Category Archives: Classes

Classes Start Today (Wednesday)!

I’m looking forward to meeting all of you! Class updates will be posted to this blog. Stay tuned for announcements.

2016 Fall Classes: Official Schedule and Location

It has taken us a while to finalize a schedule and a location, but we have finally worked out what we think will be a great location and a great schedule for our fall classes.

The classes will be held at Joy Lutheran Church at 99th and Yale. The following classes will be held on Wednesdays starting on August 17th:

  • Computer Programming at 8:30 AM
  • Electronics at 9:35 AM
  • Calculus at 10:40 AM

We moved the computer programming class to the early slot so that more dads will be able to bring their students to class on the way to work and moms only have to make one trip out to pick their students up.

Classes will be for 15 weeks. We are meeting on the following days: August 17, 24, and 31; September 7, 14, 21, and 28; October 5, 12, and 26; November 2, 9, 16, and 30; and December 7. This has two breaks – October 19th and November 23rd.

The classes are intended to be year-long, but the fall and spring terms are contracted separately so that we can make adjustments as needed between the fall and spring terms.

Here are the details for each course:

  • Programming and Web Development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This course follows the book New Programmers Start Here and introduces the basics of programming, HTML, and networking to students. Students should have some basic typing skills before starting class. Class is limited to Junior-high and high-school aged students (12 years old and up). This class will meet at 8:30 AM.
  • Introduction to Electronics. This course will introduce students to the basics of electronics, and focus on learning to build basic circuits. All circuits built will be low-power, DC-only circuits, which means that they will be safe. Students will learn the basics of circuit analysis, circuit design, and microcontroller programming. Class is limited to Junior-high and high-school aged students (12 years old and up). This class will meet at 9:35 AM.
  • Calculus for the Curious. This course is an introduction to Calculus. While most mathematics courses are about applying formulas that the book tells you, Calculus is about building formulas from basic principles. If you are curious about what makes mathematics and the sciences tick, this Calculus course will show you how to think about problems in new ways, and teaches you to apply basic principles to transform problems into solutions. Class is limited to high-school aged students who have taken some amount of trigonometry and are proficient in algebra skills. This class will meet at 10:40 AM.

All classes will involve homework for the students to do between classes, probably between 1-3 hours for programming and electronics, and probably 4-6 hours for Calculus.

Classes cost $150 per student per semester per class. If you enroll in multiple classes, or have multiple students in a class, the classes are discounted down to $125.

Additionally, students in the programming class need to purchase the book New Programmers Start Here. Students will also need to pay a computer lab fee of $20. Computers will be provided during class, but students are expected to have a computer at home to do assignments on (any computer built in the last decade should work, though students will need to be able to install software programs needed for the class – all software will be free downloads). Computers can be purchased from BP Learning capable of doing the assignments for $60.

Students in the electronics class will need to pay an additional $35 for an electronics kit which will be added to throughout the semester. Students will be responsible for bringing their kit to class each week.

Email jonathan@bartlettpublishing.com if you are interested in taking these classes or have any questions. Minimum class size is 5 students; maximum class size is 15 students.

Fall Classes Starting Up!

UPDATES – Please see this post for updated information!

For those in the Tulsa area, we are lining up a set of classes for the fall. The exact times are tentative and depend on the exact location, which we are presently working on. Sign up now and reserve your space!

We are currently planning on three classes. The classes are year-long, but the fall and spring terms are contracted separately.

  • Programming and Web Development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This course follows the book New Programmers Start Here and introduces the basics of programming, HTML, and networking to students. Students should have some basic typing skills before starting class. Class is limited to Junior-high and high-school aged students (12 years old and up). This class will meet at 9:30 AM.
  • Introduction to Electronics. This course will introduce students to the basics of electronics, and focus on learning to build basic circuits. All circuits built will be low-power, DC-only circuits, which means that they will be safe. Students will learn the basics of circuit analysis, circuit design, and microcontroller programming. Class is limited to Junior-high and high-school aged students (12 years old and up). This class will meet at 10:30 AM.
  • Calculus for the Curious. This course is an introduction to Calculus. While most mathematics courses are about applying formulas that the book tells you, Calculus is about building formulas from basic principles. If you are curious about what makes mathematics and the sciences tick, this Calculus course will show you how to think about problems in new ways, and teaches you to apply basic principles to transform problems into solutions. Class is limited to high-school aged students who have taken some amount of trigonometry and are proficient in algebra skills. This class will meet at 8:30 AM.

Classes will meet on Wednesday mornings for 15 weeks. We are meeting on the following days: August 17, 24, and 31, September 7, 14, 21, and 28, October 5, 12, and 26, November 2, 9, 16, and 30, and December 7. This has two breaks – October 19th and November 23rd. We are currently talking with a church in Jenks about using their facilities for the class, but a finalized location is currently pending. Times on the classes may be shifted slightly depending on the finalization of the location. All classes will involve homework for the students to do between classes.

Classes cost $150 per student per semester per class. If you enroll in multiple classes, or have multiple students in a class, the classes are discounted down to $125.

Additionally, students in the programming class need to purchase the book New Programmers Start Here. Students will also need to pay a computer lab fee of $20. Computers will be provided during class, but students are expected to have a computer at home to do assignments on (any computer built in the last decade should work, though students will need to be able to install software programs needed for the class – all software will be free downloads). Computers can be purchased from BP Learning capable of doing the assignments for $60.

Students in the electronics class will need to pay an additional $35 for an electronics kit which will be added to throughout the semester. Students will be responsible for bringing their kit to class each week.

Email jonathan@bartlettpublishing.com if you are interested in taking these classes or have any questions. Minimum class size is 5 students; maximum class size is 15 students.

Building a Mobile Computer Lab

For the homeschool co-op classes I teach, I have been building a mobile computer lab. I though I would share my setup in case anyone else wants to do something similar.
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BP Learning Summer Courses

In June and July, BP Learning is offering a series of science/engineering courses in Tulsa on Friday mornings. These are short, 6-week, no-homework classes intended to offer students a taste of how each of these subjects work without diving into too many details. The classes are:

  • Building Web Pages – learn HTML, CSS, and basic WordPress skills for building websites
  • A Taste of Programming – learn the basics JavaScript programming through a series of interactive tutorials
  • A Taste of Electronics – learn the basics of electronics through a series of interactive tutorials. This will include an electronics kit which the students will be able to keep after the course.

Email info@bplearning.net for more information on these courses.