Mailman 3 August 2019 - Edu-sig

Part-time opportunities for Python instructors
by Merav Yuravlivker May 7, 2024

May 7, 2024

Hi there, My name is Merav Yuravlivker, and I'm the CEO of Data Society - we deliver data science academies to Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and other international organizations. We're currently looking for part-time Python instructors and TAs, and my friend Jackie Kazil recommended I reach out to you and your list serv. All of these opportunities can be available for people who are employed full-time, professors, or grad students. We pay well and provide all the materials for … [View More]

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a short essay about programming
by kirby urner Dec. 8, 2022

Dec. 8, 2022

A common "error" (not too serious) that I see in beginning Python (and no doubt other languages, but Python is the one I'm teaching), is having a while condition that appears to put a lid on things, but then the flow all leaks away through break statements, such that the "front door" condition is never revisited. while guess != secret: guess = int(input("Guess?: ") if guess == secret: print("You guessed it!") break else: print("Nope, try again...") What's … [View More]messed up about the above code is you never really go back to the top in the case where you'd get to leave. Rather, you exit by the back door, through break. So in that case, wouldn't have been simpler and more elegant, even more "correct" (dare I say it) to have gone: while True: # no ifs ands or buts guess = int(input("Guess?: ") if guess == secret: print("You guessed it!") break else: print("Nope, try again...") I see lots of heads nodding, and that could be the end of the matter, but then a next question arises: wouldn't this also be a more correct solution?: while guess != secret: guess = int(input("Guess?: ") if guess == secret: print("You guessed it!") continue # instead of break else: print("Nope, try again...") We're back to having a variable while condition, not a boolean constant, but this time we actually exit by means of it, thanks to continue or... while guess != secret: guess = int(input("Guess?: ") if guess == secret: print("You guessed it!") else: print("Nope, try again...") ... thanks to no continue. This last one is getting a thumbs up, but then I'd pause here and say "continue" can be easier on the eyes. It's unambiguous where it takes you, in contrast to having to scan on down the gauntlet, looking for possibly other open doors. "What happens next" should not require scanning ahead too far. Help us not to get lost. Be a civic-minded coder. I'm thinking of a programming style that advises two things: (a) if you use a while condition that's variable, that's expected to change, then your goal should be to always exit because of that, i.e. that should be your only exit point. Even if some other criterion suggests exiting, you have the option to flip that "lid" at the top, to crack that front door, and bounce the ball out. (b) which is why 'continue' is your friend. You are showing the user where your 'break' statements are, except you don't use "break" statements, as you've given a non-constant condition, and your aim is to make that your ONLY exit point. In short: never use break to exit a while loop unless your condition is while True. Instead, always flip the condition and exit through the font door. However, as soon as I make that rule I can think of good reasons to break it. The other programmers in the room are shaking their heads. Won't we lose information, needed elsewhere in the program, if we "artificially" force a True condition to False. Aren't we, in effect, lying? That concern could be addressed. Keep all the info true, just treat the "lid condition" (it "keeps a lid on it") as a flag. Go ahead and remember the user's guess. allowed = 5 tries = 1 exit = False while not exit: # no other way out guess = int(input("Guess?: ") if guess == secret: print("You guessed it!") exit = True # instead of break continue print("Nope, try again...") tries += 1 if tries == allowed: print("You've maxed out") exit = True continue I think we all understand the main issue: writing reader-friendly code, and rules for doing so. There's something comforting about approaching a while loop and knowing its not a leaky sieve, riddled with back doors, maybe even an exit( ) time bomb. But in the recursion world we want a minimum of two exits usually: when another round is called for versus when we've "hit bottom". Can we have it both ways? Conclusions: Lets not be too hasty with rules of thumb and: Lets keep the reader in mind when writing code. Just because the interpreter knows to compute the flow unambiguously, doesn't mean all ways of writing it are equally reader-friendly. What may seem a gratuitous gesture, an unnecessary flourish, may actually promote reader comprehension of your code, and that should be a goal as much as satisfying the interpreter. Kirby [View Less]

