Computer Science Club - U of St Thomas的动态

Neil Hoyne These are great resources! I've used the MIT App Inventor out of these. However I've also played some cool games about coding. Here are some of these: - Rabbids Coding - While True: learn() - Human Resource Machine It will be exciting to see something like this coming from Google!

That Blockly thing looks like a bad Scratch knock-off, totally defeating the purpose by using standard operator names instead of focusing on function and/or reasoning behind their usage. And in the times when all it takes to create a "hello world" in any language is ask a GPT bot, fiddling with drag and drop is hopelessly outdated.

For many years, the first language I've recommended to almost anyone is Python. That seems especially relevant now, since Python is currently the lingua franca of AI. For better or worse - I have some strongly held, possibly "hot take" opinions on this.

Block-based coding is often recommended for beginners, especially kids, because it simplifies coding by removing the need to focus on syntax and allows learners to concentrate on understanding core programming concepts, logic, and problem-solving. While your perspective highlights valid concerns, there are a few things to consider: For kids, start with block-based coding to build foundational skills, creativity, and confidence. For adults, begin with beginner-friendly text-based resources like W3Schools, freeCodeCamp, or Codecademy, which focus on practical, real-world coding skills.Websites like W3Schools offer clear tutorials and exercises, which are excellent for adults who prefer a structured learning path.

Coming from a software engineer that has been doing it for more than 2 decades and have been teaching and mentoring, Blockly is not a great way to learn programming. It is counter intuitive by learning it by the “blocks”, the concept itself is more important than the language structure. It may be great for a starting point, but to be honest I’d let my kids go into drawing board then straight to codes and show ‘em what great things it can do, like how it changed my whole perspective. You got to show them the goal, only then it generates the motivations.

Python seems to be more intuitive.

Looks like Scratch but with more features. Best for kids new to coding

I honestly wouldn’t recommend this. Blocky looks like a completely unnecessary foreign syntax that will only make the user feel like they’ve waisted their time once they see how things are actually done. Instead, just use AI and ask it to walk you through the fundamentals of whatever you want to know. It can explain anything you have a question about, expand on anything you don’t understand, and even generate you coded examples until you master them. Neil Hoyne You know what would be great, if Google put together complete courses taught by AI. Each course works through a predefined set of backend prompts and a simple local text file maintains the students progressional state in the course. If you want people to pay for AI at scale, you need to get creative and do amazing things like this.

It depends on learners, and the goals they want to achieve. Personally I like to start teaching with an Arduino. Because it's simple and when any learner controls the outside world (bulbs or motors, etc.) using his/her simple code + little hardware circuit, it immediately grabs him/her emotionally. And that, I think is very important for continuing learning further. On the contrary, I've seen many many people who quit learning programming when they don't see anything tangible developed by them even after many days of learning.