Techno Kids Computer Curriculum

[swimmermom3]

Has anyone here used the intermediate Techno Kids Computer Curriculum?

[Susie in CA]

Never heard of it, but it looks interesting. I'd be interested in any input as well.

 

Susie

[lisabees]

Hey Lisa. I've haven't heard of that curriculum either. What exactly is he interested in learning?

 

Tell swimmerdude to check his email tonight!

Edited November 30, 2010 by lisabees

[8filltheheart]

Has anyone here used the intermediate Techno Kids Computer Curriculum?

 

I've been investigating computer programming for my math geek. I followed your link......I don't think I would want to pay that much for the course. (unless I ended up in the wrong place, it was $295 for the set??)

 

What are you hoping to achieve? Here is some of the info I have pulled together for my ds as of right now. I know nothing about computers, so this has been a search in the dark for me. FWIW, most of this stuff is free or cheap. ;)

 

A good place to start is this dad's blog:

http://www.eternityroad.info/index.php/weblog/single/a_great_b/

 

http://inventwithpython.com/

 

(Reading this article might lean you toward Python. :tongue_smilie: http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/prog-curriculum.htm )

 

http://scratch.mit.edu/

 

http://www.dickbaldwin.com/tocalice.htm

 

http://www.dickbaldwin.com/tocHomeSchool.htm

 

http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lessonintro.htm

 

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/online_hs.htm (scroll down for computer class info)

 

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-00-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-fall-2008/syllabus/

 

https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1006

 

The dad from the blog I listed 1st categorized his list for me like this:

 

Curious About Computers

 

Daniel Hillis, The Pattern on the Stone

Neal Stephenson, In the Beginning was the Command Line

Eric Raymond, The Complete Hacker’s Dictionary

Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, Linked

Strunk and White, The Elements of Style

Eric Raymond, The Cathedral and the Bazaar

 

Interested in Sociology or Business Aspects

 

Steven Levy, Hackers

Cliff Stoll, The Cuckoo’s Egg

Fred Brooks, The Mythical Man-Month

Tom DeMarco, Peopleware

Edward Yourdon, Death March

 

Interested in Logic or Philosophy (Serious Deep-Thinker Stuff)

 

George Boole, An Investigation of the Laws of Thought

Douglas Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach

Douglas Hofstadter, Metamagical Themas

 

Interested in Programming, Techie but not Insane

 

Harold Abelson and Jay Sussman, The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, The C Programming Language

Brian Kernighan and Rob Pike, The UNIX Programming Environment

Brian Kernighan and Rob Pike, The Practice of Programming

Martin Fowler, Refactoring

James Rumbaugh, et al, Object-Oriented Modeling and Design

Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides (the Gang of Four), Design Patterns

Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh, Ivar Jacobson, The Unified Modeling Language User Guide

Alistair Cockburn, Agile Software Development

Bob Schmidt, Data Modeling for Information Professionals

Edward Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

 

Hardcore Techies Only

 

Marvin Minsky, Computation: Finite and Infinite Machines

Donald Knuth, The Art of Computer Programming

John Hennessy and David Patterson, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach

Alfred Aho, Ravi Sethi and Jeffrey Ullman, Compilers

Douglas Comer, et al, Internetworking with TCP/IP

 

 

Now.....if I haven't left you completely confused and overwhelmed, well, then, you are better off than I!!! :lol:

Edited November 30, 2010 by 8FillTheHeart

[Corraleno]

Lisa, I have this book, which teaches Python for kids. I won't be using it for a long time, so you're welcome to borrow it. You can "look inside" on Amazon.

 

MIT's free Scratch program, which 8FilltheHeart linked, is lots of fun and very easy to use. DS has built some really cute games with it.

 

ETA: I just looked at the TechnoKids website — it's all Microsoft stuff! I thought Swimmer Dude was totally anti-Microsoft?

 

Jackie

Edited November 30, 2010 by Corraleno

[swimmermom3]

Hey Lisa. I've haven't heard of that curriculum either. What exactly is he interested in learning?

 

Tell swimmerdude to check his email tonight!

 

We have two distinct and different goals. The Techno Kids or something like it would be for learning the kinds of things you would learn in a middle school technology class: how to make a Power Point presentation for science, the basics of creating a web page and publishing it, and creating an Excel spreadsheet. I liked some of the Techno Kids projects because the included entrepreneurship along with the technical skills. My Office skills are basic and frankly, I don't think I can add one more to subject to learn or re-learn to my agenda.