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MineCraft with Python
by Jurgis Pralgauskis Dec. 4, 2022

Dec. 4, 2022

Hi, intro: many kids like MineCraft :) probably you know/heared of MineCraft Pi https://www.raspberrypi.org/learning/getting-started-with-minecraft-pi/ But there seems to be Py for real MC http://coderdojotc.readthedocs.io/projects/python-minecraft/en/latest/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Python-coding-for-Minecraft/ PS.: a nice article (from js4MC world) https://github.com/walterhiggins/ScriptCraft/blob/master/docs/YoungPersonsG… -- Jurgis Pralgauskis tel: 8-616 77613; Don't worry, … [View More]

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range() and slice semantics
by Jay Bloodworth Aug. 26, 2019

Aug. 26, 2019

Does anybody have a nice, student friendly explanation of the "half-open" semantics of the range function and of slice notation? In other words, why does the list created by range(0,10) contain 0 as an element but not 10, and why does mylist[0:10] start with mylist[0] and end with mylist[9]? If you're an experienced coder, these semantics make sense in terms of the underlying implementation and the usual use of these objects as iterators, but if lists are new to you the behavior can seem … [View More]

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teaching kids (and adults) with Python: notes from the field
by kirby urner Aug. 26, 2019

Aug. 26, 2019

Shared Project Space What I think works well is when the students in the class have their own shared virtual classroom in which to share Python projects. These need not be accessible to the public (people not in the class), but having real time access to each others' projects -- those voluntarily shared -- creates community and a sense of shared work. In the meantime, every student gets a private area in which to work on projects that aren't shared. These may be stored in the cloud, with no … [View More]software locally installed other than a capable browser. Or not (local installation of software may be a selling feature). When it's BYOD, remind students that they get to upgrade own computer, versus leaving the cloud-based workshop with nothing installed. Integrated Graphics Turtle graphics were a breakthrough in the sense that something graphical was brought into the projects. Pythonic turtles, as objects, controlled by code, don't become irrelevant when the math becomes more complex.[0] If you're able to go from 2D to 3D, so much the better. Vpython anyone? Save Branches, Explore... At one end of the spectrum, we have "march them through" drills wherein all students are expected to enter the same code and reap the same rewards, a working something. Another approach, somewhat similar, is to hand them the working something, and then dissect the code. Work from both directions? At the other end of the spectrum, one shows them "new tricks" (e.g. event listening) and then "turns them loose" to explore. This is where the shared project space comes in. Look over the shoulders of your peers, at what they willingly share. Remix. Comment. In testing new features one creates "exhibits" (like museum exhibits) that "show off" said features. Save these as such and then reuse them by copying forward, to make more elaborate exhibits, up to (including) games. Games may be shared in completed or part-way form in the classroom pool (back to the other end of the spectrum). Rather than insist on always frequenting one place on this spectrum, feel free to vary the diet. March through code a little bit. Then show a feature with completed shared code. Then turn them loose to experiment (that could mean the teacher stops talking, but keeps using the shared chat stream). Hands On Given students opportunities to share code means giving them time to ponder and write code. The lecture format assumes students will work offline later. The tutorial or workshop approach assumes the students have time to workout (practice) during the session. Most of my suggestions above imply time during class in which to create and share work. I'm recommending the hands-on workshop mode over the lecture mode in this case. In my four hour twice a week format, we have three 20 minute labs per meetup. In my summer school for kids format, we would often have 20-30 minute intervals for discovery and exploration. We had 2.25 hour meetups. [1] Shared Chat Stream Even when my students are all in the same room, physically, I encourage using the chat window, a scrolling record I might study in more depth later, alluding back to it the next time we meet. In the stereotypical historical classroom "note passing" is discouraged by the teacher, but in this case the convention is flipped and the teacher participates in the chatter, a way to have synchronous commentary that's not disruptive of the audio track. Students may share URLs. I encourage them to log the chat. Recent examples (School of Tomorrow playlist): https://youtu.be/kBjZb-RrgLY (re phasors...) https://youtu.be/n57W4BSdx1k (exercising a "fire at intervals" feature) These specific examples are Codesters-centric (codesters.com), however my above summary is not premised on using any specific platform, nor even language (though I specify Python, this being edu-sig after all). Codesters is modeled on MIT Scratch in many ways. Platforms such as REPL.it have a classroom feature (with which I'm presently less familiar). Note: if a coder is making the transition from block-based Scratch to Python or other lexical (as in non-graphical) language, and finding it painful, I will sometimes recommend doodling in Scratch while auditing the Python part. My emphasis on integrated graphics (above) is against the current backdrop of many coming to Python by way of MIT Scratch as a first development environment. I can well imagine a scenario wherein a teleteacher encourages a virtual classroom of students to establish their own REPL.it accounts and then share with one another by pasting URLs to the Zoom chat window (Zoom being video-audio meetup software). I may try doing this myself. These Youtubes are similar to what I'd be sharing during a live teleteaching gig, such as we did this summer, me in Portland, the middle school students in Illinois in their own classroom (Carl Sandburg College computer lab). [2] I also pick student projects out of the shared pool and talk about them "in front of" the class (shared monitors), something I'm not doing in either example. Kirby Notes: [0] If adults have a problem with "turtles" call them "tractors" (a joke I make in Pythonic Andragogy). Seriously, I'm looking at adult topics such as AC current and Steinmetz phasors using complex numbers, with nothing more than turtles er tractors in Codesters. [1] My next such Codesters-based middle schooler teleteaching gig is in Nevada I believe. I'll be doing Spyder and Jupyter Notebooks with adults in California. However I often show Codesters to adult Python learners, which connects me back to the more "grown up" topics of AC current and related "grid talk" (a common feature in my several playlists). [2] As a Youtube character, I adopt many of the conventions of the genre (dress code etc.), helping to carve out a mnemonic niche, as one more educational video clown (memorable teacher). I've been influenced by Coding Train among others. Lots of great Python teaching going on. Shout out to Socratica. [View Less]

