

Teaching Python
Sean Tibor and Kelly Paredes
Welcome to "Teaching Python Podcast,” the go-to podcast for anyone interested in the intersection of education and coding. Hosted by Kelly Paredes and Sean Tibor, this podcast dives into the thrills and challenges of teaching computer science through the engaging and versatile Python programming language.
About the Hosts:
Kelly Paredes brings a wealth of global experience in curriculum design and currently inspires sixth and eighth graders at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Celebrating her seventh year of integrating Python into her teaching, Kelly has a knack for making complex concepts accessible and exciting.
Sean Tibor, a Cloud Engineering leader at Mondelez International, draws from a rich background that spans marketing, database design, and digital agency leadership. Having taught Python to seventh and eighth graders at Pine Crest School, Sean now extends his expertise by supporting interns and tutoring students in Python.
Explore with Us:
* Engaging Lessons: Discover how we make Python programming both fun and accessible for young learners, equipping them with the skills to tackle real-world problems.
* Classroom Insights: Experience our journey through both triumphs and trials in the classroom, and learn what it takes to foster a vibrant learning environment.
* Expert Interviews: Gain valuable perspectives from interviews with fellow educators and industry experts, who share their top strategies and success stories in coding education.
About the Hosts:
Kelly Paredes brings a wealth of global experience in curriculum design and currently inspires sixth and eighth graders at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Celebrating her seventh year of integrating Python into her teaching, Kelly has a knack for making complex concepts accessible and exciting.
Sean Tibor, a Cloud Engineering leader at Mondelez International, draws from a rich background that spans marketing, database design, and digital agency leadership. Having taught Python to seventh and eighth graders at Pine Crest School, Sean now extends his expertise by supporting interns and tutoring students in Python.
Explore with Us:
* Engaging Lessons: Discover how we make Python programming both fun and accessible for young learners, equipping them with the skills to tackle real-world problems.
* Classroom Insights: Experience our journey through both triumphs and trials in the classroom, and learn what it takes to foster a vibrant learning environment.
* Expert Interviews: Gain valuable perspectives from interviews with fellow educators and industry experts, who share their top strategies and success stories in coding education.
Episodes
Mentioned books

4 snips
Jan 5, 2023 • 50min
Episode 103: ChatGPT and Learning
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 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.Support Teaching PythonLinks:ChatGPT: Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue — We’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer followup questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests. ChatGPT is a sibling model to InstructGPT, which is trained to follow an instruction in a prompt and provide a detailed response.Aligning Language Models to Follow Instructions — We’ve trained language models that are much better at following user intentions than GPT-3 while also making them more truthful and less toxic, using techniques developed through our alignment research. These InstructGPT models, which are trained with humans in the loop, are now deployed as the default language models on our API.Proximal Policy Optimization — We’re releasing a new class of reinforcement learning algorithms, Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), which perform comparably or better than state-of-the-art approaches while being much simpler to implement and tune. PPO has become the default reinforcement learning algorithm at OpenAI because of its ease of use and good performance.ChatGPT Equivalent Is Open-Source, But it Is of No Use to Developers — It seems like the first open-source ChatGPT equivalent has emerged. It is an application of RLHF (Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback) built on top of Google’s PaLM architecture, which has 540 billion parameters. PaLM + RLHF, ChatGPT Equivalent is open-source now, it is a text-generating model that acts similarly to ChatGPT, was provided by the developer in charge of reverse engineering closed-sourced AI systems like Meta’s Make-A-Video. It is characterized as a work in progress. How AI Is Changing The Way Students Learn — In the education landscape, technology is rapidly changing. AI and machine learning, in particular, are now impacting the education sector in numerous ways. In fact, despite some commonly held beliefs, the use of AI in education goes beyond grading student assessments, and this technology can greatly benefit both educators and students.Brian Bourque on Twitter: — "ChatGPT will revolutionize how non-technical folks build products. Here's an example (I put this together in 2 min, so yeah, it's crappy):" / TwitterCan Anti-Plagiarism Tools Detect When AI Chatbots Write Student Essays? | EdSurge News — After its launch last month, ChatGPT, the latest chatbot released by OpenAI, made the rounds online.
Alex, a sophomore at a university in Pittsburgh, started toying with the chatbot about a week after it was released, after finding out about it on Twitter. Within a couple of days, he got really excited by the quality of the writing it produced. The chatbot was good, he says—really good. (“Alex” is the name that this person provided to EdSurge. He only agreed to speak anonymously, for fear of repercussions for admitting to academic dishonesty.)Will ChatGPT Kill the Student Essay? - The Atlantic — Nobody is prepared for how AI will transform academia.ChatGPT for Google - Chrome Web Store — Display ChatGPT response alongside Google Search results
This is an open-source extension that show response from ChatGPT alongside Google and other search enginesZohaibAhmed/chatgpt-api: This repo is unofficial ChatGPT api. It is based on Daniel Gross's WhatsApp GPT — It uses playwright and chromium to open browser and parse html.
It is an unoffical api for development purpose only.lencx/ChatGPT: 🔮 ChatGPT Desktop Application (Mac, Windows and Linux) — This is a major and exciting update. It works like a Telegram bot command and helps you quickly populate custom models to make chatgpt work the way you want it to. This project has taken a lot of my spare time, so if it helps you, please help spread the word or star it would be a great encouragement to me. I hope I can keep updating it and adding more interesting features.ChatGPT Tutorial - A Crash Course on Chat GPT for Beginners - YouTube — This ChatGPT Tutorial is a Crash Course on Chat GPT for Beginners. With the increase in popularity, ChatGPT is still unknown to many people. In this video, I will provide a crash course on different ways to use ChatGPT.

