Re:Is Python The New Basic? ("Python For Kids")
by sown on Saturday December 01, 2012 @04:36PM
(#4859087)
>I've built a Logo[2] implementation so that we can move into writing modular, reusable procedures and play with graphics.
I've always felt that it's hard to go against Logo. When I was a kid, there was a direct connection between what I did on the keyboard and what the turtle would do.
That language changes your brain, not your data. Thus, it is one of the most important languages.
Re:Is Python The New Basic? ("Python For Kids")
by modernise on Sunday December 02, 2012 @07:28PM
(#4863287)
Remember those laptops for African kids? They integrated Python for learning to program. I only watched the video, back then, but I remember them showing the Python console.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Laptop_per_Child
Pippy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7aQxYuKJ18
Turtle Art https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2MblcmwWo8
Re:Is Python The New Basic? ("Python For Kids")
by RodgerTheGreat on Sunday December 02, 2012 @09:57PM
(#4863661)
Interestingly, OLPCs also come preloaded with a Forth environment by virtue of the fact that they use OpenFirmware: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/FORTH
I help teach an after-school programming class for middle schoolers. Last year, we tried using Python. While some students got the hang of it, many seemed confused and demotivated.
This year, I wrote a simple TinyBASIC REPL from scratch[1], aiming to produce the simplest subset of the language that made it possible to do interesting things and illustrate concepts like looping, branching, variables, etc. It was a big hit with the kids, and the whole class has been extremely engaged. As a next step, I've built a Logo[2] implementation so that we can move into writing modular, reusable procedures and play with graphics.
Learning to program is almost entirely orthogonal to learning a language, and I think that starting with very small "toy" languages is a good way to approach teaching core concepts without getting lost in the quirks and complex features of popular "real" languages. BASIC is small, Python will never be.