Recommended first "coding book" for neighbor kid

[iMav]

My neighbor wants me to recommend a good first programming book for his son (15 yo, aspergers, home-schooled).  He has access to Win 7 PCs currently.

Smart boy, not all that computer saavy...plays Minecraft all the time.

Suggestions?

[jaymatter]

Not a book, but a good resource for kids to learn programming concepts visually. They can start off small and scale up to making more complex things, even games. Lots of examples and shared projects so you can see what others are doing, even look at how they did it. I use it to teach in my community.

http://scratch.mit.edu/

[jdcarpe]

Caveat: I'm not a coder.

Treading on Python

Absolute Beginner's Guide to C

K&R C

[lcs]

I would recommend going with python, iMav. I teach CS and it's the most friendly language for beginners I've ever used.

I mostly prepare my own lessons, but this book is good.

[iMav]

I would recommend going with python, iMav. I teach CS and it's the most friendly language for beginners I've ever used.

I mostly prepare my own lessons, but this book is good.

I am a python fan.  In fact, my youngest son's middle name is "Python". 

[mooswa]

Unconventional and some might call it weird.  Real eye-opener for the most.  I think it helps one to grok programming, which is far better then just 'code'.  I wish I was given one at that age.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/548914.The_Little_Schemer

[dustinhxc]

http://programming.oreilly.com

[smknjoe]

Visual Basic is easy to grasp for most.

Edit: and he can start building apps with GUI's immediately since you can design the GUI first before laying down the code.

[mooswa]

Visual Basic is easy to grasp for most.

"... teaching of BASIC should be rated as a criminal offence: it mutilates the mind beyond recovery"
I am with Dijkstra on this one.  After being exposed to that in my formative years, it took me awhile to recover ;-)

 

[swill]

Not sure what the best book would be, but the best language would be Python, without a doubt.

[smknjoe]

Visual Basic is easy to grasp for most.

"... teaching of BASIC should be rated as a criminal offence: it mutilates the mind beyond recovery"
I am with Dijkstra on this one.  After being exposed to that in my formative years, it took me awhile to recover ;-)

 

Lulz

We used the language quite a bit in my Process Engineering classes where it was great for building apps to measure mechanical stresses and fluid mechanics. Not used in my Computer Science classes much (if at all.) I had  double major Process Engineering and CS. Plus, I learned Basic when I was a kid. Python is all the rage now...

Get the kid a RaspberryPi. It comes with all of the programming apps and documentation for $35+.

[jaymatter]

Get the kid a RaspberryPi. It comes with all of the programming apps and documentation for $35+.

+1

[mooswa]

Not sure what the best book would be, but the best language would be Python, without a doubt.

It is a fine language, but I wouldn't rule out everything else.  I think I will try a functional programming with my kids first, something like Haskell, may be Pure, Clean or Scala.  Something with equational reasoning or rewrite rules semantics.  I remember when I was a kid having troubles with a = a + 1  Wtf?  At school they told me it is wrong.

Do take a look at Kojo:

http://www.kogics.net/sf:kojo

[mooswa]

Get the kid a RaspberryPi. It comes with all of the programming apps and documentation for $35+.

+1

I know few parents who made this mistake.  With the basic kit you have this mini computer you can load code and execute it on - the results are still on your monitor.  How is that different?  You need motors, sensors etc. to get the kid motivated.

[swill]

Get the kid a RaspberryPi. It comes with all of the programming apps and documentation for $35+.

+1

+1  definitely a great option.

[nuclearsandwich]

I teach kids programming courses with RailsBridge, Coder Dojo, Girls Who Code, and a few other organizations. I'd suggest any of the following as well as having them see if there's a Coder Dojo club near where y'all live

http://inventwithpython.com/

or

http://pragprog.com/book/csjava/3d-game-programming-for-kids

or

http://helloworldbookblog.com/

PM me an address and I'll mail a copy to you to give to them. I know the authors of most of these books personally and always keep a few copies on hand to give out.

An addendum to the above conversation. The language they first learn doesn't hardly matter as long as the material is fun and engaging. All three books that I suggested meet that criteria.

