Hey LR ‘geeks’ - I need help. I have a bright 11 year old who is hankering to start coding. He want to make apps and games - either for PC or Android. Visual B, C++, Java or whatever makes most sense.
I’m not up to date on this - the last time programmed was in FORTRAN in 1989.
**What’s the best way to get him started? Is there a good software package course, online class or something like that? **
Ontarians - Is there a good summer camp either in the Oshawa or Oakville area?
definitely Python language. You don’t need books - lots of ways to learn online for free - and you may have it already on your machine. There are also interpreters online so one does not need to install anything in any case.
http://www.geekwire.com/2013/commentary-taught-kids-python-programming/
Hey LR ‘geeks’ - I need help. I have a bright 11 year old who is hankering to start coding. He want to make apps and games - either for PC or Android. Visual B, C++, Java or whatever makes most sense.
I’m not up to date on this - the last time programmed was in FORTRAN in 1989.
**What’s the best way to get him started? Is there a good software package course, online class or something like that? **
Ontarians - Is there a good summer camp either in the Oshawa or Oakville area?
If I was learning to program I would want to learn develop apps for mobile so that would mean learning either Java (Android) or Objective C (iOS). I am not sure what are the best places to learn online, but I have heard good things about CodeAcademy and Udacity. I am not sure what their offerings are. In the past I have just bought a book and worked through the chapters each day.
+1 for python. Sometimes I think I love it too much. It’s used extensively at Google. Also highly readible and interpreted makes it ideal for first language.
Alice - a language / environment / toolset specifically designed for kids.
http://www.alice.org/index.php
http://www.aliceprogramming.net/
Go with Java. Free, lots of tutorials etc. and he can learn the basis for a lot of current development. My son started with Python and then moved on to Java. He now works on a lot of Minecraft mods in Java.
Find some type of application your son likes and then let him learn what he needs to program it. It will be far more interesting than typically dry programming tutorials.
If he’s going to go with Java, then BlueJ ( http://bluej.org/) is a particularly good tool for beginners without any background in programming at all.
C++ and get him into learning about Arduino and robots.
Learning a programming language and learning to program are two very different things. Which do you want for you child?
C++ and get him into learning about Arduino and robots.
Seriously? The kid’s only 11. How is C++ a good place to start? Did I miss the pink font?
My daughter spent a summer learning Python. We picked up a book from Chapters and she worked her way through about halfway. She was probably 11 or 12 at the time. She never went beyond that, but it was a interesting language for her to learn.
C++ and get him into learning about Arduino and robots.
Seriously? The kid’s only 11. How is C++ a good place to start? Did I miss the pink font?
My daughter spent a summer learning Python. We picked up a book from Chapters and she worked her way through about halfway. She was probably 11 or 12 at the time. She never went beyond that, but it was a interesting language for her to learn.
Actually, Borland C++ Builder (Embarcadro) is probably as easy to learn, and considerably more powerful, as anything out there.
Easily learnable by an 11 year old. I belive there is even an academic version that is cheap and full function. Not sure what you need to get it.
And there are some pretty amazing add ons that let you quickly do fantastic things.
As I said, find out what interests your kid. If it is Minecraft, learn Java If it is robotics C+ or other more esoteric languages are a better choice. If it is 3D First person shooter games get some 3D game engines, if it is blogging, pickup Wordpress and learn PHP to make plugins etc.
Learning a programming language for the sake of learning a language doesn’t tend to be that interesting for most.
You may want to take a look at the Head First series of books from O’Reilly e.g. http://shop.oreilly.com/...uct/9780596004651.do They have a bunch of different ones. My son really likes them and they cover a good amount of fundamentals while explaining things in a fun way. Lots of dorky jokes / puns he likes too. Probably the best programming books I’ve seen that are accessible for kids ( and not bad for adults either )
No pink font.
I taught gifted 10 year olds how to program Lego mindstorms robots with C++. It’s not hard and all of the interactive IDE’s make everything much easier.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter. Any language will work to get started. But I figure the kid might as well learn C++ since it’s one of the most widely used languages in the game industry. Plus, you can play with Arduinos and make robots! ROBOTS!!
He’s already creating maps and worlds using the native ‘Roblox’ game editor. Next he’d like to make mods to the game beyond the editor.
Also he wants to create mini games for Android (and maybe PC) and apps - he’s got some very interesting ideas for apps that could be eventually monetized.
Thanks to everyone FOR their INPUT. I’ll GOTO some of the programs (BuleJ, Python, etc.) and check them out AND i’ll get some books OR videos.
END.
I think for the average person, and certainly the average kid, picking C++ as their first language is not ideal. I could see someone getting very frustrated with it very quickly.
He’s already creating maps and worlds using the native ‘Roblox’ game editor. Next he’d like to make mods to the game beyond the editor.
Also he wants to create mini games for Android (and maybe PC) and apps - he’s got some very interesting ideas for apps that could be eventually monetized.
Thanks to everyone FOR their INPUT. I’ll GOTO some of the programs (BuleJ, Python, etc.) and check them out AND i’ll get some books OR videos.
END.
finally.
Here are some summer camps that might offer what he’s looking for: