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I have a reasonably average intelligent 10 year old that is quite adept at playing PC games and surfing the net, like most others with easy access to a PC I guess.
They have expressed an interest in writing a programme (no specific idea in mind as to what for though) and like most parents I want to grasp the moment and provide them with the opportunities while they are interested.
How would you proceed at this point.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Just my thoughts :0)
-- Zak
according to all the old people in my family ...
I started him with HTML/CSS (in text editor) last summer with the goal of having his own website. He now maintains it (can now use ftp fairly well) almost totally himself and is pointing out all the things his school site does poorly!
Just started him with VB over Easter Break. Seems a natural step.
We will be working on JS this summer and possibly some basic PHP. His website ideas are a great driving force. I show him an effect and he wants to learn how to do it.
Design is something I will leave unmentioned. Perhaps taste will come.
- You don't require a lot of learning to get something done. Your 10 year old is going to have his/her first "hello world" alert in about ten minutes. And that's only if they take time to read the documentation. :-)
- Javascript is web based, so as your son/daughter browses the web, they are going to wonder and learn how some of the dynamic effects are done, thus making the web more of an interactive educational playground.
- Javascript is "scalable" as to what you want to do: You can learn a little and DO a little, or learn a lot and DO a lot.
- You can create dynamic page effects and (the big kid-magnet) basic games with Javascript.
- Resources, samples, and tutorials EVERYWHERE.
- Javascript is a good basic language that is structured very similar to other languages, such as Java, and C, with a remote relationship to perl. By getting an understanding of J.S., it will make for a VERY easy move to other languages.
- I raised a daughter around programming but never prompted her to pick it up. Out of all the things she could have picked up from me, she seemed most attracted to and did the most with Javascript. So there's my market research. :-D
I tend to agree with others here, but it doesn't matter whether it's today or 50 years ago, even the most intelligent kids have a shorter attention span. They already do the bookwork in school. If you want to motivate them into programming, point them to a few short Javascript tutorials. VB, VB script, and programming books (IMO) are dry and boring. Set a kiddo at a comp with an interest in Javascript and they'll crank out 6 or 8 expiramental projects in a couple of hours.
If you have Access it's possible to do some useful stuff fairly easily using the VBscript. I wrote an application for a Xmas draw we have at work where we have over 100 prizes and 300 odd people with multiple tickets. It shows pretty pictures and looks just like a poper machine. I even animated a handle (rendered it in Povray).
While I'm thinking about Povray that't not a proramming language either although is has programming like elements to describe objects, but it's good for thinking in cartesian geometry, and it can produce stunning results. Learning the elements would be well within the grasp of a bright 10 year old and would built the logical skills and creative skills.
I'd second Visual Basic, but it costs. Stripped down versions of Delphi are often available on magazine covers. There are also tons of free compilers as well as interpreters for the like of PHP and Python. I've not got into Python, but there's a book I've heard recommended that availe for free download called "Dive into Python". P.S. I think Borland have made copies of some of their older compilers freely downloadable.
I learnt first with a form of basic.
There are programs in which you don't need any real programming to develop programs. Maybe one of those would be better?
You could also go for Delphi or Visual Basic since they are more visual than Pascal and C++..
