Recommendations to teach my child advanced computers?

I grew up in the 90's and I remember going to computer class but all we ever did was the typing tests where the running man would jump hurdles if you typed correctly and fell if you messed up. Also, Oregon trail and MS paint were my jams.

But now I look back on it and I really wish my schools took the time to teach the proper use of computers. How they work and the programming behind them.

Everything I have ever learned about computers I have had to learn on the fly. I still consider myself a novice compared to a lot of others.

As for this thread, my oldest daughter just turned 10 and she knows how to use a computer but I really want to put her through coding classes or anything computer related to getting her ready for the modern age we live in.

Any recommendations for online classes or inexpensive courses would be great. Also what kind of information to teach her? I saw my local library does intro coding classes for kids every Thursday for free so I will prob start there.

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

Check bitorrent.

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

Teach them to change oil, brake pads and rotors on the family car. They will be the only ones in their peer group that will know how and will make huge $$$.

I don't have input on classes, but when I was a kid we had this game called gorillas.
it was a two player game, written in basic, I believe. It came on the same disk as nibbles.

In gorillas, you had a skyline across the screen, and your two players were standing ontop of the buildings. There was a wind reading up top.
Each player took turns entering in some variables, and they were used to throw a banana- which exploded on impact. Goal of the game, hit the other player.
I don't remember the variables- something like angle and power for the throw. The wind made it difficult, but otherwise fun.

I learned more messing with the code in those two games as a kid than I learned in college.
Tearing apart the code, you can change any aspect of the game- and the whole thing wasn't more than a few pages of code, so over time I was able to work out how the language worked. Obviously you start with fun things- like changing the size of the explosion the banana makes... but you take it from there. Eventually you can re-write the game as you see fit, because you have an understanding of the language.

Nibbles was just snakes before they changed the name.

Years later, I had a ti-86 calculator, and was able to write my own game of snakes on it- they support the same (or similar) language.



Here it is! it was qbasic. I was close.
If you looked around I'm sure someone has the source code out there.

classicreload.com...

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

Computers encompass a broad field of vocations.

It involves hardware, software, design, programming plus a plethora of sub categories.

Shes too young to know what she wants to focus on eventually. But you probably see a direction forming, what about computers interests her most is what she spends all her time doing.

As for this thread, my oldest daughter just turned 10 and she knows how to use a computer but I really want to put her through coding classes or anything computer related to getting her ready for the modern age we live in.

Is that what she wants? "Coding" (software development) is the highest rung. First she has absorb the basics. Where did she "learn to use a computer"? What does she use which kind for?

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

There are plenty of basic computer courses online. Some of which are geared towards younger kids.

Id see if any of the best Colleges in this area have junior courses Stanford,MIT etc

It depends on the areas she might like to go, i.e. web development, robotics, app development, etc.

How a Windows OS works and operates is far from how a web page is loaded and a web page could be loaded using PHP, and vanilla JavaScript or a framework like React.js, etc.

Long story short, I'd suggest starting with a basic JavaScript program as JavaScript is practically everywhere now and the lessons can transfer to most other scripting languages.

Try looking at https://_javascript.info *delete the underscore that ATS keeps adding to the text and the url...*

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

My son is ten and has an interest in programming and doing more than just surfing and playing so i got him a raspberry pi with a retro gaming bundle.. £60 and we have to construct a few parts, download and install OSs and then we can play old games, learn animations with scratch, learn python and buy pocket money add on if wanted.

We both have to learn all this from a very basic start. Begins this week and i reckon i'll learn a lot too.. he'll need some help and guidance but he'll soon know way way more than me.

Lots of possibilities, worth checking out eta.. tons of free online resources too

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

I like Udemy

I used a service called "Treehouse" online a few years ago whilst doing my Computer Science degree. They are perfect for kids, lots of easy to learn content and (it may have changed) but at the time it was all practical work which I have always found works great for kids.

Hope I helped.

EDIT: I'm not sure if they're still around.

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

I would let your 10 year old enjoy being a kid for a while more. Unless she is a natural talent with a passion, in which case she will learn everything in her own time and pace, you will find it difficult to interest a 10 year old in learning the language of computers.

Knowing how a computers works and knowing how to use a computer are 2 different things. It's good to try and give your child an edge but make sure you know what the edge needs to be. Everything happening inside a computer is broken down to the simplest of instructions being executed millions of times per second. So be prepared to be logically bored to death.
Software engineers are looking for clever solutions to complex problems in even more complex systems.

I think you can teach the basics, explain the logical approach. But don't expect any miracles and don't push to hard.

Maybe check with your local colleges, particularly people who are in charge of the IT programs, and see if they can direct you towards programs for kids.
You can also seek out tutors who can teach her the basics. When you say "anything computer related", that could be a million different things. You should probably start her out with hardware & software essentials, like the parts that make a computer and what they do and the general ins and outs of operating systems. If that bores her to the point that she doesn't want to do it, then computer-related stuff might be the wrong path for her.

Limit internet access to this website:


www.learnpython.org...

Get them to learn Python. It's the Basic of our era.

originally posted by: Namdru
Limit internet access to this website:


www.learnpython.org...

Get them to learn Python. It's the Basic of our era.

Codecademy might be of interest also.

originally posted by: lordcomac
I don't have input on classes, but when I was a kid we had this game called gorillas.
it was a two player game, written in basic, I believe. It came on the same disk as nibbles.

