After reading the comments here, I am glad none of them are writing this book. If they had their way the kids would have gotten CLRS.
Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
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Re: Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
#72What an incredibly important book for little boys, to normalize learning from women early on so they don't grow up to form stereotypes like "programming is for men". Bravo!
this comment is asinine. please leave HN.
Re: Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
#73Re: Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
#74Hatin': most of the video she's fidgeting around and flirting with the camera, anyone else find that odd?
Any thoughts on the project itself?
Sure, it sounds just fine.... I couldn't sit through the video though
I don't quite understand why kids need to be taught to want to build things. Most kids already want to build things. They just need an easy interface to accomplish a task and incrementally improve their creation.
Before legos, did we need a kid book about masonry? Of course not, we just needed an easy and approachable type of block.
I'm not meaning to sound so negative. It's a good project with a worthy cause. But, it's value is in the fact that parents want to impart their interests on to their kids and will spend money on artsy little books. So, I'm just questioning whether this is the right product to accomplish the stated cause.
Re: Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
#75I'm really pleased about this. I've been dismayed by the computer education my kids receive at school - Powerpoint basically. I've provided them with more, but it's so welcome to have the materials from an educator.
Backed.
Re: Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
#76I think it could be a great way of repackaging programming education in order to reach out to a different demographic, and we'll have to try out to see, so I wish this project all the best. Having said that: > The book will be hardcover, 8x8 inches and 32 pages. The activity book is 16 pages and paperback. I don't see how you could cover even just the basics mentioned on the Kickstarter page in so few pages without g…
Direct excerpts that give a better idea of it:
"Hello Ruby will be a classic journey of discovery that teaches the readers about different people working together, how problems can be solved in small sequences and how remixing and sharing helps everyone."
"The activity book teaches kids early programming skills. It’s designed to be enjoyed by a kid alone, but can also be worked through with an adult. And best of all - the workbook is designed to be doodled, wrecked and drawn all over.
- The foundational knowledge structures, like sequences, variables, patterns, loops, lists, conditionals, operators and events. Taught through exercises of dot-to-dot, pairs, odd-one-out, all from Ruby's world.
- A sprinkle of software culture, by teaching them to abstract and modularise, work iteratively and incrementally as well as encouraging them to reuse and remix work.
- Creativity and DIY attitude. Tons of doodles, logic puzzles and even a foldable miniature laptop that allows the kid to peek inside a computer."
Even if it just inculcates problem solving techniques like breaking a problem down into its component parts and then grokking the real underlying problem rather than the symptoms, (the lack of the latter is quite prevalent these days), it will be a net gain.
Re: Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
#77I think it could be a great way of repackaging programming education in order to reach out to a different demographic, and we'll have to try out to see, so I wish this project all the best. Having said that: > The book will be hardcover, 8x8 inches and 32 pages. The activity book is 16 pages and paperback. I don't see how you could cover even just the basics mentioned on the Kickstarter page in so few pages without g…
I like and support the intent, but I feel the execution will be a let down in terms of usability. How is it possible to teach even the basics of programming in 32 pages? How would you explain a simple FOR loop to a child through a story?
>How would you explain a simple FOR loop to a child through a story?
You wouldn't.
The same way you don't explain how to take a corner kick to a child playing soccer. All you need to do is explain that they need to kick the ball into the net, and let them go.
The same way you don't teach multiplication to a child before you teach the concepts of grouping and sorting.
Everything else comes later. This is a good introduction, not something that will qualify them to work in the industry.
Re: Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
#78I expected more harsh comments based on all the meta comments.... I was disappointed.
Re: Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
I like and support the intent, but I feel the execution will be a let down in terms of usability. How is it possible to teach even the basics of programming in 32 pages? How would you explain a simple FOR loop to a child through a story?
..... Forgetful George was crying in the corner. "What's wrong?" quizzed Ivy Iterator. "It's too complicated" moaned George, he continued: "Mr Main has asked me to deliver all of these invites to the birthday party but I keep forgetting which people I've given invitations to. I gave Sam three invites and Polly hasn't got one yet, it's no use! I can't remember which invite is which!" "Don't worry" said Ivy, "lets work…
Now you've trapped yourself. You HAVE to write it.
Re: Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter
#80Most people who know how to program attempt to teach their kids how to program. That being said, we need many more resources of all kinds directed towards teaching children. I hope this leads to 100 more programming books/videos directed at children.
I think these are awesome too http://kidscodecamp.com/