Software development, algorithms, and collaboration
Aligned to CSTA-AP — CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Building real software is a cycle: design it, build it, test it, and debug it, then improve it. Along the way you choose algorithms and data structures and analyze whether they are efficient enough for the job. Professional developers use version control to track changes and undo mistakes, and they collaborate so a team can build something bigger than one person could alone.
Worked example
A team builds a quiz app. They split the work, each person commits their code with version control so nothing gets lost, and they test each feature. When sorting questions runs slowly, they pick a faster sorting algorithm and the app speeds up.
Practice questions
- List the main stages of the software development cycle.
- Why do developers use version control when working as a team?
- Why might two correct programs that solve the same problem still differ in how good they are?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Desarrollo de software, algoritmos y trabajo en equipo
Construir software real es un ciclo: diseñarlo, desarrollarlo, probarlo y depurarlo, y luego mejorarlo. En el camino, eliges algoritmos y estructuras de datos, y analizas si son lo suficientemente eficientes para el trabajo. Los desarrolladores profesionales usan control de versiones para rastrear cambios y deshacer errores, y colaboran en equipo para construir algo más grande de lo que una sola persona podría lograr.
Ejemplo: Un equipo desarrolla una aplicación de cuestionarios. Dividen el trabajo, cada persona sube su código con control de versiones para que nada se pierda, y prueban cada función. Cuando ordenar las preguntas resulta lento, eligen un algoritmo de ordenamiento más rápido y la aplicación mejora su velocidad.
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