Post AnW0L72F2PC3RVAD3I by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) More posts by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) Post #AnVriL4e6oOy3XHxaq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-10-29T22:53:35Z
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You might think programing is hard. But writing code for beginning programers to work with, that's free of the need to explain confusing side tangents is harder.For example my 5th graders like to count in binary. I wanted them to do some conversions between binary and base ten numbers in python. Easy right?Well, sort of.Some options tack 0b in front of everything. For inputs I have to use something likemynum=int(input("Type a number: "))Because if it's not cast right bad things happen.
(DIR) Post #AnVrv46iV9rtCRKFrU by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-10-29T22:55:53Z
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I spend SO MUCH time looking for not just a way to get the code to work, but also to make it human readable, and easy to edit without making it frustrating. I do not want to explain what [:2] does right now. Sometimes I give up and hide some stuff in a little side file called functions.py but I hate to do that because when they try to do it on their own it might not work. That said? These kids have used "scratch" for years and to my surprise that HAS taught them something about code.
(DIR) Post #AnVs2x9SFNc5wXMqWG by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-10-29T22:57:18Z
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What they really love is to ask me to code little things for them in class because they are still impressed by fast typing. I told them to do their "Mavis Beacon" it's not that impressive. Some of them are taking it up.
(DIR) Post #AnVsRumyAVQDr4kkO8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-10-29T23:01:49Z
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@SarraceniaWilds I don't even know if she was alive when I was doing that stuff. They don't have actual "Mavis Beacon" it's a much more fun seeming typing game. But they all call it "Mavis Beacon" because that's what the homeroom teachers call it and they are... not good with new things LAMO
(DIR) Post #AnVsWGFIKmulYp4fNw by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-10-29T23:02:36Z
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@gemini6ice I think they are less forgiving than python in some ways. And they kind of trap you in linear thinking in a unhelpful way that I remember being hard to unlearn.
(DIR) Post #AnVtSazPMqMggySYHw by hoco@tribe.net
2024-10-29T23:13:07Z
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@futurebird Teach 'em to test all inputs for sanity while they're young, that's what I always say. Actually, I've never said that before, but I would have if it had come up, I'm sure.
(DIR) Post #AnVu15jlYRoDtsalNI by Rivikah@mstdn.social
2024-10-29T23:19:22Z
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@futurebird Scratch is great. Lots of good concepts for beginners there.
(DIR) Post #AnW07FbGOgD7x4w2F6 by JimJoe@mastodon.social
2024-10-30T00:27:43Z
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@futurebird Need a new coding language 🫢
(DIR) Post #AnW0EZk9u15KS8aY8e by JimJoe@mastodon.social
2024-10-30T00:29:00Z
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@futurebird Getting into the learning how to learn and self driving in most any subject is a challenge. Than you for all the great work you are doing.
(DIR) Post #AnW0L72F2PC3RVAD3I by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-10-30T00:30:13Z
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@fivetonsflax @SarraceniaWilds this is shattering my world.
(DIR) Post #AnW0MTuNTuPOfj8d60 by JimJoe@mastodon.social
2024-10-30T00:30:28Z
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@futurebird My son pecks at incredible speeds without looking. Keeps up with my proper hand placement when typing. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it myself.
(DIR) Post #AnW0PQ7o0LI5o4ovIG by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-10-30T00:31:00Z
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@JimJoe what that means is he could be even faster... I mean if anyone cares.
(DIR) Post #AnW1DqZXwotaJLqDWy by volbard@mastodon.social
2024-10-30T00:40:05Z
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@futurebird I grew up in cow country and my 90s HS programming teacher did not know how to use a computer. Her solution was to have us read a book about Basic, we only had a couple of copies, and then explain to her how programming worked. We were so excited when we figured out loops, explaining it back and forth between kids, yelling about for and while and how maybe it could work with arrays!The teacher didn’t get it but explaining it several times probably did help us.
(DIR) Post #AnW3nHbRdkuMBlkoN6 by JimJoe@mastodon.social
2024-10-30T01:08:56Z
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@futurebird Of course dad cares, but I am in ‘pick my battles’ mode and biology needs some lovin.