 

The other goal is that Swimmer Dude wants to start a business as a web host. Don't quote me on that as I get confused. He wants to sell domains, I think. He is interested in the customer networking end of things and in learning languages. For over a year he has brought home vast computer tomes from the library. He needs direction from someone far less clueless than myself. We began a forum just for fun, but mom reset not only the modem but the router, so now we have to rebuild the forum.:tongue_smilie:

 

Lisa, I have this book, which teaches Python for kids. I won't be using it for a long time, so you're welcome to borrow it. You can "look inside" on Amazon.

 

MIT's free Scratch program, which 8FilltheHeart linked, is lots of fun and very easy to use. DS has built some really cute games with it.

 

ETA: I just looked at the TechnoKids website — it's all Microsoft stuff! I thought Swimmer Dude was totally anti-Microsoft?

 

Jackie

 

Jackie, you are so generous with your resources; I will check with him about Python. About Microsoft and the Dude? "You have to know your competition, right?

[swimmermom3]

I've been investigating computer programming for my math geek. I followed your link......I don't think I would want to pay that much for the course. (unless I ended up in the wrong place, it was $295 for the set??)

 

What are you hoping to achieve? Here is some of the info I have pulled together for my ds as of right now. I know nothing about computers, so this has been a search in the dark for me. FWIW, most of this stuff is free or cheap. ;)

 

A good place to start is this dad's blog:

http://www.eternityroad.info/index.php/weblog/single/a_great_b/

 

http://inventwithpython.com/

 

(Reading this article might lean you toward Python. :tongue_smilie: http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/prog-curriculum.htm )

 

http://scratch.mit.edu/

 

http://www.dickbaldwin.com/tocalice.htm

 

http://www.dickbaldwin.com/tocHomeSchool.htm

 

http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lessonintro.htm

 

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/online_hs.htm (scroll down for computer class info)

 

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-00-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-fall-2008/syllabus/

 

https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1006

 

The dad from the blog I listed 1st categorized his list for me like this:

 

Curious About Computers

 

Daniel Hillis, The Pattern on the Stone

Neal Stephenson, In the Beginning was the Command Line

Eric Raymond, The Complete Hacker’s Dictionary

Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, Linked

Strunk and White, The Elements of Style

Eric Raymond, The Cathedral and the Bazaar

 

Interested in Sociology or Business Aspects

 

Steven Levy, Hackers

Cliff Stoll, The Cuckoo’s Egg

Fred Brooks, The Mythical Man-Month

Tom DeMarco, Peopleware

Edward Yourdon, Death March

 

Interested in Logic or Philosophy (Serious Deep-Thinker Stuff)

 

George Boole, An Investigation of the Laws of Thought

Douglas Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach

Douglas Hofstadter, Metamagical Themas

 

Interested in Programming, Techie but not Insane

 

Harold Abelson and Jay Sussman, The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, The C Programming Language

Brian Kernighan and Rob Pike, The UNIX Programming Environment

Brian Kernighan and Rob Pike, The Practice of Programming

Martin Fowler, Refactoring

James Rumbaugh, et al, Object-Oriented Modeling and Design

Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides (the Gang of Four), Design Patterns

Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh, Ivar Jacobson, The Unified Modeling Language User Guide

Alistair Cockburn, Agile Software Development

Bob Schmidt, Data Modeling for Information Professionals

Edward Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

 

Hardcore Techies Only

 

Marvin Minsky, Computation: Finite and Infinite Machines

Donald Knuth, The Art of Computer Programming

John Hennessy and David Patterson, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach

Alfred Aho, Ravi Sethi and Jeffrey Ullman, Compilers

Douglas Comer, et al, Internetworking with TCP/IP

 

 

Now.....if I haven't left you completely confused and overwhelmed, well, then, you are better off than I!!! :lol:

 

Thank you!!! I am hoping for some time to go over the links tonight.

 

Hope you are having a great day.

[8filltheheart]

The Techno Kids or something like it would be for learning the kinds of things you would learn in a middle school technology class: how to make a Power Point presentation for science, the basics of creating a web page and publishing it, and creating an Excel spreadsheet.

 

Have you looked at these tutorials?

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/training-FX101782702.aspx?redir=0

 

 

BTW......for anyone reading this thread that has a MAC, I came across this incredible resource

http://www.mrsoshouse.com/computer/Computers.html