[Edu-sig] Re: Edu-sig digest, Vol 1 #531 - 1 msg
Mitchell L Model
MLModel@wesleyan.edu
Thu, 25 Jul 2002 19:59:05 -0400
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Just joined list and haven't taken the time to read the archives yet,
so maybe this is a silly post, but I thought it worth putting out
there that I will be teaching an Introduction to Programming for
non-computer science majors at Wesleyan University this fall, having
just taken a position there as a visiting professor. I've convinced
the other Computer Science faculty involved to abandon their attempts
to make this course work with C++ and Java and to use Python instead.
As part of the preparation for my introducing Python at Wesleyan I
put together a web page with arguments for using Python (and URLs for
more), information about where to find Python tutorials,
installations, additional modules, tools, books, etc., and some
recommendations on how to get started for different audiences,
including people new to programming, experienced programmers, and
people in fields such as Biology and Chemistry who need to do some
practical programming without become serious programmers.
You can find this web page currently at
http://homepage.mac.com/MLMConsulting/PythonStart.html. I am likely
to drop this site soon and move its contents to my personal site,
http://homepage.mac.com/MitchellModel/, so if you don't find it at
the first URL, look for it somewhere under the second.
I think I've done a pretty thorough job of exploring existing
resources. Some I've omitted simply because they are too old to be
of much use to people new to Python. Others because I thought the
ones I listed served my purposes better. I would be delighted to
hear recommendations for other books, papers, URLs, software, IDEs
(especially), etc. that would be good to add to the page.
I plan to use the textbook Learn to Program Using Python
(http://www.aw.com/catalog/academic/product/1,4096,0201709384,00.html),
with the Python Essential Reference
(http://newriders.com/books/product.asp?product_id={2DF0A321-D759-44A9-8DC2-1900CC090956)
as an optional resource. I'll also point students to the online book
How to Think Like a Computer Scientist : Learning with Python
(http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCS.php).
Since I'm new to the list and plan on keeping the list informed of my
experiences introducing Python to the Wesleyan introductory
programming course, let me point you
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?MitchellModel as one place you can find out
more about me. In addition to teaching computer science courses at
Wesleyan I will be working with the science faculty as part of a new
interdisciplinary program in Integrative Genomics to develop and
teach informatics modules for their genomics-related science courses.
(You can read more about the program at
http://www.wesleyan.edu/argus/archives/aa_archive_dec072001/dateyear/n2.html
and http://www.wesleyan.edu/hughes/ (though the latter is two years
old).
I am about to install a Wiki (cf.
http://homepage.mac.com/MLMConsulting/WhatsWiki.html for introductory
information and links about Wiki if your not familiar with the
concept or technology) at Wesleyan to facilitate interdisciplinary
resource pooling, discussion, and planning. I'm tempted to use the
Python-based Moin Moin implementation, but have decided on the
Perl-based (sorry) TWiki because it appears to be the most mature and
featureful Wiki that is freely available and can be installed and run
without a lot of hands-on effort, while still being quite
customizable and able to support enterprise-wide activity.
I look forward to sharing my experience in these efforts and hearing
opinions from others heading, or thinking of heading, in the same
direction. Having taught many introductory and computer science
courses in many languages to many different kinds of audiences, I
find myself thinking that all undergraduate computer courses, whether
for majors or not, and whatever the level, should be done in Python.
(Of course I've said that about Smalltalk for many years, but Python
is less of a leap for the mainstream world:-).
--
Mitchell L Model
Visiting Associate Professor
Computer Science
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<div>Just joined list and haven't taken the time to read the archives
yet, so maybe this is a silly post, but I thought it worth putting out
there that I will be teaching an Introduction to Programming for
non-computer science majors at Wesleyan University this fall, having
just taken a position there as a visiting professor. I've
convinced the other Computer Science faculty involved to abandon their
attempts to make this course work with C++ and Java and to use Python
instead.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>As part of the preparation for my introducing Python at Wesleyan
I put together a web page with arguments for using Python (and URLs
for more), information about where to find Python tutorials,
installations, additional modules, tools, books, etc., and some
recommendations on how to get started for different audiences,
including people new to programming, experienced programmers, and
people in fields such as Biology and Chemistry who need to do some
practical programming without become serious programmers.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>You can find this web page currently at
http://homepage.mac.com/MLMConsulting/PythonStart.html. I am
likely to drop this site soon and move its contents to my personal
site, http://homepage.mac.com/MitchellModel/, so if you don't find it
at the first URL, look for it somewhere under the second.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I think I've done a pretty thorough job of exploring existing
resources. Some I've omitted simply because they are too old to
be of much use to people new to Python. Others because I thought
the ones I listed served my purposes better. I would be
delighted to hear recommendations for other books, papers, URLs,
software, IDEs (especially), etc. that would be good to add to the
page.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I plan to use the textbook<i> Learn to Program Using Python</i>
(http://www.aw.com/catalog/academic/product/1,4096,0201709384,00.html<span
></span>), with the<i> Python Essential Reference</i>
(http://newriders.com/books/product.asp?product_id={2DF0A321-D759-44A<span
></span>9-8DC2-1900CC090956) as an optional resource. I'll also
point students to the online book<i> How to Think Like a Computer
Scientist : Learning with Python</i>
(http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCS.php).</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Since I'm new to the list and plan on keeping the list informed
of my experiences introducing Python to the Wesleyan introductory
programming course, let me point you
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?MitchellModel as one place you can find out
more about me. In addition to teaching computer science courses
at Wesleyan I will be working with the science faculty as part of a
new interdisciplinary program in Integrative Genomics to develop and
teach informatics modules for their genomics-related science courses.
(You can read more about the program at
http://www.wesleyan.edu/argus/archives/aa_archive_dec072001/dateyear/<span
></span>n2.html and http://www.wesleyan.edu/hughes/ (though the latter
is two years old).</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I am about to install a Wiki (cf.
http://homepage.mac.com/MLMConsulting/WhatsWiki.html for introductory
information and links about Wiki if your not familiar with the concept
or technology) at Wesleyan to facilitate interdisciplinary resource
pooling, discussion, and planning. I'm tempted to use the
Python-based Moin Moin implementation, but have decided on the
Perl-based (sorry) TWiki because it appears to be the most mature and
featureful Wiki that is freely available and can be installed and run
without a lot of hands-on effort, while still being quite customizable
and able to support enterprise-wide activity.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I look forward to sharing my experience in these efforts and
hearing opinions from others heading, or thinking of heading, in the
same direction. Having taught many introductory and computer
science courses in many languages to many different kinds of
audiences, I find myself thinking that<i> all</i> undergraduate
computer courses, whether for majors or not, and whatever the level,
should be done in Python. (Of course I've said that about
Smalltalk for many years, but Python is less of a leap for the
mainstream world:-).</div>
<x-sigsep><pre>--
</pre></x-sigsep>
<div><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Mitchell L
Model<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Visiting
Associate Professor<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Computer Science</div>
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