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Which one is the best tool, when you want to teach how a computer actually works? or you want to teach them programming?
by rythie 13y ago
Which one is the best tool, when you want to teach how a computer actually works? or you want to teach them programming?
- Sanddancer 13y agoHow a computer actually works, probably something microkernel-based, like Minix. Stripped down, show just what needs to be shown for the lesson at hand, and much easier to get inside and play with the gears. Programming? I'd say the OS doesn't really matter. Simple, easy to see initial result environments like MIT's Scratch, or Logo run on pretty much everything.
- rythie 13y agoScratch is ok at first, but really they need to come out of schoool knowing something more than that (python/ruby/java etc.)
- Sanddancer 13y agoWell, this is for a learning environment for children, so I'd argue getting a language with a good hook is important. Additionally, both environments also offer a more interesting language under the hood to poke at -- for scratch, smalltalk/actionscript, and for logo, the lisp-style language under the hood -- to teach the more advanced concepts. Give interesting, easy results, but then use that to build on how to bring in more and more in-depth concepts.
- rbanffy 13y ago> Which one is the best tool, when you want to teach how a computer actually works? To start? Probably a programmable calculator.