[Yr7-10it] Re : .. Programming for all levels
Cameron Bell
bell.cameron.p at edumail.vic.gov.au
Thu Sep 20 08:30:53 EST 2007
Just wondering if anyone else has read the Readers Q&A in this months APC?
I will paraphrase as I don't have it with me.
Q: I want to get into programming but didn't do any IT or programming at
school. What language should I learn and how should I go about it?"
A: Not doing any programming at school is not a disadvantage......(goes on)
In light of this whole thread and the agonising over languages,
methodology etc I had to chuckle.
Cheers
Cameron
Roland Gesthuizen wrote:
> Thanks Kent, now I dont feel so bad about having cut my teeth with
> punched cards on a PDP11 with Fortran and Pascal and on a cassette
> tape with Apple Basic and some machine code on my Apple ][e at home.
>
> I have a year 9 typing teacher to thank for teaching me how to
> touch-type (two periods a week for 6 months). As the only boy in the
> class, I was relegated to ye olde manual typewriter at the front of
> the room. Now I can talk and look around whilst I am typing in a
> classroom and not glance at the screen or keyboard. Very handy. :-)
>
> Regards Roland
>
> On 18/09/2007, *Kent Beveridge* < kbeveridge at stbc.vic.edu.au
> <mailto:kbeveridge at stbc.vic.edu.au>> wrote:
>
> Having just read about Kevork's 'how I got started', its like a
> trip down memory lane for me. I cut my teeth in this business on a
> good ol' PDP11's, VAX/VMS and Data General AOS/VS systems - all
> of the 'super mini' class. My first computer experience was the
> CYBER at RMIT with punched cards in 1982...boy, what a shock if
> you dropped the punched cards going to the computer centre to
> compile your job! Graveyard shifts, Winchester drives and lots of
> noisy impact printers going for it!
> Seems my background is not entirely dissimilar to Kevork!
> This is an intrigueing thread and, I feel, can indicate perhaps
> how some of us are attempting to involve our students in this
> industry.
>
>
> Kent Beveridge,
> I.T. co-ordinator
> St. Brigids Catholic Sec. College
> Horsham
> email.. kbeveridge at stbc.vic.edu.au <mailto:kbeveridge at stbc.vic.edu.au>
>
> |<3|\|7 b3\/3r1D93 ? ;-)
>
> Wishes and Eggs, one you make and one you break! A bit like
> promises.....
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> From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au
> <mailto:yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au> on behalf of Kevork Krozian
> Sent: Tue 9/18/2007 7:58 AM
> To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] Re : .. Programming for all levels
>
>
>
> Hi Folks,
>
> There were no computers at school and I picked up Computer
> Science in
> 1980 at Monash Uni with punch cards programming in Fortran. I
> continued with
> formal programming wiht the VAX mini system, majoring in Comp Sci
> having
> covered C, Pascal, Assembly, Ada and a few other variations.
> The course was more than programming. It was numerical
> computations, data
> structures and a lot of mathematical analysis such as depth of
> binary trees,
> searching and sorting algorithms etc.
> I had a few years in industry ( Oil rigs, CSIRO ) and when I
> did start
> teaching standalones ( Apple II ) were the order of the day until
> a few
> years later when LANs made inroads. From there, scripting and
> other needs
> could be satisfied with programming solutions of all kinds.
> Some examples of in house custom built programming solutions
> implemented
> at my school include :
>
> 1. A full roll marking system with swipe cards and readers in
> each room.
> 2. A lateness module with a barcode reader for library cards.
> 3. Online subject selections for students
> 4. Resource bookings on line ( rooms, hardware, etc )
> 5. Web based Password changing modules for teachers ( a
> teacher anywhere
> can change any student's password(s) anywhere )
> 6. Internet traffic and surfing historiy monitoring
> 7. LDAP authentication scripts to allow access to resources
> ... and many more
>
> Programming is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
> Solutions are
> demonstrated to students for inspiration/motivation.
>
> So now, the idea is here is a problem, what is the best way to
> solve it ?
> Should we use a web based solution ? The answer is almost always yes.
> Should we use PHP , VBScript or something else ?
> Can we use existing databases to access data rather than produce a
> new
> database ? Eg. Can we extract timetabling data from the SQL server
> to use
> for room bookings rather than importing these to a new database
> ? Almost
> always YES.
> We are now working on a Moodle/Intranet combination individualised
> for each
> teacher and student to allow logging on to access personal
> timetable, class
> content as well as attendance, work due, and reporting. We might
> call it our
> ultranet ..... :)))
>
> Take Care
> Kevork Krozian
> Edulists Creator and Administrator
> www.edulists.com.au <http://www.edulists.com.au>
> kevork at edulists.com.au <mailto:kevork at edulists.com.au>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tony Forster" < forster at ozonline.com.au
> <mailto:forster at ozonline.com.au>>
> To: "Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List"
> <yr7-10it at edulists.com.au <mailto:yr7-10it at edulists.com.au>>
> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 11:29 PM
> Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] Re : .. Programming for all levels
>
>
> >> Anyway
> >> How did you all learn programming?
> >
> > Fortran, mainframe, punched card with paperclip, undergraduate 1972
> > Data General Nova assembler, 8k core memory, postgraduate, paper
> tape,
> > self taught 1975
> > Varicomposer, word processor for printing industry, 8"floppy,
> self taught
> > assembler 1980
> > Fortran, PC, research project, 1986, self taught
> > MS Quick C, self taught, hobby, 1990
> > Gamemaker, 2002, self taught, saw educational potential :-)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> _______________________________________________
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>
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
> Year 7 - 10 IT Mailing List kindly supported by
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> Authority and
> http://www.vitta.org.au - VITTA Victorian Information Technology
> Teachers Association Inc
>
>
>
>
> --
> Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
> http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au
>
> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
> change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has."
> --Margaret Mead _______________________________________________
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