[Edu-sig] Teaching Python to Technologists

[kirby urner]

> Per Bernie, most geochemists use their PCs for email and word
> processing and that's about it.  The ability to program is a lost art
> across the board, in many sciences as well as the humanities.
>
> Kirby

Speaking of Java, it's very easy to talk to a Java programmer about
Python.  For example, newf = iter(f) is about wrapping f in the
"interface" of the iterator type.

Whereas Python relies on duck typing versus formal interfaces with
compile time checks, the concept is transferrable:  if you implement
this list of methods, you're an iterable, or if you want to *make*
something an iterable, just feed it to iter() (doesn't always work,
but hey, worth a try).

Likewise StringIO is about wrapping strings with a file type interface
(which includes the iterable interface), and so on.

But when speaking to non-CS trained scientists, we don't have these
common namespace elements to fall back on.  I think this is what CS0
should focus on providing:  enough of a common language to help with
learning relevant skills later in life.

Somewhere along the line, we may have dropped the ball, as the level
of computer literacy among today's scientists, if Bernie is right (and
he interacts with a *lot* of scientists) is really very low.

That's bad for all of us.

A lot of computers are plugged in, burning joules, but not doing the
important work they could be doing.

This idea of "hard fun" or "programming for the fun of it" is part of
what we need to inculcate.

And by the way, I don't think it's just in the computer arena that
scientists could use more skills.  They'd benefit from better video
making skills as well.

There's too much reliance on people in other fields, not enough
self-sufficiency, in our academic departments.  That's supposed to be
a feature, not a bug, but it's a bug when you lose overview or anyone
able to coordinate among the pieces (all specialists, no generalists
-- pretty much the case today).

Kirby