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Introducing Children to Computers?
Years ago, kids could be gradually introduced to computers through learning languages like LOGO and educational computer games. Many of us started our computing careers at our parent's workplace, logged in to a word processor to type away, only to become fascinated with the whole computing thing. So Slashdot, let's hear how you were lured into the digital life. What was it that drew you to a life of programming? How old were you when you first used a computer? What pieces of modern software do you think would be a good way to introduce today's kids to the world of computing?
Two of our readers had a few related questions: "A family friend has asked me to help teach her 13-year-old the art of computer programming. I initially thought this would be easy to approach but times have changed since I cut my teeth on text-only, ROM-based, BASIC interpreters. Twenty years ago, it seems there were much more clear and concise paths one could take to learn programming. Now I'm at a loss as to what language and resources I should use. Everything is so high-level that I'm having trouble finding convenient, simple tools that promote the fundamental tenets of programming, allowing newbies to jump in and see immediate results, without getting bogged down in corporate-centric APIs. It seems nowadays most programmers end up spending more time learning the development environment (and thus being confined to specific platforms) than core, transferrable programming knowledge. I'd like to ask my fellow Slashdot dwellers what tools, languages and approaches they have used to help introduce new people to programming?", and from sagefire.org: "My daughter is a huge fan of TuxPaint and ChildsPlay. We use Linux and MacOSX (and occasionally Windows) on different computers. We like to have stuff for her installed wherever we go. The two I mentioned go a long way, but we would love to pick the collective Slashdot brain on this one."
LOAD "*",8,1 was giving me "Bad command or file name" repeatedly...
Oh man does that bring back memories! Took me an hour to figure out that I just have to type in the program's name!
At that stange of life
I recommend a spell checker too.
Free XBox, PS2
Today's world of computing? Give the kid an EULA from Microsoft, a C&D from Disney, and a subpoena from the FBI. I'm not completely joking, either.
you were lucky. There were 150 of us using abacus in middle of 't road.
Honestly, I have no better memory of my introduction to computing than Oregon Trail for the Apple II. I fondly think back on shamelessly killing hundreds of pounds of buffalo, only to bring fifteen back and have Sarah die of a cholera.
Get your kids a laptop. Then they can sit around and be lazy, but be outdoors at the same time.
And Xerox from Douglas Engelbart. Everyone forgets about Doug.
How'd I get started in the digital realm?
True story. It's 1986. I've just turned four years old. My parents visit college friends of theirs, who happen to own a computer. I'd never seen a computer before this.
Ten minutes later I formatted the C:\ drive.
And I've been breaking computers ever since!
"To pass through the jungle; silence, courtesy, ferocity, as the occasion demands." -- Kamau, "Proper Passage"
Sheesh I was reading through all these "My first computer was a and I started programming with it." I feel a little alone seeing as how my first computer I immediately used to find pictures of naked girls.
No sig for you!!
If you're really lucky, you can teach them the tenants of communism...
Wow, I didn't realize that communism rented out to tenants. How much do they pay in rent? Or is paying rent not one of their tenets?
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
Enroll them in a management class, and then they can hire students in the computer programming class to be interested for them.
paintball
"because I started at 12 myseld"
You know it's time to get out of the house when instead of reading "myself" you read "mysqld".
I learned FORTRAN programming with paper punch cards on a DEC-10 mainframe back in the 70's. It was a big step up when we got paper-feed TTY terminals and could program in BASIC using a real directly-connected keyboard. Eventually I did some COBOL on a VT-52.
It was at least a decade before I got to ANSI C on an IBM compatible, about the time all of you little nose-pickers were born.
-ccm
Too much Law; not enough Order.
Young kids love to pound randomly at the keyboard so they'll be right at home with Perl.
God, I wish I could think of a sig!
All you young whipper-snappers who are still in the days of the C64, should be fans of:
;-)
:-)) a machine that punched rectangular holes in cardboard cards (something known as Hollerith code ;-))...decks of thousands of them. One program line per card. Usually in FORTRAN, or perhaps Ibm360 assembly, or some other god-forsaken torture. But we loved it dearly, and couldn't wait the two WEEKS it took for the printouts to come back. You /.ers are soooo spoiled :-). Monitors!? You've got monitors? And you just type in your program on a screen editor, and then run it right away? Gawd, what luxury! :-)
http://www.viceteam.org/
Works great under linux...I play with it all the time!
But hey, I'm quite a bit before the c64...my first experience with "computers", was a high school computer science class in Grade 11 in 1973...we had a keypunch machine! What's that, you say? It is (was?
"Ok, son, whatcha got going on, there?"
"I think I've got root. Nmap says it's an NT box; it doesn't seem to have a firewall running. Looks like a law office."
"Aaahhh! Nice one! You gonna nuke it?"
"Nah, I wanna mess with 'em a little. Wanna send a nasty email to a competing law office? Maybe we can get a West Side Story brawl going."
"Hang on, your mom's gonna wanna get in on this. HONEY! GET IN HERE! JOEY'S NAILED A LAW FIRM"
(goth mother comes in)
"A law firm? You're kidding? What are they running, 2000?"
"Naw, ma, NT 4."
"Get out of here!"
"Honest! Hey, check it out, someone's trying to log on. Should I enable his account?"
"Go for it. Hey, pop up a message, let me type."
(Mother sneaks into the seat).
"BEHOLD, LAWYER, FOR I AM THE ANGEL GABRIEL AND I HAVE COME TO WARN THEE, THOU ART BILKING THY CLIENTS AND SHALL SURELY PAY! IF THOU WISHEST TO GAIN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, GIVETH THY BMW TO RICHARD STALLMAN AND DONATE YOUR TIME TO THE FREE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION!"
"Umm, mom, wasn't that a little over the top? Besides, he doesn't know how to respond."
"Right... Umm..."
"LAWYER! JESUS HAS INSTRUCTED ME THAT IF YOU STRIP TO YOUR UNDERWEAR, LEAN OUT THE WINDOW AND SCREAM PRAISE THE LORD ONE DOZEN TIMES, THEN QUIT YOUR JOB AS MINION OF SATAN, WE'LL FORGIVE YOU... BUT ONLY THIS ONCE."
"Yeah... MUCH better..." (rolls eyes)
Hey, the family that plays together STAYS together!
Farewell! It's been a fine buncha years!
I'm not a big fan of instructors either, but beating them with a blunt object is NOT the ANSWER!
The Penguin Producer
The first time I used a computer was in the 1st grade. Within a week, I had thrown a handful of magnets into the box of floppys with all our homework on them, crashed several boxen, and added a recording that said "F@*k Mrs. Teacher" to the startup folder of one.
Of course, later in life, when they are bombed by a guided missile from North Korea that is powered by embedded Linux, they will wish they had learned to use the Mac instead and resent you, but you won't care because you'll both be dead.
Well gee, what a *smart* analysis, but then, it's not like being ignorant of how embedded Linux works will save your life from an embedded Linux powered missile anyway.
This reminds me of when I was a kid, my parents told me that if I closed my eyes, people wont be able to see me naked.