Re: OFF TOPIC -- Starter programming language for a brilliant child

[Tim Hill <drtimhill@...>]

I went through this a year ago with my kids (both teenagers). I used Lua for a couple of reasons:

1. As an interpreter (ok, instant compiler <grin>) they get instant feedback .. type in program, execute it.

2. Simple "number" type so no need to worry about Float vs Integer when they are struggling with basic concepts.

3. Clean syntax, making the whole thing MUCH easier to learn (hey, that works for me too!).

4. Availability od Codea on my iPad so they could take what they learned and make some fun games out of it.

Overall it went very well I think. Initially it was uphill work, but once they got to the "oh wow, if we change that can it go faster" point, enthusiasm took over.

IMHO Lua is an ideal language for learning the basics (and more) of programming.

--Tim

On Mar 28, 2013, at 10:18 AM, Alfredo Palhares <masterkorp@masterkorp.net> wrote:

> As an extra sudgestion.
> 
> Motivation is key on this process. I am teaching my 2 9yo nieces how to program in Lua, and I use
> minecraft with Computer Craft mod[1] just by teaching then 5 minutes of lua they could make 2 robots
> escavate holes on the ground and take resources. That keeps them very motivated, we did small network to
> send messages in game, mining robots, even farming.
> 
> Another great thing is that i can teach them remotely just by having a minecraft server and a voice
> server like Mumble[2], and still being able to enjoy the game. Its makes programing a very enjoyable
> experience (even for me)
> 
> 
> [1] http://www.computercraft.info/
> [2] http://mumble.sourceforge.net/
> 
> --
> Regards,
> Alfredo Palhares
>