Penguin Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I am trying to find a computer science course for my rising 9th grader. He is not ready for AP. He is currently taking a beginner Python course. We definitely prefer something with instructor feedback. I also need something that will work in our European timezone. I don't think he would like being in the AoPS Python asynchronously while everyone else is doing the class live. So far all I have on my list is JHU CTY. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Derek Owens is developing a computer science course right now. I'm not sure if/when he plans to make it a distance learning course (he is currently offering it live in the Atlanta area). You could email him and ask (he's very good about responding to questions). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 EKS - Thanks! I emailed Derek Owens. Fingers crossed :) Anyone else have an idea for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 What type of feedback are you looking for? You may want to look into a free MOOC class and then hire a tutor type person once a week for an hour? I have no idea how much that would cost versus a Derek Owens type class. Python is a good language choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Would something like this help? http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/teencoder/teencoder_cs_series.php Email them when you have issues: http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/support/getting_help.php Or something like CodeHS: https://codehs.com/ (Free) and see FAQs here: https://codehs.com/faq/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Would something like this help? http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/teencoder/teencoder_cs_series.php Email them when you have issues: http://www.homeschoolprogramming.com/support/getting_help.php Or something like CodeHS: https://codehs.com/ (Free) and see FAQs here: https://codehs.com/faq/ pricing https://codehs.com/signup/individual/basic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 pricing https://codehs.com/signup/individual/basic Thank you. I missed that. If Derek's cost is the same as his other courses ($58/mth) it would make Derek's course cheaper in comparison (if using CodeHS grading and one on one methods). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 I like the tutor option set-up of CodeHS, but the Intro to Comp Science looks a bit simplistic for him and it is the only course currently available. The other course is for teachers. Java and Web Development are marked coming soon. But thanks! I will keep my eye on the CodeHS site to see what they offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 EKS - Thanks! I emailed Derek Owens. Fingers crossed :) Be sure to let us know what he says! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephinsocal Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 My 7th grader is loving Udacity's Intro to Computer Science. The Udacity format is good if you're looking for feedback--nearly each short video is followed by a quiz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 My son LOVED computer progamming in Java with Mr. Younts at the Potter's School. My ds went on to take AP Comp Sci and said much of it was review from Mr. Younts class. My ds felt Mr. Younts was an excellent teacher. This past year it looks like the class met from 9:45 to 11:15 on Tuesdays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 There are schools that are doing the Amplify AP CS as a two year sequence. My son has been doing Amplify and likes it a lot. Maybe a two year pace would take some of the pressure off. There is also a Java section in Khan Academy that my youngest has been playing with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 My son LOVED computer progamming in Java with Mr. Younts at the Potter's School. My ds went on to take AP Comp Sci and said much of it was review from Mr. Younts class. My ds felt Mr. Younts was an excellent teacher. This past year it looks like the class met from 9:45 to 11:15 on Tuesdays. Their courses look like a possibility. mjbucks1, did your son take the Intro to Computer Science first, or was the Java course his first course? Did he take a placement test? The Intro to CompSc or a placement test is the recommended prerequisite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 slight tangent - What programming language should be used first? http://www.javaworld.com/article/2452940/learn-java/python-bumps-off-java-as-top-learning-language.htmlhttp://www.itworld.com/article/2693354/development/what-s-the-best-programming-language-to-learn-first-.htmlhttp://gregorulm.com/no-java-is-not-a-good-first-programming-language/ AP CS will change eventually. (my first language was Fortran - times change) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 slight tangent - What programming language should be used first? http://www.javaworld.com/article/2452940/learn-java/python-bumps-off-java-as-top-learning-language.html http://www.itworld.com/article/2693354/development/what-s-the-best-programming-language-to-learn-first-.html http://gregorulm.com/no-java-is-not-a-good-first-programming-language/ AP CS will change eventually. (my first language was Fortran - times change) MarkT, I also studied Fortran. Oh my gosh, I was so confused! I was a freshman in college (1981), and had never used a computer before. I went to the college bookstore and bought A Fortran Coloring Book to try and figure out what in the world was going on.. Look, here it is! I am tempted to buy a copy just for kicks. ETA: OK, I bought one for less than $10. :tongue_smilie: It will be fun to show it