Computer Programming I...the background

The last project I completed was writing the student text and Teacher's Guide for a new "Computer Programming I" course for the Pasadena Educational Foundation. Aimed at Pasadena public high school students, it was an interesting challenge for several reasons.

First, it was a project-based course. Students would learn to program by working out a number of projects that ran the gamut from creating an on-screen calculator to writing a program that could code and decode messages, from creating a program that could translate messages into (and from) Morse Code for long-distance communication, to writing a program that simulated the construction and launch of a rocket.

It was decided early on that for the student text I would write a narrative for each project that would place it within an historical context, and since I have always had a considerable interest in the study of history--as well as studied it while attending Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service--I looked forward to researching and writing it.

Before I began, though, I decided that each narrative must accomplish three things:

1. It must be interesting enough to engage the students
2. It must highlight the obstacles that stood in the way of innovation at different points and recount how innovators used logic to overcome them
3. It must reinforce to students that innovation most often occurs due to the efforts of inspired individuals

I should also mention that I knew very little about the art and science of computer programming. What I did have going for me was the fact that I have a lot of experience in writing about technical subjects in a way that makes it understandable to business decision makers. Or, as I said in my initial interview when asked why they should hire me with no background in computer programming: "I can translate technology into English so that it's understandable by both students and teachers."

Fortunately, I had as my partner in the project a passionate teacher (and former programmer) named Javier Andre. Together we spent many hours talking through the step-by-step processes that formed the structure of the course; I also spent a lot of time in the actual classrooms listening to both Javier and his students in order to further clarify the Teacher's Guide.

I knew that the first challenge, an on-screen calculator project, would be formidable since the topic itself made me yawn every time I thought about it. I knew too that a title like "A History of Calculators" would probably ensure that the texts were never even opened, much less read.

In the end, I opted for taking a slightly larger view of the topic and wrote "A Brief History of Addition."

I'm just starting to put this blog together, so please be patient.

Let me start by telling you a bit about who I am and about what I intend to write.

My name is Bill Bremer and I'm based in Los Angeles. I've been a marketing writer for some time, serving a variety of industries--from entertainment to education, telecom to IT infrastructure, among others--often with a focus on various types of technology. I mean to share what I hope are helpful tips to others who are interested in the writing process and the power of the written word.

I'll also post some samples of my work, and would appreciate (and respond to) any comments readers might like to share.

Writing is, after all, a solitary task, and dialogue is always helpful.