[swill]

Some notes that I think are important when introducing kids to coding:
- Don't use a compiled language.  It complicates things for no reason.
- Choose a language that has an interpreter so they can 'try' stuff that they are not sure about without having to have a working app.
- Choose a language that is easily readable without too many language specific constructs.
- Choose a language that enables an app to be written and run in a single file.

I still think Python is a great choice, but 'nuclearsandwich' has also added many very good resources for this discussion...

[kolonelkadat]

"... teaching of BASIC should be rated as a criminal offence: it mutilates the mind beyond recovery"
I am with Dijkstra on this one.  After being exposed to that in my formative years, it took me awhile to recover ;-)

more like the teaching of python these days...

get the kid a copy of ecma 334 http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-334.htm

[smknjoe]

Get the kid a RaspberryPi. It comes with all of the programming apps and documentation for $35+.

+1

I know few parents who made this mistake.  With the basic kit you have this mini computer you can load code and execute it on - the results are still on your monitor.  How is that different?  You need motors, sensors etc. to get the kid motivated.

I have no idea what you are talking about when you say that motors and sensors are needed for the RaspberryPi. The RaspberrryPi was developed for the sole purpose of teaching kids programming (in Python mainly) with the assumption that:

 - parents don't wan't kids "fooling" with the family PC
 - kids needed their own affordable PC that was cheap enough so just about everyone could afford one and if it was broken it would not be a big deal,
 - that most kids have an HDMI TV - USB keyboard and mouse and a cell phone charger to use with the Pi.

 Additionally, the Raspian OS is a fully functional Linux OS that has all of the Scratch and other programs built in and ready to go specifically for teaching children programming. The RaspberryPi is NOT a "maker" or "hacker" device although it has become popular for such tasks (mainly because there is money to be made from selling "add-ons".)

http://www.raspberrypi.org/about
http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs#introWhatIs

Edit: I also want to add that I think the Pi was and is a great idea. Most people these days have no idea how a computer works or how to create software (yet everybody's kid is an "expert".) Now they have a tool that is cheap and can help them learn to become a real computer expert...or at have some fun learning how they really work.
 

I teach kids programming courses with RailsBridge, Coder Dojo, Girls Who Code, and a few other organizations. I'd suggest any of the following as well as having them see if there's a Coder Dojo club near where y'all live

http://inventwithpython.com/

or

http://pragprog.com/book/csjava/3d-game-programming-for-kids

or

http://helloworldbookblog.com/

PM me an address and I'll mail a copy to you to give to them. I know the authors of most of these books personally and always keep a few copies on hand to give out.

An addendum to the above conversation. The language they first learn doesn't hardly matter as long as the material is fun and engaging. All three books that I suggested meet that criteria.

Sounds like you have some good experience. Thanks.

[mooswa]

Wow, I did not know that Raspberry PI original goal was a computer for kids.  I still think that considering how this one already spends time playing minecraft it is not a good fit.

[swill]

Another nice thing about the RasPi is the fact that everything is stored on an SD card.  It makes it trivial to 'dd' your flash drive to another SD card so you always have a backup of a working config.  Its like snapshotting for hardware, which is awesome on a machine you are 'fooling' with...

Teach a kid nix and he will always have a job. 

[swill]

Wow, I did not know that Raspberry PI original goal was a computer for kids.  I still think that considering how this one already spends time playing minecraft it is not a good fit.

A coworker's kid learned to code using Scratch (which is also packaged with the RasPi) and is now building mods for minecraft. 

[Krogenar]

Smart boy, not all that computer saavy...plays Minecraft all the time.

This will sound a little unconventional, but here's how I ended up getting a bit deeper into programming -- scripting for MUDs. If this kid like Minecraft (low res, multi-user game) try getting him into a MUD (which is similar, but text-only, like Zork, but with multiple people and a lot more room to move) and set him up with a mud client like zMud or MudMaster2006.

MUDs come in a lot of different varieties; sci-fi, fantasy, etc. -- you could check out MudConnector for one he might enjoy. The mud clients allow for programming triggers based upon text that appears, and so basic IF-Then-Else structures can be learned. There are lists, variables -- MM2k6 even allows for the creation of DLLs. It ain't C++ or Python, but it's a start, and it's based upon a game. There are also a lot of people who write scripts, so your friend could examine existing scripts to see how it's done. If he takes to the game, he'll do it obsessively, he'll script and his typing skills will improve dramatically.

