K-12 Fab Labs and Makerspaces This group does not have a welcome message. Welcome! Digital fabrication labs, maker spaces, innovation labs are popping up in K-12 schools all over the country (and the world!). Consider this a forum for all things about making and digital fabrication in K-12 education - equipment reviews, conference/workshop announcements, rumors about new gadgets, troubleshooting problems, advice about vendors, cool resources for projects, etc. Please take a moment to introduce yourself by replying to the "Introductions" thread. (We've also been compiling resources mentioned here on a shared Google Site - check it out and contribute!) Note: We are keeping this group vendor-free.
A Great New Tool to Teach Kids Coding September 23, 2014 Code Studio is a newly released platform geared towards helping students from kindergarten to high school learn the different coding concepts. Code Studio which is a product of the popular nonprofit group Code.org known for its relentless efforts to make coding part of the curricula. Code Studio, as is explained in this excellent review, provides a variety of features that set it apart from other coding platforms. Most important of them all is its integration of HTML5 which makes it accessible through different browsers. Watch this video to learn more
labs :: 10 Python pitfalls (or however many I'll find ;-) These are not necessarily warts or flaws; rather, they are (side effects of) language features that often trip up newbies, and sometimes experienced programmers. Incomplete understanding of some core Python behavior may cause people to get bitten by these. This document is meant as some sort of guideline to those who are new to Python. 1. OK, this is a cheesy one to start with. Solution: Indent consistently. 2. People coming from statically typed languages like Pascal and C often assume that Python variables and assignment work the same as in their language of choice. a = b = 3 a = 4 print a, b # 4, 3 However, then they run into trouble when using mutable objects. a = [1, 2, 3] b = a a.append(4) print b # b is now [1, 2, 3, 4] as well The idea that mutable and immutable objects are treated differently when doing assignment, is incorrect. Solution: Read this. 3. x += 42; is syntactic sugar for x = x + 42; So, you might think that it's the same in Python. 4. and
Spatial Courses Online - Anytime, Anywhere | Discover Spatial When does the course start and finish? The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish. How long do I have access to the course? How does lifetime access sound? There's only 5 Modules! Response to the course has been incredible, which we really appreciate. To keep updated when we release new modules, head over to blog.mangomap.com and sign up for our mailing list.
Makerspace Resources | Renovated Learning All the Makerspace resources you could hope for (and more) I first started learning about the Maker Movement in education and makerspaces in late 2013. Since then, I’ve been using this page to compile and curate some of the best articles, videos, blogs, books and other resources that have helped me along the way. What is the Maker Movement? The Maker Movement has been around for a lot longer than many of us realize. Thinkers and Tinkers: The Maker Movement – Fantastic website that goes over the basics of what the Maker Movement is, how it started, and how it can fit in with your school.How the Maker Movement is Transforming Education – Great article from Gary Stager and Sylvia Martinez about the basics of the Maker Movement and practical ways to bring it into your school. (Page contains affiliate links.
Code & Conquer Most Important: Have Fun. And earn some badges. See how your strategy works out in different scenarios, challenge other players, receive points, earn badges and climb your way to the top of the leaderboard. Boost your coding skills. Do it playing. This game provides the perfect setting to introduce the key concepts employers ask you to know. labs :: Python beginner's mistakes Every Python programmer had to learn the language at one time, and started out as a beginner. Beginners make mistakes. This article highlights a few common mistakes, including some I made myself. Beginner's mistakes are not Python's fault, nor the beginner's. To put it another way, the mistakes in this article are often cases of "the wrong tool for the job", rather than coding errors or sneaky language traps. Mistake 1: trying to do low-level operations Python is sometimes described as a VHLL, a Very High-Level Language. This doesn't mean that it isn't possible to do these things with Python; but it's probably just not the right language for these jobs. Mistake 2: writing "language X" code in Python This is a mistake that is almost unavoidable. Some notorious symptoms of "language X" code, and the languages that may cause them: The point here is not to slam the language that you're used to (although that is always fun ;-). This one requires some clarification. Some advice
Free GIS Programming Tutorials: Learn How to Code - GIS Geography What do successful self-taught GIS programmers eat for breakfast? A healthy dose of Python, JavaScript, SQL, VB.NET, C++, HTML, CSS… In that order are the most popular GIS programming languages. It’s not necessary to have GIS programming skills to land a job in the industry. But it’s a feather in your cap if you do. And it will certainly help. If you’re just starting out, we flaunt some of the best, free GIS programming resources available to pave your way to coding competency: GIS Programming in Applications – Python, C++, .NET, C# Python has been a standard language in GIS because Esri and open source tend to gravitate toward it. In addition to Python, C++, C# and .NET languages exist in GIS: C++ lets you work in multiple environments. We suggest to learn Python first because its usually the first language a company looks for. Here are 3 bare-boned courses to start your journey into Python programming: Programming Foundation with Python (Udacity) – Actively learn to code in Python for free.
Creative Computing 7 units44 activitiesremixing encouraged download the Scratch 3.0 version of the guide> help learnerscreate new worldswith computing download the Scratch 3.0 version of the guide an introductorycomputing curriculumusing Scratch Scratch 3.0 is here! In celebration of Scratch 3.0, we are hard at work developing a new version of our Creative Computing Curriculum Guide to be released in early 2019! Download Shaun the Sheep's Game Academy Hands-On Python A Tutorial Introduction for Beginners Hands-On Python A Tutorial Introduction for Beginners Contents Chapter 1 Beginning With Python 1.1. You have probably used computers to do all sorts of useful and interesting things. 1.1.1. First let us place Python programming in the context of the computer hardware. z = x+y is an instruction in many high-level languages that means something like: Access the value stored at a location labeled x Calculate the sum of this value and the value stored at a location labeled y Store the result in a location labeled z. No computer understands the high-level instruction directly; it is not in machine language. Obviously high-level languages were a great advance in clarity! If you follow a broad introduction to computing, you will learn more about the layers that connect low-level digital computer circuits to high-level languages. 1.1.2. There are many high-level languages. 1.1.3. If you are not sure whether your computer already has Python, continue to Section 1.2.2 , and give it a try. Windows Linux 1.2.
Courseware | EMS Open Educational Resources The "courseware modules" linked below represent substantial portions of the resources provided to students who register in participating Penn State classes. These resources are available for reuse by teachers and learners worldwide who do not intend to apply for admission, register for classes, or pursue a certificate or degree at Penn State. The resources are freely available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license. Please see the License section for more information. Please let us know what you think! Our faculty are anxious to learn more about your interest in their open courseware! Want to Register for Academic Credit? To gain access to Penn State faculty and earn academic credit, you need to register for classes. Listing of Open Courseware by Academic Unit Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering Department of Geography Department of Geosciences EARTH 103: Earth in the Future Authors: Dr. Department of Materials Science and Engineering Department of Meteorology
Folding Book Art - Wedding Table Numbers I used hard back books as I thought it would give much more structure to it after it was all folded, meaning that it would stand up easier. Originally I was going to do them all in books that mean something to us, but I decided against this in the end for two reasons 1. Cost - looking on eBay/amazon, hard back versions of the books I was after would soon of racked up. 2. It seemed a waste to ruin good books. So I went to my local charity book store and asked them if they had any books they were throwing out. I was lucky in the fact that I just happened to turn up the day before their recycling collection. Since folding these books I have realised that you need to look for a few things in the books you choose though. 1. Online Python Tutor - Learn programming by visualizing code execution