[Year 12 SofDev] Back to BASIC(s)

Wed Jun 30 16:56:14 EST 2010

I was going to second Laurie's suggestion but now I guess I'll have to third
Guy and Laurie's suggestions for all the same reasons. I presented it to my
Y10s but didn't make the decison to go this way until part way through the
semester, so opted for  Portable Python because it meant that I could run it
from a network folder (techs didn't have to put it onto the image). A big
plus I found with this implementation of Python was the IDE - it meant
students could focus on programming and not have to worry about separate
editors, interpreters etc.

Can I just say in defence of the GUI approach in SD (but not the Access
part) that it brings two benefits: having students think about human
interface design; and more importantly, allowing students to break a task
down into obvious chunks - it encourages/scaffolds a kind of top-down
approach which I think is educationally useful.

Regards
Robert T-A
Brighton SC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Guy Flaherty" <G.Flaherty at xavier.vic.edu.au>
To: <sofdev at edulists.com.au>
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 2:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Back to BASIC(s)

>I second Laurie's suggestion of going with Python. I use it in Year 12 and
>in a Year 10 IT Elective and it is very good for teaching programming
>basics. Last year I taught game programming with it to Year 10 students and
>they managed to get a fair bit out of it, with a good number electing to do
>Software Development this year.
>
> Python actually lends itself to teaching programming because of the way
> you are 'forced' to write more readable code and by being a fairly
> consistent language. If you do manage to have any students who become
> adapt at programming in it, you can easily extend it in almost any
> direction as well, due to its high level of real world application use.
>
> One of my pet peeves with Software Development is that we actually have to
> create a GUI application. I am not sure why this is specified, as I would
> prefer to concentrate on the actually programming and less on event-based
> actions that can be a lot like making a form in Access. I would like to
> actually concentrate on things like network applications and client/server
> stuff instead of GUI layouts. I find the students actually start to
> appreciate that there is more to computers and programming once you stop
> doing everything in a GUI. It is just hard work to convince them that it
> will be interesting and fun if they give it a go!
>
> Good luck with your course,
>
> Guy Flaherty
> Xavier College
>
>
>>>> Laurie Savage  30/06/10 1:46 PM >>>
> Nice approach Mark; have you thought about Python? I've been playing
> around
> with it with a good year 9 class and they seem to get it. My reasoning is
> that simple Pyhton scripts read very much like structured English so as
> long as
> the kid can grasp the logic the syntax more or less follows and OO and GUI
> programming can follow in the same language.
>
> Laurie Savage
> Pascoe Vale Girls College
>
> Just recently, on Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 01:07:23PM +1000  in fact, Mark
> KELLY mentioned:
>> Hi All.
>>
>> While I haven't had an SD class for a while (low enrolments and all), I
>> will
>> be taking a year 10 IT elective in the coming semester which is sort of a
>> SD
>> precursor.
>>
>> Having been annoyed in the past by programming introductions that
>> stressed
>> the GUI at the expense of 'real' programming (e.g. the spent most of
>> their
>> time manipulating object properties and never discovered variables,
>> arrays,
>> loops and logic) I have decided to go back to basics... literally.
>>
>> To force the kids to focus on fundamentals I wanted to start with good
>> ol'
>> QuickBASIC that has no GUI at all.  Alas, it proved impossible to get it
>> to
>> run under Win7.  That's when I found QB64 at http://www.qb64.net.
>>
>> This is a nice rendition of reverse engineering QB that will work happily
>> in
>> a Win7 64 bit environment.  It will be good to get the kiddies away from
>> frills and back to the meat-and-vegies of programming.  Only then will I
>> get
>> them into GUI and OOP.
>>
>> Enjoy the hols
>>
>> Mark
>>
>> -- 
>> Mark Kelly
>> Manager - Information Systems
>> McKinnon Secondary College
>> McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
>> Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085
>> School Phone +613 8520 9000
>> School Fax +613 9578 9253
>> kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
>>
>> Webmaster - http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
>> IT Lecture notes: http://vceit.com
>> Moderator: IT Applications Mailing List
>>
>> Korma: the philosophy that what you get out of a curry depends on what
>> you
>> put into it.
>
>> _______________________________________________
>> http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, Subscribe, Unsubscribe
>> IT Software Development Mailing List kindly supported by
>> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
>> Authority and
>> http://www.vitta.org.au/vce/studies/infotech/softwaredevel3-4.html
>> http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology
>> Teachers Association Inc
>
>
> -- 
> Laurie Savage
> ====================================================================
> Markbook/Moodle Coordinator::Pascoe Vale Girls College::03 9306 2544
> ====================================================================
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, Subscribe, Unsubscribe
> IT Software Development Mailing List kindly supported by
> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
> and
> http://www.vitta.org.au/vce/studies/infotech/softwaredevel3-4.html
> http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers
> Association Inc
>
>
> Scanned by Sonar.
> Date: 2010-06-30 13:45:37.321
> From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au
> To: g.flaherty at xavier.vic.edu.au
> Profile: Default_In
> Mail id: challenge-7869517999qzj-0
>
>
>
>
> "This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
> intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are
> addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the
> Network Manager at Xavier College. Please note that any views or opinions
> presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not
> necessarily represent those of Xavier College. Whilst every attempt has
> been made to ensure material in this email message is free from computer
> viruses or other defects, the attached files are provided, and may only be
> used, on the basis that the user assumes all responsibility for the use of
> the material transmitted."
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, Subscribe, Unsubscribe
> IT Software Development Mailing List kindly supported by
> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
> and
> http://www.vitta.org.au/vce/studies/infotech/softwaredevel3-4.html
> http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers
> Association Inc