Hi Gerry,<br><br>I'm cc'ing a number of folks (and a mailing list) on this reply in order to get you more feedback than I could alone provide. Firstly, the Python in Education Special Interest Group (edu-sig) is the place to start:<br>
<br><a href="http://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/edu-sig">http://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/edu-sig</a><br><br>Dr. Andre Roberge is currently managing that part of the python web site, and I've included him in the cc list. You may want to consider joining our mailing list.<br>
<br>Of interest in your deliberation may be the presentation given at PyCon 2009 by the Michigan University CS department on their decision to switch to Python in their CS 1 course:<br><br><a href="http://us.pycon.org/2009/conference/schedule/event/8/">http://us.pycon.org/2009/conference/schedule/event/8/</a><br>
<br>(btw. You can look for TJHSST graduating senior, Filip Sufitchi, in the audience at the beginning of the presentation ;-)<br><br>The essence of their findings is that CS majors performance was not effected by using Python in the first course, while everyone else (since half the students in their CS 1 classes are not CS majors), benefitted by leaving the CS 1 class with a tool they could actually use in their work in other fields. I included Dr. Charles Severance from U. of Michigan in the cc list as well. He has a book just out on the Google App Engine:<br>
<br><a href="http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596800697/">http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596800697/</a><br><br>The programming language for the Google App Engine is Python, so this book includes a good intro. The book is very well written and easy for bright high school students to understand.<br>
<br>I'm working on a free, on-line, first year text book aimed at high school students:<br><br> <a href="http://openbookproject.net/thinkCSpy/index.xhtml">http://openbookproject.net/thinkCSpy/index.xhtml</a><br><br>(note: you can't view this document properly with Internet Explorer, but any other browser should work fine.)<br>
<br>Since I'm not teaching CS this year, work on the book has slowed down, but I should be able to work on it during the Summer. The first 12 chapters are finished, making it a perfectly usable resource with which to start out.<br>
<br>I hope this all helps.<br><br>Thanks, and good luck! Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.<br><br>jeff elkner<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, May 30, 2009 at 1:45 PM, Berry, Gerry J <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:GJBerry@fcps.edu">GJBerry@fcps.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Hope things are going well and that you are enjoying your job. I retired from TJ this past June but I am still doing some teaching there.<br>
I have received request for info on what a good first course in CS would be. After working with you and Shane Torbert, I think that for most high school students Python makes a lot of sense. Can you direct me to some good web sites that might help schools who want to set up a Python course at high school or middle school level. Any ideas would be appreciated.<br>
<br>
Hope you have a terrific summer.<br>
</blockquote></div><br>