Show HN: Teaching kids to code using the Raspberry Pi and JavaScript
I am teaching a free course to 16 kids, ages 12 to 15 at my local library to program, using the Raspberry Pi and JavaScript.
So far, I've held 2 out of 7 days, with a new course taking place every 3 weeks. I am writing all of the materials before each course, aiming to have the material ready about a week before we meet. The content is released under a CC license, and publised at http://kodegenet.no/#/courses/courses_raspi (Norwegian), including text, figures and screencasts.
The general idea is that each group of 4 kids will build a remote controlled car (with on-board Raspbery Pi computer, and hosting a Wifi HotSpot). The Pi will control the motors, and expose a webapp that can be accessed via a computer, or a smartphone. THe intent, being that its a fun project that can serve as the basis of getting the kids to grasp what technologies that are powering our IT world, while not getting bogged down with too much boring details.
It's a bit of an ambitious project and I have no idea if we will be able to meet the deadline in 7 x 2 hours, but I think it will be great fun for the kids regardless :)
What do you, the HN crowd, think? I would love to hear your feedback and thoughts!