Monthly Archives: July 2016

Join us at Tulsa Techfest 2016

If anyone wants to come and learn more about Cloud Programming or Arduino development, come join us at Tulsa Techfest! My talks are listed here, and you can see the full schedule of the event here. I hope to see you there!

Fall Classes Starting Up!

UPDATES – Please see this post for updated information!

For those in the Tulsa area, we are lining up a set of classes for the fall. The exact times are tentative and depend on the exact location, which we are presently working on. Sign up now and reserve your space!

We are currently planning on three classes. The classes are year-long, but the fall and spring terms are contracted separately.

  • Programming and Web Development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This course follows the book New Programmers Start Here and introduces the basics of programming, HTML, and networking to students. Students should have some basic typing skills before starting class. Class is limited to Junior-high and high-school aged students (12 years old and up). This class will meet at 9:30 AM.
  • Introduction to Electronics. This course will introduce students to the basics of electronics, and focus on learning to build basic circuits. All circuits built will be low-power, DC-only circuits, which means that they will be safe. Students will learn the basics of circuit analysis, circuit design, and microcontroller programming. Class is limited to Junior-high and high-school aged students (12 years old and up). This class will meet at 10:30 AM.
  • Calculus for the Curious. This course is an introduction to Calculus. While most mathematics courses are about applying formulas that the book tells you, Calculus is about building formulas from basic principles. If you are curious about what makes mathematics and the sciences tick, this Calculus course will show you how to think about problems in new ways, and teaches you to apply basic principles to transform problems into solutions. Class is limited to high-school aged students who have taken some amount of trigonometry and are proficient in algebra skills. This class will meet at 8:30 AM.

Classes will meet on Wednesday mornings for 15 weeks. We are meeting on the following days: August 17, 24, and 31, September 7, 14, 21, and 28, October 5, 12, and 26, November 2, 9, 16, and 30, and December 7. This has two breaks – October 19th and November 23rd. We are currently talking with a church in Jenks about using their facilities for the class, but a finalized location is currently pending. Times on the classes may be shifted slightly depending on the finalization of the location. All classes will involve homework for the students to do between classes.

Classes cost $150 per student per semester per class. If you enroll in multiple classes, or have multiple students in a class, the classes are discounted down to $125.

Additionally, students in the programming class need to purchase the book New Programmers Start Here. Students will also need to pay a computer lab fee of $20. Computers will be provided during class, but students are expected to have a computer at home to do assignments on (any computer built in the last decade should work, though students will need to be able to install software programs needed for the class – all software will be free downloads). Computers can be purchased from BP Learning capable of doing the assignments for $60.

Students in the electronics class will need to pay an additional $35 for an electronics kit which will be added to throughout the semester. Students will be responsible for bringing their kit to class each week.

Email jonathan@bartlettpublishing.com if you are interested in taking these classes or have any questions. Minimum class size is 5 students; maximum class size is 15 students.

New Video Series: The Tinkerer’s Toolbox

We are proud to announce a new video series, The Tinkerer’s Toolbox, focused on electronics and microcontroller programming. This first video in this series focuses on event-based programming in Arduino.

Building a Mobile Computer Lab

For the homeschool co-op classes I teach, I have been building a mobile computer lab. I though I would share my setup in case anyone else wants to do something similar.
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Speaking at Tulsa Techfest on Building Scalable Web Applications

If anyone is in Tulsa, I will be speaking at Tulsa Techfest on Friday, August 5th on my book, Building Scalable Web Applications Using the Cloud. Come and watch!