Teaching Python

Have you ever wondered how Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant can understand and respond to our commands? Or how Netflix or YouTube recommend the next video for us to watch? The answer lies in Artificial Intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science that allows machines to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence, such as speech recognition, image processing, and decision-making. In this episode of The Teaching Python podcast, Dr. Nisha Talagala, the founder and CEO of AIClub, a nonprofit organization that teaches AI to students and educators, joins hosts Sean Tibor and Kelly Schuster-Paredes to demystify AI and Machine Learning (ML) for middle school students. Dr. Talagala starts by explaining how she started teaching her then 9-year old daughter about AI and quickly realized that there were a lot of gaps in the available AI materials for teaching. She started assembling resources and organizing the content in a way that worked well for kids while providing them with room to grow their knowledge and skills. This quickly turned into a book project, The Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence, Volume 1 with her co-author Dr. Sindhu Ghanta. Next, the conversation shifts to teaching the ethics of AI and the potential risks and benefits of AI for society. Dr. Talagala explains how students need projects that they can relate to and easily adapt to answer the questions they generate. She suggests that middle school students can play a role in shaping the future of AI by learning about these issues, questioning the status quo, and advocating for responsible AI practices. The episode ends with resources and recommendations for teachers who want to learn more about AI and ML.Special Guest: Nisha Talagala.

After years of being atop our "must-have guests" list, Kelly and Sean finally get to interview Al Sweigart, author of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, as well as many other books and courses that help people learn Python more effectively Join us as we talk about everything from our favorite teaching examples, the process of book writing, fostering cats, and more.Special Guest: Al Sweigart.

Kelly and Sean are organizing the PyCon US Education Summit for 2023. Join us to learn more about the summit, what we've learned from attending, and how you can get involved.

In episode 104 of the Teaching Python podcast, Kelly and Sean discuss their wins of the week and announce they are co-chairing the PyCon US Education Summit in April 2023. The episode features a segment on book recommendations, where Kelly and Sean share some of their recent reads that they found particularly useful for Python programmers. One of the recommended books is "The Missing ReadMe" which is a guide for new engineers to understand and navigate open-source projects. Another book recommended is "Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence" which is a comprehensive introduction to the field of artificial intelligence and its underlying algorithms and techniques. They also recommend "Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps" which is a practical guide with industry data about the benefits of DevOps. "Fluent Python" is another book they recommend which is a guide to writing better and more idiomatic Python code. Finally, they recommend the new edition of "Python Crash Course" by Eric Matthes which is a fast-paced, thorough introduction to Python programming for beginners. It's a great episode for anyone who is interested in learning more about the Python programming language, and the PyCon Education Summit, as well as reading some great books on the topic. The episode is available on the Teaching Python podcast website, and the links to the books can also be found there.

This episode description was written by ChatGPT. What do you think? In this episode of the Teaching Python podcast, Kelly and Sean delve into the topic of ChatGPT and its potential impact on computer science education. ChatGPT is a new artificial intelligence tool developed by OpenAI that has generated a lot of buzz in the tech industry. The hosts consider both the potential benefits and drawbacks of using ChatGPT in the classroom, and discuss how it could be used to enhance the learning experience. One of the key points they address is the question of whether ChatGPT will be a helpful or harmful addition to computer science education. On the one hand, ChatGPT has the potential to be a powerful teaching aid, providing students with a unique and engaging way to learn. On the other hand, there are concerns that the use of ChatGPT could lead to a reduction in critical thinking skills, as students may rely too heavily on the tool for solutions. Ultimately, Kelly and Sean argue that ChatGPT has the potential to be a valuable resource for educators, but it is important to use it in a balanced and mindful way. They suggest that incorporating ChatGPT into the curriculum in combination with other teaching methods could be an effective way to maximize its benefits and minimize any negative effects. If you are interested in learning more about ChatGPT and its potential applications in education, be sure to check out the linked resources.

