Snake Wrangling for kids, by Jason Briggs is a book for teaching elementary computer programming (through Python) to school kids.
Recently, a few of us had a discussion about translating the book to Malayalam. GNU/Linux is now available in a lot of schools - and a local language version would be a boon to many smart kids who are capable of learning things by themselves. I suggested that we have a go at writing an `orignal’ book - mostly because I was having this pet idea of writing a book for kids for a long time.
Now, writing a good book for kids is not childs play - especially if the book tries to present some technical stuff.
Showing them a `hello, world’ program won’t be a very smart idea. We need something *interesting*.
There are plenty of cool things in Python which can form the basis of an exciting course - these include stuff like turtle.py, xturtle, RUR-PLE, VPython etc. As I visit the python edu-sig list occassionally, I am aware of the work of a handful of other amazing educators (Kirby Urner is one of them) who are trying out novel approaches to education (not just computer programming) using computers and programming as a tool.
I liked the `RUR-PLE’ approach a lot. You have a `world’ with a `robot’ in it and you write code to control the bot - simple, and fun!
Won’t it be nice if the `robot’ is a bit more life-like? What about a cute cat?
Check out my PyNeko
PyNeko is currently just a few dozen lines of Python code - with little functionality. I will be adding more stuff - and writing about it.
Quiz: From where did I get those cute bitmaps?
11 responses so far ↓
1 Tinku // Jan 7, 2008 at 8:06 am
I think bitmaps are generated using code only. Very nice move. I was also at the initial stage of preparing a book in malayalam for school student during my PG final days… but that didn’t work
..
2 Pramode C.E // Jan 7, 2008 at 9:27 am
Tinku:
Wrong! Bitmaps are not `generated’!
I got it from a classic X windows program.
What is the name of that program?
3 Tinku // Jan 7, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I have see this some where…Ahh.. Then it can be the Xneko (/oneko) program where one kitty chases the mouse cursor… Right?
4 Sylvia // Jan 7, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Oneko. The name contains the answer
5 Pramode C.E // Jan 8, 2008 at 4:35 am
Yes - it is xneko/oneko!
6 justin // Jan 8, 2008 at 7:38 am
I have not much idea of Python, still the possibility of *sleeping* interests me. With some help from sujith:
justin@thinkpad:~/pramode/gnuvision$ cat neko_run_and_sleep_patch
183a184,205
> def run_left():
> global grid
> while grid.neko.left():
> pass
>
> def run_left_and_sleep():
> global grid
> while grid.neko.left():
> pass
> grid.neko.sleep()
>
> def run_right():
> global grid
> while grid.neko.right():
> pass
>
> def run_right_and_sleep():
> global grid
> while grid.neko.right():
> pass
> grid.neko.sleep()
>
justin@thinkpad:~/pramode/gnuvision$
7 Pramode C.E // Jan 8, 2008 at 7:56 am
Justin:
It is exactly stuff like this which we can give as `exercises’ to school kids!
8 Jason R Briggs // Jan 8, 2008 at 9:21 pm
If you decide to translate rather than writing your own, please let me know, so I can link to your work…
9 Pramode C.E // Jan 9, 2008 at 6:33 am
Hi Jason,
Thanks for writing a great book!
I am sure there will be a lot of translations of SWFK! We shall definitely let you know if we start working on some Indian language translations!
10 Al Sweigart // Aug 29, 2008 at 6:15 am
I’d like to recommend a book I wrote on computer game programming for kids in the Python programming language. The book is available for free under a Creative Commons license.
Each chapter in the book shows the complete source code for an entire game, and then teaches programming concepts from the examples. I wrote this book because most programming books read like bland mathematics textbooks; principles first, with practical application and examples second.
The book’s website is http://pythonbook.coffeeghost.net
11 Computer teachers need training in Computer ? « Wait For A Moment // May 26, 2009 at 7:54 am
[…] age, but authorities are not at all considering them. I have my teacher Pramode C.E. who designed Neko, an interactive Python learning game for High School students. He went to NIT, Calicut for FOSS […]
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