Classroom Resource

Computer Graphics

Subject Area

Digital Literacy and Computer Science

Grade(s)

9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

You will be familiar with computer graphics from games, films, and images, and there is amazing software available to create images, but how does the software work? The role of a computer scientist is not just to use graphics systems, but to create them, and especially invent new techniques.

The entertainment industry is always trying to develop new graphics software so that they can push the boundaries and create new experiences. We've seen this in the evolution of animated films, from simple 2D films to realistic computer-generated movies with detailed 3D images. The names of dozens of computer scientists now regularly appear in the credits for films that use CGI or animation, and some have even won Oscars for their innovative software!

Movie and gaming companies can't always use existing software to make the next great thing – they need computer scientists to come up with better graphics techniques to make something that's never been seen before. The creative possibilities are endless!

Computer graphics are used in a wide variety of situations: games and animated movies are common examples, but graphics techniques are also used to visualize large amounts of data (such as all cellphone calls being made in one day or friend connections in a social network), to display and animate graphical user interfaces, to create virtual reality and augmented reality worlds, and much more.

Content Standards

Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 09-12

DLCS18.HS.28
Develop a model that reflects the methods, procedures and concepts used by computing devices in translating digital bits as real-world phenomena, such as print characters, sound, images, and video.

Unpacked Content

Knowledge

Students know:

computing devices use methods, procedures, and concepts to translate digital bits from an abstract form into real-world phenomena such as sound, images, etc.
each device has a process for translating from computational information to real-world phenomena.

Skills

Students are able to:

model the translation of digital information to real-world phenomena.
understand that this process is that way in which computing devices and humans interact.

Understanding

Students understand that:

for computing devices to communicate in a way in which humans understand, there is a process (methods, procedures, and concepts) used to translate computational information to real-world phenomena.

Interdisciplinary Connection(s)

Link to Resource

https://csfieldguide.org.nz/en/chapters/computer-graphics/

Content Type / Source

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

CS Field Guide

Accessibility

License

License Type

Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike

Approved Date

2019-07-16

Curated by

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