Re: [tlug] Expensive Microsoft

[tlug@example.com]

On Thursday 02 August 2007 01:18:18 Lyle H Saxon wrote:
> Incidentally - can you recommend something to get an eleven-year-old
> started with programming?  I'm not a programmer myself, but he's
> expressed an interest in programming and I'd like to get him started
> somehow.

I think that a good tactic for your son is to find a program that he *wants* 
to write.  Passionately trying to solve a certain problem (or get interesting 
output) would keep his interest high and allow him to learn how to program as 
a side effect.  The challenge is determining a program that would have this 
property but is not too difficult for a beginner.  Here are various ideas:

* Graphics: Learn how to write programs that output POV-Ray code.  I would 
suggest a language like Python or Ruby for this, and you can write a Makefile 
or a shell script to automate the rendering process.
http://www.povray.org/

* Algebra: If your son likes math, he may enjoy learning how to program what 
he learns at school.  While it would not be beneficial to use it to solve 
homework problems, it is quite beneficial to reinforce what one has learned.  
Techniques that he learns would get even more helpful as he learns 
increasingly difficult math, as well as physics.  Again, I would suggest a 
language like Python or Ruby for this.  Python has a nice interactive shell 
that makes it really easy to play around with ideas.

* Quiz: Assuming that you live in Japan, your son will enter Jr. High before 
too long, and academic demands will increase significantly.  He could write 
his own quiz programs to help him study for his tests.  One way to implement 
this would be to use (HTML and) JavaScript, which is a very easy way to 
program a "GUI" instead of use the command line.  (It would also make it easy 
for him to share his creation with friends.)

* Game: Many people are interested in learning how to program because they 
want to write games.  There are many books out there that are quite nice 
introductions to the topic, but for a young learner, it is a bit difficult to 
create a game that is not a let-down.  If your son can appreciate text-based 
games, however, TADS is a good option.
http://www.tads.org/

If any of these ideas jump out, and you want more advice, feel free to let me 
know.  (It would also be helpful to know your son's strongest spoken 
language, as I would recommend different books if it is Japanese, of course.)

On Thursday 02 August 2007 01:41:19 Curt Sampson wrote:
> Well, I won't claim much expertise in this area (I didn't start
> programming until I was 13), but _The Little Schemer_ is a fun and
> playful book set up as a series of problem-solving exercises that will
> teach you some rather advanced things about computer programming. And
> it's got cute illustrations as well. Give it a try!

_The Little Schemer_ is pretty fun and is a great introduction to (functional) 
programming!  I do not think it is a book for every eleven-year-old, though, 
so it really depends on what he wants to do...  If he is interested in this, 
I would highly recommend using Dr. Scheme, which has an interactive shell as 
well as various modes for people at different levels of ability:
http://www.drscheme.org/

If your son is really interested in learning programming itself (as opposed to 
how to create the results/output), then here are some suggestions.  Scheme is 
great for learning functional programming.  If he wants to learn 
object-oriented programming, Ruby is quite clean and accessible.  If he wants 
to learn low-level programming, then I would recommend a book called _The 
Definitive Guide To How Computers Do Math_ by Maxfield Brown:
http://www.diycalculator.com/
I think this book is a bit advanced for the average eleven-year-old, but it 
may be good for some...  It would surely teach a lot about how computers 
work.

One more note: Though not strictly about programming, Pickover's books can 
give a lot of inspiration to young learners:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_A._Pickover

Cheers,

Travis