Dec 24, 2022 • 50min
Episode 102: The Learner Variability Project
In Episode 102 of the Teaching Python podcast with Kelly and Sean, the topic is learner variability, based on an article by Jessica Jackson of the Digital Promise Project. This episode discusses how to effectively teach programming to a diverse group of learners, and how to adapt to the individual needs and learning styles of each student.
One key point discussed in the podcast is that students learn at different times and at different rates, and it is important for teachers to recognize and accommodate this variability. The old theory of learning styles, which suggests that individuals have a preferred style of learning and that teaching should be tailored to these preferences, has been debunked as a myth. Instead, research suggests that the most effective way to teach is to use a variety of methods and approaches, and to allow students to engage with the material in different ways.
In addition to incorporating teaching strategies such as scaffolding, differentiation, and formative assessment, it is also important for teachers to consider the various learning factors that may impact their students. This includes designing for students who may be at the margins, such as those who are struggling or those who are advanced. It also involves designing with context in mind, taking into account the unique experiences and background of each student. This can include cultural factors, language barriers, and any prior knowledge or skills that may be relevant to the material being taught.
Designing with the whole child in mind involves considering not just the cognitive aspects of learning, but also the social and emotional aspects. This may involve creating a positive and supportive learning environment, and being attuned to the needs and well-being of each student. Finally, designing for powerful experiences involves creating engaging and meaningful learning activities that are likely to have a lasting impact on students. By considering these various learning factors, teachers can create more effective and inclusive learning experiences for their students.Support Teaching PythonLinks:Learner Variability Teacher Guide.pdf - Google Drive — The Learner Variability Project In the Field:
A Guide to Understanding and Addressing
Learner VariabilityLearner Variability Navigator | Learner Variability Project — Learners thrive when their experience is personal and meaningful. This free tool helps you find research-based strategies that support the whole learner so you can create better learning experiences today.Homepage - Digital Promise — Digital Promise shapes the future of learning and advances equitable education systems by bringing together solutions across research, practice, and technology.

