of syntax, but in terms of recommended usage. For example, a w...	I teach them while loops, for loops, and for each loops; in that order. Use the for when you know how many times to execute it, such as counting, or iterating over an array.
How can I set up Eclipse/eGit/GitHub in a way that is easy for students? My students struggle terribly with Eclipse, and with any form of version control. I want them to use Eclipse with Git, but I am struggling myself to find a way to set it up that would make sense to a student. What I want to do is have them put e...	Researching this, the stock advice seems to be to set up the repository outside of the Eclipse project.
Looking for a block-based programming language for AP CS P This question is specific for teachers of the United States College Board's AP Computer Science Principles class. I'm looking for a block based programming language that allows for: Procedures that return values For each that will iterate through lists In...	Not strictly block based, but I like Codesters as a nice midway point.
Thoughts on copying and pasting code? I'm curious to hear people's experiences with allowing (or disallowing) students to use copy and paste in code when learning as beginners. I feel like there are two kinds of copy/pasting. Copying code you found somewhere in docs or on the internet and pasting it into your code ...	Copy & pasting can be really useful for sharing code that has been deliberately 'broken': you can demonstrate / explain code that is working and then introduce deliberate mistakes for students to find and fix when they copy / paste.
What would be a good first choice to teach game programming to beginners? In my institution we are close to starting a new graduate level program for game development. However, this program will accept non-digital game designers or other non-experts (real architects who are into interactive design), too. Therefore, the...	Python is a very user-friendly language, perfect for beginner programmers (it also enforces good practices like indentation, etc). A non-commercial option would be to use Python and Pygame.
Explaining pointers to highschoolers How would you explain pointers and their use to high school students with some prior knowledge in programming, mainly in Python, but very limited knowledge of C? Note that this isn't a duplicate of Simple Pointer Examples in C , because here I'm asking for an explanation of how t...	Pointers are simply variables which are used to store memeory addresses of another variables.
Benefits of explaining low-level architecture in a programming class When teaching an intermediate or advanced highschool programming class that also touches on general CS concepts (algorithms, etc), what are the benefits of explaining low-level computer architecture? How much added understanding of programming/compute...	A touch of some minimal explanation of logic gates, binary numbers, state machines and the processor-memory divide helps make computing seem less like magic, and more like technology (something of which they could become designers in the future).
Introducing image processing - Should I teach the math During the summer I am teaching a programming workshop for students in a high school computer science major. The purpose of the workshop is to introduce them to image processing, and to have them experience using it. Naturally, an image processing library is neces...	I would touch on a some of the underlying mathematics, but briefly, and (because it is a summer workshop) with the simple goal of illustrating that there is important material that isn't too difficult to tackle if they eventually want to go further into the topic.
What statistics should be in a computer science degree? My university has decided that it should give a core (that is compulsory) statistics class to its computer science undergraduates. This opens the interesting question of what should be in such a class that everyone has to take. As far as I know most CS degrees d...	I think that statistics courses are most useful for computer scientists who are anticipating a career in research.
Overcoming a friend's self-discouragement Before I turned 19 I just kind of... fell into coding. I used to think programming was something incredibly hard that only child prodigies and people with a 160+ IQ could do. (A view often reinforced by Hollywood stereotypes.) And I thought that I just wasn't smart enough. Sin...	Don't tell her she can code, show her she can code.
Is it worth it for high school teachers to join SIGCSE? I just saw this question about SIGCSE for college professors, and it made me curious about whether it is a good organization for high school teachers. I am currently a member of my local CSTA, which I find to be of some value. Are there additional benefits fro...	But SIGCSE can help you learn early of educational trends before they become embodied in curricula.
How to adapt pair programming to a shared terminal environment like Cloud9? Pair programming rather than solo programming is best practice in the CS classroom. Online IDEs like Cloud9 allow both members in the pair to work in a shared environment like google docs: working with independent keyboards and mice. What are e...	I tend to avoid multiple students working on the same code simultaneously (Google Docs style) because it's really difficult to assess what has been done by each student or to stop one student dominating whilst the other If you don't have Skype, you can use Slack .
Classroom use of a limited port scan in the wild? Under what circumstances is it ethical for teachers to teach the existence of a tool such as MXtoolbox ? Under what circumstances is it legal and ethical to use a superficial scan with protocol-adhering requests to scan a target that is not your own? Portscanning a sc...	It's only unethical if the teacher neglects to teach the legality of these tools along with their existence, or if the teacher advises students to use the tool in an unethical way.
How to communicate expectations around "rabbit holes"? Without guidance, students will sometimes spend a large amount of time on a computer science assignment in a portion of the assignment that does not engage CS skills and knowledge. An example is a student who spends a lot of time creating costumes using the drawing...	Perhaps show them how they can iterate - starting by creating a quick stick figure for a character and then improving it once the key stuff - the code - is done.
What are the benefits/uses of a SMART Board in CS education (or are there none)? A few years back I taught in a lab equipped with a SMART Board. I typically only used it as a regular whiteboard and the only benefit I could identify was that I didn't finish every lesson with ink on my fingers from absentmindedly erasin...	We can project sites, code, etc and also annotate by writing on the board directly (although the annotations can't easily be saved other than by taking a picture). Although you may think mine is a less than serious answer, the best example I have seen for the use of a smart-board in computer science is in a video from ...
