Re: [MLUG] good intro to programming for a teenager?

[Michael <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

> My son is 13 years old.  He is very interested in computers right now 
> (thanks to those of you who gave us some tips on what to by for gaming 
> - we put together a killer machine, I thought, for $600).  It was a 
> great experience for us to work together assembling the computer and 
> installing software.  He is interested in learning all sorts of things 
> about computers and he just told me that he wants to learn to 
> program.  Many of you guys are excellent programmers and would 
> probably have ideas about good ways for a kid to get started.  What do 
> you recommend?  (Language? Books? Things to try to program?)
>
> Here are a few more facts:  We installed only Win XP x64 on his 
> computer, but he is interested in Linux, so we'll probably install 
> that later in a dual boot configuration.  I can work with him on 
> programming stuff, but most of it would be by e-mail and phone because 
> he usually sees me every other weekend.
I suggest a well rounded approach. Throw a little LOGO at him. It's easy 
to learn and work with and you can create simple apps that draw pictures 
etc with it. Send him to 'telnet lambda.moo.mud.org 8888' and have him 
get a character and start learning the system. It'll give him a chance 
to learn the basics of object oriented coding while letting him 
socialize a bit. There is nothing like having other people interact with 
you and your code in a game even if it is text based. Then an 
introduction to HTML, CSS, and PHP would round him out. Again they are 
easy to use and you can have other people interact with what you've made 
which is fun.

When he gets a little more advanced I'd show him Python. It has a clean 
syntax that is easy to use and has a powerful object oriented design. If 
you learn Python then moving to languages like Java will be easy (even 
if painful).

Overall, I'd start with always having a project to work on. If he has 
his own projects in mind then great, if they aren't overly ambitious as 
starting points, but otherwise I'd assign him something that'll teach 
him a specific skill, be fun, and provide a bit of a challenge (so he'll 
feel like he accomplished something when done). Most programming classes 
suck because they don't really interest the students. Doing 'Hello 
World' or a lame accounting program nobody would ever use is boring and 
stupid. Writing a insult generator (or madlibs if you'd rather) is more 
fun and provides some good background in doing simple work with 
arrays/lists and strings. He might need a little help from you but I 
think it's a pretty easy problem to begin with and it's easy to build 
onto it as his skills develop. Programs that intersect with his other 
interests would be good too.

Reading books wouldn't hurt but he'll do better if you teach him to look 
up the information or join discussion forums on the topics. If anything 
get him books on programming theory instead of syntax. Knowing how 
computers work and basic problem solving skills is more useful than 
knowing any particular language.

--
Michael <EMAIL:PROTECTED>
http://kavlon.org


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