There are a lot of great options for learning of program computers. Some a visual (drag and drop blocks) and some involve writing code (written instructions). Visual is easy to learn. Code is more powerful. Start with visual then move on to coding. In the Video Game Design class, we learn how to apply programming to developing games.
> Look for BEST STARTING POINT for the best place to start in each section
> See the Video Game Design page or the List of Game Builders for other options specific to developing games.
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Quick Page Links: |
Visual Programming
- BEST STARTING POINT: Scratch - Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web. You can start with the Scratch page from our Video Game design class or try one of the resources below:
- Learn Scratch - Unit 1 (8 lessons) - This introductory course will allow you to quickly and easily learn how to use some of the capabilities of Scratch. You will learn how to move Sprites (people, animals, objects, etc.) in your programs, how to add sounds, how to change colors, control actions with the mouse or the keyboard, how to design your own Sprites, etc.
- Learn Scratch - Unit 2 (24 lessons) - This course is organized into 24 Lessons corresponding to 5 Units. The Lessons introduce systematically each of the almost one hundred building blocks which together form the graphic programming language Scratch.
- Learn Scratch - Unit 3 (32 lessons) - In this course you will find video tutorials describing the implementation of Scratch projects. It includes 32 Lessons grouped into 7 Units. Each Unit corresponds to a thematic group: Animation, Drawing, Games, Interactive Art, Math, Music and Simulation. These lessons describe the structure and operation of projects submitted by programmers to the Scratch official site.
- Other Tutorials:
- Exercises and Video Tutorials
- Basic Scratch Video Tutorials
- Scratch Tutorials Site 1 - Build several different games while learning the basics
- Scratch Tutorials Site 2 - More build-a-game tutorials
- Alice - Explore basic computer programming
- Google App Inventor - Using MIT App Inventor, you can develop applications for Android devices (phones/tablets) using a web browser and a connected phone (or emulator). You can start with the App Inventor page from our Video Game design class or try one of the resources below:
- AppInventor.org - Great site for learning the basics of App Inventor
- App Inventor Tutorials - The official tutorials
- TouchDevelop - TouchDevelop lets you create apps on iPad, iPhone, Android, PC, Mac, Windows Phone. Their touch-friendly editor makes coding fun, even on your phone or tablet!
- AppArchitect - Web-based IOS App builder that (for now) allows to you publish your apps on the AppStore for free. No coding is required.
- HappyNerds - This site has tons of options for learning programming - both visual and code
Coding
- BEST STARTING POINT: CodeAcademy - Codecademy is the easiest way to learn how to code. It's interactive, fun, and you can share your progress with your friends. They have courses in tons of subjects + projects to apply your knowledge.
- BEST FULL OPTION: https://learn.freecodecamp.org/ - Thousands of coding lessons to help you improve your skills. Learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, and much, much more. You can earn each certification by completing its 5 final projects. And yes - all of this is 100% free, thanks to the thousands of campers who donate to our nonprofit.
- Code Avengers - Learn to code the fun way. Learn Javascript and/or HTML.
CodeCombat - Combat the monsters with code (and learn Javascript at the same time)- Dash - Learn to make awesome websites. Dash teaches HTML, CSS, and Javascript through fun projects you can do in your browser.
- Khan Academy - Lots of good computer science tutorials
- Try Ruby - Ruby is a programming language from Japan (available at ruby-lang.org) which is revolutionizing the web. The beauty of Ruby is found in its balance between simplicity and power.
- Learn To Code: The Full Beginner’s Guide - Lifehacker website's 4.5 lessons introducing coding
- RubyMonk - Pick up Ruby the Monk way :) RubyMonk is an interactive learning platform. Learn Ruby with lessons, solve problems or view the contents.
- Hackety - Hackety Hack will teach you the absolute basics of programming from the ground up. No previous programming experience is needed! With Hackety Hack, you'll learn the Ruby programming language. Ruby is used for all kinds of programs, including desktop applications and websites.
- Code Maven - Code Maven from Crunchzilla is live Javascript programming for fun. The focus is on action. Code changes immediately yield visible results.
- Game Maven - Once you have completed, Code Maven (above), learn to build some basic Javascript games!
- HappyNerds - This site has tons of options for learning programming - both visual and code
- MakeIOSGamesWithUs - Really nice set of interactive xcode lessons that teaches you everything you need to know to build several popular iOS game clones (like Angry Birds etc) Note: You will need access to a Mac to go through these.
- Robocode - Robocode is a programming game, where the goal is to develop a robot battle tank to battle against other tanks in Java or .NET. The robot battles are running in real-time and on-screen.
Camps in Austin
What about a local technology camp? There are tons that are designed specifically for middle schoolers! See our Austin Tech Camps page for a list.
