JudoMom Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 I've got a ds8(in 9 days) who is obsessed with computers and video games and such. He has expressed a strong interest in learning how to create video games and how computers work. Dh & I have decided that while we'll keep teaching him how to control his obsession, we would like to start letting him learn the process and information he'd need to create his own video games or computer programs. I'm so clueless I don't even know what I should be looking for. He reads extremely well. Is there anything out there that I might get for him to help him start learning about this stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom'sGirl Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 It is a totally free download. For the age your looking at I would go with story telling Alice. It seems to be a great introduction to virtual programming. It is easy to use but be sure to go through the introductory lesson before just trying it. http://www.alice.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shukhov Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 Hello. I'm a homeschool dad and a teacher at a classical academy. But I also have a degree in computer science and so I've given a lot of thought in this realm of education and computers. I too was consumed with the desire to program computers at an age similar to your son. Last year I gave a somewhat elaborate speech on the nature of computers and how they work. It was entitled "Can computers think?". In the talk I constructed what I called a "Human Computer" using paper, cardboard, and a table. It was highly interactive and helped the students really understand a computer from the inside out because they get to "act out" a computer. Each student is assigned to be a different internal component of the machine. But, rather than trying to explain it all I've included a link to the professor from whom I originally got the idea. His web page, by the way, is fantastic and he has lots of thought provoking essays about the education of children and computer/tv media. Here's the link: http://www.ime.usp.br/~vwsetzer/paper-comp.html I tried to attach a copy of my speech that accompanied the Human Computer but, alas, it was too big. The speech would help your student think through some critical worldview and philosophical questions regarding computers. If anyone is interested in this just email me. In it, I give some instructions for different levels of students at the beginning, hence the notes at the top of the document. The talk was well received. Junior high and older students enjoyed it the most. To answer your general question, though, I would recommend your son first learning the BASIC computer language. It is available for just about any machine and operating system (Windows, mac, etc.) BASIC has constructs in it that will allow them to play around with video components and graphics and it is easy to (Basic!) to learn. There are also a lot of readily available books on the language. If your son is a self-starter at all he shouldn't have any difficult getting going. Let me know if I can be of any more assistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shukhov Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 The "Alice" program mentioned above looks very interesting. In my day there was nothing of the sort. Has anyone out there used Alice extensively? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shukhov Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 I just found a small document that includes a supply list and a list of student "roles" for the human computer. I made the summary from the professor's description of the human computer. I'd be glad to also make this available to anyone who wants it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkiMom Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 My son is the same! We have used a computer programming curriculum from www.motherboardbooks.com called "Logo Adventures" and my son has enjoyed it. The lady who wrote the curriculum is a homeschooling mom and she has several other computer curriculum on her website as well. I am planning on having my son do all of them. I also enrolled my son in a local class on game making put on by Children's Technology Workshop. We live in Canada, so I am not sure if this company operates in your area. You can check out their website. My son really, really enjoyed these classes and has taken all their game making classes and workshops over the past four years. He started when he was 8 or 9 years old and it was just perfect for him. He is now almost 12 and has started branching out into video animation and architecture because he has finished all the game making classes that they offer. I hope that you can find them! http://www.ctworkshop.com/CTWBM/CTW_BM/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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