CON 3431 - Introducing Java Programming to Kids

Introduce Java Programming
to Kids
James Weaver, @javafxpert
Arun Gupta, @arungupta

Introducing Kaleb & Jillian

Introducing Aditya & Mihir

Introduce Programming to Kids
§  What is a good age ?
–  Analytical skills
–  Logic
–  Structure
–  Maths
§  Analogies from their daily life
§  Find what will motivate them
§  Keep it Fun

Scratch
§  FOSS created by MIT Media Lab
§  2-D visual programming language
§  Drag-and-drop blocks
§  Make interactive stories, animations, games, music, art
–  No need to learn syntax
–  Share them on web within tool
§  Teach mathematical and computational concepts
§  Make kids think creative, reason systematically, work collaboratively
mit.scratch.edu

Blocks for
programming
sprites
Start or
Stop Sprite
Scripts Area
Drag blocks in,
snap them
to create scripts
Stage
Sprite List

What do you want to make, Jillian?
“Game that puts clothes into a suitcase”

Mighty Battle of Thumpback, Hothead, & Eruptor
scratch.mit.edu/projects/The_Frog/3191476

Alice
§  FOSS created by University of Virginia and Carnegie Mellon
§  3-D environment to teach OO and event-driven
§  Three core issues
–  Teach programming theory
–  Comes with IDE, no syntax to remember
–  Less focus on computation, appeal to specific sub-populations, such as
female students of middle school

Alice
§  Specially targeted at girls in middle school
§  Installers: Windows, Linux, Mac, Generic Zip installer
–  Uses NetBeans platform for installer
–  NetBeans plugin
§  help.alice.org
§  www.aliceprogramming.net
§  Supported by Oracle

Greenfoot
§  FOSS created as university research project at University of Kent,
Canterbury, UK
§  Create visual and interactive world and teaches OO concepts in Java
§  ‘Actors’ live in ‘world’ to build games, simulations, etc.
§  Programmed in standard textual Java code
§  IDE provides auto completion, syntax highlighting, etc

Greenfoot
§  Joy of code: thorough introduction using short video tutorials
–  blogs.kent.ac.uk/mik/category/joy-of-code/
§  Text-based tutorials, javadocs
§  Greenroom: Exclusive to instructors
§  Greenfoot Hub: Workshops for teachers, F2F training, support, etc.
–  Encouraged to open local chapter

BlueJ
§  FOSS created as university research project at University of Kent,
Canterbury, UK
§  Teaches object-orientation
§  Supports
–  Fully integrated environment
–  Graphical class structure display
–  Graphical and textual editing
–  Built-in editor, compiler, VM, debugger, etc.
–  Interactive object creation, object calls, testing

BlueJ
§  Specially targeted at girls in middle school
§  Implemented in Java
§  Installers: Windows, Linux, Mac, Generic JAR installer
–  Available as NetBeans plugin as well

LEGO Mindstorms
§  Software + Hardware to create small, customizable, programmable
robots
–  1 NXT brick
–  4 modular sensors (ultrasonic, sound, touch, light)
–  3 servo motors
–  7 connection cables
–  USB interface
–  NXT-G GUI to create/download programs to brick
§  NXT-OS -> Lejos

NXT-G Snapshot

Introduction to Minecraft
§  Breaking and Placing Blocks in 3D environment
–  ~Infinite bucket of LEGO
§  Game
–  Modes: Creative, Survival, Adventure, Hardcore
–  Redstone: Logic gates
§  Download and Purchase
§  Minecon

Minecraft Mods
§  Changes the game from what it originally was
§  Client-side and server-side mods
§  Several ways to mod
–  Minecraft Forge and Bukkit are popular ones

What do you want to make, Kaleb?
“Minecraft mods”
§  Kaleb already loved playing Minecraft
§  Downloaded Minecraft Forge files and an IDE
§  Watched a Minecraft mod in Aditya’s videos
§  Implemented the mod example with a twist
§  Watch and implemented several more of
Aditya’s mod examples

Minecraft Workshop
§  Elementary/Middle/High school Kids
§  None/basic programming experience
§  Built several Minecraft mods
–  Show and Tell
http://java4kids.java.net/minecraft-worshop

Resources
§  New to Java: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/newtojava/
overview/index.html
§  http://java4kids.java.net

CON 3431 - Introducing Java Programming to Kids

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