Head First Learn to Code: A Learner's Guide to Coding and Computational Thinking

These head first books are so good. Its like having a personal tutor. Their method of teaching makes learning fun and easy. Head First is my go to series of book whenever I want to learn any kind of computer stuff.

This is an update, Sept. 12, 2018, from the review below, and, as stated in the earlier review, is based upon his response to my email. Please, note that I have increased my rating from 2 stars to 5 stars. First, the problem with the code was not the code. When opening IDLE through the latest download of Python, it was opening in 2.7, which the book specifically states not to use. Being a beginner, I did not notice this. Which brings me to the second, Eric's customer service was beyond expectation. He responded to my email in a very timely manner and stayed with me until everything was resolved. He was first to notice that the IDLE was operating in the old window.As a beginning coder, I cannot stress enough how appreciative I was of his fast, personal help.I am sticking with the latter parts of my review, though, because, so far, some knit-picky stuff in the early chapters still grab my attention. As I get farther into the book and notice improvements upon my that specific issue, I will update again.As of this writing, Sept 3, 2018, I am only giving this book a two-star rating, BECAUSE the very first big piece of code in which they guide you does not work. I downloaded the source code from their website; it, too, does not work. I sent them an email. Revisions will depend upon their response to my email and not this review. Also, another downgrade because it was about impossible to find ANY contact information. That, by the way, has become one of my first criteria when purchasing ANY computer book. No OBVIOUS contact information makes me suspicious.If said error did not exist, I would give this book a solid 4.5. It does fairly a decent job of breaking down the thought process of coding for the beginner, but it often fails to specifically explain what a certain thing is doing or how Python interprets the symbol or word. The writers fall into the same trap all other writers for coding books fall into, they know so much that they do not realize what they are not saying. Of all of the books I have tried to study on the subject, this is still the best BY FAR. But it can still use some work. If you know something of computers, are resilient of mind, stout of heart and can take a few punches along the way. This book can teach you a lot. If you are scared of computers and see coding as something magical, DO NOT buy ANY book. Take a class.

This is an extraordinarily engaging book which I experienced as focused on developing critical computational thinking skills. Python is used as the programming language to facilitate the exploration of computational thinking. It is not a Python language reference manual and the introduction of the book is declarative in that respect.As with the other books in the Head First series, this book is written in a conversational and engaging style. The subjects presented are scaffolded incredibly well and provide all of the guidance a beginner needs to develop confidence. The exercises peppered along the learner's journey are fun and clever. The examples are relevant and later chapters introduce Turtle, web services to plot the location of the International Space Station and Conway's Game of Life. As the conversation develops in each chapter, the narrative unfolds and the characters invite the learner to participate directly in the solution. I found myself looking forward to turning the page to see if my favorite character was going to appear next.I will be using the text as a primary foundation for a high school course. It is well-suited for that purpose along with being very well-suited for an individual to pick up and learn independently at the pace of their choosing. This book is also a fun way to acquire Python when you already have some programming experience.

I like the style of "Head First" coding books. They'll give you a sample to code with a mistake or something missing and a bit later in the chapter they say "Oh this is why it didn't work". So it teaches you common mistakes coders make. A bit frustrating but it makes you a better coder. This book "Learning to code is typical of the Head First books. The problem is that I can't get the sample code downloaded from an earlier book on PHP. Head First either went out of business or was bought out by "Wickedly Smart" and apparently don't teach PHP anymore. Will this happen to all of their books? So download the samples right away and don't wait to start learning. Python will be easier to download than PHP so maybe that's why they switched. But I believe PHP is used more on websites but I could be wrong.

Computer languages are actually not that hard to learn. The real trick is learning to think logically and computationally. If you cannot think logically and computationally, you will have no idea, (and no success) at getting the computer to do what you want it to do. You won't even know where to start.Computers are dumb. They do exactly what you tell them to do; nothing more and nothing less. Computers are not like human beings in that humans can hear what someone instructed them to do and then guess or infer what the person really wanted.Head First Learn to Code is truly the best book out there for someone who is just beginning to get into programming. It teaches you to think about breaking problems down into simpler tasks and then writing code for those simplified tasks. It gives you a great overview of all the technologies and resources available to advance as a coder.Most computer books, (even supposed beginning ones) are written assuming the reader has more knowledge about coding than they actually do. Perpaps the expert writing the book has forgotten what they did and didn't know when they were a complete beginner.A true educator knows the phases a begginer goes through on their way to mastery of a skill, and Dr. Eric Freeman excels at educating.

while it may be a textbook, it is incredible for beginners to work in and use as a workbook while learning.Would highly recommend anyone interested in Python to work out of this book

I haven't yet finished the book but im over 1/2 way in and it is by far the best learning resource Ive come across (inc books, coursera and youtube) for the new coder. Brilliantly designed with concepts explained clearly, a very well judged learning curve and a design which means the learner is more likely to recall what they've learned. The worked examples and tests are interesting and applicable to the real world. The style is informative and light. 10 out of 10

Every concept is so well explained. Nice paper quality. Price is very high though

Muy buen libro para entender las bases de programación con python

Bevor ich auf dieses Buch aufmerksam wurde, habe ich versucht, mir die Informationen, die ich brauchte, über YouTube und Webseiten zu holen. Leider war es nicht möglich, hier systematisch in das Programmieren eingeführt zu werden.Mit "Learn to Code" von Head First habe ich dann einen absoluten Glückstreffer gelandet. Durch die pädagogisch extrem sinnvolle Gestaltung des Buches bleibt viel hängen, man wird immer wieder zum Nachdenken und mitdenken angeregt. Man "liest" das Buch nicht, man "arbeitet damit"!Man wird sehr sinnvoll und kleinschrittig in die Welt des Programmierens (hier mit der Programmiersprache "Python" eingeführt und lernt progressiv immer mehr.Momentan warte ich noch darauf, dass das, was ich da eigentlich so zu programmieren lerne, auch benutzerfreundlich für einen Anwender, der sich nicht erst ein "Programmiertool" (IDE) herunterladen möchte, anwendbar ist. Ich bin aber auch erst bei etwa der Hälfte des Buches, daher nehme ich an, dass das noch kommt.Über die gelegentlichen Rechtschreibfehler im Buch muss man hinwegsehen können (sie sind selten, aber mir fällt sowas leider immer auf).Top Buch. Absolute Kaufempfehlung für Leute, die wirklich noch KEINE AHNUNG vom Programmieren haben.