In gorillas, you had a skyline across the screen, and your two players were standing ontop of the buildings. There was a wind reading up top.
Each player took turns entering in some variables, and they were used to throw a banana- which exploded on impact. Goal of the game, hit the other player.
I don't remember the variables- something like angle and power for the throw. The wind made it difficult, but otherwise fun.

I learned more messing with the code in those two games as a kid than I learned in college.
Tearing apart the code, you can change any aspect of the game- and the whole thing wasn't more than a few pages of code, so over time I was able to work out how the language worked. Obviously you start with fun things- like changing the size of the explosion the banana makes... but you take it from there. Eventually you can re-write the game as you see fit, because you have an understanding of the language.

Nibbles was just snakes before they changed the name.

Years later, I had a ti-86 calculator, and was able to write my own game of snakes on it- they support the same (or similar) language.



Here it is! it was qbasic. I was close.
If you looked around I'm sure someone has the source code out there.

classicreload.com...

Well, she loves gaming and I can hardly pull her out of the Minecraft world to eat dinner. So I think thats a start.


Everyone else is correct though computers are a very broad spectrum. I think I will let her dabble until she really likes something.

Send her out to make a snowman in your yard. She is ten years old. She might make a really nice snow sculpture out of it.

Commenting to say Thank you for asking.

I was born in 91, and I've always loved video games since I was about 9 or 10 myself. My dad played steam games with me and the smart dudes I ended up "meeting" and gaming with taught me a thing or two about files and some basic html coding and later on css. I really wanted to get back into that world and even start a better career with my employer lately- so I plan to start college this year.

I know that a lot of people have taught themselves but I wasn't sure where to start now that it's 2018 and things have changed so much. I'm starting to feel like how my dad felt I think. anyway- I appreciate that this came up so I can maybe... know a thing or two when I arrive to class this fall.

Wishing your daughter all the best with the coding stuff!

I hope some others come along and post even more useful links for you ( and me )


PS!!!!!

I also remember finding a site called Girls Who Code
and was thinking about hosting something like that around where I live one day but perhaps there are already groups in your area!

If not maybe your daughter could talk it up with the other kids and get word around to some of the stay at home parents who might be interested....

-Alee

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

90's baby here - I'll start off with a story, and then go into how you can help your daughter (I'm currently in the industry).

What got me started was that back in the Windows 95 days, my dad taught me how to make jigsaws using MS Paint. It kept my interest till Windows XP, where I learned how to build a simple website (Hey, at the time, having the web opened the doors to the programming world). I started with HTML, and C++; My honor's level courses in highschool helped as well (LEGO Robotics? For a grade? Easy A+).

The first thing I want to iterate is: Do Not force your daughter to learn. Coding isn't for everyone; as with anything, you must love what you do if you are ever going to succeed.

Now then, below are my main tips, based on what I encounter on the job so to speak:

1. Find a way to blend her natural talents with programming. For example, if she loves to build with LEGOs, they offer a "Mindstorm" kit that not only allows you to build a robot, but offers a programming language (Used to be called Not-Quite-C, or NQC).

As she gets older and more experienced, you can "Upgrade" her to a micro-controller such as an Arduino or FEZBoard.

2. Pick a well-documented language to start: In the Microsoft realm, this could be something like Visual Basic.net or C#.net. Additionally, Microsoft now has a "Visual Studio Community Edition", which allows you to have access to the Professional-Level software for "free" (You need an email address). This is worth having, as I had to "borrow" the software to do my homework sometimes. It also gives you access to C++, C#, and several other fun projects.

Start with projects like WinForms or the command prompt (Hello World?) - Both will probably still be taught by the time she gets into Highschool.

In the open-source world: Something like Python, Java, or web basics (IE: Javascript and HTML) would be useful to know, especially if game development is on the list.

3. There exist organizations to help girls learn coding (IE: Girls Who Code) - again though, make sure she wants to do this rather than feels forced to. (At 10 years old, she could suddenly flip and find computers boring; I wanted to be a geologist at 10...and am now wishing I did instead of computers).

4. Have her get used to multiple environments such as Linux - While there isn't much of a market for Linux itself, one can learn to build their own OS (This is what I wish they taught us in Highschool). I'm typing from a Linux Mint box by the way.

5. Have fun - I may not like working with computers, but on a rainy day, I'll sometimes crack open a textbook just to try and solve the programming challenges offered.

originally posted by: PraetorianAZ

As for this thread, my oldest daughter just turned 10 and she knows how to use a computer but I really want to put her through coding classes or anything computer related to getting her ready for the modern age we live in.

It really depends on your kid.

Way back when I was in college, I was a freshman programming on the computer for my classes. Back then, most of us had to use teletype terminals, which printed everything you typed onto a wide sheet of paper that kept rolling forward. There were a few digital terminals by HP available, but they were all "restricted" for grad students and professors at the time. However, after midnight, anyone could use the digital terminals. So, I often stayed up late just to use the "screens" instead of the teletype terminal. One night, a kid sat down next to me and started typing on the HP terminal next to mine. I was really curious because he was way too young to be in collage. So, I started talking to him, asking him what he was doing. Turns out he was just 9 years old, his father was a prof at the university, and he was writing a computer program to implement complex number arithmetic. I looked at his code and was blown away. First of all, a 9 year old kid that knows complex numbers is highly unusual, much less one that can program the thing on computer.

Sure, parents can have a huge influence on their kids, but I think you got to let your kid tell you where their interests are.

Today, everything is on the internet. So, kids really don't need parents to do any more than give them a computer and good broadband internet access.

The curious kid will "find" the things they want to know, and learn much faster, than if you try to specify the education path for them.