Dec 11, 2022 • 48min
Episode 101: 2022 Holiday Gift Guide
Welcome to Teaching Python, the podcast all about sharing tips, tricks, and insights on teaching and learning the Python programming language. In this episode, Kelly and Sean are giving you a list of 10 gift ideas for computer science teachers and learners.
Whether you're a teacher looking for some inspiration for your holiday wishlist, or a student looking for a gift for your favorite computer science teacher, this episode has you covered. From practical tools like an online course about Python, to fun gadgets like a Lego rollercoaster or desktop robot, there's something for everyone on this list.
So join Kelly and Sean as they share their top 10 gift ideas for computer science teachers and learners. And as always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, be sure to send us an email at info@teachingpython.fm. Happy holiday season and happy coding!Support Teaching PythonLinks:EMO GO HOME - LivingAi — The EMO GO HOME version is expected to be shipped by Christmas, but we cannot guarantee that you will receive it by Christmas.
So if you want to receive EMO earlier, you can buy the standard version of EMO first, and buy the separate Home Station later (another new order).Loop Coaster 10303 | LEGO® Icons | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US — When we released our first roller-coaster set, we had no idea that it would become so popular. It turns out, though, that people really love roller-coasters!
So, when it came to designing our newest roller-coaster set, our designers wanted to do something that we’ve never done before and create a set that they were certain would appeal to roller-coaster fans around the world.Amazon.com: Beginners crochet kit, DIY Crochet Kit For Beginners, Cute Animal Kit Fox Starter Pack With Yarn Balls, Crochet Hooks, knitting stitch markers, Needles, Instruction, Accessories Kit for Beginners — All in One Crochet Kit: Our beginners crochet kit contains 3pcs yarn balls, 1pc crochet hook, 5pcs knitting stitch markers, 1pc yarn needle, 4 plastic eyes, stuffing, paper and video instruction. Easy to follow and happy to start your crochet diy journey.Evo Entry Kit (White) – Ozobot — The Evo Entry Kit prepares educators and parents to bring coding and creativity to the home and classroom, no coding experience required. Code Ozobot Evo two ways: online with Ozobot Blockly and screen-free with Color Code markers. Ozobot Blockly has five skill levels from beginner to master coding. Amazon.com: YDDSABER Jedi Sith LED Light Saber, Force FX Heavy Dueling, Rechargeable Lightsaber, Loud Sound High Light with FOC, Metal Hilt, Blaster, (Red) : Toys & Games — Our Advantage: The lightsaber has Blaster sound and flash on clash, support dueling. Let you cross into the real movie and become the last jedi Sith of wars .
Smooth Aluminum Hilt+Removable Blade: Handle is made of aluminum alloy. Blade material is high quality poly carbonate. Total length about 95 cm after assembly.Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: Matthes, Eric: 9781718502703: Amazon.com: Books — This third edition is completely revised to reflect the latest in Python code. New and updated coverage includes VS Code for text editing, the pathlib module for file handling, pytest for testing your code, as well as the latest features of Matplotlib, Plotly, and Django.
If you’ve been thinking about digging into programming, Python Crash Course will provide you with the skills to write real programs fast. Why wait any longer? Start your engines and code!(Get it now) Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition | No Starch Press — Python Crash Course is the world’s best-selling guide to the Python programming language. This fast-paced, thorough introduction will have you writing programs, solving problems, and developing functioning applications in no time.Products | ovobot — Xtron Pro is a programmable handheld game console that is ideal for running MakeCode Arcade & NES games and creating DIY projects from electronics to mobile robots, Xtron Pro can also be transformed into a wearable device with customized interfaces and functions by visual programming.Membership – Real Python — Become a Python Expert
Level up your career with hands-on courses, learning paths, code quizzes, and 24/7 access to a community of expertsBundle: The Everything Bundle (2022 Q4) - [Talk Python Training] — Lifetime access to every course currently in our library or launched before October 2023, period Buy Exercise Credits — Buy a redemption code for exercise credits and premium screencast access
You can use this form to purchase a Python Morsels redemption code redeemable for exercise credits and access to premium Python Morsels screencasts. You can send this redemption code to friend or you can apply it to your own account (it can only be used once though).Become a Member of the PSF | Python Software Foundation — Become a Member of the PSF
By becoming a member, you tell us and the world that you are a part of the PSF and support our work, and as one of the classes of voting members, you add your voice to the future direction of the Foundation. We're so happy to have you!

