Lesson 1: A taste of Python

The goal of the first half of the course is to introduce you to the basic concepts of computer programming in the Python programming language. We will start working toward that goal already this week with our first taste of programming in Python. In order to start learning Python, however, we need to be introduced to the course computing environment, which is based on the principles of cloud computing. This first tutorial will introduce you to the basic structure of our course environment, guide you through how it is used, and conclude with a hands-on introduction to some key concepts and elements of programming in Python. The main components of this first lesson are below.

Tutorial components

1. Basic concepts, components and, workflow of the course environment
2. Introduction to the basic usage of the course environment
3. Our first taste of Python
4. Exercise 1: Creating a Github.com account and using the cloud

Resources

• Web pages
  • Codecademy's Learn to program in Python
  • Software Carpentry's programming in Python
• Books
  • Learn Python the Hard Way
  • Dive into Python 3