Two Books Teach Coding and Computer Science
One book teaches JavaScript in a fun way, the other computer science as fable.
JavaScript for Kids
Computers are dumb. They do only what you tell them. This book teaches kids how to use JavaScript to tell computers what to do, from drawing kittens to making games. It starts with a neat trick: you can code JavaScript in any Chrome web browser. That makes it easy for anyone to work through JavaScript code, from simple to more complicated. Kids familiar with sprites in Scratch will find the JavaScript Canvas familiar. This book is perfect for kids and anyone who wants to graduate from Scratch to a professional language like JavaScript.
The resources section at the back of this book describes all the different ways to expand what you learn in the book. It’s worth the price of the book. Turns out JavaScript can be used not only with web pages. It can be used to run a web server, robots, audio, and many other kinds of projects.
Lauren Ipsum — A Story about Computer Science and Other Improbable Things
No Starch Press has re-issued a wonderful book, Lauren Ipsum, which explains computer science concepts in a fun and often wacky way similar to Alice in Wonderland. Teachers, parents, and kids will have to stop and re-read the text to realize they’ve learned a key concept used in computer science and computing. The story is engages you on its own terms. This version also includes many whimsical illustrations by Miran Lipovača.
Learn More
JavaScript for Kids
http://www.nostarch.com/jsforkids
Lauren Ipsum
http://www.nostarch.com/laurenipsum
https://www.kidscodecs.com/lauren-ipsum/
Author
Also In The February 2015 Issue
What is 3D Printing?
A basic introduction to 3D printing with concepts, examples, and a glossary of 3D terminology.
Gnomes, Gnomedozers, Spoonriders, and Zen Gnomes
Why are there so many gnomes available for 3D printing?
3D Projects
From simple to complex, nine three-dimensional models you can download then print to explore 3D printing.
Jill Hodges Talks about Fire Tech Camp
An American living in the United Kingdom, Jill Hodges talks about how she started a summer technology camp for kids.
What 3D Models Print Best?
When you create a three-dimensional model for printing, it's important to know what prints well and what does not.
Two Books Teach Coding and Computer Science
One book teaches JavaScript in a fun way, the other computer science as fable.
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Practice problem solving skills programmers use every day.
Dead Programming Languages
Of 8500 plus programming languages, many are forgotten or lightly used enough to be called dead programming languages.
Where Can I Find Local 3D Printing Services?
It's possible to print your 3D project the same way you print a flyer at the UPS store. Here are several options.
Whatever good things we build end up building us.
VRML
The VRML language, or Virtual Reality Modeling Language, is ancient but still lets you create simple three-dimensional objects.
3D Printers
3D printers may be new technology but there are several printers individuals, schools, and businesses might buy.
February 2015 Learn More Links
Links from the bottom of all the February 2015 articles, collected in one place for you to print, share, or bookmark.
February 2015 News Wire
Interesting stories about computer science, software programming, and technology for December 2014 and January 2015.
Floating Point Numbers
While many people are familiar with floating point numbers in school math problems, they're very useful in computing.
