Re: [school-discuss] Teaching programming on Linux

["David M. Bucknell" <dbucknell@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you very much for your thoughtful points and resources --  
well-taken, useful and appreciated.

David
----- Message from yishaym@xxxxxxxxx ---------
    Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 09:14:05 +0100
    From: Yishay Mor <yishaym@xxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: schoolforge-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 Subject: Re: [school-discuss] Teaching programming on Linux
      To: schoolforge-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


> I beg to differ.
> JavaScript, PHP etc. are very powerful scripting languages. They get the job
> done (in web environments), but for introduction to programming / CS you
> would want something that promotes structural thinking. Hence, I'd probably
> go with a strong-typed, object-oriented language. Java would be my choice,
> just because I know it well. I've heard good things about Python, but I have
> no first-hand knowledge. One of my favorite textbooks here is:
> http://mindview.net/Books/TIJ4
>
> Another path to consider is using one of the many great educational
> programming languages, such as scratch, squeek, NetLogo, ToonTalk, etc. Some
> more here:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Educational_programming_languages and
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_programming_language, although the
> list is far from complete.
>
> Then there's the question of educational approach. Is programming a means or
> an end? Do you "teach" programming or do students learn by using it to solve
> problems? There's a long tradition of constructionist programming, starting
> from Papert's work. Scratch is in that vein, and so was the WebLabs project
> http://www.weblabs.org.uk/wlplone. Randell Monroe recently blogged about
> http://projecteuler.net/, which I think is a very neat reasource.
>
> Finally, you can probably find all the text you need at
> http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:Computing_department
>
>
> ___________________________
> Yishay Mor, Researcher, London Knowledge Lab
> http://www.lkl.ac.uk/people/mor.html
> http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=yishaym%40gmail.com
> +44-20-78378888 x5737
>
>
> 2008/9/1 Peter Ruwoldt <ruwoldtp@xxxxxxxxx>
>
> > I would consider Javascript.
> > It permits students to learn the 3 constructs plus the use of variables and
> > modularisation.  It is available to do at home and at school so seamless
> > working between home and school and is highly relevant in all sorts of ways.
> >
> > Do you have Moodle?
> >
> > I have a Javascript course that you could use.  It could be improved by
> > having some screen casts but the course structure is sound for learning the
> > basics of programming
> >
> > A nearly current version is at http://www.watiwara.org/mdl1/
> > It is called Website Programming 1.
> >
> > I see this leading into PHP which again is very accessible.
> >
> > You might also like to have a look at LiveLAMP as a way of easily having a
> > webserver on the LAN for students to play with
> >
> > http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/Operating-Systems/Linux-Distributions/LiveLAMP-5902.shtml
> >
> > Peter
> >
> > 2008/9/1 David M. Bucknell <dbucknell@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > Dear Colleagues,
> > > I have two questions from a reluctant-Linux computing teacher:
> > >
> > > 1. With what should he introduce computing (in a Linux lab)?
> > > - He would like experienced-based suggestions for teaching lower and
> > > middle secondary introductions to programming.  Apparently, he used visual
> > > basic before.  He knows of Pascal.  Perhaps that's the best direction then?
> > >
> > > 2. how can he teach C to secondary-level students on Linux?
> > >
> > > He is looking for
> > >
> > > a) an environment suggestion
> > > b) suggestions for on-line and offline materials
> > > c) good sites
> > >
> > > I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience in these areas.
> > >
> > > Sincerely,
> > >
> > > David
> > >
> > > P.S. Here are some preliminary resources I've found:
> > >
> > > An Introduction to Programming Using C:
> > > http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~wjk/c++intro/<http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/%7Ewjk/c++intro/>
> > >
> > > Introduction to Programming Using Java:
> > > http://www.faqs.org/docs/javap/
> > >
> > >
> > > Introduction to Programming on Linux:
> > > http://linux.omnipotent.net/article.php?article_id=12484
> > >
> > > Introduction to Programming with Python and TKinter
> > > http://wiki.python.org/moin/Intro_to_programming_with_Python_and_Tkinter
> > >
> > > MiniLesson: An Introduction to Linux in 10 Commands:
> > > http://librenix.com/?inode=4052
> > >
> > > Bash Shell Programming in Linux:
> > > http://www.arachnoid.com/linux/shell_programming.html
> > >
> > > Introduction to Programming in C/C++ with Vim:
> > >
> > > http://www.justlinux.com/nhf/Programming/Introduction_to_C_Programming.html--
> > >
> > >
> > > An Introduction to the Linux Command Line:
> > > http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/an-introduction-to-the-linux-command-line/
> > >
> > > Developing Web 2.0 Apps with the Google Web Toolkit:
> > > http://linoleum.leapster.org/
> > >
> > > CS510: An Introduction to Programming Using C:
> > >
> > > http://intranet.cs.man.ac.uk/Intranet_subweb/Postgrad/ACS-CS/webpages/syllabus/cs/CS510.php
> > >
> > > C and C++
> > > http://www.luv.asn.au/overheads/prog/c.html
> > >
> > > Introduction to Perl Programming:
> > > http://www.euler.com/publiccourses/programming/intro_perl_programming.php
> > >
> > > An Introduction to Ruby:
> > > http://www.hosting-review.com/hosting-articles/ruby.shtml
> > >
> > >
> > > Introduction to Programming:
> > >
> > > http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/developers-handbook/tools-programming.html
> > >
> > > Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years:
> > > http://norvig.com/21-days.html
> > >
> > > A Byte of Python:
> > > http://www.swaroopch.com/byteofpython/
> > > http://www.ibiblio.org/swaroopch/byteofpython/read/
> > >
> > > Irie Pascal Details:
> > > http://www.irietools.com/iriepascal/
> > > ---
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> > Peter Ruwoldt
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> >
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