A shocking number of young people aren't interested in computer games at all. In fact most of my students aren't even some of those who have taken to programming and building projects with the most enthusiasm.
Games can be an entry point, but it can also limit the audience.
WHY @futurebird @isotopp disclaimer first: I was one of those kids who got into the CS through games (though not quite sure which of three options right now).
I think an overarching goal can be quite motivating. In university, I was part of a thing where we (tried to) teach high school (equivalent) students CS fundamentals based on building an “RC” car they could control with their phones (arduino + provided laser-cut chassis + a bit of web development). … (1/3)
@futurebird @isotopp
… Of course, some of this was just to much, e.g. starting with Arduino (simple C++) and then doing a bit of web development (for the remote) is quite the whiplash (timescale was 10 blocks of 90 minutes). And this was all with students who applied for it, so not representative of the general population.
Maybe an idea could be providing multiple goals, which are part of the same collaborative project (e.g. team car and team remote).
… (2/3)
@futurebird @isotopp …
Then again, as you mentioned at the top, not everyone needs to learn to code. I am not entirely sure myself what people need to know (like is “ok with a terminal”, “play with browser devtools”, or “can install linux” part of it).
Maybe understanding what code is is part of the core skills. Maybe showing browser devtools to poke under the hood of a popular website could be part of the curriculum.
Maybe this input is helpful for you. (3/3)
Thanks for this perspective, it's the first time that I hear it - I always had 100% enthusiasm when I asked children whether they wanted to learn to make games.
(sure, I only ever addressed volunteers)
What entry point do you use if this particular one is closed, then ?
@LibreFaso @futurebird @isotopp Robotics, IoT and custom web pages are all really fun and useful.