Journal Timex's Journal: Teaching Python 4
Well, it looks like I'll be teaching one of my kids how to program.
To an extent, he's already familiar with some programming, as he's figured out how to program a TI calculator (not sure of the model, but it's in the 80s). Whether he understands the instructions he gives his calculator or not, I don't know. He'll know far more when I'm done.
I've decided to go with Python instead of any of several other languages available. One thing that I thought was important is that the base installation (in Linux and in Windows) has a module called "turtle". If you're old enough to remember learning Terrapin Logo or Karel (by way of Apple Pascal), then the idea behind turtle should not be foreign to you.
The idea is that you have a "turtle", a cursor that represents where all the action is going to happen. You give it instructions and depending on whether the pen is "up" or "down", it will draw as it goes. Tell it to move left, right, forward, or backward, and off it goes.
turtle is cool because its programs are really Python, whether the student realizes it or not. New functions (methods) can be created. What is drawn by the program is displayed with no hassle.
In all, it's pretty cool. I'm actually looking forward to playing around with it as I teach it to my son. Maybe one or both of the other two will become interested as well? Only one way to find out.
My oldest is 4 (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
I think you guys should skip the Atari graphics and just start them off with OpenGL. In asm. Okay, just kidding about that last part*, but I'm half serious about the first; the future is 3D printing and VR and the like, and I think having 3D reasoning being developed early, to where later it would just be natural to them, would be beneficial.
*Actually, something like 6502 asm was pretty simple and straightforward.
p.s. As an added extra bonus, then maybe the next generation in Hollywood might finally stop
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Well... The son I've got in mind (the one that's showing an interest in this subject) is 16. Age isn't a factor.
My plan is to use Python as a stepping stone: teach some basic procedural things, use turtle to provide some visuals (he's taking Drafting classes at his high school), and then introduce him to the tools provided with the Unreal engine [unrealengine.com] (A friend of mine pointed me at this video [youtube.com] as well. It should be pretty interesting.)
I'm not planning to leave him high-and-dry; I'm expecting to be learning so
A few weeks ago I introduced my son to programming (Score:2)
He's special needs, so he'll never be able to do it himself, but we went to an Hour of Code featuring the Mineforge Java library for Minecraft Mods. It's turtle graphics; based in Java instead of python, and in the minecraft universe so not quite as powerful. Left and Right are always 90 degrees, and it's 3d so it adds up and down methods. But you can draw in any block type you have installed, and using InteliJ, you get keyword prediction almost like Intelisense.