In Episode 102 of the Teaching Python podcast with Kelly and Sean, the topic is learner variability, based on an article by Jessica Jackson of the Digital Promise Project. This episode discusses how to effectively teach programming to a diverse group of learners, and how to adapt to the individual needs and learning styles of each student. One key point discussed in the podcast is that students learn at different times and at different rates, and it is important for teachers to recognize and accommodate this variability. The old theory of learning styles, which suggests that individuals have a preferred style of learning and that teaching should be tailored to these preferences, has been debunked as a myth. Instead, research suggests that the most effective way to teach is to use a variety of methods and approaches, and to allow students to engage with the material in different ways. In addition to incorporating teaching strategies such as scaffolding, differentiation, and formative assessment, it is also important for teachers to consider the various learning factors that may impact their students. This includes designing for students who may be at the margins, such as those who are struggling or those who are advanced. It also involves designing with context in mind, taking into account the unique experiences and background of each student. This can include cultural factors, language barriers, and any prior knowledge or skills that may be relevant to the material being taught. Designing with the whole child in mind involves considering not just the cognitive aspects of learning, but also the social and emotional aspects. This may involve creating a positive and supportive learning environment, and being attuned to the needs and well-being of each student. Finally, designing for powerful experiences involves creating engaging and meaningful learning activities that are likely to have a lasting impact on students. By considering these various learning factors, teachers can create more effective and inclusive learning experiences for their students.

Welcome to Teaching Python, the podcast all about sharing tips, tricks, and insights on teaching and learning the Python programming language. In this episode, Kelly and Sean are giving you a list of 10 gift ideas for computer science teachers and learners. Whether you're a teacher looking for some inspiration for your holiday wishlist, or a student looking for a gift for your favorite computer science teacher, this episode has you covered. From practical tools like an online course about Python, to fun gadgets like a Lego rollercoaster or desktop robot, there's something for everyone on this list. So join Kelly and Sean as they share their top 10 gift ideas for computer science teachers and learners. And as always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, be sure to send us an email at [email protected]. Happy holiday season and happy coding!

After 100 episodes of Teaching Python, Kelly and Sean invite some friends of the show to share how they stay motivated. We're joined by Michael Kennedy and [Brian Okken](twitter.com/brianokken) from the Python Bytes podcast to talk about the ways we stay motivated. Listen in for tips and strategies from a variety of sources. How do you stay motivated?Special Guests: Brian Okken and Michael Kennedy.

The Teaching Python podcast speaks about how the Google Cycle can help support learning in Code. Teaching kids to “embrace the research side of Coding (and become great at this skill)” “Now we aren’t talking about googling for solutions. But smart googling with a big perspective.” → Kelly is starting a Boot camp, the prework module actually says and explains: “If you get stuck, remember that you can usually get help by searching online.” THere are guidelines to how to search and how to read Stack Overflow. “A good rule of thumb is to use code you find as a resource, not a solution.” “While google may have many answers, it’s no replacement for your own mind! Avoid relying on google to find out the programming solutions to the bare fundamentals of your chosen programming language.” This means not being tempted to use your search tools as a replacement for memorising the basics of your programming language. While technically you’ll quickly find the answer for the most basic questions to some programming queries (e.g. how to print to console) you certainly don’t want to be reaching for google every time you need to use this!

The Teaching Python podcast speaks with Elad Inbar, founder of RobotLab and Robots for Education and how to improve student engagement by using robots.Special Guest: Elad Inbar.

Sri Kundurthy, a student and EuroPython speaker joins Kelly and Sean to talk about bringing Python to other subject areas. From physics models to data manipulation to advanced algorithms, we talk about a wide range of applications for computer science outside of the computer science classroomSpecial Guest: Srivatsa Kundurthy.

Kelly and Sean discuss how grading and learning are often confused with each other. We settle in for a chat about everything from intern projects to class challenges to communicating actual learning through grades. Settle in for an episode with just the co-hosts of Teaching Python!

The Teaching Python podcast speaks with Pete Dring and the tools he has created to manage his workload while teaching computer science and Python. Join us to learn more about these tools and how you can use them to shift your workload from boring to exciting!Special Guest: Peter Dring.