Nov 5, 2022 • 46min
Episode 100: Celebrating Motivation (with @mkennedy & @brianokken)
After 100 episodes of Teaching Python, Kelly and Sean invite some friends of the show to share how they stay motivated.
We're joined by Michael Kennedy and [Brian Okken](twitter.com/brianokken) from the Python Bytes podcast to talk about the ways we stay motivated.
Listen in for tips and strategies from a variety of sources. How do you stay motivated?Special Guests: Brian Okken and Michael Kennedy.Support Teaching PythonLinks:Python Bytes Podcast — Python Bytes is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Kennedy and Brian Okken. Talk Python To Me Podcast — Talk Python To Me
A podcast on Python and related technologiesTest & Code in Python — ABOUT THE SHOW
Topics include automated testing, testing strategy, software engineering practices, packaging, Python, pytest, data science, TDD, continuous integration, and software methodologies.
Also anything I think helps make the daily life of a software developer more fun and rewarding.
Hosted by Brian OkkenPython Testing with pytest: Simple, Rapid, Effective, and Scalable: Okken, Brian: 9781680508604: Amazon.com: Books — Test applications, packages, and libraries large and small with pytest, Python's most powerful testing framework. pytest helps you write tests quickly and keep them readable and maintainable. In this fully revised edition, explore pytest's superpowers - simple asserts, fixtures, parametrization, markers, and plugins - while creating simple tests and test suites against a small database application. Using a robust yet simple fixture model, it's just as easy to write small tests with pytest as it is to scale up to complex functional testing. This book shows you how.

Oct 28, 2022 • 48min
Episode 99: LIVE: The Art of Searching It Up
The Teaching Python podcast speaks about how the Google Cycle can help support learning in Code. Teaching kids to “embrace the research side of Coding (and become great at this skill)”
“Now we aren’t talking about googling for solutions. But smart googling with a big perspective.”
→ Kelly is starting a Boot camp, the prework module actually says and explains: “If you get stuck, remember that you can usually get help by searching online.” THere are guidelines to how to search and how to read Stack Overflow.
“A good rule of thumb is to use code you find as a resource, not a solution.”
“While google may have many answers, it’s no replacement for your own mind! Avoid relying on google to find out the programming solutions to the bare fundamentals of your chosen programming language.”
This means not being tempted to use your search tools as a replacement for memorising the basics of your programming language. While technically you’ll quickly find the answer for the most basic questions to some programming queries (e.g. how to print to console) you certainly don’t want to be reaching for google every time you need to use this!Support Teaching Python

Oct 20, 2022 • 49min
Episode 98: Robotics with RobotLab
The Teaching Python podcast speaks with Elad Inbar, founder of RobotLab and Robots for Education and how to improve student engagement by using robots.Special Guest: Elad Inbar.Support Teaching PythonLinks:RobotLAB Group - Robotics Solution Integrator — We are "The Robot Guys". the only company you will ever need for your turn-key robotics solution. No matter how small or large your project is, we can do the heavy lifting for you!NAO Robot Power V6 Educator Pack — The latest version of NAO with 10 major areas of improvement is here! Bring STEM and Coding to life with the NAO Robot. Hands-on learning platform to teach core subjects: Reading, Writing, Math, pre-algebra, geometry, algebra, trigonometry, calculus and programming.

