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This is my concern with buying anything like this, or even using languages like Scratch. I learned by using a computer with the languages that exist for product

by hmhrex 9y ago

This is my concern with buying anything like this, or even using languages like Scratch. I learned by using a computer with the languages that exist for production software and web applications. The biggest thing for me is, how do we teach some of these concepts to our kids at a young? What does that kind of curriculum look like? I found "Teach Your Kids to Code" (https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Kids-Code-Parent-Friendly/dp/1593276141 https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Kids-Code-Parent-Friendly/...) the other day, and it looks promising, but I'd be interested in other resources as well. EDIT: I may be wrong about Scratch's usefulness as a teaching tool, it has just been a concern. I'd be glad to hear personal experiences!

redwoolf 9y ago
If it's anything like "Learn to Program with Minecraft" then it's a waste of time. "Learn to Program with Minecraft" is too simple to be fun or useful.
- imtringued 9y ago
  Download Minecraft. Install ComputerCraft mod. Write lua skripts to control turtles and computers. ??? Your kid now has obtained basic programming skills.
jbattle 9y ago
My oldest son (the only one that's shown interest in programming) really liked Scratch. One feature of Scratch that I didn't expect to be part of the appeal was how easy they make it to share your work. Every time he build something, it was trivial for him to share it online for friends and strangers to see. He wasn't upvote-obsessed, but I do think that social-recognition element was a plus
follower 9y ago
> how do we teach some of these concepts to our kids at a young? What does that kind of curriculum look like? To see one approach you might be interested in looking at the "Computer Science Unplugged" project: http://csunplugged.org/ http://csunplugged.org/
- hmhrex 9y ago
  Huh. This is an interesting concept. The homepage talks about CS concepts being "separated from the distractions and technical details of having to use computers", and that is definitely a key factor for us. Thank you!
Viliam1234 9y ago
The advantage of Scratch is that the kids don't need to type the commands. Seems like a trivial thing, but it makes a ton of difference. Imagine teaching a child who needs on average 10 seconds to find a key on the keyboard. That makes 6 keys per minute, 270 keys per 45-minute lesson. But that's an upper bound, because the kids can't spend the whole lesson typing (they also need to be told what to do), and of course they are not going to get everything right on the first try. Also, small kids are going to make a lot of typos everywhere. What kind of a program can you type using less than hundred characters? This problem magically disappears when you use Scratch. For little kids, it makes a big difference.

by hmhrex 9y ago

redwoolf 9y ago

If it's anything like "Learn to Program with Minecraft" then it's a waste of time. "Learn to Program with Minecraft" is too simple to be fun or useful.

imtringued 9y ago
Download Minecraft. Install ComputerCraft mod. Write lua skripts to control turtles and computers. ??? Your kid now has obtained basic programming skills.

jbattle 9y ago

My oldest son (the only one that's shown interest in programming) really liked Scratch. One feature of Scratch that I didn't expect to be part of the appeal was how easy they make it to share your work. Every time he build something, it was trivial for him to share it online for friends and strangers to see. He wasn't upvote-obsessed, but I do think that social-recognition element was a plus

follower 9y ago

> how do we teach some of these concepts to our kids at a young? What does that kind of curriculum look like? To see one approach you might be interested in looking at the "Computer Science Unplugged" project: http://csunplugged.org/ http://csunplugged.org/

hmhrex 9y ago
Huh. This is an interesting concept. The homepage talks about CS concepts being "separated from the distractions and technical details of having to use computers", and that is definitely a key factor for us. Thank you!

Viliam1234 9y ago

The advantage of Scratch is that the kids don't need to type the commands. Seems like a trivial thing, but it makes a ton of difference. Imagine teaching a child who needs on average 10 seconds to find a key on the keyboard. That makes 6 keys per minute, 270 keys per 45-minute lesson. But that's an upper bound, because the kids can't spend the whole lesson typing (they also need to be told what to do), and of course they are not going to get everything right on the first try. Also, small kids are going to make a lot of typos everywhere. What kind of a program can you type using less than hundred characters? This problem magically disappears when you use Scratch. For little kids, it makes a big difference.