Sean and Kelly speak with Anaconda and their outreach program. Anaconda supports educators and learners with the ability to understand and interpret data. This leads to better decision-making and a world where people are empowered to create positive change. Episode Errata: The hackday event referenced in the episode was related to Pyscript and more information will come out on that shortly. The data science competition for high school students referenced in the episode is called Data Science Expo and will be piloted in the 2022-2023 school year. Note: we had to go to the cloud-based recording backup for this episode, so you may notice a few issues with audio quality. Our editor did his best to clean it up, but there are a few rough spots.Special Guests: Albert Defusco and Sophia Yang.

Harry and Anna are high-school students who are passionate about coding, engineering, and design. When they’re not doing their homework, they’re busy writing tutorials, designing website wireframes, and planning the next courses for Mission Encodeable.Special Guests: Anna Wake and Harry Wake.

In this episode, Sean and Kelly talk with Computer Science and STEM teachers about our wins, our failures, and all about teaching Python. We're joined by teachers Dottie Holland, Andre Chmielewski, and Andy Colley to talk about everything from our favorite teaching resources, what it's like to teach after the exams are over, why Python over other languages, and more.

In this episode, we will learn about the new features of this great alpha product for the micro:bit. Its main goals are to make coding with Python per se and Python on the micro:bit more accessible: An appealing user interface with bright colours Contextual help and autocomplete Example snippets of code you can browse and insert, like browsing blocks in MakeCode or Scratch Simple code structure highlighting to aid understanding about indents in Python Explanation of features of MicroPython useful in CS teaching, but not covered in device-oriented documentation Built-in serial console and REPL so you can do more traditional Python coding using your keyboard input and printing to the screen – the micro:bit is your Python runtime! Special Guest: Giles Booth.

We welcome David Cavallo an entrepreneur in using technologies to improve learning and promote social equitable development. Our topic this week is equitable computation learning and the reasons and methods for it.Special Guest: David Cavallo.

Kelly and Sean debrief on PyCon US 2022 on Sunday morning before flying home. From the Education Summit to the Expo Hall to the Talk Track, we cover it all. Most importantly, we cover the best food and coffee to check out for next year in Salt Lake City! Note - this is a live debrief with no editing. Enjoy!

In the 2007 film, Shift Happens, Carl Fisch (later modified by Scott Mcleod) stated that “The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004. We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t exist yet, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” Although the 65% figure has been debunked quite often and the data that was used during the video cannot always be verified, it is safe to say that the jobs of today, have evolved quite a bit since 2004. In addition, a lot of these fields are Global, rely a lot on technology and the use of code, like Python. In this podcast series, we will speak to professionals in the field that have jobs in industries including Fintech 3.0, Cybertechnology, Ethical AI, and Data Science We welcome Xavier De Pauw Founder & co-CEO of lendX, a B2B fintech that is looking to revolutionize the alternative credit sector with its SaaS Enabled Marketplace. Xavier started his career at Merrill Lynch in London as a Fixed income capital markets & structured finance banker. After 10 years, he co-founded a challenger banking group and was CEO of the digital challenger bank in the group. Again 10 years later, Xavier joined a €75bln private bank and asset manager as their head of strategic innovation. In 2020, Xavier went back to entrepreneurship, became a member of the advisory board at several fintechs and launched lendX with two other founders.Special Guest: Xavier De Pauw.

In the 2007 film, Shift Happens, Carl Fisch (later modified by Scott Mcleod) stated that “The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004. We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t exist yet, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” Although the 65% figure has been debunked quite often and the data that was used during the video cannot always be verified, it is safe to say that the jobs of today, have evolved quite a bit since 2004. In addition, a lot of these fields are Global, rely a lot on technology and the use of code, like Python. In this podcast series, we will speak to professionals in the field that have jobs in industries including Fintech 3.0, Cybertechnology, Ethical AI, and Data Science We welcome Michael Galarnyk. Michael currently teaches Python for Data Visualization for LinkedIn Learning, Data Analytics using Python for UCSD Extension, Machine Learning Fundamentals for UCSD Extension, and Machine Learning with Python for Stanford Continuing Studies. I have previously taught Essential Python for Global Knowledge and Data Science (Python) at General Assembly.Special Guest: Michael Galarnyk.

