Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] Java for kids?

["Jonathan King" <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On 5/2/06, Michael <EMAIL:PROTECTED> wrote:
> http://www.retaildownloads.com/java-for-kids-version-20-kidware-download-p-8563.html
>
> Anyone actually tried this Java for Kids? It seemed a little interesting
> but i dunno how good a job it actually would do for teaching programming
> to kids.

The mind reels...

It's not that I think Java is a *bad* language per se, but I think it
would be fairly tough to find one that is less intrinsically kid
friendly.  Waaay too much of the text of the average program is spent
doing twiddly things that are probably also tough to teach.  Python or
Ruby or something like that is the way I think I would go.  *Maybe*
javascript if someone had a cool web-based tool for teaching it.

Now, if the kid in question is old enough and is really highly
motivated, then maybe Java makes some sense, but even then...as a
first language?  Man, that's a tough call.  And you're talking to
somebody whose first real language was Fortran. :-)

jking

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