Serious Computer Programming for Youth

Age Group:

Children, Tweens, Teens
Please note you are looking at an event that has already happened.

Event Details

This 10-hour workshop teaches students (6th grade and up) to write software in Python on the Linux operating system. This is an approach that carries over to real work and research internships.

 

FOR WHOM: Kids from 6th grade up, but please read the notes on age on the web site: younger kids can sometimes do well in this course.

 

VENUE: Online with Jitsi meet; you will receive the link.

 

DATES: Sat. Oct. 22 (10am-12:30pm and 1:15pm-5:30pm), continuing Sun. Oct. 23 (1pm-4:45pm [often ends early]) 2022. All times in US/Mountain time zone (please correct for your time zone).

Next workshops on November 5+6 and December 3+4, and check the web site for further workshops if you cannot make these dates.)

 

SIGN UP: students should read the materials on the web site and follow instructions there. ( https://sites.google.com/view/serious-programming/ )

 

For questions email Mark Galassi or call (voice only) +1-505-629-0759.

 

[NOTE: students should not use school email address (which can drop emails) and they should copy their parents.]

 

NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE: no prior experience is required, but typing practice helps because we pick up speed!

 

OVERVIEW: This is a hands-on course which teaches programming with an aim toward advanced work and applications to academic areas (science, social science, humanities, arts, engineering). For example, in the course we use professional programming editors, and run Python natively on a computer running Linux. We also learn to install an operating system, and dissect computers to get a broad view of how they work.

The course will start with an unusual but important feature: each student should find an old computer or laptop which is not used much anymore, and we will start by installing the Linux operating system on it. If you cannot find your grandparent’s or neighbor’s old laptop don’t worry: write us and we will have something for you.

Once each student has installed Linux on their computer we will start programming in Python and get to the point of writing hundreds of lines of python code with several intelligent algorithms to play a simple strategy game.

After this workshop, students can drop in on fortnightly follow-on mini-courses which use programming to explore the arts, mathematics, social science, humanities, and natural science.

 

https://sites.google.com/view/serious-programming/