[Edu-sig] Considering Python for an algebra course

[Maria Droujkova]

Hello,

I am new to this list. I am working on an algebra course where teens will
create their own learning materials and share them as open educational
resources (OERs). I'd like to organize the course around a computer
environment. I have three candidates for it so far: Scratch, Geogebra and
Python. I like these three because they all have robust communities of
people sharing open source code.

Scratch has the immediate multimedia appeal, is equally loved by boys and
girls, and is very easy to get into. Minus: it's rather limited when it
comes to a bit more advanced math. We tried to create fractals on it this
Spring in a homeschool coop, and it was cumbersome.

Geogebra was created specifically for the type of projects I want to run. It
is easy enough to start, for kids. I find its specialization to be a
limiting factor, though - it would be nice if kids saw the environment's
potential beyond math.

With Python, I have more questions than answers, because I am just starting
to learn it. Do you think it will work for my purpose? Do I need to get a
real programmer involved, or can I learn enough Python in a few months to
help kids well enough, without being a specialist? What questions do I not
know to ask?

I would appreciate any pointers.



-- 
Cheers,
MariaD

Make math your own, to make your own math.

http://www.naturalmath.com social math site
http://www.phenixsolutions.com empowering our innovations
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