Welcome to Technology Haven!
St Vincent Pallotti High School offers two Advanced Placement Computer Courses
Computer Science A is an Advanced Placement course designed for students who desire to expand their knowledge of computer programming techniques. The course covers the equivalent of the first half of a one semester college course in Computer Programming. The topics covered are Algorithm Development, Input and Output techniques, Data Structure, Conditional and Iterative Statements, Classes, Objects, Arrays, Recursion and some Abstract Data Types. The programming language used is Java. A brief overview of computers, computing devices and their uses, the use of the Internet as well as information on various moral and social questions concerning computers is integrated into the course. Upon completion of the course the student should have been presented the information necessary to take the AP Computer Science A Examination offered by ETS.
Computer Science AB is designed for the student who wishes to expand his/her knowledge of programming techniques beyond that covered in Computer Science A. The language used is Java. Programming methodology, algorithm development and data structures receive emphasis. Arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, recursion and various search and sort techniques are covered in the course.
Upon completion of the course the student should have been presented the information necessary to take the AP Computer Science AB Examination offered by ETS. The student should spend a minimum of two and one-half hours each week outside of normal classroom time working on the computer preparing and running programs.
A Little Bit About the Instructor
I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and attended Catholic elementary school and DeLaSale High School where I played JV and Varsity football and various intramural sports and was in the band and Chorus. I then attended The College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota where I played Freshman and Varsity football as well as intramural basketball and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1953. Some of the jobs that I held in high school and college (grocery clerk, delivery boy, janitor and section hand on the railroad) convinced me first that I wanted to go to college and second that I wanted to graduate. In April 1954 the Air Force decided they needed me on active duty so off I went with my 2nd Lt ROTC commission. After initial indoctrination at Lackland AFB and Intelligence Officer school in Denver, Colorado and Kelly AFB, Texas I wangled an assignment back to Minneapolis with the intention of giving the Air Force their two years and getting out. Twenty-five years and tours in Alaska, Pakistan, Vietnam and Europe later I retired and came to Pallotti High School as a teacher of Mathematics. In the meantime I obtained a Master of Science in Education from the University of Southern California in 1971. I retired in September 1979 and began teaching at Pallotti. After teaching for awhile I discovered some anamolies in learning patterns so I decided to go to the University of Maryland, College Park part time and obtain a Doctor of Education in Human Resources. An opportunity to teach computers came up a few years later so I dropped out of the Doctorate program to take some Computer classes. In 1984 Pallotti built its first lab of 14 Apple IIe's and was among the first schools to offer a class in Advanced Placement Computer Science. As the number of computers in the school has increased and the system has become more complex my job has evolved into more of a Technology Coordinator. I have been certified as a Master Teacher of Mathematics by the State of Maryland and have completed approximately 20 credits in Computer Science at the University of Maryland. In addition to teaching at Pallotti I have coached multiple sports and been involved in the Retreat Program and Freshman Orientation.
I married Leona (Gagnon) Jacobs in August 1953 and she has been a major part of any success I have achieved. We raised twelve children and presently have 30 grandchildren.
I believe that education, especially Catholic education, is at a major crossroads. Technology provides us with the tools to teach as has never been done before. Technology also presents us with ethical and moral dilemmas that were not there in previous years. The computer and other interactive machines provide us with the capability to do research with much less time and effort, to combine our resources and present our students with courses and lectures that were not previously possible and to allow our students to interact on a time sensitive basis with students from around the world.
I also believe that Catholic education can make a difference, but to do that we must use, be aware of and educate our students in the current technology as well as the more traditional subjects of mathematics, religion, english and other basics. I am a product of a liberal arts education. That education provided me with the tools I needed to be successful. A familiarity with all disciplines is an absolute must in this world of technology for if we cannot understand other disciplines we cannot apply technology to the solution of their problems.