<div dir="ltr">Thanks Lucas - for those in other jurisdictions, can you tell us which years the subject will include all students, vs those where the subject is an elective? For example, is your plan indicating that every Year 8 student will learn Python?<div><br></div><div>Cheers</div><div>Ken<br><div><br><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Dec 13, 2016 at 10:52 PM, Garth, Lucas A <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:garth.lucas.a@edumail.vic.gov.au" target="_blank">garth.lucas.a@edumail.vic.gov.au</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">HI Mel (& other interested onlookers)<br>
<br>
At the moment I'm looking at having Python installed as our main programming language at Lalor Secondary College.<br>
<br>
The reasons:<br>
- It's likely to be high paying - sample: <a href="http://tech.co/highest-paying-programming-languages-2015-03" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://tech.co/highest-paying-<wbr>programming-languages-2015-03</a><br>
- There are heaps of online resources including codecademy<br>
- It taps in to Raspberry Pi (they were created to facilitate the teaching of Python)<br>
- Programming language isn't the hardest to learn the basics (though admittedly not quite as easy as VB IMO)<br>
- Integration of turtle program into maths<br>
- National Code Challenge by GROK Learning is in Python<br>
- Feeds into Computing/Informatics nicely through the use of Beautiful Soup extracts (and Panda data analysis)<br>
<br>
Python's downsides:<br>
- Needs to be installed on every computer (therefore get an image) or else you go with a limited <a href="http://pythonanywhere.com" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">pythonanywhere.com</a> and rely on decent quality internet...might be a struggle in most govt schools...<br>
- Limited front-end development, unless you also teach a framework (which I think you probably should teach your students if they are going to go into a developer career - I'll be teaching my students HTML + CSS + Bootstrap to give them a good grounding for the web). As I'm generally a better back-end developer, I prefer teaching basic ASCII art initially for the students to gain a concept of graphics, though I've also taught students a little bit of the Flask framework and it looked fairly straight-forward.<br>
<br>
How I'm planning to insert this into the curriculum (2017-2018)<br>
<br>
Year 7 - Limited programming in Digitech, however there will be teaching HTML/CSS and use of a CMS (e.g. Weebly / Wordpress). Maybe some basic Python if we are to link Raspberry Pi computers together with an Ethernet cable. Maths needs use of a general purpose programming language and I'm encouraging the use of the Turtle app in Python, which is based on the Logo programming language for the more experienced teachers on list.<br>
<br>
Year 8 - Programming basics in Python. Use of mBots (with Scratch-like mBlock code structure) for a short sequence of more hands-on coding.<br>
<br>
Year 9 - Include Python programming in unit on game design using Pygame resources.<br>
<br>
Year 10 - Data extraction and manipulation using Python. Show the basics of Bootstrap alongside consolidation of HTML/CSS skills. Use of Grove Starter Kits for Arduino for hands-on coding.<br>
<br>
Year 11 - NCSS CHALLENGE - GROK competition - Python. Bootstrap usage for web development SAC. Learn SQL for databases.<br>
<br>
Year 12 - Encourage the use of Python (data extraction) and Bootstrap (data presentation) for Informatics SAT, and SQL for databases SAC.<br>
<br>
<br>
Now - to develop the resources! Let me know if you've already headed down this rabbit hole!<br>
<br>
Lucas Garth<br>
Lalor SC<br><br>
<br><span class=""><br><br></span></blockquote></div><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"></div></div>
</div></div></div></div>