Question for computer science majors/ multimedia enthusiasts

KrazyKow
Sun, 20 May 2007 18:19:38 +0000

I think that python is probably an easier first language than many more common first languages (C/C++/Java), so it might be a good choice for your son. There’s less seemingly unnecessary odd syntax issues than with other languages. He also might have fun with VPython (http://vpython.org/), which is some extension of python which is quite easy to use for graphics. I haven’t worked with it much, but its much less of a hassle than graphics in C++ and Java. Different languages are better for different things, so its helpful to know a bunch of different ones so that you can choose the best one for the job. Java and Python are both good choices as they are widely used.

For teaching other kids his age, he might want to look into Alice. (A Wolf’s Hare-y Situation – Alice) I don’t know a lot about it, but its some sort of interactive 3-D thing that is intended to interest middle school students (particularly females) in programming, and the researchers claim to have had quite a bit of luck with it.