Putting the pill inside the cheese works for people, too. 

[smknjoe]

That's a good idea too Krogenar.

The RaspberryPi has a GUI but it's optional. Any interface that is text based will force the user to learn basic commands and it gets them more comfortable with the idea and concept of programming. My first PC was a used Commodore Vic20 that booted up to a command prompt. That was it. Same thing with MS-DOS on my Tandy (when I was about 12.) Just about everyone that used a PC in the 80's knew a little programming. That was the whole idea behind the Pi - to bring that type of computing experience back to users.

It looks like Krogenar's suggestion brings some of that experience to the table.

Edit: Here are some pics. One with the GUI for using Scratch and the other booting into text mode:

[Stevenator21]

Head First Java is the best book to start with. Amazing learning appoach with the pictures and real life examples. Java is perfect because he can learn to make Minecraft server plugins/mods if he wants too.

[jaymatter]

Another great reason for the Raspberry Pi is Google's Coder project.

http://googlecreativelab.github.io/coder/

I like to use the Arduino to teach kids and not-kids to program and about electronics. Most recently using the johnny-five library https://github.com/rwaldron/johnny-five. Physical reward for code effort is really valuable. We've flown quadcopters with and driven a Sphero around with a Leap Motion. You can build a robot with a couple of servos and an Arduino, then program it to drive around, much like the Turtle graphics program I remember getting me into computing way back. Except this time you maybe also built the robot you're driving around with the code you just wrote.

RPi to teach electronics is a bit harder but can be done. The GPIO is not as simple as the Arduino is, though you can make it easier to use with some of the shields that are out there. I've used it for projects that needed only a couple of pins, and it was great, much nicer than the Arduino's event loop.

I'm a huge fan of javascript as a choice language to get kids learning - loose typing, forgiving, and very capable thanks to the efforts of the open source community. You can start with something like Coder, learn javascript for the front end, then move to Node.js for server code. With platforms like Appcelerator you can then use your javascript skills to make a mobile app for Android and iOS as well as the web. I'll be working with some young home school kids next year to see what works best. We'll be starting with Scratch, then maybe Coder. What path we take past Scratch will depend on the kids though. Biggest constraint is going to be tool availability. Not everyone can afford a Pi. But you can go to the library to use Scratch online. And not everyone who can afford a Pi has a spare kb and monitor kicking around the house. But with Coder you program it from the computer you already have, and start learning about web servers while you do it.

TL;DR : Get an Arduino or a Pi and learn Javascript to build cool things that work in the physical world using a language that is widely used.

[mooswa]

I will heartily recommend getting Raspberry PI for:

a) a kid who don't have access to a PC
b) or a kid who knows how to program and wants to transfer into a real world (for that you would need to buy more stuff than the basic kit).

This kid already has a PC.  He can run all these kid-friendly programming environments from his PC just fine - Scratch, Kojo, you name it.  If he needs some motivation to start learning, tell him he will be able to do minecraft modding.

[Krogenar]

I love Arduino and RPi .. Wish they had been around when I was a kid. All we had was Mr. Wizard. I'm still going to say try out a mud and the scripting because:

1. No compiling. The scripts are all text files, couldn't be more simple.
2. Writing the scripts gives the player tangible in game benefits. For example, a spellup script can be easily written to recognize the textbsignifying that the 'buff' has worn off, which triggers an alert to the player, and then recasts the spell, if possible.
3. The kid is playing a game, not coding - some kids are naturally repulsed by anything educational. A straight out book on programming might be too on-the-nose.
4. Muds are free.

I think the electronics would be great.... Once the kid is hooked on the idea of hacking the real world.

[terran5992]

How about the for dummies series?

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/computers-software/programming.html

[bueller]

How about the for dummies series?

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/computers-software/programming.html

Noooooooooo! The dummies series is just god awful compared to other books.

[smknjoe]

TL;DR : Get an Arduino or a Pi and learn Javascript to build cool things that work in the physical world using a language that is widely used.
[/quote

I will heartily recommend getting Raspberry PI for:

b) or a kid who knows how to program and wants to transfer into a real world (for that you would need to buy more stuff than the basic kit).

