Coding & Computer Programming Classes
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Coding/programming camp for 15 year old
June 2016
does anybody know about a coding/programming camp for a 15 yo high schooler? I remember
reading about a camp in SF last summer but can't find it anywhere this year.
Thank you!
teen's mother
I would recommend ID Tech Camps,
http://www.campsbayarea.com/technology-and-digital-arts-summer-camps.html#marin
They offer programs through age 17 and offer an award winning program at
many locations around the Bay Area.
Robert
Check out Dave Briccetti's coding classes in Lafayette
http://davebsoft.com
He's been a teacher at DVC College for Kids for a couple decades and is
now doing his own thing.
Christina
+1 for Dave Briccetti. He taught our son who really liked him. We thought he was so good
we hired him to teach our son and several of his friends in afterschool workshops at our
house.
http://davebsoft.com
If your kid is really into programming, you'll be happy with Dave.
ANON
Summer learn-to-code camps
Feb 2016
Hello, I'm looking for recommendations or tips about any summer learn-to-code programs that my soon to be 15 year old could do this summer. I notice there are several offered at Cal, but wow: so expensive. Are they worth the money? Another question: these coding camps offer a number of sessions working with different codes. How do you pick the most appropriate one? I would love to find a program in the East Bay if possible, or San Francisco if need be. Thanks! Codeless and clueless.
You might want to look into your local community college. Classes are FREE (though books are expensive). Please note early deadlines and testing pre-requisites. Anon
Check out Samsung App Academy. http://www.scholastic.com/samsungacademy/index.aspx Last summer, my 15 year old attended this camp which was held on the UCB campus. She learned to build apps and had fun and made a lot of new friends. Samsung brought in interesting people to talk to the students including someone from the Cal EECS dept. Best of all, the Academy was free of charge and all participants received Samsung Galaxy Tablets as gifts for completing the course. Chris
Any coding programs for elementary school kids?
Dec 2015
Hello All,
We live in South Bay and are looking for programs or workshops that introduces kids with
programming or coding.
Please let us know if you have any suggestions.
Happy Holidays!!
Mark
Our 8-year-old son has been receiving one-on-one tutoring, in our home, through
Breakout Mentors: BreakoutMentors.com.
The tutoring is based on Scratch, a programming language designed at MIT to introduce
young people to coding. Basically, it allows for instant results and tons of fun with
a drag-and-drop functionality, while still leaving limitless possibilities to be
challenged logically, organizationally, and creatively.
Our son creates his own games with his tutor, and we have seen the complexity of
these games ramp up quickly. He loves the sessions, and looks forward to them every
week. The tutor has been patient, encouraging, and appropriately challenging.
Basically, the experience has been a win. Highly recommended.
BerkeleyDad
You couldn't have asked this question at a better time! The week of December 7 to 11
is the international ''hour of code'' week. All across the WORLD, schools and
individuals are signed up to participate in some kind of a coding activity, with the
hope that more people will get exposed to coding. You can go to the Hour of Code
website, hourofcode.com, and click all around. Some of it will be about how to sign
up a school, but some links will take you to activities of all sorts for children of
all ages. There are all kinds of events happening, too. It's pretty cool.
Nanu C
Hello -
We live in south bay and have attended free coding fundamentals workshop with
Coderbunnyz. My kids loved it, we plan to join another one of those.(kids want to).
Their schedule is on their website(http://www.coderbunnyz.com) and workshops are in
public libraries. I subscribed to their facebook page
(http://www.facebook.com/coderbunnyz) to keep myself updated. ( classes fills up very
quickly)
The amazing thing is , its done by a 8 year old girl, who also invented the board
game also.
Hope this helps,
Monic
Programming group/lessons/events for a 13 year old
Jan 2014
Hello all,
My 13 year old son has started to teach himself computer programming - python, c,
c++, javascript. He really likes it and in order to support him I'd like to know
if there any groups/classes/events he can join on week-ends or after school?
thanks!
Programmer-mom
hi!
this isn't exactly a group but online my son (soon to be 13) is learning
from codeacademy, online. for javascript. they also do python. i don't
think they do java or c++. but maybe yours is well beyond that.
id tech in the summer has more advanced classes, i believe, at berkeley and
also at stanford. they are pricey but would gather together kids with
similar interests perhaps?
looking forward to hearing what other people recommend to you!
