Episode 138: Innovative Coding Education with Pamela Fox
09/30/24 • 56 min
1 Listener
In episode 138 of Teaching Python, hosts Sean Tibor and Kelly Schuster-Paredes welcome Pamela Fox, a Principal Developer Advocate at Microsoft, to discuss the dynamic world of teaching, coding, and creating. Pamela shares her experiences working with Python in the cloud, emphasizing the various applications from serverless functions to web application backends using frameworks like Flask and Django. This episode provides a comprehensive look at how cloud-based environments like GitHub CodeSpaces and CoLab make programming more accessible and reduce the friction often associated with setting up development environments.
Pamela dives into her approach to teaching and the unique challenges posed by different educational formats. Drawing from her work at institutions like UC Berkeley and her development of AP Computer Science Principles content for Khan Academy, she highlights the importance of making learning engaging and personalized. Pamela shares insights into the design of interactive and project-based curricula, touching on how tools like Parsons problems can scaffold learning effectively and make complex concepts like recursion more approachable.
The conversation also explores the significance of visualizations in learning programming, as exemplified by Pamela's recursion visualizer tool. The episode concludes with reflections on the breadth of topics covered in AP CSP and the value of exposing students to a wide array of programming experiences. Listeners gain a deeper understanding of the balance between teaching fundamental concepts and encouraging creative expression through code, along with practical tips for educators at all levels.
Special Guest: Pamela Fox.
Links:
- GitHub - pamelafox/recursive-visualizations: An online tool to visualize recursive JS functions step-by-step as a tree. — A way to visualize the call graph of recursive functions. Uses Pyodide to run rcviz.py and then a WASM PyDot/GraphViz port to build an SVG graph. Finally, some JavaScript adds a slider for stepping through the calls.
- GitHub - pamelafox/faded-parsons-static: A way to run Python Faded Parsons problems entirely in the browser. — This website allows you to run Faded Parsons Problems in the browser. It uses Pyodide for executing Python doctests and localStorage for storing user progress.
In episode 138 of Teaching Python, hosts Sean Tibor and Kelly Schuster-Paredes welcome Pamela Fox, a Principal Developer Advocate at Microsoft, to discuss the dynamic world of teaching, coding, and creating. Pamela shares her experiences working with Python in the cloud, emphasizing the various applications from serverless functions to web application backends using frameworks like Flask and Django. This episode provides a comprehensive look at how cloud-based environments like GitHub CodeSpaces and CoLab make programming more accessible and reduce the friction often associated with setting up development environments.
Pamela dives into her approach to teaching and the unique challenges posed by different educational formats. Drawing from her work at institutions like UC Berkeley and her development of AP Computer Science Principles content for Khan Academy, she highlights the importance of making learning engaging and personalized. Pamela shares insights into the design of interactive and project-based curricula, touching on how tools like Parsons problems can scaffold learning effectively and make complex concepts like recursion more approachable.
The conversation also explores the significance of visualizations in learning programming, as exemplified by Pamela's recursion visualizer tool. The episode concludes with reflections on the breadth of topics covered in AP CSP and the value of exposing students to a wide array of programming experiences. Listeners gain a deeper understanding of the balance between teaching fundamental concepts and encouraging creative expression through code, along with practical tips for educators at all levels.
Special Guest: Pamela Fox.
Links:
- GitHub - pamelafox/recursive-visualizations: An online tool to visualize recursive JS functions step-by-step as a tree. — A way to visualize the call graph of recursive functions. Uses Pyodide to run rcviz.py and then a WASM PyDot/GraphViz port to build an SVG graph. Finally, some JavaScript adds a slider for stepping through the calls.
- GitHub - pamelafox/faded-parsons-static: A way to run Python Faded Parsons problems entirely in the browser. — This website allows you to run Faded Parsons Problems in the browser. It uses Pyodide for executing Python doctests and localStorage for storing user progress.
Previous Episode
Episode 137: Lifelong Learning with Kelsey Hightower
In this insightful episode of Teaching Python, hosts Sean Tibor and Kelly Schuster-Paredes engage in a dynamic conversation with the eminent Kelsey Hightower. The episode delves into Hightower's journey from self-taught programmer to distinguished engineer at Google, touching on the significance of lifelong learning and the non-traditional paths that many successful technologists follow. Hightower's anecdotes are not only inspiring but also provide valuable lessons on perseverance and the importance of staying curious.
The episode tackles key themes around the entrepreneurial mindset, advising both students and educators on how to take calculated risks and break away from conventional norms. Hightower shares his unique insights on how thinking like an entrepreneur can lead to personal and professional growth, and how these principles can be applied even in structured educational environments. His stories about facing and overcoming challenges offer a blueprint for anyone looking to innovate within their current roles.
For educators, Hightower's discussion emphasizes the need to look beyond the standard curriculum and foster an environment where students feel empowered to explore and experiment. The episode is rich with ideas on how to cultivate a nurturing yet challenging atmosphere that encourages students to think independently and embrace failure as a stepping stone to success. Whether you are a teacher, student, or tech enthusiast, this episode provides a wealth of wisdom on nurturing potential and achieving excellence.
Special Guest: Kelsey Hightower.
Links:
- Kubernetes: Up and Running: Dive into the Future of Infrastructure: Burns, Brendan, Beda, Joe, Hightower, Kelsey, Evenson, Lachlan: 9781098110208: Amazon.com: Books — In just five years, Kubernetes has radically changed the way developers and ops personnel build, deploy, and maintain applications in the cloud. With this book's updated third edition, you'll learn how this popular container orchestrator can help your company achieve new levels of velocity, agility, reliability, and efficiency--whether you're new to distributed systems or have been deploying cloud native apps for some time. Brendan Burns, Joe Beda, Kelsey Hightower, and Lachlan Evenson--who have worked on Kubernetes at Google and beyond--explain how this system fits into the life cycle of a distributed application. Software developers, engineers, and architects will learn ways to use tools and APIs to automate scalable distributed systems for online services, machine learning applications, or even a cluster of Raspberry Pi computers.
- Great Software & Storytelling Is Emotional | Kelsey Hightower (Legendary Developer) | CRAFTED. - YouTube — Kelsey Hightower is a legend. He’s a Kubernetes pioneer and recently retired (at 42!) from Google where he was a distinguished engineer. He still regularly gives live software demos in front of tens of thousands of people, improvising them like it’s jazz. He’s a master storyteller and a master craftsman.
- Kelsey Hightower (@kelseyhightower) / X
- kelseyhightower (Kelsey Hightower) · GitHub
Next Episode
Episode 139: Code Your Dreams with Brianne Caplan
In Episode 139 of Teaching Python, hosts Sean Tibor and Kelly Schuster-Paredes welcome back Brianne Caplan, the dynamic founder of Code Your Dreams. The conversation explores the exciting advancements in coding education since Brianne's last appearance in 2019. They delve into the importance of blending play and learning, the impact of generative AI, and the power of community-driven innovation. Brianne shares inspiring success stories from students of all ages, from first graders creating mindfulness apps to adults developing solutions for police transparency. The episode also examines the role of failures in the learning process and the opportunities for growth they present. Tune in for an uplifting discussion about leveraging technology to create positive change in diverse communities and fostering an environment where everyone has the opportunity to innovate.
Special Guest: Brianne Caplan.
Links:
- Code Your Dreams | Teaching Inner-City Chicago Kids To Code — Where Every Dream Counts: Embracing Innovation Through Education for a Brighter Future
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/teaching-python-168098/episode-138-innovative-coding-education-with-pamela-fox-75085709"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to episode 138: innovative coding education with pamela fox on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy