Month: April 2013

The Simple Logic » Blog Archive » You Say You Want An Education?

With the recent announcement of 17 new schools participating in the massive open online course (MOOC) site Coursera.org, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to see if it was possible to design a reasonable computer science curriculum using just Coursera courses, where “reasonable” is a curriculum that roughly mirrors the coursework required for a four-year university computer science degree.

I’ve looked over all of the available Coursera courses as of September 21st, 2012, and created a four-year curriculum. I’ve tried to follow the curricula suggested by real world colleges; in particular I’ve loosely based the approach on MIT’s course 6 curriculum (specifically, 6-3).

continue reading The Simple Logic » Blog Archive » You Say You Want An Education?.

Online Programming Courses, Learn Programming Online | LearnStreet

LearnStreet is an early-stage startup focused on changing the way people of all backgrounds and skill levels learn how to code.

We are a small, passionate team of product craftsmen, hackers and designers doing what we love—building a service that inspires users to tap into their amazing potential. We believe putting the power of coding in more hands can unleash a wave of creativity that makes the world a better place for all of us. We’re proud to have already received some kind words from the folks at LAUNCHedu.

The LearnStreet team is based in Palo Alto, California and backed by Khosla Ventures.

via Online Programming Courses, Learn Programming Online | LearnStreet.

Cornell NYC Tech, Planned for Roosevelt Island, Starts Up in Chelsea – NYTimes.com

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA Published: April 12, 2013

IF all the hopes and hype are warranted, a nondescript third-floor loft in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan offers a glimpse of the future, for New York City and for Cornell University. In truth, it doesn’t look like much — just cubicles and meeting rooms in space donated by Google. But looks deceive; here, with little fanfare, Cornell’s new graduate school of applied sciences is being rolled out.

The sparkling, sprawling new campus on Roosevelt Island filled with gee-whiz technology — still just ink on paper. The thousands of students and staff, the transformative effect on the city’s economy, the integration withthe Technion-Israel Institute of Technology — those all remain in the future, too.

continue reading Cornell NYC Tech, Planned for Roosevelt Island, Starts Up in Chelsea – NYTimes.com.

Hakitzu | Kuato Studios

Deadly robots, dramatic arenas, and asynchronous strategy are all part of Hakitzu: Code of the Warrior – a game that introduces kids to Javascript, one of today’s most popular programming languages.

With no programming knowledge necessary, players will develop a range of coding skills through strategic game-play and customizable ‘CodeWalker’ robots. Multiplayer competitions, achievements shared on social networks, regular upgrades and downloads … Can you hack it?

Hakitzu is available to download for the iPad and iPad Mini now. https://itunes.apple.com/app/fetch/id599976903?mt=8

Keep up to date with all the latest Hakitzu news and releases on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Hakitzu

via Hakitzu | Kuato Studios.

Opening a Gateway for Girls to Enter the Computer Field – NYTimes.com

BY CLAIRE CAIN MILLER

WHEN Julia Geist was asked to draw a picture of a computer scientist last year, the 16-year-old sketched a businessman wearing glasses and a tie. Looking around at her classmates’ drawings, she saw similar depictions of men.

Now, Ms. Geist said, “I see a computer scientist could be anyone” — including herself.

Her new perspective is a victory for Girls Who Code. As part of an eight-week program with the Manhattan-based nonprofit group, Ms. Geist and 19 other high school girls learned software programming, public speaking, product development and other skills to prepare them for jobs in the technology industry.

Girls Who Code is among the recent crop of programs intended to close the gender gap in tech by intervening early, when young women are deciding what they want to study. With names like Hackbright Academy, Girl Develop It, Black Girls Code and Girls Teaching Girls to Code, these groups try to present a more exciting image of computer science

via Opening a Gateway for Girls to Enter the Computer Field – NYTimes.com.

Software Engineering School Was Teacher’s Idea, but It’s Been Done City’s Way – NYTimes.com

By JENNIFER MILLER Published: March 29, 2013

At last year’s State of the City speech, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the creation of a public high school called the Academy for Software Engineering. The school would be part of an ambitious expansion of computer science education in the city, and Mr. Bloomberg called it the “brainchild” of a local teacher named Michael Zamansky.

Mr. Zamansky was seated on the stage, a few steps from the mayor. But by that point, he said recently, the project was his in name only: he said he had been effectively cut out of the school’s planning process, and his vision of an elite program had given way to one that was more focused on practical job skills.

continue reading –Software Engineering School Was Teacher’s Idea, but It’s Been Done City’s Way – NYTimes.com.