In the 2007 film, Shift Happens, Carl Fisch stated that “The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004. We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t exist yet, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” While the data that was used during the video cannot be completely verifiable, it is safe to say that the jobs of today have evolved quite a bit since 2004. In addition, a lot of these fields are global, rely heavily on technology and the use of code skills like Python programming. In this podcast series, we will speak to professionals in the field that have jobs in industries including Fintech 3.0, Cybertechnology, and Data Science. We welcome Michele Darayanani, Nevena Lazarevic and Joe Farajallah to discuss the basics of Cybersecurity, what it is, what all does it involve, and how Python can be used to secure platforms from cyber attacks. Michele leads the Cyber offerings for Pharmaceutical, Life Sciences, and Medical Device Manufacturing clients. An avid advocate for usable security that drives business value through Cyber; he supports clients as a sounding board for the CISO, CISO coaching, Secure Cloud Transformations, Cyber Due Diligence, and Security Architecture. Nevena is a passionate and proactive Cyber Security consultant with a Software Engineering background. Her focus within this area has been Cyber Defense, Security Transformation and Information Security. Joe is a Cyber Security consultant focusing on ethical hacking and red team testing. He has a background in electrical engineering and networks.Special Guests: Joe Farajallah, Michele Daryanani, and Nevena Lazarevic.

In this episode, Sean and Kelly talk about the future. Looking into the past 20 years+ years of teaching and looking back at how we were taught as children, what has changed? Just as our teachers prepared us for our present, how are we preparing our students? We should no longer try to prepare our students for jobs that may not be there when they enter the workforce. Instead, we should focus our preparation on how they can take advantage of the emerging technologies that are coming into existence. How are we teaching them to look out for the both the dangers and the benefits of Big Data, Machine Learning, social media and robots? What skills are we focusing on that wil lallow them to pivot and prosper in this exponentially changing world? The future is reliant on what our students of today will create.

Most people think of Requests as an intermediate or advanced area of Python, but what happens when we turn it loose on beginner programmers? Spoiler - lots of learning and surprises! Requests is a popular Python library for making HTTP requests in a simplified, elegant way. As the one of the top 10 most downloaded packages on PyPI.org, it's used across Python to interact with web APIs, scrape websites, post webhooks, and more. In this episode, Kelly and Sean talk about different lesson plans, approaches, and examples using the Requests library in a teaching environment.

Continuing on conversations about tech for good, helping our students build global competence, and preparing our children to be successful in an ever increasing digital world, Kelly and Sean speak with Will Richardson, founder of the Big Questions Institute. “Are we preparing students to identify and confront problems they care about, collaborate beyond classroom walls, and overcome the false dichotomy between local versus global? Do we see our work as educators as the work of building a better world?”Special Guest: Will Richardson.

This week, Kelly and Sean look over all that happened in 2021 for Teaching Python and commit to some bigger goals for 2022. What were the highlights according to our co-hosts? From the great guests to the wins in the classroom, Kelly and Sean catch up and kick off the new year together.

We sometimes make assumptions when it comes to students and using technology, that students are savvy tech users. Although coding curriculum lends itself easily to incorporating many digital citizenship skills, even the best Computer Science course may not focus as much as you think on directly teaching these important skills. Furthermore, it is a lot of pressure for just one class to bear. In this episode of Teaching Python, Kelly and Sean speak with Richard Culatta CEO of International Society for Technology in Education and author of the book, “Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World and discuss ways that we can keep kids coding and being “active citizens” in their online and physical world!Special Guest: Richard Culatta.

It's the most wonderful time of the year as Kelly and Sean put together a gift guide for techie kids! From transformable robots to glowing toys to soldering stations, we cover the items on our lists for the holidays. Check the show notes for links that support the podcast!

This week Sean and Kelly are joined by Dr. Becky Smethurst from Oxford to talk about code and science. Dr. Becky is an astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. Each week, she publishes a video on her YouTube channel explaining a bit about space,Special Guest: Becky Smethurst.

This episode is all about working with the data we generate for students, whether it's in the classroom, your school, or your district. Special guest star Rusti Gregory joins us to talk about his transition from the classroom to the data manager role.Special Guest: Rusti Gregory.