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Searching for volunteers to user test PyPI.org
by Nicole Harris Aug. 16, 2019

Aug. 16, 2019

Hi folks, My name is Nicole - I work on PyPI.org, which is the principal repository for sharing Python packages. I am searching for new Pythonistas to help me user test some new security features on the website - specifically enabling/disabling two factor authentication. The point of these tests is to make sure that the new PyPI interfaces are easy to understand for people who are *not* experienced PyPI.org users. Things needed to participate: - An internet connection that is fast enough … [View More]

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Module for writing a new type of exercises for programming tutorials
by Claude SIMON Aug. 8, 2019

Aug. 8, 2019

Hello, everyone. I am in contact with teachers who will have to teach programming at the beginning of the next school year. It's going to be as part of a mandatory computer course, so they're going to be dealing with students who aren't necessarily very motivated. They are therefore looking for a way to make this course as interesting as possible. The language is imposed, but, good news, it will be Python (version 3, probably). However, at the sight of the existing tutorials, whether they are … [View More]written in Python or in another language, their main fear comes from the fact that the exercises have a text-based interface. Nowadays, almost all young people have a smartphone, so they are used to graphical interfaces. They have rarely, if ever, had to deal with a text console. Writing programs with a textual interface, they may (falsely) find this outdated and therefore not very motivating. Therefore, I am currently working on a Python module that will allow to design exercises, not with a text-based interface, but with a web interface. An exercise consists, for the studentq, in writing a program that solves a certain task. To check that the program is working properly, they will have to modify its parameters. This is usually done by modifying these parameters directly in the source code, or by entering their value at runtime with the help of 'input(...)' instructions. With a web interface, they will have a real graphical interface to enter the values of the different parameters. This is much more convenient, and also much closer to what they are used to with their smartphones. The module is designed in such a way that, as soon as the program corresponding to the exercise is launched, a web browser automatically opens to give access to the interface of the program. In addition, the student will be able to open the URL of the program on its smartphone, or even send this URL to its friends/parents/teachers/whoever, so they can use its program on their own device. So that you can see what it looks like and how it works, here is the address where you will find some examples of exercises based on this module: https://q37.info/s/tpkx4cfk . Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. I am also looking for content that I could adapt using the module, so that I can provide a set of ready-to-use exercises to teachers who need them. There is a lot of such content, but I have a little trouble choosing, knowing that the purpose of the exercises will be, not the learning of Python, but the learning of programming. Any help will also be welcome. Regards, -- Claude SIMON (http://q37.info) [View Less]