I completely agree that hardware programming/"making"/"hacking" can be very interesting, engaging, and certainly educational  for children and adults alike, but that is not what the RasPi was designed for nor is it readily suited for it (any more that a regular desktop PC.) It's a SOC just like a cell phone or Cotton Candy http://www.fxitech.com/cotton-candy/what-is-it/ . Adruino's are highly flexible micro-controllers built specifically for controlling hardware.   

End of rant...the bottom line is that there are several ways to go here. Try one and see if he get's into it. If he likes Minecraft then some of the Minecraft suggestions may be the way to start out.

[swill]

I would also get behind Javascript...

Javascript:
- Most common client language on the web.  Opens all sorts of doors in regards to UI design that can have real world influence.
- Now that node.js is available, it is a SOLID server side language as well.
- I expect Javascript to become very popular in the foreseeable future because of all the talk/work people are doing on node.js.  Lots of jobs being created...
- There is all sorts of web based java games/tutorials/etc because it runs in the browser. 
- Follows the same basic syntactical structure as the majority of languages.
- Strongly or loosely typed.
- Has OOP structures.
- Better support for asynchronous callback than most languages.

Solid language to learn if you are starting out...

TL;DR : Get an Arduino or a Pi and learn Javascript to build cool things that work in the physical world using a language that is widely used.

I will heartily recommend getting Raspberry PI for:

b) or a kid who knows how to program and wants to transfer into a real world (for that you would need to buy more stuff than the basic kit).

I completely agree that hardware programming/"making"/"hacking" can be very interesting, engaging, and certainly educational  for children and adults alike, but that is not what the RasPi was designed for nor is it readily suited for it (any more that a regular desktop PC.) It's a SOC just like a cell phone or Cotton Candy http://www.fxitech.com/cotton-candy/what-is-it/ . Adruino's are highly flexible micro-controllers built specifically for controlling hardware.   

End of rant...the bottom line is that there are several ways to go here. Try one and see if he get's into it. If he likes Minecraft then some of the Minecraft suggestions may be the way to start out.

--- and ---

Another great reason for the Raspberry Pi is Google's Coder project.

http://googlecreativelab.github.io/coder/

I like to use the Arduino to teach kids and not-kids to program and about electronics. Most recently using the johnny-five library https://github.com/rwaldron/johnny-five. Physical reward for code effort is really valuable. We've flown quadcopters with and driven a Sphero around with a Leap Motion. You can build a robot with a couple of servos and an Arduino, then program it to drive around, much like the Turtle graphics program I remember getting me into computing way back. Except this time you maybe also built the robot you're driving around with the code you just wrote.

RPi to teach electronics is a bit harder but can be done. The GPIO is not as simple as the Arduino is, though you can make it easier to use with some of the shields that are out there. I've used it for projects that needed only a couple of pins, and it was great, much nicer than the Arduino's event loop.

I'm a huge fan of javascript as a choice language to get kids learning - loose typing, forgiving, and very capable thanks to the efforts of the open source community. You can start with something like Coder, learn javascript for the front end, then move to Node.js for server code. With platforms like Appcelerator you can then use your javascript skills to make a mobile app for Android and iOS as well as the web. I'll be working with some young home school kids next year to see what works best. We'll be starting with Scratch, then maybe Coder. What path we take past Scratch will depend on the kids though. Biggest constraint is going to be tool availability. Not everyone can afford a Pi. But you can go to the library to use Scratch online. And not everyone who can afford a Pi has a spare kb and monitor kicking around the house. But with Coder you program it from the computer you already have, and start learning about web servers while you do it.

TL;DR : Get an Arduino or a Pi and learn Javascript to build cool things that work in the physical world using a language that is widely used.

[mooswa]

I totally get it and I am not bashing on Pi.  It serves its original purpose extremely well.  I was fortunate to get a Sinclair Spectrum when I was a kid, and can imagine how cool it is for a kid in a household with TV but no computer to get a Raspberry Pi.

[jaymatter]

I completely agree that hardware programming/"making"/"hacking" can be very interesting, engaging, and certainly educational  for children and adults alike, but that is not what the RasPi was designed for nor is it readily suited for it (any more that a regular desktop PC.) It's a SOC just like a cell phone or Cotton Candy http://www.fxitech.com/cotton-candy/what-is-it/ . Adruino's are highly flexible micro-controllers built specifically for controlling hardware.   

