Episode 149: Guiding Education with Sheena O'Connell

Show Notes Introduction Welcome to this week's episode, entirely devoted to CircuitPython. We're excited to have Kattni Rembor from Adafruit as our special guest, who has contributed extensively to the CircuitPython platform, from beginner guides to advanced projects. Kattni's Win of the Week Kattni shares her current project, a guide for creating a keyboard key switch with NeoPixels underneath. Each key press generates a random LED color. Our Wins of the Week Kelly Schuster-Paredes, currently on vacation, shares her achievement of resting for two consecutive minutes. Sean shares his experience using the Marp tool for presentations but admits to time management struggles. CircuitPython Introduction We delve into CircuitPython, a version of Python designed for microcontrollers. Created for beginners and educational purposes, it provides a unique approach to learning Python. CircuitPython Applications Kattni enlightens us on the vast applications of CircuitPython, ranging from environmental sensing to assistive technologies for people with disabilities. CircuitPython Capabilities We discuss how CircuitPython simplifies complex tasks, fostering creativity and making tasks like LED blinking quite straightforward. CircuitPython Boards At the time of recording, there are 413 boards compatible with CircuitPython available at circuitpython.org. We also discuss Adafruit's educational pricing and discounts. Top CircuitPython Boards We list our top five favorite boards for education, ease of use, and fun projects, including Blue fruit and Circuit Playground Express. Getting Started with CircuitPython Starting with CircuitPython can be challenging for beginners. We discuss some common issues and solutions, like copying required libraries immediately after importing. CircuitPython in the Classroom We highlight the immense possibilities of CircuitPython in educational settings and encourage educators to explore its potential. Connect with Kattni Rembor You can follow Kattni Rembor's projects on the Adafruit Learning System and on social media platforms like Mastodon. Live Streaming Announcement Kelly announces the "Summer of Streaming," aiming to live stream every Wednesday at three. Closing Remarks We wrap up the episode with Kattni expressing her enjoyment in discussing CircuitPython and her excitement for future projects. Sean and Kelly sign off, looking forward to the next episode. Special Guest: Kattni Rembor.

23 Juni 20231h 4min

Show Notes: Personal Updates Sean Tibor shares his excitement about meeting his overseas team members for the first time. He also expresses pride at watching his first batch of students graduate and choose to study in computer science and related fields. Future Learning Journeys Kelly Schuster-Paredes reflects on the exciting learning opportunities the students will undertake. She expresses hope that these students will return to share their experiences and insights (Teaching Python website (https://www.teachingpython.fm/)). Inviting Past Students on the Podcast Both hosts discuss the possibility of inviting former students to the podcast as guests. Current Students Excelling Kelly shares an anecdote about a 6th grader surpassing her knowledge in Python's Turtle module (https://docs.python.org/3/library/turtle.html). Plans for the Podcast Return in June with the first guest speaker of the year. Considering a summer sabbatical to prepare for the upcoming school year. Plans to enhance their Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/teachingpython) with exclusive benefits. Reach Out! Sean invites listeners to reach out via social platforms such as Twitter (https://twitter.com/teachingpython), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/teachingpython), and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/teaching-python). He also encourages feedback on potential topics or guests for future podcast episodes through their website contact form (https://www.teachingpython.fm/contact). Signing Off The hosts sign off, promising more Python learning insights and experiences in the next episodes. For more details, visit the Teaching Python Podcast website (https://www.teachingpython.fm/).

30 Maj 202332min

Kelly and Sean interview Ryan Dehmoubed, co-founder of JuiceMind (https://www.juicemind.com/), a startup focused on hardware and software for the K-12 computer science education market. Their initial products focus on the AP Computer Science curriculum with a goal of making coding more engaging while showing students the practical applications of coding. In this interview, we'll cover everything from the shortage of computer science teachers to smart doorbells to going beyond Kahoot! to tools that help teachers assess student learning progress. Special Guest: Ryan Dehmoubed.

12 Mars 202343min

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 (https://www.aiclub.world), 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.

5 Mars 202347min

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.

23 Feb 202356min

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.

8 Feb 202311min

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.

24 Jan 202343min

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 (https://openai.com/blog/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.

5 Jan 202349min