to my son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 My son LOVED computer progamming in Java with Mr. Younts at the Potter's School. I was going to suggest Potter's School because part of their mission is to serve those overseas so they have many classes at odd times for US folks. Ds and I both took Rich Yont's Java class 4 years ago. I don't remember a placement test (perhaps pre-req back then was Algebra 1?). It was his first CS class. Here is my review: Ds took Java with Rich Yonts through the Potter’s School for a 9th grade elective. TPS website is http://www.pottersschool.org. I also participated in the class (I am a programmer by trade with out-of-date skills). There were 13 students in the class. We met weekly for 1.5 hours using TPS classroom software that allows students to see the teacher’s desktop, chat in a textbox, and use a microphone to speak (though no one did). The teacher presents the lesson using a PowerPoint presentation for slides, an editor for programming code, and Paint for diagrams and pictures. Pros: Not time consuming Syllabus provided at beginning of year with all reading and assignments specified Instructor was prepared every week with a PowerPoint presentation and lecture Instructor as a person was kind, caring, personable, and friendly Instructor as a teacher was organized, enthusiastic, and well qualified Instructor provided thorough responses to questions via email Instructor graded and provided meaningful feedback on 7 homework assignments. Nearly secular (short prayer at the beginning of class) Cons: Verbose text – 1100+ pages Covered 12 out of 25 chapters. Being a homeschooler, I’m used to finishing the book. Covering half is horrifying to me. Did not cover input/output to files. Something I consider essential. Had this been a core class, I would have been uncomfortable assigning a full credit. Ds probably only spent 1 hour per day during each 2 weeks we had to complete the 7 assignments. I felt better assigning a full credit because this is an elective and the material was completely new to ds. I struggled a bit with the object-oriented portions since I have many years of experience with procedural languages. Ds struggled as well with many of the totally new concepts. While teacher was good about answering questions via email, he did not take time within class to ask for questions or poll the students to see if they were following him. I think this is a common problem with online classes. My student (and I know he was not the only one) got lost along the way but would not email a question, and instructor never solicited questions during class. We used this class for an introduction to programming and Java. In all honesty, I don’t know that I would recommend it as a first introduction to programming. I think Python or Web Design may have been a better starting point, but the class times wouldn’t fit into our schedule. Visual Basic would have been another good option, but that is considered a junior high class which made me nervous due to NCAA eligibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 (my first language was Fortran - times change) I learned Fortran in 1979 as a freshman in college. I still work in it occasionally today. :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 slight tangent - What programming language should be used first? I'm probably not the best person to answer this because my skills are out-of-date (I work in C, PL/1, SAS, and sometimes Fortran and a tiny bit of Java). So, feel free to disregard. You might want to seek opinions on a new thread. I've heard good things about Python. I would have liked that to be ds's first CS class, but either the time didn't work for us or the class was a mix of junior high and high school, and I didn't want any junior high presence due to NCAA considerations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 Sue, was your comment about Python being junior-high-ish just because of a particular class? Or is there something about Python itself that would give you pause for high school? ETA: As you can probably tell from my questions, I have not done much programming post-Fortran. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 mjbucks1, did your son take the Intro to Computer Science first, or was the Java course his first course? Did he take a placement test? I do not remember a placement test at the time, although I think there was a question about the level of math the student had completed. He did not take the intro class first, but went right into the Java course. As a side note, ds had taken logic the year before and said it was a big help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Sue, was your comment about Python being junior-high-ish just because of a particular class? Or is there something about Python itself that would give you pause for high school? Actually, I think they offered a Visual Basic class at the time that fit into our schedule but was geared to 7th-9th maybe? I didn't want a class that included junior high students or material. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 I heard back from Derek Owens and Tom Robinson regarding the Computer Science class. There is not a firm timeline as to when it will be available online, but if folks let them know that there is interest, it might happen sooner! If you read this thread, and think that you would be interested in an online version of the Computer Science - let them know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 AoPS offers an introductory Python class with instructor feedback on students' assignments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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