How to document the developed work using an agile methodology? In the final report of their internship, the students of our school must have one chapter where they "document" the developed work. When using the “waterfall” methodology, they usually have one sub-section for each stage: requirements detailed design i...	If the system is object-oriented, you can use UML class diagrams to document the design. Source code documentation is important for future development.
Uses of selection in programming (if, switch etc) I am an experienced programmer that has just started teaching. I am struggling to see how to introduce selection to my programming classes. None of the examples that I have seen so far are good. I am struggling to find examples other than the ones below. (These are mor...	One of the early examples I usually use is a quadratic equation solver using the quadratic formula.
What would be reasonable to include in an Introduction to AI class for a 7th-8th grade after school program? The class meets just 8 times for 2.5 hours weekly, aimed at 7-8th graders with very basic programming skills. Possibilities off the top of my head: computer learning (neural nets and/or genetic algorithms), con...	One option might be an accessible robot kit (Mindstorms, etc) and have students work on obstacle avoidance, color detection, etc. The Evolution of Code , is a great resource for basic AI principles based in biological principles.
Working on practical projects as a team - good or bad? We are trying to implement a course where students develop web apps using PHP+AgileUI (no HTML, JavaScript or CSS) with a strong emphasis on "object oriented" approach, designing business logic and reuse of UI components. When it comes to the practical tasks, we a...	Of course some will do more than others, however one person should not be able to do the entire project. There are many things to be learned about coding as a team even with a single teammate, but the work won't be so diluted that students would completely miss out on the key aspects of the course. Learning to work in ...
Is SICP appropriate for an advanced high school CS course? One of the most influential texts in computer science is Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs . Before changing to a Python-based approach, MIT used this book for their introductory programming course. It is freely available with a number of resou...	In summary, I would advise against using SICP for a class at the high school level, although I do think it is possible to supervise an independent study with a sufficiently motivated and sophisticated individual or small group of students.
Jargon/Vocab about variables--- yes or no? In my experience (working with college freshmen mostly), I've tried to emphasize precise vocabulary about the concepts and syntax related to creating and changing variables. This is wording like: identifier declare initialize assignment token execute compiler My reas...	The jargon is meant to make expressions and keywords easier to explain.
Lesson plan for teaching java graphics Background: This lesson should give a firm foundation for graphics in Swing in java to students in high school who know OOP in java ( extends , implements and abstract , as well as composition). They are in the school's CS major. This year they need to create a project which...	Possibly present a limited set of GUI templates to reproduce, allowing the students to pick the one they like to implement.
Framework choice for AP CS A students: Swing or JavaFX? I attended an AP workshop this week to prepare for teaching AP CS A this coming school year. It gave me my first glimpse of Swing, which has now piqued my interest about including some GUI components in my course (something I had heretofore not anticipated). There...	As was pointed out in a comment, JavaFX has an added bonus: It's more likely to become the library your students would use, if their careers lead them to doing GUI in Java.
Book recommendations for rigorous CS books I am a mathematician but I would like to learn basics of computer science. I have seen many books that are fine but has some mistakes. For example, Introduction to algorithms even says that one should use $f(n)\in O(g(n))$ but still uses the notation $f(n)= O(g(n))$. Is the...	In addition to Knuth, I would recommend the classic Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programming by Abelson and Sussman.
How do I teach about inequity in computing resources? What activities, and with what resources, are effective for students to learn about the status and consequences of inequities in computing resources? Activities could address inequities within a community or across the globe. Background: The Advanced Placement™ C...	In class, students could discuss in groups of 2 or 3, each presenting one figure or section of the assigned article to their group. News articles on the issue would be easy to find for the 2018 Explore task.
Incorporating algorithmic complexity in grading What are some advantages of incorporating algorithmic complexity in grading tests and assignments given to students? Currently, students in 11th grade at my school are required in tests to write functions that should preform some operation (usually operations on data str...	The first step is to mention what the computational complexity of the best solution is so that students will know to look for an algorithm with that efficiency.
What hardware can I use when teaching Compiler Language and Assembly Code This year course includes creating a compiler of course using Syntax Analyzer and Lexical Analyzer, Semantics and of course through all this generate Assembly Code But also the teaching program includes using at least a little piece of hardware ...	As far as I can tell, all of the very cheap processors out there right now (such as come with Arduino) use languages like asm, and do not lend themselves to the kind of conceptually clear assembly programming that would presumably be most helpful for your students.
What professional development events or conferences are out there for CS educators? I'm trying to find a professional development event for myself as a relatively new CS educator. I'm interested in something that showcases innovative ways to teach and engage students in the subject -- any recommendations? In particula...	There are also local chapters of CSTA which may have professional development. I agree that Computer Science Teachers Association ( CSTA ) membership and conference are the best place to start if you are in the US.
