macOS Programming Like a Pro for Teens

[jiminaus]

New book came onto my radar, if anyone's interested.

Hardnett, Charles R. 2011, Programming like a pro for teens, Course Technology PTR.

Quote from Amazon:

Are you ready to learn how to program a computer? You'll do just that in this book. PROGRAMMING LIKE A PRO FOR TEENS is written in a friendly, unassuming voice that makes it possible for you to master the ideas and concepts that professionals use for programming every day. You learn algorithmic thinking and problem-solving in addition to the C++ language. This book takes a different approach than others that teach programming. It focuses on problem-solving techniques and thought processes and introduces features at your level of complexity. Introductory problem-solving techniques pave the way toward increasingly more advanced techniques. This approach allows you to engage in meaningful programming experiences early in the book, which motivates you to continue. Solutions to end-of-chapter exercises, source code, and other learning materials are included on the companion website.

It includes an appendix on how to use to get started with XCode 3.


I thought it was interesting having a book targeted specially to teenagers. I grew up as a kid reading programming books targeted at kids. And I think the early exposure was significantly beneficial.

 

[Jethrotoe]

New book came onto my radar, if anyone's interested.

Hardnett, Charles R. 2011, Programming like a pro for teens, Course Technology PTR.

Quote from Amazon:


It includes an appendix on how to use to get started with XCode 3.


I thought it was interesting having a book targeted specially to teenagers. I grew up as a kid reading programming books targeted at kids. And I think the early exposure was significantly beneficial.

Thanks for this. We in ham radio have also put together books targeting youth. Very beneficial to them in getting them started and differs compared to our 'just technical stuff' books.

Computers today plays a major role in ham radio and has often been the source that pointed them to radio being a lot of fun.

Radio today is not just talking to someone else. We have radios that are completely controlled by computers. We have satellite tracking programs that tell us where our birds are so we can use them (no geo-stable birds, so you have to catch their passes). Yes, we actually have our own birds flying.

So a teenager interested in computers, and writing code, can often find themselves looking to ham radio as an additional source of education and fun. A teenager coming into the hobby with computer knowledge is farther ahead that some that have been in the hobby for years and years.

This book follows the same path as some of ours. All in all a good book I would agree.

Thanks. I will suggest it.

 

[hardnett]

Hi Guys,

Thank you for posting this, and I hope you enjoy the book. This is my 2nd book, but the first one on a language like C++. I am an avid mac user and programmer, and so the code in the book was primarily tested on my Mac and Xcode. The structure of the book is different from typical programming books, but I think it will be more enjoyable for teens to learn from.

I grew up without as many programming books available, and languages like C were hard to access because compilers were not as readily available. I hope that the book inspires others to learn to program.

I appreciate you spreading the word about the book and its benefits, and I would love to receive any feedback that you may have so that it can be improved. BTW, I am going to develop a video and a simple debugging guide to be on the website.


Charles Hardnett

New book came onto my radar, if anyone's interested.

Hardnett, Charles R. 2011, Programming like a pro for teens, Course Technology PTR.

Quote from Amazon:


It includes an appendix on how to use to get started with XCode 3.


I thought it was interesting having a book targeted specially to teenagers. I grew up as a kid reading programming books targeted at kids. And I think the early exposure was significantly beneficial.