Need beginning tutorial to print
 

I'm teaching a class in general computer literacy (college students, not computer science students), and a section of our textbook deals with introducing programming, using JavaScript. I'd like to us PHP instead, but with some students not having good web access and various factors like that, I'd like to find a good tutorial for absolute beginners (with some rudimentary html, of course) that I can print and make available for the students. I don't mind if I have to get html off websites and format it for print myself (and of course crediting the author), but I don't want to take someone's tutorials without their permission.

Since the students have already paid for the text, I don't want to have them incur additional expense of another book. If that's the choice, I'd probably stick with JavaScript in the text.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

My opinion would be that for general computer literacy, Javascript would be as good as PHP. The implication is that they're not actually learning to be programmers in this course. The basics are the same, insofar as variables, conditional controls, etc. There is a lot of free material on the web for many languages, but the right to redistribute it may be a cow with different spots. If each student could get just a tad of time for web access, each could get their own from amongst the various free things. It just sounds like overkill for the type of class you describe.

I have a short series of 6 tutorials that I wrote for a friend who has no programming experience. He didn't have any trouble picking up PHP from them. They do assume a *little* HTML knowledge though.

http://www.480x.com/2006/03/08/learning-php-lesson-1/
http://www.480x.com/2006/03/09/learning-php-lesson-2/
http://www.480x.com/2006/03/09/learning-php-lesson-3/
http://www.480x.com/2006/03/10/learning-php-lesson-4/
http://www.480x.com/2006/03/11/learning-php-lesson-5/
http://www.480x.com/2006/03/13/learning-php-lesson-6/

- Sean

I have to agree with DaWei on this. I really don't think it matters which language you use they will still learn the basics. But if you want to use php we have a 3 part php tutorial on the site you can take a look at.

http://www.programmingforums.org/for...splay.php?f=47

as far as "programming" i started with javascript, and all it did was whet my appetite for more.

PLUS....you can use js with any web browser w/o downloading and installing php, along with html and css. you'll learn the same crap...in my current (1 of 4) gen-ed classes i have to take, all of the students are retarded, and basic arithemetic is difficult. so, for THAT class it sounds like computers for idiots (CS is not about writing device drivers or some weird crap, it'a about learning the logic to tackle probelms). it's really fun to watch your js apps run and WILL teach your students some "under the hood" types of things, gen-eds are about guiding students into their real interests and making them educated individuals. logical thinking is the underpinning of any gen-ed comp class. (if-then is your friend, they'll hate it or love it). if they hate it, then they can become elementary - ed majors and keep dragging america's youth into some asinine level of stupidity, or they can do something else and make the decisions for all of the retards out there.

That's true -- the purpose is just to get a small look at what goes on in programming and be able to follow basic priciples. We just finished a few weeks of HTML, all done by hand. Most got it and were able to put up their pictures, class schedule in tables, make links to other pages, do lists and that type of thing. So they all do have access to a webserve I set up for them, and this is running PHP. I'm not a programmer either (although I did write a database in Quick Basic YEARS ago) and would like to get into PHP, so I that's one reason for wanting to do this. The other is that the course has been taught in the past by a real programmer (now an administrator) and it was also his suggestion that if he was to do the course again, he'd switch to PHP.

Because of the various levels of students in the class, I really want everyone to have the same materials, same problems, same practice exercises, etc. so we can discuss them in class. Are either of these tutorials ones I can print and make available to the class?

I'm fine with that.

Also don't forget that you can still dig up copies of GWBasic. :) It doesn't get much more simple than that. No web servers to setup. No cross browser difficulties. In fact, my CS 101 was still teaching GWBasic.

- Sean

headzoo, why would you pick GWBasic over something like Python or Ruby?

I wouldn't pick it over Python or Ruby, but I would pick it over PHP or JavaScript. Python wouldn't be bad either, although dealing with namespaces might confuse some people. Ruby might be too OOP for a simple course designed for people who aren't necessarily studying to be programmers.

- Sean