Kids Code Zone - For kids to learn the joy of programming

Discussion: What should be done to help lagging enrollment in Computer Science?

jimbethancourt — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:45:09 +0000

What got you interested in programming, waaaaay back when? For me, it was the movie Tron (especially the light cycles), but you may have a very different story. This time, though, we need your help on how to encourage young people to get interested in Computer Science and find their story.

Going from numbers to pictures - visible monte carlo!

jo74315 — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:18:46 +0000

One of the best things about math is that it's so... visible. Consider the monte carlo estimation we ran in the last lesson: nothing creates "wow factor" like "3.134!" Subtitle: Adding graphics to our monte carlo estimation of pi! Article Type: How-to ...

Monte Carlo, Pi, and ... gambling

jo74315 — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 21:04:59 +0000

Lesson two: Let's get gambling!What we're actually going to be doing today is applying something called the “Monte Carlo method” to estimate the value of Π, which is a Greek letter called “pi.” (You pronounce this, in English, with the same pronunciation as “pie,” so when someone says “It's as easy as pie!” what they mean is that “it's as easy as the ratio of the any circle's...

Python, kids! Python! And Triangles! And learnin's!

jo74315 — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:17:48 +0000

So! Let's talk math, because it's fun. We'll use python for this because we don't have to compile it, it's easy, and it's useful in simulation projects like Micropolis. Let's get some things out of the way first. Python's easy to run:

Sun Courts Academia with New Student Portal

jimbethancourt — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:11:02 +0000

Aaron Houston recently pointed out that there is a new Student Portal on the Sun Developer Network, and could be a helpful resource for both high school and college students:

Teaching My Daughter To Code

mkolling — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:12:25 +0000

Recently, my daughter Sophie asked me to show her how to write a computer game. She is nine. (Well, only a few weeks away from being ten - at this age, a year still matters.) She has never written any code before. Now, there’s a challenge, if I ever saw one.

Getting Started - Kid Friendly Programming Software

thecrumb — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:14:52 +0000

I've spoken to a few people about teaching kids to program and am excited to see this new section on DZone!

KidsCodeZone: Gaining a clearer sense of purpose

rick — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:14:19 +0000

I'm delighted that several people have gotten in touch with me to share their enthusiasm for the idea of KidsCodeZone.com, and I'm even more delighted that there seems to be a wealth of useful knowledge about kids programming resources out there. The principal problem is that the knowledge is spread out in thousands of different places, so it isn't very easy to access and leverage it.

KidsCodeZone.com - Let's get this party started!

rick — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:28:40 +0000

To begin with, I must thank Michael Kölling for this excellent posting that inspired me to act on something I have wanted to do for a long time: create a resource devoted to helping kids learn programming. As a father of four beautiful daughters, it has become altogether too clear to me that schools aren't doing nearly enough to introduce young people to the wonderful world of software...