Python in Education

Preface

Programming is cool.

Why?

Because programmers are obviously black-clad kung-fu ninjas with “hacker aliases” who always take the red pill, type really fast to “crack databases,” and save the world from renegade artificial intelligences.¹ Or perhaps programmers are geeky wunderkind who make billions of dollars by founding social networks that have more users than most countries have citizens.² Then again, programmers are those socially awkward yet rather useful savants who are always so keen to fix your computer (but never let them explain what they’re doing or they’ll bore you with overly enthusiastic technobabble).³ Also, why is programming such a “boy” thing?

Stereotypes stop people from doing stuff.

This applies as much to programming as any other aspect of life. If your view of a programmer is as ridiculous as the stereotypes listed above, then programming is likely to appear as an intimidating form of technical magic or a dull obsession for misfit boys who avoid the great outdoors.

But there is hope: the damaging prejudices and misconceptions listed above can be overturned through education. Organizations such as the RaspberryPi Foundation and One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project see programming as a means of empowerment. A new generation of programmers are learning to be enterprising digital makers and creators rather than merely passive users. Even politicians are waking up to the realization that the long-term viability of their country’s economy and public services ...