Kelly and Sean revisit some of our favorite hardware that we use to teach Python. From the various versions of the BBC micro:bit to the ecosystem of CircuitPython boards, we talk about all the pros and cons! Whether you're just getting started with using Python in hardware or you're a seasoned teacher, this episode should have something for everyone. We use hardware to give tactile and tangible feedback for our students when they write code. Students learn to do everything from make lights blink and shimmer to driving motors to using sensors to measure the environment. Join us on a journey into Python hardware!

Kelly and Sean interview Tom Lauwers, founder and CEO of BirdBrain Technologies about the role of robotics in the computer science classroom. We've used the Finch 2.0 robot, which is designed to use the BBC micro:bit as a foundation for coding and computer science. Whether you're in a traditional classroom, teaching after school, or just trying to get people excited about the POWER OF CODING, robots can play a vital role in learning. About BirdBrain Technologies: BirdBrain Technologies’ mission is to inspire deep and joyful learning in all students through creative robotics. Founded at the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University in 2010, BirdBrain is a research-based company that promotes gender equality and diversity in computer science, engineering, and robotics. A large part of our mission is to assist educators interested in bringing computer science and engineering design into any classroom. We work collaboratively to support teachers with free standards-aligned curriculum and professional development. Our products have been used by thousands of teachers around the world to bring creative design and robotics fun into the classroom!Special Guest: Tom Lauwers.

Kelly and Sean discuss their latest experiments in the classroom, including student peer code reviews, testing code for correctness, and creating comfy environments for coding.

A lunchtime livestream with Kelly and Sean talking about setting up learning environments for students, coaching and setting high expectations for students, and the new tools we're using this year for teaching code. Replit Teams for Education Daily Challenges for formative assessment Physical classroom layouts Google Colab Choice Boards High expectations teaching Note: Kelly's audio track has a bit of echo that we can't eliminate. We'll get it fixed for next time.

With the new school year upon us, we're talking about CSTA standards and how they can be applied to the classroom environment. Join Kelly and Sean as they talk through ways to plan, deliver, and assess CS student standards. The Computer Science Teacher Association (CSTA) provides student standards for learning as well as professional development standards for instructions. For example, there are 23 standards for grades 6-8 that cover everything from algorithms & programming to inclusionary culture to networks and internet. How do you go from a published standard to an engaging lesson that raises student learning?

The Teaching Python podcast speaks with Quinten Sheriff from Concordia University , an Instructional Designer, e-learning implementation specialist, and curriculum developer with global experience on four continents. A systems thinker who uses instructional models such as ADDIE, AGILE, SAM, ARCS. In this episode, we will explore topics such as designing curriculum for the next year, and what it means to design for instruction versus designing for content. In this we can also look at designing for inclusivity, diversity and equity.Special Guest: Quinten Sheriff.

It's been a few weeks since we recorded, so this week's episode is all about catching up on listener questions and mail. Highlights include: the new AWS machine learning course we're taking, whether we'd rather be teachers or coders the new Adafruit hardware we're trying the Deep Composer keyboard equity and equitable opportunity in and out of the classroom You can also check out the recording of the livestream on our YouTube Channel

With summer finally here in the northern hemisphere, Kelly and Sean meet with John Mikton from the Principals Training Center to talk about professional development resources for teachers during these long summer days. From technical resources to pedagogical research to classroom layout ideas, we'll talk about some of the things we're excited to learn this summer.Special Guest: John Mikton.

Continuing our Education IDE series, Kelly and Sean meet with Brigit Murtaugh and Sana Ajani from the VS Code team for education. We'll talk about everything from remote teaching to accelerating the setup of a learning environment with VS Code and development containers. You may have used Visual Studio Code for your own projects or tinkered around with the vast number of settings and extensions. But have you thought about how to use it as a teaching tool? Thankfully, Brigit and Sana are here to talk us through all of the resources and new features being added to VS code for education.Special Guests: Brigit Murtaugh and Sana Ajani.

Continuing our Education IDE series, Kelly and Sean talk with Valentina Kiryushkina, a developer on the PyCharm Edu team to learn all about how JetBrains supports teaching and learning Python. With everything from online courses to creating classroom assignments, we're sure you'll find something to like about PyCharm Edu. Features Free for teachers and learners Online open courses available Create your own courses and assignments Marketplace coming soon Full features of PyCharm, but decluttered for learning Where to Download JetBrains Website EduTools Special Offer JetBrains has offered a free month of JetBrains Academy, a project-based learning platform integrated with JetBrains IDEs, if you register at the platform through the following link: Special Offer Special Guest: Valentina Kiryushkina.

