Ok, so I am getting pumped about the start of next school year. Yeah, I know a bunch of you just got out of school, but here in Mississippi, we are down to a couple weeks. Yeah, teachers start back August 1st in my district. I got the opportunity to teach computer science next year… all day… Not just one class period like last year. I jumped on it. So, while looking around online for resources, I came across Olexa’s YouTube channel.

Now, before you get too far into it, fair warning. Check out his videos, work through them, and listen to him. He knows his stuff. At the same time, there is a little bit of colorful language on rare occasion. Know your kids, know your content, and know what you are sending them to.

The last language I did any coding with was Pascal… yeah, I’m old. I’ve been telling myself to learn a ‘new’ language, but never have had the time. Well, I found this channel, and he has a series (currently eight videos) teaching the bare bones basics of coding with Python. He calls it bare bones. I got more from his first 30 minute video than a much larger chunk of time trying using various other methods. He moves quickly, but makes total sense.

So, here’s the deal. First, his name is Tyler. You can find him on Twitter as @olexaYT. His YouTube channel looks like it is mostly devoted to gaming. That’s cool, I’m ancient and I still game. I will gladly go toe to toe in Fortnite with the best of them. To me, that tells me his coding has meaning. He is passionate about it.  This little gem of a series is nestled in there just waiting to be found.

I completed the first video shortly after finding it. In it, I got a good understanding of data types, importing, functions, syntax (lots of that), and a great tool called PyCharm, which makes life much easier than I remember having to type and compile code. The lesson was fast paced and interesting.

I love that it is presented on YouTube. PAUSE is your friend. I found myself pausing every now and then just to make sure I understood what my code was going to do, and check my syntax. A missing comma can cost you some serious time.

I’m working through the second video now… I was actually so pumped about finding it that I wanted to stop and put it out there for everyone to find. It’s that good. Yeah, I’m sure there are little bits to learn that he is glossing over, but he gets you coding right away, and you code something that actually works. That goes a long way for motivation.

So, if you’re one of those folks who wants to learn Python, head over and check out his channel. Honestly, much of what I am doing is similar to Pascal. There are some differences, but generally, stuff is making sense. So, if you know a different language, this resource is for you too. If you’re comfortable sending your students here to check it out and have them work through it, they will love it. If you are not comfortable with the language (which is minor) then work the lessons yourself so you can then teach it to your students.

Either way, Tyler has a great resource and a great presentation style. To get to his series, click HERE Be sure to check out his description, as it gives you some details on how to download Python and PyCharm. Be sure to give his channel some love by hitting that like button… after all, he is doing this just because he enjoys teaching folks how to code.

Oh, and for teachers and students… Tyler points us to PyCharm, made by JetBrains. Teachers and students can get a FREE license to use their software. There are a couple of hoops to jump through, but they are easy hoops and the folks and JetBrains make it easy. So… when you are getting geared up for Tyler’s Python lessons, go ahead and submit the form to get the free PyCharm license. You’ll be glad you did.