Online Coding Classes
What about an online class? There are tons and many are free! See our Online Tech Class page for a list.
Downloadable/Online Books on Programming
- Huge list of Online Game Programming Books (some are old)
- Huge list of online Programming Books (not gaming specifically)
- Java Programming for Kids
- Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days
- Interactive Programming In Java
- Introduction to Programming Using Java, Sixth Edition
- Eloquent JavaScript
- JavaScript Essentials
- C# Essentials
- C# Programming - Wikibook
- C# Yellow Book (intro to programming)
- Invent Your Own Computer Games With Python - “Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python” is a free online book that teaches you how to program in the Python programming language. Each chapter gives you the complete source code for a new game, and then teaches the programming concepts from the example.
- Program Arcade Games With Python - Another online self-paced course on developing games with Python
- Snake Wrangling For Kids - Learning to Program with Python
- Learning to Program Using Python
- Learn Python The Hard Way, 3rd Edition
- How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning with Python
- Learn Python The Hard Way
- Python for Fun (Python Code Examples)
- FreeTechBooks.com
- Lua programming
- Dive Into HTML5
OK, YOU'VE DONE SOME BASIC CODING. WHAT'S NEXT?
Now that you know some coding basics, what's next?
I'd recommend finding some existing code and figuring out how it works. Then try and change it to see what happens. To do that, you'll need somewhere to write your code and run it. This is called an IDE (Integrated Development Environments). There are IDEs that you can download, but the easiest thing to do is to use a web-based one. You don't have to install anything. See below for a couple web-based IDEs plus sites to find code to mess with.
Web-Based IDEs (Integrated Development Environments)
All are free!
- BEST STARTING POINT: JS Bin - Easy way to play with Javascript and/or HTML. Saving is a bit weird, so ask Mr. Howard for help.
- BEST STARTING POINT: Plunker - Great place to play around with Javascript and HTML after finishing CodeAcademy. Little more complicated than JS Bin, but more powerful.
- Cloud9 IDE
Javascipt Sample Sites
To play with Javascript, you need an IDE (see below) and an HTML file to run the code. The HTML file holds the code and allows you to run it. Most of these sites will assume you have a blank HTML file (created in your IDE - usually with a "new from template" type command). Then you will copy some code into the <HEAD> section of the HTML file and copy some copy into the <BODY> section of the HTML file. These websites will give you the code and tell you where to put it.
- Plunker Projects -These are projects for you to explore and change.
PRESS THE FORK BUTTON TO MAKE A COPY TO EDIT.
To preview what the script does, click the click icon in the upper right - Base Javascript Template File - A good place to start
- Guess a Number - Guess a number between 1 and 100
- Javascript Made Easy (Games)
- Javascript Source (Games)
- Javascript Game Engines
Full (downloadable) IDEs with Learning Environments
- BEST STARTING POINT: Greenfoot - IDE for beginners. Lots of visuals.
- Greenfoot Downloads - Download the IDE here
- Video Tutorials
- Written Tutorials
- BEST STARTING POINT: JUDO - Java IDE for Children and Beginning Programmers
- Download
- Java for Kids - Java For Kids is a course for kids and beginner programmers using the very easy-to-use JUDO windows program instead of that yukky dos command line interface. It will be a very hands-on approach with lots of doing, lots of exercises and a minimum of theory.
- LiveCode - LiveCode brings three key things to your development process: the interface, the language and live coding. You start with the interface. Get going by opening a new project and dragging items onto it. A button, a field, a scrollbar… whatever your app needs. Play about with them a bit. Resize, rearrange, change the color, add some pretty drop shadows. Make it look funky and just the way you want it. Now the language comes in. It’s English. You add it to your objects to make them do what you want them to do. For example writing:
on mouseUp
answer “Hello World”
end mouseUp
will make a dialog pop up that says Hello World when you click a button. Simple.
Finally, you get to test the code the minute you write it. Switch to run mode, click your button, and if it doesn’t say “Hello World” you know something went wrong. Go back and fix it. No big deal, no time lost, and this live process means that you can quickly find out where the error crept in. - Showcase - Apps build with Livecode
- Lots of other Livecode tutorials and resources
- Full set of tutorial lessons (downloadable Zip file)
- Jurtle - Java Programming Editor for Kids. They also have a complete set of lessons.
- BlueJ - Starter IDE made for beginning Java developers
- BlueJ Downloads - Download the IDE here
- Getting Started Tutorial - Start here after installing
- Dr Java - Lightweight IDE for beginners
- Corona - Mobile game framework for developing commercial-quality games for all mobile devices (Android and iOS both). NOTE: Corona is not easy, but it can make some great quality games.