Teaching a blind high school student I am teaching a blind high school student in my APCSA class. All students are using a combination of CodeHS and Project Lead the Way curriculum. Neither of these are very friendly to my blind student because there are so many visual that his screen reader can't interpret. Does an...	You can have a meeting with other teachers who have, or had, this student in class to see what they suggest. Having a blind person try to use a system that is optimised to sight, is wrong. My go-to suggestion for many things is to incorporate teamwork into the curriculum as much as possible.
Minecraft to teach programming? Minecraft is very popular, and I know that it can be programmed/scripted. I looked into it myself but was put off by the learning curve for the Java based version (it looked like it needed Minecraft, NetBeans, a library for my Java code to talk to Minecraft, and possibly setting up a se...	When in comes to newcomers, I have found that Minecraft is more useful in bringing people into the world of computer based thinking.
Scheme - Which implementation to use for teaching A few days ago, I asked a question if I should use F sharp to learn functional programming and the discussion eventually suggested that I take up Scheme. So, I visited the scheme site (which did not say much) and then I ended up at the MIT site . and I also read on t...	Racket is a variant of Scheme that is both very good and very popular.
Could you recommend books on concurrent programming? I am self-learning concurrent programming. I have some experience with concurrent programming. Have self learned OS and programming. There are both programming languages and libraries that provide concurrent programming facilities. I would like to learn about concu...	I would recommend you to read " Professional Parallel Programming with C# " - its based on .Net I think Pacheco's book would be my recommendation for sure Best of luck!
Giving Students a Break My instruction time has specified breaks, but often the students do not take them, even if I urge them to. This results in them working and listening to my instruction while they are overdone. I tell them this is a marathon, not a sprint, and they will have the rest of their lives to sit in a ch...	Turning the light on for breaks goes a long way towards encouraging students to rest their eyes and stretch. It is possible to renew attention, this is where the teacher comes in by changing the rhythm, the tone, the visualization, the exercise.
What does a certification program for CS high school teachers need to include? If a high school math or science teacher was going to begin teaching computer science, what do they need to know? I know of many teachers given this responsibility without any training for it. Since most states in the U.S. do not have a comp...	The College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota has a Computer Science Education graduate certificate program .
Pick-me-up exercises for after-lunch brain death If you ever had a class right after lunch break, you know what this question is about. (Student's stomachs full, computers murmuring, room half-lit, teacher droning about something - I don't blame them for falling asleep.) What short, fun exercises do you use to set stu...	A simple strategy to start might be to elicit their experiences in development. But an active learning session - say role playing an algorithm - might work.
How to answer questions about how I became interested in programming? I teach programming to students seeking employment as programmers who know little or nothing about programming, and I was last employed as a programmer over a decade ago. Sometimes I am asked what got me started, or what my main interest was. Student...	So, my advice, even to a question that may not be the best fit for this place, is to open yourself to them as honestly as you can, letting them know that it takes effort to succeed, but also that it takes plenty of desire.
Looking for software that would enable me to cast a screen over LAN I'm working at the university in a computer lab and I'm looking for a Microsoft Windows software, that would enable me to cast a screen of my computer (master) to all other student's computers which are in the same local network. I have already found ...	You can use OBS configs and set up ffmpeg to broadcast over multicast address .
Answering student questions as they work outside class If your students are like mine, they do a lot of their work outside my view; at home, on weekends, etc. But as they work they sometimes get stuck. They get questions for which they need the answers in order to continue. Sometimes it is a long time before the next c...	Students helping others Suggest or ask for student-leaders in the class.
How to keep students heads from exploding from complex, interconnected topics My students will soon be learning ADO.Net in C#, adding on to the Windows programming skills that they recently gained. Just a few pages from one chapter in the textbook introduce the set of layers and interconnected objects needed to do th...	then look at parts that you can teach by creating most of the solution your self, and having them «fill in the gaps». If you give them a complete simple solution it is an example of the Lay of the Land I would show them a list of the systems at play in as neat of a form as I could.
What is the pedagogical value of Conway's Game of Life? Lately I've come across Conway's Game of Life in a number of different arenas (articles, conferences, blogs, etc.). Last night I coded it up in C and was utterly mesmerized watching it. That being said, I'm trying to come up with one or two precise, concrete, eng...	but I wanted to add my two cents: Like Ben and others have mentioned, Conway's Game of Life provides a "wow" factor that's useful in and of itself. It's a great lab for arrays of arrays in APCS (not sure about Principles), and if you are to continue on into computability theory in a later course, letting kids play with...
Toy Databases for Class Examples/Homeworks I am familiar with the Northwind database and Chinook database as good toy databases for allowing students to practice writing queries. Are there other databases in a similar vein that are available? I want something with a sensible real-world data model and enough data to...	Look into demo instances for real products that run on various databases.
Search for a useful interactive programming environment More interactive environments are easier to learn, but the text based ones I have seen lately don't let you change your mind. I have used Read–Eval–Print Loop (REPL) environments. However these are not suitable, as it is not possible to edit or view code that one...	Runestone Academy has a component called ActiveCode that allows you write Python code and run it. In addition to Racket, check out drjava for Java and drpython for Python.

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