Swimtaxi234 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 A few months ago, I asked for help with finding a computer programing course for our children (ages 15 and 12). Since I have a pathetic amount of knowledge about the subject, I was quickly overwhelmed. I just spent 2 hours looking over the notes I took and looking up old threads, and I am more confused than before. If you are a few minutes and/or have an opinion, I would love some more input. Each of our children have their own PC laptop and they are excited about learning computer programing, but I just don't know where to start. I don't even know enough about the subject to set a goal of what I want them to learn. :sad: Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 A few months ago, I asked for help with finding a computer programing course for our children (ages 15 and 12). Since I have a pathetic amount of knowledge about the subject, I was quickly overwhelmed. I just spent 2 hours looking over the notes I took and looking up old threads, and I am more confused than before. If you are a few minutes and/or have an opinion, I would love some more input. Each of our children have their own PC laptop and they are excited about learning computer programing, but I just don't know where to start. I don't even know enough about the subject to set a goal of what I want them to learn. :sad: Thanks! Ds 16 started with Hello World (Python) and is now doing Stanford's free online course. He may have enjoyed Scratch as a younger learner. He doesn't seem interested in Alice or Game Maker. He dabbles in Arduino. Start with Scratch, Alice, Hello World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 (edited) Check out: Coursera.org and udacity.com Comp Sci 101 from coursera.org was a great intro to coding for my kids. Mainly this course used javascript but some other elements were included as well. I see you cannot currently sign up for that class, but I'd expect a new session of Comp Sci 101 to start shortly. My kids plan to also take "Internet History, Technology and Security" beginning in July. The other comp sci classes are not for beginners as far as we can tell. Udacity's comp sci 101 class is python based. It seems more complex that the beginner class at coursera but is still aimed at a beginner. My kids plan to tackle this over the summer. codeacademy.com is another option. This site has changed since we first looked at it. I think they have streamlined the interactive portions. Khan academy also has python programming videos. ETA: These are all free at this time. From what I have read, the first three will eventually become monetized in some way. Also, with coursera and codeacademy, the student codes directly into a sub-window while listening to or reading the course content. This was a very easy way for my kids to get started doing actual coding. Edited May 26, 2012 by Trilliums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Check out:Coursera.org Also, with coursera and codeacademy, the student codes directly into a sub-window while listening to or reading the course content. This was a very easy way for my kids to get started doing actual coding. :iagree: That is the class my ds is taking. Loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimtaxi234 Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 Thank you for the ideas. It seems like Python might be the direction I need to take. Has anyone bought/read/used this book as an introduction before you used Coursera.org or udacity.com? Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners by Warren Sande Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Thank you for the ideas. It seems like Python might be the direction I need to take. Has anyone bought/read/used this book as an introduction before you used Coursera.org or udacity.com? Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners by Warren Sande My 7th grader is currently using this book after learning Scratch. I don't have much to compare it to, but the text seems to be well written: there are many examples in each chapter along with end of chapter problems to complete. S is working through this book before he takes AoPS Introduction to Programming in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ematzrn Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 There is a relatively new homeschool computer programming curriculum written by a husband & wife team out of the Atlanta area. They are both electrical engineers with CS backgrounds who homeschool their own children. Their company is called Homeschool Programming, Inc. I saw their workshop at a homeschool convention in SC and was very impress with their product presentation. The curriculum is an independent, self-learning course that requires NO parent involvement at all! My 7th grade, calculus master son loves the course and thinks it is very doable for average students who might want to pursue an interest in computers. Their website is http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/index.php .:001_smile: Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 If you want to go with Python my daughter is using and enjoying an excellent book that took her right into programming simple games. She's on her fourth game (a choose-your-own-adventure style story game) and is bursting with ideas on how to expand it and combine it with her interest in writing. It's Invent Your Own Computer Games With Python. We bought the book but you can read and follow it for free online. You might want to let your kids try it to see if it works before shelling out any money on another approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimtaxi234 Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 Thanks for these ideas.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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