Introduction to Computer Programming through High-level Open Source Languages
Name of facilitator: Seth Viebrock
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E-mail: seth@viebrock.us Phone: 612.387.4302
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Course description: “High-level” programming languages such as Perl, PHP, Python, and Ruby allow us to abstract away certain details of the computer, providing an ideal medium for a top-down approach to learning programming, with lower-level concepts from Computer Science emerging only as they become necessary. We will take a “learn by doing” approach as much as possible, utilizing open source software and programming languages. Each student will specialize in one language but concepts will be expressed in multiple languages, illustrating differences in language “syntax” as well as somewhat universal concepts like variables, data structures, iterative operations, classes, and subroutine definitions. In real-world and professional situations, those with multilingual exposure are preferred not only for the utility that a multilingual programmer brings, but for the enhanced comprehension and skill that comes from seeing how the same concept is applied or the same problem is solved in different ways. The students who took this course the previous semester (and are now taking my intermediate course) will be available to help and mentor, and as time and skill allow, introductory students will be able to help with the development project that the intermediate students are working on. Computationally-curious and/or mathematically-minded individuals are encouraged to enroll, with basic computer and text processing knowledge a requirement, and a laptop highly, highly recommended (please do what you can to procure or borrow one for class as there will be many hands-on activities. I *may* have one or two desktops available on location). The class website is being totally redone and will be added to by students this semester. It can be found at www.flossclass.com
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Class Time: 8pm to 10pm
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Class Dates: Every Tuesday, starting Tuesday, February 10th, ending May 2nd.
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Place: 3144 Fremont Ave S, Minneapolis, MN (Uptown) - Please use the side door, the class will be held in my home at the basement level.
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Class size: Minimum ____3_____ Maximum ____15_____
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What experience do you bring to this class?
I have two years professional and 3.5 non-professional years’ experience in programming, and am currently an Associate Software Engineer at Digital River. I speak seven spoken languages with varying fluency and am an active member in the Perl community, currently helping to organize the Frozen Perl conference this winter at the University of Minnesota. I’ve studied learning and behavior both at Macalester and the University of MN as a Psychology student and lab manager, and am interested in collaboration both in learning and in production/development.