End of rant...the bottom line is that there are several ways to go here. Try one and see if he get's into it. If he likes Minecraft then some of the Minecraft suggestions may be the way to start out.

The Pi is designed for people to access learning Computer Science, which does include hardware. Yes, the Arduino is very good at letting you interface with the world from the hardware side of things. And yes, the Pi is an SOC. But the inclusion of the GPIO which does let you access serial communication and also includes PWM pins points at its intention to be used as a real world interface. Especially when you consider the Raspberry Pi foundation is interested in keeping the cost of the Pi down so they are more accessible to more people. That whole bank of soldered pins is a cost that would have been left out if the Pi wasn't meant to be used for hardware integration. No, the Pi is not the easiest way to interface with hardware, but it was definitely designed to do it to a point.

Lots of options to be had, for sure. We've spent some time investigating the same options with some home schooled kids here. We are going with Scratch for the young ones first, then see what they like after that. Javascript would be a second choice, for anyone who wants to get into "real" programming. Arduino for anyone who wants to do hardware specific stuff - Pi for simple hardware with web integration. We'll see how it all pans out in the coming years as the kids/families learn and decide what they like.

[smknjoe]

That whole bank of soldered pins is a cost that would have been left out if the Pi wasn't meant to be used for hardware integration.

They were supposed to be left out originally. It was only for the initial testing a dev that they put them there and then some of the dev team requested they keep them.

Edit: I've been following the project since 2011. There were a lot of changes in the year before the launch in early 2012. Mainly due to cost..

[jaymatter]

That whole bank of soldered pins is a cost that would have been left out if the Pi wasn't meant to be used for hardware integration.

They were supposed to be left out originally. It was only for the initial testing a dev that they put them there and then some of the dev team requested they keep them.

If that's true then that was a smart dev!  )

Though if the GPIO was meant solely for the dev team to use, it would never have made it to the manufacturing stage.

You can tell by the layout of the GPIO that a dev or engineer put it in there. 

[yakitysax]

My neighbor wants me to recommend a good first programming book for his son (15 yo, aspergers, home-schooled).  He has access to Win 7 PCs currently.

Smart boy, not all that computer saavy...plays Minecraft all the time.

Suggestions?

I would use one of the many different Arduino or Rasberry Pi books, the idea being that the son can immediately find creative utility in the skill. Another alternative would be one of the game books. After that there are a number of books that I think are great, in general though I would recommend focusing on applicable concepts rather than language specific gotchas caused by the attribute not generalizing well.

[smknjoe]

That whole bank of soldered pins is a cost that would have been left out if the Pi wasn't meant to be used for hardware integration.

They were supposed to be left out originally. It was only for the initial testing a dev that they put them there and then some of the dev team requested they keep them.

Smart dev!  )

Definitely! I like using them for hardware hacking just like everyone else!

[swill]

That whole bank of soldered pins is a cost that would have been left out if the Pi wasn't meant to be used for hardware integration.

They were supposed to be left out originally. It was only for the initial testing a dev that they put them there and then some of the dev team requested they keep them.

If that's true then that was a smart dev!  )

Though if the GPIO was meant solely for the dev team to use, it would never have made it to the manufacturing stage.

You can tell by the layout of the GPIO that a dev or engineer put it in there. 

Haha, good ol' hard drive ribbon cable. 

[smknjoe]

I hate to perpetuate the thread drift, but I can't remember exactly why they put it there. There were several prototypes without GPIO before the manufacturing stage. There is a guy that did much of the hardware called "Gert" who pushed for it I believe...and he now sells Gertboards and other add-ons for the Pi (he helped design the camera for it too.)  He's a member of the foundation as well if I'm not mistaken.

I promise I will try to stop my thread drift...but I love the Pi!

[dante]

Two books I recommend:

[Stevenator21]

You should look at the Head First books, some of the most intuitive best written programming books I have ever seen. Perfect mix of pics/diagrams and explanation.
The Java one is perfect, he can code for Minecraft when he is done.

[bueller]

You should look at the Head First books, some of the most intuitive best written programming books I have ever seen. Perfect mix of pics/diagrams and explanation.
The Java one is perfect, he can code for Minecraft when he is done.

Agreed, I learned Java with that book and it made it very easy.