computer programing

[melissaL]

I was reading the WTM new edition , and noticed that it lists computer programing as a subject . my ds15 is very excited to hear this and would love to do some programing.
what program have others tried? HE has basic computer skills already. He would love to program a game or something.
All suggestions are welcome.

[choirfarm]

I bought this book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1418859346/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

It has an Alice disc on it. You can download Alice on the internet for free, but we were on dial-up then, so it was way too big a file. Plus this went step by step through the process. It had lessons and online stuff to do as well if you wanted quizes and such. It was an enjoyable semester course for my son. I know there are things on the internet for free about it. Also, Potter's school has some programming classes. I may look at that for my son next year.

Christine

[brightside]

My son is a bit younger, but we loved this book.

Hello World!: Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners (Paperback)
~ Warren Sande (Author), Carter Sande (Author)

It was written by a father and his 12/13 year old son. It is a great start and then we moved to the O'Reilly books (Learning Python).

[Bev in B'ville]

My son took a course from Derek Otieno (who previously taught AP Computer Science through Pennsylvania Homeschoolers). Here's his information:

My web site is: www.acit.us.com (http://www.acit.us.com)
My phone number is: (678) 677-2517
Please, have your friends call me first so that I can help them navigate the choices.
Derek

My son loved the courses he took (he took Web Design I and II). He will take AP Computer Science with Derek probably next year.


Edited: Just a note: These courses are not intended for middle schoolers. They are true high school level courses. They require 1-2 hours per day and the classes are discussion based (conference calls) which requires interaction at a higher level. Some middle school level students signed up for the classes my ds was in and not one of them finished the class.

[mims]

My cousin, who has done extremely well with computer programming, recomended starting the with HTML. This gives them the basic concept of computer programming and they can expand from there. Visual HTML is, I believe, the name of a book that has very good reviews and we checked out from the library. Just make sure it is fairly recent.

[melissaL]

thank you all very much. I will look into all of your suggestions

[NancyL]

My d. is taking the AP Computer Science this year with Prof. Otieno. He's very good about scheduling extra 1 on 1 tutoring sessions when you need help. He uses a software where they can talk on line and watch a board also. I'm glad to know the Web design was good also. The Comp. Science isn't easy (she's 15) but I think with lots of help she's working her way through it.

Not programming but--I'm taking the Potters School Office Class for Moms-- and I really like it. The book is easy to follow, kind of like a cookbook, that you work on little assignments that show you all the different features of the Microsoft Office programs. They're planning on the second level for next year!

[Jenn in CA]

My son enjoyed this book: Game Programming for Teens (http://www.amazon.com/Game-Programming-Teens-Maneesh-Sethi/dp/1598635182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257610578&sr=8-1).

He used it with no prior programming experience. It comes with the software you need.

[GeekyMom]

I was reading the WTM new edition , and noticed that it lists computer programing as a subject . my ds15 is very excited to hear this and would love to do some programing.
what program have others tried? HE has basic computer skills already. He would love to program a game or something.
All suggestions are welcome.

Last year my daughter took an online class in advanced placement computer science from here: http://course.hscompsci.com (http://course.hscompsci.com/) last year. What's nice is that since she took the AP Test, she used that to get out of her gen. ed. computer class at the community college in Pasadena.

What was interesting was the instructors approach. They did graphics from day one, and my daughter is a very visual student.

That being said, I do not recommend this class for someone with low computing skills, as it is a college level class.