Mailman 3 May 2004 - Edu-sig

Introductory high school programming class - Python or TeachScheme
by Joseph Ehlers May 6, 2004

May 6, 2004

I'm trying to propose an introductory computer programming class for high school students. I do not have a programming background so I will be learning the language just like the students. Through my research I came across Python. It sounds great - easy to learn, teaches thinking skills, and is fun. I was set to go with Python then I came across the TeachScheme project which also sounds great - it too is easy to learn, teaches thinking skills and comes with lots of curriculum. I have a few questions and I'm hoping this group can shed some light on this issue. 1. Is one better than the other (Python vs. TeachScheme) to teach high school novices programming skills, thinking skills, language, and keeping their attention so I can then have an audience for a second, more advanced programming class? 2. I've looked at "How to Think Like a Computer Scientist", it looks very doable for a novice and "Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner" (Premier Press) looks like a lot of fun. Is there any other curriculum for high school students out there? 3. Is it possible to teach a semester of TeachScheme and a semester of Python or is that overkill on the basics and not doing justice to either program? I appreciate your assistance.

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Python for High School Students
by Garret McGraw May 6, 2004

May 6, 2004

Hey there, I don't know a whole lot about what kinds of curriculums there are for high school classes but some things I have discovered in my 2 years of programming with Python are these. As great as Python already is, it has great pontental for becoming greater as differences between modern platforms widen because it as totally portable between platforms. It is available for almost any operating system and is 100% compatable between all of them. It is great for the younger generations because it is used for almost anything from homework (specificly math) to many large industry-level projects and buisnesses such as Google and I think Yahoo! also. I know this comparison is a little out-of-place but I think with intrests of preparing young minds for the real world, its very appropriate to use, because python, due to its extreme ease in which it can be learned and its enjoyable programming qualities known to many of us is the perfect tool for any computer minded teen-ager. I could go on all day about python but I think I'll just end here by giving a list of reasons why I believe you should seriously consider using Python in the classroom. 1. It is fun and quick to write code using. 2. It is actually very easy and fast to learn. 3. It is (as earlier mentioned) used in the real world for a variety of projects. 4. It is very well documented and if you have questions, there is always somebody out there who had that question at one time and can answer yours by means of newsgroup or other internet forum. 5. It is 100% portable between systems. 6. It has the coolest mascot. (The snake of course) 7. I am a high school sophomore myself and I use it for just about everything from school assignments to website CGIs. I hope this helps, GEM

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Psyco explained by animations
by Nicola Larosa May 4, 2004

May 4, 2004

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 An animated, written with Pygame, videogame-styled presentation of the Psyco JIT compiler, by its author, Armin Rigo: Psyco explained by animations http://www.hole.fi/jajvirta/weblog/20040503T0901.html (as noted in the Daily Python-URL: http://www.pythonware.com/daily/ ) Very nice. - -- Nicola Larosa - nico(a)tekNico.net "People get worried about .NET and decide to rewrite their whole architecture for .NET because they think they have to. Microsoft is is shooting at you, and it's just cover fire so that they can move forward and you can't, because this is how the game is played, Bubby." -- Joel Spolsky, January 2004 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFAl8QtXv0hgDImBm4RAppIAJ0WcUW4tv6V75jh+C4OlX1QHt+j+QCeKOnJ cI/65agRKJTf75LB95cl14E= =oCiY -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Re: How do we tell truths that might hurt (reply to all)
by Jim Leisy May 3, 2004

May 3, 2004

Hello All--Scott David Daniels has made some great observations. I have been a computer science textbook editor for the past 26 years. My career straddles two major programming paradigm shifts and several big language trends. Below the ==== is an email I have been sending to college CS department heads to inspire a revolutionary change in CS0 and CS1. In it I reference the historic shift from FORTRAN to Pascal. Pascal did a great job of introducing neophytes to structured programming and computer science concepts. The sun set on Pascal, principally, because it was not an industry standard production language. Python has many of the same attributes and none of the perceived drawbacks. Computer science education is contending with circumstances very similar to those of the era that gave rise to Pascal. The motivation for my campaign is a strong belief in the benefits Python can bring to computer science education, and to encourage the use of John Zelle's textbook Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science (published by my company). Cheers, Jim ============================== Professor ( ___________), I think we are experiencing deja vú in computer science. FORTRAN once was the gateway to the discipline. It was a quagmire for students. Wirth created Pascal to address this and to support a paradigm shiftstructured programming methodology. Pascal took. Over 80% of the colleges in the US taught CS1 using it well into the 90s. Remember the flood of students intent on majoring in CS? Retention is a serious issue everywhere. C++ and Java are now the gateway. Are they assets in the effort to attract majors? Frequent compiler syntax errors create mounting frustration in students. Few programs are written and computer science fundamentals are obscured. A growing number of colleges have switched to Python in CS1 (they transition into C++ or Java in CS2). It works. Students write more programs and learn computer science fundamentals. It is an OO language and open sourcethe language and tools are all free. It's used by Google, Industrial Light & Magic, John Deere, and NASA. Like Pascal it makes things simple, not simplistic. We've got a great book to support the switch: John Zelle's Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science. Would you like to review it? Is there anyone in the department who should see it? Cheers, Jim Jim Leisy Publisher Franklin, Beedle & Associates Incorporated www.fbeedle.com 8536 SW St Helens Drive, Suite D Wilsonville, Oregon 97070 USA free (USA) call 1-800-322-2665 otherwise call 1(503)682-7668 fax 1(503)682-7638

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Re: How do we tell truths that might hurt
by Daniel Ajoy May 2, 2004

May 2, 2004

From: Anna Ravenscroft <anna(a)aleax.it> > > In other realms, the path to be able to do something actually useful is > > much longer. > > The path isn't that long and is far likelier to keep their interest. > > Teaching folks that almost any repetitive task involving text, dates, or > numbers can be automated by writing a simple program is more likely to get > them excited about programming than teaching them that you can add 2+ 2 or > solve quadratic equations... I agree with Anna. Common tedious tasks that people regularly do are: * Matching "similar" names in two different lists (say 200 names in each list) * Finding the difference of two lists of names, the intersection. * Making tables out of lists (changing the structure of a data set) * Generating repetitive texts, or graphics, with little variations. Knowing a little programming could help them. The following is a random sentence generator program (I don't find it harder than "technical/scientific computations"): to rand.sentence output (sentence noun.phrase verb.phrase) end to noun.phrase output (sentence "the adjective noun) end to verb.phrase output (sentence verb noun.phrase) end to adjective output pick [red blue green big small fat skinny loud quiet] end to noun output pick [computer elephant boy girl aardvark] end to verb output pick [likes eats visits hates paints] end ---- ? print rand.sentence the red boy visits the blue elephant ? print rand.sentence the quiet aardvark eats the quiet computer ? print rand.sentence the red computer likes the red elephant ? print rand.sentence the big aardvark likes the skinny elephant Here is a link to a "poetry generator" and other programs in the "Language Arts" section in MicroWorlds Logo: http://www.microworlds.com/library/languagearts/ Daniel

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