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exploring a primitive physics engine in emulated Python
by kirby urner Aug. 1, 2019

Aug. 1, 2019

What other Python emulators offer some builtin physics? Example startup code (no imports required): stage.set_gravity(3) escaped = False stage.disable_ceiling() stage.set_background_color("black") b = 1 stage.set_bounce(b) Codesters embraces turtle graphics but takes it to the next level by providing: (a) gravity (numeric) (b) sprite-level physics (on or off) (c) bounciness (numeric) (d) whether walls are bouncy (enable / disable) (e) collision detection (callback function) Adding these … [View More]features requires an event loop type architecture, which Codesters keeps cleverly hidden i.e. there's no low level asyncio work required by students. We do have callback we can fire at set intervals (a user setting). I make full use of this interval in the first two videos (link below), as I experiment with some of the parameters mentioned above. Example 1: Escape Velocity def interval(): global escaped pos = sprite.get_y() if pos > 100 and not escaped: escaped = True sprite.set_gravity_off() sprite.say("Escape velocity achieved") sprite.set_x_speed(0.2 * sprite.get_x_speed()) sprite.set_y_speed(0.2 * sprite.get_y_speed()) Example 2: Bounce World def interval(): global b stage.set_bounce(b) b = b - 0.3 Changing bounciness has some perhaps unexpected effects when it goes negative. Absolute value is what matters. The last video (3 of 3) goes back to the Powerpoint / slideshow potential that develops once importing png, gif, jpg "sprites" over the internet is in the picture. Codesters supports that. MIT Scratch offers this capability as well. The ability to import graphics is popular with kids, however usually not at first in the context of making slideshows. Most of them have yet to be put on the spot to do Powerpoint or any of those. However developing one's show and tell presentation skills is a big part of learning I'd say. Extending the Show & Tell protocol to include slide sharing is what Ignite is/was all about, right? Do people still stage Ignite events? Those were cool! What I need to do more of in Codesters: explore sound effects. I wrote all the parents in my class after OSCON that Codesters didn't have sound. Then, duh, I found it. During demo day I encouraged looking in to that feature. This was at Carl Sandburg College in Illinois, me connecting remotely from two time zones away, from Portland. None of the videos curated here were actually used during that summer camp (I didn't show any Youtubes, either by me or anyone else, during the actual 2.25 hour meetups -- but I did recommend some for followup [1]). These give the flavor of the kind of thing we were doing: http://mybizmo.blogspot.com/2019/07/computing-surface-workouts.html My apologies for missing the Python booth at OSCON this year. I saw the stuffed snake, more sensibly sized than mega-sized Naga, our mascot emeritus. https://flic.kr/p/26wac5J (Naga, I still have her, and should eventually donate her to the Python Language exhibit -- might be some rooms in a bigger Languages Museum right?). Kirby [1] for middle school aged kids I often recommend Python tutorials by Socratica on Youtube. Also 'Warriors of the Net' an ancient classic about packet switching (the TCP/IP layer). https://youtu.be/PBWhzz_Gn10 I also showed Math Adventures with Python by Peter Farrell which typifies the need any math student will have for a bigger screen. Peter's book includes rotation matrices applied against polyhedrons, as my curriculum does. No sense tackling matrix math on a scientific calculator right? Even if it's possible. [View Less]

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