5 snips
Sep 19, 2022 • 46min
Episode 97: Beyond Computer Science Classrooms
Sri Kundurthy, a student and EuroPython speaker joins Kelly and Sean to talk about bringing Python to other subject areas. From physics models to data manipulation to advanced algorithms, we talk about a wide range of applications for computer science outside of the computer science classroomSpecial Guest: Srivatsa Kundurthy.Support Teaching PythonLinks:Revolutionizing Education: How Python is Essential Beyond Computer Science - Srivatsa Kundurthy - EuroPython 2022 | July 11th-17th 2022 | Dublin Ireland & Remote — Python has had a transformational effect on countless fields so far, but its permeation can be accelerated through the integration of Python into non-computing coursework. Currently, Python’s presence within secondary and post-secondary schools varies greatly between different institutions, but the continuity in the lack of interdisciplinary coursework is a key limiting factor in the widespread growth of computing education. The Missing README: A Guide for the New Software Engineer: Riccomini, Chris, Ryaboy, Dmitriy: 9781718501836: Amazon.com: Books — Key concepts and best practices for new software engineers — stuff critical to your workplace success that you weren’t taught in school.srivatsa-kundurthy (Srivatsa Kundurthy)Teaching Python: Overview | LinkedIn — Our new Teaching Python LinkedIn Page!

Sep 3, 2022 • 51min
Episode 96: Decoupling Grading
Kelly and Sean discuss how grading and learning are often confused with each other. We settle in for a chat about everything from intern projects to class challenges to communicating actual learning through grades. Settle in for an episode with just the co-hosts of Teaching Python!Support Teaching PythonLinks:Modern APIs with FastAPI and Python Online Course - [Talk Python Training] — Getting started course with FastAPI from TalkPython Training by Michael KennedyThe Missing README: A Guide for the New Software Engineer: Riccomini, Chris, Ryaboy, Dmitriy: 9781718501836: Amazon.com: Books — Key concepts and best practices for new software engineers — stuff critical to your workplace success that you weren’t taught in school.Amazon.com: Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving: 9781593274245: Spraul, V. Anton: Books — The real challenge of programming isn't learning a language's syntax—it's learning to creatively solve problems so you can build something great. In this one-of-a-kind text, author V. Anton Spraul breaks down the ways that programmers solve problems and teaches you what other introductory books often ignore: how to Think Like a Programmer. Each chapter tackles a single programming concept, like classes, pointers, and recursion, and open-ended exercises throughout challenge you to apply your knowledge.Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy - Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy - Carnegie Mellon University — Use educational affordances of robotics to create CS-STEM opportunities for all learners

Aug 22, 2022 • 49min
Episode 95: Managing Your Teacher Workload
The Teaching Python podcast speaks with Pete Dring and the tools he has created to manage his workload while teaching computer science and Python. Join us to learn more about these tools and how you can use them to shift your workload from boring to exciting!Special Guest: Peter Dring.Support Teaching PythonLinks:Create with code — Write python code in the browser!Write, run and debug python code in your browser — Welcome to blog.withcode.uk! This site is designed to provide free teaching and learning resources for teachers and students of Computer Science. You can find out more here. Amazon.com: Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything eBook : PhD, Barbara Oakley, Schewe, Olav: Kindle Store — Do you spend too much time learning with disappointing results? Do you find it difficult to remember what you read? Do you put off studying because it’s boring and you’re easily distracted? This book is for you.

Aug 1, 2022 • 1h 4min
Episode 94: Anaconda in Education
Sean and Kelly speak with Anaconda and their outreach program. Anaconda supports educators and learners with the ability to understand and interpret data. This leads to better decision-making and a world where people are empowered to create positive change.
Episode Errata:
The hackday event referenced in the episode was related to Pyscript and more information will come out on that shortly.
The data science competition for high school students referenced in the episode is called Data Science Expo and will be piloted in the 2022-2023 school year.
Note: we had to go to the cloud-based recording backup for this episode, so you may notice a few issues with audio quality. Our editor did his best to clean it up, but there are a few rough spots.Special Guests: Albert Defusco and Sophia Yang.Support Teaching PythonLinks:Anaconda Nucleus — Find content in the Anaconda library, support, and more!Anaconda | The World's Most Popular Data Science Platform — Anaconda offers the easiest way to perform Python/R data science and machine learning on a single machine. Start working with thousands of open-source packages and libraries today.Getting started with Anaconda — Anaconda documentation — Anaconda Distribution contains conda and Anaconda Navigator, as well as Python and hundreds of scientific packages. When you installed Anaconda, you installed all these too.PyScript | Run Python in your HTML — Run Python in Your HTML


