About the Book

Computer science is the world’s fastest growing field of study, and this growth is showing no signs of slowing down. As a new field, computer science can seem intimidating, but it should not be scary to learn or difficult to understand. If you have ever turned on a phone or surfed the Internet then you have used a computer and should have a basic understanding of what happens when you click the mouse or touch the screen—and how fast it happens! Computer Science Principles introduces the creative side of computing. Once you’ve made your way through this book, you’ll be editing photos, designing websites, coding JavaScript, and getting organized with spreadsheets—and along the way you’ll learn the foundational concepts of computer science. How do computers convert information into ones and zeros and send it thousands of miles in a blink of the eye? What is an IP address? What do TCP/IP, DNS, HTML, and CSS stand for? How can a hard drive store large movies and thousands of songs? How can secrets be sent in plain sight? These questions—and more—are answered in Computer Science Principles.

About the Online Teacher Certification Prep Course & APCS Principles Curriculum

Welcome to our Self-Paced Teacher Certification Prep Course & AP Computer Science Principles Curriculum! This comprehensive course has evolved over the past two decades, featuring meticulously modified and optimized content. Successfully tested by thousands of high school students in actual classrooms, the questions (try a few!), projects, tests, and content have been iteratively refined over the years. Not only does this course serve as a valuable resource for computer science teachers, covering essential knowledge for certification exams and the initial years in the classroom, but it also functions as an advanced placement (AP) Computer Science Principles Curriculum.

Designed for self-paced learning, the course accommodates any schedule. However, for those new to the field, we recommend dedicating at least 5 hours a week for 8 weeks to navigate through the content. These 40 hours align with our data suggesting an average timeframe for optimal understanding. Unsure? Take advantage of our 24-hour trial. If you find it enriching, consider signing up for a lifetime membership, granting access to over a dozen assessments and all future content. Questions? Drop us a line, and we’ll get back to you promptly. We hope you find joy in your journey to becoming a CS teacher or mastering AP Computer Science Principles, and happy computing!

About the Author

Kevin Hare teaches computer science and has more than 20-years experience teaching at the high school level and has offered such courses as AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, Web Design, Mobile App Development, Video Design, and TV Broadcasting. He spent the bulk of his career at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC. In his free time, he co-founded the technology company BoxJump. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a master’s degree in secondary education, and a master’s degree in computer science from Georgia Tech where he was a research assistant in the Design and Intelligence Lab working with the Errol project.

Explore the Book

1 – Hardware, Software, Number Systems, and Boolean Expressions

2 – Pixels, Images, and Adobe Photoshop

3 – Compressing Data

4 – Storing Data: Spreadsheets and Databases

5 – Protecting Data: Heuristics, Security, and Encryption

6 – The Internet

7 – Web Design: HTML and CSS

8 – Programming: JavaScript

9 – Impact of Computing (Free downloadable PDF)

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What are people saying?

Check out just a few of our great reviews
John O.

John O.

High School Student

"As a student, this book is a great resource when preparing for the AP principals exam. Kevin Hare explains the complex code in a way that can be interpreted by any student. I highly recommend this book for any student preparing for the AP principles exam."

Meredith M.

Meredith M.

HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR

"As an educator, I appreciate the way this resource is logical, straightforward, and easy to understand. My students taking AP Computer Science will find this resource a helpful supplement to the AP Computer Science course, and even those not enrolled in the course will find it useful as a guide for understanding. Moreover, this book celebrates the unlimited creativity that can be imagined and achieved in this field rather than emphasizing formulaic rigidity, which will inspire all students of the study, regardless of age!"

Brian L.

Brian L.

TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST

"I've scoured countless digital textbooks about comp sci over the years, and I'm thrilled to find Computer Science Principles available now through Amazon. This textbook is an excellent resource for AP and non-AP students alike. The writing and images make difficult to grasp concepts easy for high school aged students, and there's enough depth to challenge even the biggest nerds. I didn't know hexadecimal could be so fascinating! Highly recommended."