This week, Kelly & Sean chat with Barbara Oakley, author of the upcoming books Uncommon Sense Teaching and Learn Like a Pro. Together, we talk about everything from learning Russian to the ways that the brain processes information and how teachers can best help students learn. Barbara Oakley is a professor of engineering, former Russian translater on Soviet fishing trawlers, Antarctic researcher (where she met her husband), author, MOOC creator, and so much more. Kelly and Sean talk to her about the ways that our brain learns and retains knowledge, and how we can use that mechanism to learn how to learn better.Special Guest: Barbara Oakley.

Kelly and Sean kick off part 1 of their Education IDE series with Nick Tollervey and the Mu Editor, a Python editor for beginners with modes for "pure Python," MicroPython, CircuitPython, PyGame, Flask web apps, and more. About the Education IDE Series The Teaching Python podcast is launching a monthly episode series dedicated to the different IDEs and editors available to teachers. Our goal is to give educators a more detailed view of each editor and the specific features that they can leverage for teaching effectively. In contrast with a developer-focused series, our goal is to focus on how each editor can enhance student learning. Proof that we met Nick at PyCon US 2019 Special Guest: Nick Tollervey.

In this episode, Sean and Kelly, share a brainstorming activity on designing projects with Python libraries. We have a special guest Mike Driscoll, author of several books and the blog "The Mouse vs The Python". In this episode we will use the Python Library Pillow to brainstorm some creative ways that Pillow can and has been used to teach students about Python Libraries. Coming up with project ideas that are creative, engaging, and allow students the flexibility to explore is one of the most important activities that Sean and Kelly do daily. We love introducing many different aspects of Python and push the boundaries with our students. We often discuss and brainstorm ideas on how we can incorporate libraries that are new to us in the curriculum. Although we have used Pillow very briefly, with the help of expert Mike Driscoll, Sean and I will explore project ideas for using Pillow from 6th grade to developer.Special Guest: Mike Driscoll.

In this episode, Sean and Kelly discuss their top 5 favorite Python libraries, and how they use these libraries in the classroom to reinforce student learning. From the standard library to teaching how to use pip, learn more about our favorite libraries to share with our students. Our lists: Sean Datetime random Matplotlib bullet Kelly Pillow Math Turtle getpass Regex

That's right: we're digging deep into assessments using rubrics. We know what you're thinking, rubrics are BORING and teacher-y. But rubrics are POWERFUL for learning and you can use them outside of the classroom too! According to ASCD “The word rubric comes from the Latin word for red. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary lists the first meaning of rubric as "an authoritative rule" and the fourth meaning as "a guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring academic papers, projects, or tests." How did the name for a color come to mean a rule or guide? At least as far back as the Middle Ages, the rules for the conduct of liturgical services—as opposed to the actual spoken words of the liturgy—were often printed in red, so the rules were "the red things" on the page. Benefits of a Rubric “Rubrics are important because they clarify for students the qualities their work should have. This point is often expressed in terms of students understanding the learning target and criteria for success. For this reason, rubrics help teachers teach, they help coordinate instruction and assessment, and they help students learn. “Rubrics are useful tool to help students and teachers: work towards a shared goal, Giving students a rubric before they begin working ensures that students and teachers are working towards a shared goal. facilitate constructive feedback, assess students’ learning on multiple elements of a project. Student can analyze their own work provide consistency in evaluating To allow extension of learning and “WOW” factors: Single Point rubrics-- meets expectations but allows (forces) extensions “Single Point Rubric” in 2000 during a conference presentation by someone named Mary Dietz. Attending that conference was a researcher named Jarene Fluckiger, who published a study on its effectiveness in 2010. (The reference to Dietz is in Fluckiger’s paper, but no one named Dietz has published anything on the topic.) From one of our favorite rubrics at Northeastern University. Percentage for criteria with a built in a 2% “AMAZING” category. That’s reserved for solutions that absolutely blow us away. Doing exactly what’s asked of you does not earn a perfect grade; doing an incredible job with your solution earns a perfect grade. In each assignment, we’ll specify exactly what makes for an amazing solution

