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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 58
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 58 |
My DS8 is intensely interested in computers. He wants to learn to program; he wants to learn how they're built; he essentially wants to know everything he can. Since he's rather a voracious reader, he would love some books on the subject. Does anyone have any good primers on the subject that you can recommend? Ideally I'd like to get him a few books--one that's an overview of computers maybe, one about programing, and anything else that sounds like he'd like it.
If you have any recommendations, we'd love to hear them!
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,777
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,777 |
Google tufts university SAM (stop motion animation software for use w/webcam- great gallery by kids).
Looks like it's free, haven't tried to use it yet. �
About building computers I'd probably buy him a snap-circuit set of some sort to play with and try to get fine motor skills. �Later on just google build a computer you'll find stuff like this, for $800. �http://mobile.pcmag.com/device2/article.php?CALL_URL=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2360849,00.asp. But I think it's a lot of tiny screws and plugs, possibly sautering. �So, start with the snapcircuits or the Lego mindstorm or something.
Does anybody use that logo turtle thing? �Is it any good? �What does it do?
Youth lives by personality, age lives by calculation. -- Aristotle on a calendar
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,640 Likes: 2
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,640 Likes: 2 |
Does anybody use that logo turtle thing? �Is it any good? �What does it do? More recent and probably currently more popular than logo is Scratch http://scratch.mit.edu/ , which is free for Mac OS X, Windows, and Ubuntu Linux. Users connect blocks rather than type to create programs. My 7yo boy is an avid Scratch programmer. Once I installed Scratch he figured it out -- I have never programmed in it.
"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." - George Orwell
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,777
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,777 |
I just got a ol vista laptop, actually the boy does- he took it over and I got my iPhone. You can install ubuntu on any computer right, like firefox? I'm going to buy that terabyte external hard drive probably on my next trip to Sam's Club. Thanks for letting me borrow your thread Nan, txia Bostonian. Oh, wait! U said windows. Now I know who to ask if I get confused.
Youth lives by personality, age lives by calculation. -- Aristotle on a calendar
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,777
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,777 |
Youth lives by personality, age lives by calculation. -- Aristotle on a calendar
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,640 Likes: 2
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,640 Likes: 2 |
According to http://info.scratch.mit.edu/Scratch_1.4_Download Scratch is "compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and 7".
"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." - George Orwell
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 370
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 370 |
DD likes scratch and has recently been playing around with Kodu to do more game programming. http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/kodu/Kodu has some nice online tutorials and after installing it, dd 8 has been able to work pretty much independently through them.
Warning: sleep deprived
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 95
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 95 |
My kids (ds11 and dd 9) love Larry Gonick's cartoon guides (Physics, Genetics, world history, American history etc.); there's one on computers, too - http://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-Guide...mp;ie=UTF8&qid=1302786597&sr=1-1 It describes and illustrates the basic principles of processing units, binary code, elementary logic, etc. and summarizes the history of computer development (Babbage, Lovelace, Hollerith, Turing).
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 639
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 639 |
That looks like a neat book!
JB
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 735
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 735 |
I second this - thanks it looks terrific - my library has all the others but not this one, but the others in the series look terrific as well. We are always looking for advanced info but still having pixs for DS5!
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