Episode 54: Making Projects Happen with Eric Matthes (@ehmatthes)

Sean and Kelly invite Eric Matthes, teacher and author of Python Crash Course to discuss student projects in computer science. Eric was with us on Episode 33 and we ended the episode with discussions about completing projects and programming with purpose. In this episode we discuss finding a project, separating academic and project success criteria, helping student coders find a project, how to deal with failure, and some examples of great projects for learning.

Special Guest: Eric Matthes.

Support Teaching Python

Links:

• Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming: Matthes, Eric: 9781593279288: Amazon.com: Books — Python Crash Course is the world's best-selling guide to the Python programming language. This fast-paced, thorough introduction to programming with Python will have you writing programs, solving problems, and making things that work in no time.
• Teaching Python Episode 33: Interview with Eric Matthes — Kelly and Sean interview Eric Matthes, author of Python Crash Course, about how he began programming, what led him to teaching, and the important lessons from Python to be learned both inside and outside of the classroom.
• Adafruit Matrix Portal Starter Kit - ADABOX 016 Essentials ID: 4812 - $69.95 : Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits — If you missed out on AdaBox016, it's not too late for you to pick up the parts necessary to build many of the projects! It doesn't come with tissue paper or the nifty extras, but it does have all the electronic goodies you need.
• Introduction to command line · HonKit — It's exciting, right?! You'll write your first line of code in just a few minutes! :) Let us introduce you to your first new friend: the command line! The following steps will show you how to use the black window all hackers use. It might look a bit scary at first but really it's just a prompt waiting for commands from you.
• Write once. Deploy everywhere.— BeeWare — BeeWare allows you to write your app in Python and release it on multiple platforms. No need to rewrite the app in multiple programming languages. It means no issues with build tools, environments, compatibility, etc.
• PREORDER: Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python: Best Practices for Writing Clean Code: Sweigart, Al: 9781593279660: Amazon.com: Books — Welcome to Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python. More than a mere collection of advanced syntax and masterful tips for writing clean code, you'll learn how to advance your Python programming skills by using the command line and other professional tools like code formatters, type checkers, linters, and version control. Sweigart takes you through best practices for setting up your development environment, naming variables, and improving readability, then tackles documentation, organization and performance measurement, as well as object-oriented design and the Big-O algorithm analysis commonly used in coding interviews. The skills you learn will boost your ability to program--not just in Python but in any language.