In this episode, Sean and Kelly speak with Leon Sandøy, one of the owners of Python Discord about making connections and community teaching. With the dynamics of teaching changing, how can Python Discord become a space to further educate the Python community? Also this week, we're excited to announce the launch of the new Teaching Python shop, where you can get fun t-shirts, mugs, hoodie sweatshirts, and even some flip flops to show your support of the show. Use FRIENDS15 to get 15% off your first order! Learn more about Python Discord below from Leon. History of Python Discord I’ve been involved since 2017, when we had ~200 users. We worked hard to grow this community, and leveraged some pretty creative marketing strategies to find that growth. These eventually paid off, and as soon as we hit a certain critical mass, it’s been a runaway success story with win after win. The past year has been incredible. We’ve quadrupled in size, worked closely with Discord, with the Python Software Foundation, we’ve restructured the entire organisation from the inside out, launched new community features like the Help-channel system, started producing high-quality original content, and started reaching out beyond the Discord platform. The culture of Python Discord When I was growing up, IRC was a toxic and unwelcoming place where you went to talk to grumpy and jaded old programmers. We want to be the antithesis of this experience, a place of warmth and inclusivity that holds your hand until you find your footing. It’s the wholesomest place on the web. As a leader, I believe that we should be searching for these magical synergies between personal goals and community growth. I look for situations where I can put someone in a situation that will benefit both them and the community, perhaps teaching them a valuable and relevant skill while building us a valuable system. This has really paid off for us. I believe that managing a voluntary organisation requires a strong willingness to spend resources on cultivating motivation. Yes, this sounds like a TED talk. I’m sorry. It plays better as a conversation than as a long paragraph. You’d be surprised how much work goes into our community. I have 4 hours of weekly meetings, one-on-ones with staff members, interviews, programming and code review, and sometimes I record silly parody songs for our YouTube. This eats up literally all my free time, and the free time of everyone in admin team. We don’t do this casually, this is like a second job to us - or a second family. Major community features The help channel system Stay up to date by subscribing to our news channels, where you get Python podcasts, Python mailing lists (especially ideas and announcements), ongoing tech conferences, most popular Reddit r/python posts, and lots of other Python ecosystem info. Topical chat, featuring channels for all the different use cases that are particularly interesting for Python users. Many of these are populated by notable members, like our #async channel has asyncio core devs hanging out, and we people from Kivy, Arcade, Pyglet, Panda3D, and notable PyGame developers hanging out in #game-development. #microcontrollers has a number of Adafruit employees (including some of CircuitPythons key contributors) as frequent guests.Special Guest: Leon Sandøy.

Kelly and Sean take some time to reflect on what has worked well over the past year of teaching, what could be better, and what we hope stays with us once things go back to "The New Normal." Whether it's getting back collaborative whiteboarding, keeping screen sharing over Zoom, or appreciating how much better department meetings can be when we use breakout rooms, join us to talk more about how teaching and coding have jumped ahead during the time of COVID-19. As mentioned by Sean, the wordlist file on Macs can usually be found at /usr/share/dict/words.

Kelly and Sean try to figure out the role of object-oriented programming in teaching. From how much to focus on objects and methods, to whether it makes sense to teach classes, this is a journey through the opinionated topic of object-oriented thinking.

A grab bag of topics this week with Kelly and Sean. From using NLTK to summarize speeches by civil rights leader Martin Luther King to plotting Parler data from the Capitol incident on Jan 6 to WiFi-enabled washing machines. Kelly and Sean spend the afternoon discussing the things that we've been watching and learning about this week. No guests, no specific topic. Just hang out with us and talk about all things Python, teaching, and learning.

Kelly and Sean team up with Bob Belderbos and Julian Sequeira from @PyBites to answer questions about how our students learn Python using the PyBites platform with small code challenges. In this special crossover episode, we cover everything from how students learn to the way they learn Pytest reporting output to the mindset and chemistry of learning something new.Special Guests: Bob Belderbos and Julian Sequeira.