Teaching Programming using Web2.0

Term 2 approaches, and I have to teach programming to year 10 (15/16 year olds). Flat classroom methods previously used a 5 week burst of Logo with an assessment item and then the survivors of that worked through a Visual Basic tutorial and built a simple game. I hate VB, I can do VB6, but really can’t get excited about VB.Net. Somewhere along the way .net introduced and stuffed about with the syntax. I find that the ‘auto pilot’ in .net is more confusing to new learners than a help. In 2005/6 it was a nightmare term. Some kids got lost in Logo and so the whole VB thing threw them out even further.

In my class, I’ve now split the group into 6 distinct working groups. This has worked well in their current topic, although the lower end groups (low or sporadic effort, not intellect) dislike it as they have no ’smark’ kid to leech off. For these kids I’ve been giving them some scaffolded worksheets to use (old school). They dislike that and know the key to get back into using the web apps is down to them participating as required.

It is a mistake to assume all kids are ‘digital learners’. Social ’schooliness’ conditioning in early years of high school is embedded in some kids learning patterns. They can use technology, but are so used to being spoon fed information and linear tasks that it is too much of a culture shock to pull the rug out from under them. For these kids, Web2.0 learning methods work as a reward or ‘carrot’. They still need familiar worksheets and linear tasks.

Paul Curtis from the Napa Foundation told me last year that in order to promote critical thinking and problem solving using Project Based Learning, it works best if it is a whole school approach. This is now evident in our year 9 cohort. But my year 10 class is experiencing Classroom 2.0 in isolation to the rest of their studies – so it is unrealistic to expect them to relinquish the learning styles that they exerience in 90% of their day. I say this as a lesson learned to anyone getting into Classroom 2.0 as an individual, not as part of a whole school initiative. Don’t expect all the kids, no matter how much they love ‘gadgets’ to jump right into line.

So to programming …

I’ve opted to use Alice (www.alice.org) as a programming environment for part of their project. This replaces the terminally slow and labour intensive MS Logo. Last year we did a few weeks using Scratch, but was not an immediate success, so have looked for an alternative. I will use a series of Lecture notes which I host up at Slideshare.net.

In the first instance I am going to use Ruby – a nice simple, but powerful language. It works natively in Terminal on Max OSX, or as a free PC download. BUT I am going to lecture and use the online version of Ruby. It has a nice flash based terminal window, and a short 15 minute tutorial. It is a much easier entry to programming.

In IST, we are teaching general programming concepts, terminology and application … to me MSLogo is too boring, unless you are using a turtle (Beebot), and VB is way to annoying for newbies. It has a nightmare interface, nasty dialog and a habit of confusing kids as to where their program actually went. The desktop experience does not give any instant gratification.

In addition to this entry, I am then going to use Chris Pine’s excellent tutorial. I love the literacy that he uses, it is welcoming and not at all ‘elite nerd’. It will allow the advanced (future SDD students in the HSC) to get to grips with key concepts such as Arrays, but allow even the low end students to create simple programs to calculate maths problems. For much of the time, students can use the online version in class, and there are links in Chris’ tutorial to download the application on XP/OSX from home. Who wants to download VB.NET Express at home if you’re 15!

I am going to then set a series of problems which they can solve using Ruby. I have a rubric which will show the students the level of attainment that they are working at. In order to keep with the online collaboration, I will require them to produce any theory work using their blogs (we had a term off Blogging in favour of group Wikis’) and will be giving Twiddla a spin during class lectures.

Twiddla is not perfect, but is quick. It allows mutli-user collaboration. I am using specifically to post up text notes which I will ask students to complete as I run through the lecture. Students can complete them as we move through the presentations. I aim to target the slackers to ask them to write up the notes, and to allow the more advanced to propose code snippets, which the others can use to test. If/when Twiddla improve the shared web browsing aspect, I think it will have a lot more to offer.

Right now, its a good cut down application, I like it’s speed. It’s a bit ‘Fisher Price’ when it comes to screen design, but then again, it does not come with the costs associated with Adobe Connect (great app, silly pricing model).

They will also need to produce some video tutorials on their use of Alice and Ruby.

The main aim of all my Classroom 2.0 work is to make it involving and inclusive. To accommodate the various preferences my kids have in the way they like to use technology to learn. Even though its Classroom 2.0 – variety remains the spice of life.

If anyone has classes using Alice or Ruby I would love to hear from you, and perhaps find some mentor/collaboration partners starting in about 4 weeks, running for a further 10 weeks. In the mean time, I’m creating the resources (which I’ll share) for this unit of work.