Hello - Playground query + Lua newbie, old teacher making a scheme of lessons

Getting Started
#1

Hello, I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I’m a Computer Science teacher in the UK and I’m hoping / planning to build a new curriculum for a year 9 group based around Solar 2D.

I’ve been teaching CS for a fair few years, Python, C#, vb.net, databases etc but I’m new to Solar2D and Lua (it looks good though, potentially better as a language for teaching than Python is (he says as he puts on his flak jacket and takes cover).

I’ll probably introduce Lua and Solar2D to students with something like the balloon game that’s in the getting started tutorials for the first couple of lessons.

Then something like an enemy balloon that moves iteratively to start linking the basic programming concepts they’ve learned in Python in years 7 and 8… not really sure about that I’m still thinking about it.

Then there would be a move from programming to Digital Media as students plan their own games / apps and make the assets etc, then develop their games and finally ‘package’ them and that would be about a years worth of lessons.

One issue I can see is going to be support from my excellent IT team. My school is going through a lot of change currently and the IT team might not be able to install the Corona simulator and update VS Code or install a new text editor in good enough time for me to start teaching this in January.

I’m interested in using the Solar2D Playground, at least for the first few lessons but with different assets and different organisation (ie. Lesson1, Lesson2 etc).

I see the source for Playground is on GitHub, is there anything I should be aware of as over Christmas break I hope to host a copy of it on a server of my own?

Anyway, I just wanted to reach out and say hi and say I’m open to any help, suggestions and so forth :slight_smile:

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#2

Welcome, fellow Brit!

Solar2D playground will probably be ok for what you need, but looking at the repo it hasn’t been updated for 3 years. It’s worth noting it’s not an “official” Solar2D product, but the developer who made it is very experienced with Lua/Solar2D (I believe he’s also a teacher too but I could be wrong).

I can’t think of any breaking changes in Solar2D that have happened in the last 3 years that would prevent you from using it as you intend though.

Obviously we’re going to be slightly biased here towards Lua, but I think it’s with good reason. It’s very lightweight and easy to learn, and has a lot of flexibility when compared to strongly typed languages.

The Solar2D discord is a good place to get help as well, if you need it: Solar2D Developer Network

I have no doubt that the biggest hurdle you’ll encounter will be getting the IT team to install what you need, when you need it :sweat_smile:

#3

A good teacher is better than a billion dollars!

Your students are lucky to have you.

My one and only advice for anyone who teaches programming in general is to incorporate Ai in the loop, and to teach students the same thing twice, first time when you do it on your own, and second time is how to properly ask Ai to help you, this will (Hopefully) help them boost and excel in programming only if they do it correctly. But if they do not do it correctly, they will end up being very lazy and weak in programming, and totally rely on Ai, and not understand half of what it is giving them.

Whether we like it or not, Ai is in all fields now, and I believe the most obvious field for Ai is in Programming!

#4

I was talking with @XeduR a few years back, and we were also going to integrate these, but one thing or another came up. :slightly_smiling_face: Never really mentioned them otherwise, outside of Discord chats.

Those are some more little game mockups, something like the very basics of Adventures of Lolo / Eggerland (MSX, Game Boy, NES) in the first case, and maybe Aleste Gaiden (MSX) or Dino Riki (NES) in the second.

#6

Very happy in reading you MrRichards, I was teaching to develop apps in Solar2D to children (12 - 14 years) and more adults in Spain with very good results, I am happy to share you all my mini-games material if it can be useful for you, just PM. Here is an intro video I did on those times for my course:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty0aaeWbc08

PD: Everything is Spanish but I am sure you can understand it.

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