coding parent too
Computer Game Programming Camp for 11 yr old
Dec 2013
Looking for suggestions of good summer day camps in the Berkeley/Albany/El Cerrito/N. Oakland area where my 11 year old grandson can start to learn computer game design and programming. As you might expect he's a Minecraft geek/addict. He's done a couple half day Lego Robot camps through El Cerrito Parks and Rec and enjoyed those. But at this point he's ready for a more significant challenge. What's worked well for your children/grandchildren? Grandma Jenny
My 10 year-old daughter took a week-long camp this summer called Video Game Design at the Chabot Space and Science Camp. She actually didn't like it because she was the only girl, so we transferred her out part way through, but it sounded awesome and I was a little disappointed she didn't keep in there, as she is also a minecraft freak/geek. For girls, however, there is a thing called Black Girls Code for girls of color to learn web design, game design, etc. and she did do a full day workshop there in May. I guess that's probably why she didn't like the ''boys'' class at Chabot. Minecraft Mom
Hi there- My 10 year old daughter had the same problem with IDTech. They claim to be supportive of girls, but it is hard to do when she is the only one. We have resorted to private tutoring. She is learning beginning Python to eventually be able to code mods for Minecraft. Sorry to not have a camp resource for you. I would love to know if you find one! Perhaps our two girls could get together, though, to geek over Minecraft together. cam
Classes for teen in Introductory Computer Programming
Sept 2012
I have a freshman son who is very, very interested in computer programming. He did not get into the C++/Jave 1/2 class he wanted at his high school. Does anyone know of courses at local community colleges or UC Berkeley classes for audit for a motivated teen or other options? I am also looking at ways to channel this interest into something beyond gaming which is what he's mostly occupied with now. Recently he researched components, saved his money and built his own souped-up computer. Thanks in advance. Mother of Computer Teen
If your son is a good motivated self-studier, he may be in luck. The online educational consortium EdX - MIT, Harvard, UC Berkeley - are offering two online introductory computer science courses. These courses are free, homework is submitted weekly and exams are given.
Harvard is offering CS50X, an introduction to computer science starting October 15. MIT is offering MIT6.00X, an introduction to computer science and programming. The former uses C, the latter python. The course syllabuses are posted online. https://www.edx.org/courses
A certificate of completion can be printed by the student. Just create an account and sign up. https://www.edx.org/
These courses are ''college level'', which means your student must be diligent. But they *are* real CS courses from two top-tier universities tailored for Internet study.
Most community colleges now restrict their courses to age 16 (junior level) or above, and CS courses are in such high demand that it is difficult for a low-priority high school student to get admitted, so I would not advise going that route at this time. Check out EdX and see if the courses offered are right for your son. Good Luck
Computer Programming for Teens
Feb. 2002
My 14 year old son would love to learn programming, with the eventual goal of designing video games. We haven't been able to find anything in the East Bay. He's been trying to teach himself from a book (C++ for Dummies) but it's tough going and there's noone to help when he gets stuck. I'd appreciate any leads to classes, teachers or more user-friendly resources. Thanks. Anna G.
Vista College offers a number of classes in computer programming, many of them in the evening. My 15-year old is currently enrolled in one, and has been quite comfortable in it. High school students can enroll at Vista quite easily....they need to get a form approved by their school, and then get it approved by Vista. They can take the class for either high school or college credit. Check with your son's counselor, or call the Vista College admissions office. Its too late to enroll for Spring semester, but there are classes in summer and fall. Jeffrey
Try UC - they have a summer program for C++ for teens. Yogreen
My son has gone to computer camp a couple weeks every summer for the last three years. He's attended Cybercamp because it offers robotics, video classes, game programming and C++. The college kids and grads who lead the classes are great and there's flexability for anyone who changes their mind about what they want to try out. Unfortunately, it's very expensive. So this year, having taken robotics and other related subjects, he's mainly interested in C++. My plan is to wait until the camps issue of Parent's Press comes out, and see if there's a less costly alternative, though I highly recommend Cybercamps is you can afford it. I look forward to hearing what other parents have to recommend. Thanks for asking. Dusky
Oct 1998
I have a son just turning 14 who has been intensely involved with computers for years now, but primarily playing games. He has shown some interest in programming, again related to games, and has taught himself enough to be able to create new levels for some of his games. He also does lots of tinkering with his computer system at home, and he is a computer technical consultant at his middle school. He is now showing a broader interest in programming, and we would like to encourage this. Any suggestions on opportunities or resources for kids of this age group? We would be interested in hearing about summer programs, other courses, books, groups, etc. Cynthia
Don't know if this is what you're looking for...I would encourage you to investigate programming classes at some of the local community colleges (Merrit, Vista, etc.). I took intro to programming at Merrit, and the class was quite diverse. I don't know the age range of the class. Many students came with skills far below your son's -- several were into gaming and aspired to write game software. Bob
I am not familiar with camp Integem, but my son was really happy with the Berkeley Coder School camps that he attended between 10-12. They have nice small group sizes and he enjoyed working with the college-age coaches who mostly come from the Cal Computer Science program. He's an intermediate coder and attended the Roblox, Microbit controllers, and Mobile Madness (phone apps) camps. They do a good job of introducing basic coding concepts and getting the kids working with real tools for coding. For math programs he has also done the Berkeley ATDP math programs, although that is a longer commitment (3 weeks) and the Point Richmond location may or may not work for you. Another option might be Firecracker Math, we did their online summer Math Boost program this past summer and they also have an in person camp as well that may appeal to a math-loving kid. Good luck!
My son did a Python class last summer with ATDP that he thought was well done.
Our local high school's programming teacher recommended CodeHS, which has online classes at the elementary, middle and high school level. At the moment, my son is independently doing a more advanced Python class offered by CodeHS and is enjoying it. The cost of the class is pretty reasonable and comes with online support.