All about Hands-on Projects in Python (HOPPy)

If you feel comfortable with Python programming, but don't know what to do when you have to start a new Python project, I get it! Between modern tools, packaging requirements, and general project structure, it's easy to get frustrated.

That's where HOPPy, my new course, comes in.

Over six weeks of live Zoom sessions (plus discussions on Discord), you'll build your own library and publish it on PyPI.

Transcript

1. HOPPy: Hands-On Projects in Python
2. How do we learn?
3. • Parents • Teachers • Peers Some common answers
4. Our common model I know something I tell you that thing Now you know it, too!
5. • Swiss psychologist • Constructivism: We create our own knowledge • You cannot be taught, but you can be helped to understanding • Children are little scientists, constantly experimenting • Hugely influential in the educational world Jean Piaget
6. • Studied with Piaget • Constructionism: The best way to create your own knowledge is by creating artifacts that are meaningful • Famous for Logo and Lego-Logo Seymour Papert
7. • “How can I improve my Python?” • Join an open-source project! • You’ll learn by doing • You’ll create something that’s interesting to you • You’re steeped in knowledge and practice Open source is constructionist
8. • To participate in an open-source project, there are lots of things you need to know beyond Python • Git and GitHub • Working on a project • Modern tools • The mechanics of creating, building, and publishing packages But:
9. • I believe in learning through doing • I’m constantly learning new things • Try something new • Make mistakes • Learn from them • Make new, bigger mistakes! I’m a constructionist
10. • I love writing exercises • Weekly Python Exercise • Bamboo Weekly • Python Workout • Pandas Workout Learn through practice
11. • Exercises are small and self-contained • They are necessary, but not suf f icient • They hone your understanding of a particular problem • Functions, data structures, objects • But software engineers spend time on lots of other things, too • Data structures, functions, and objects aren’t enough to be a productive Python coder Exercises aren’t enough
12. • You’ve f inished a Python course, but when it comes time to start a project, you stare at the screen and aren’t sure what to do. • How do I start a project? • How do I work with multiple f iles? • How do I use the latest tools, such as uv, ruff, and black? • How do I incorporate tests and type checking? • How do I share my work with others? • How should (and shouldn’t) I use AI in my work? That’s why you’re frustrated!
13. • Architecture students have “studio” • They’re given the general outline of a project • They can design and build whatever they want, within those outlines • Twice each week, they are critiqued by their instructor and peers • This is a tough class — but also one from which you learn the actual practice of architecture Architecture
14. What if we had a constructionist Python course?
15. What if it looked like an architecture student’s studio course?
16. Introducing HOPPy: Hands-On Projects in Python
18. • I’ll run 3-5 HOPPy cohorts every year • Each cohort will be six weeks long and have a speci f ic theme • Each of the six meetings will include: • A short lecture/demo introducing topics • People presenting their work and ideas • Peer review and feedback • The goal: Help you become a more fluent Python software engineer, beyond being a good Python coder The general idea
19. • There are other “create a Python package” courses out there • This one draws on my constructionist background • You’ll create something that you care about (not a toy project that I’m giving you) • You’ll get feedback from me and your peers — and give feedback, as well • Learn technologies and techniques that you will use in any job you take How is this different?
20. • The f irst cohort starts in 10 days, on Sunday, March 30th • Our topic: Publishing a library to PyPI • Yes, this is brand new! • I hope/expect to learn a ton from you, just as you’ll learn from me HOPPy 1
21. • Sunday, March 30th: Kickoff • Meet the cohort, AI tools, communication frameworks, and choosing projects • Sunday, April 6th: Modern packaging tools • PyCharm, ruff, black, and uv. Mentor review + peer review. • Monday, April 14th: Adding tests • Using pytest. Mentor review + peer review. • Monday, April 21st: Type checking • Type hints and mypy. Mentor review + peer review. • Sunday, April 27th: Publishing to PyPI • Registering, publishing with uv. Mentor review + peer review. • Sunday, May 4th: Demo day Schedule
22. • You’ll be expected to work on your project between meetings • Questions? Ask away on Discord! • Share things Outside of class
23. • You can only participate in HOPPy if you’re already a member of my LernerPython.com community • I can point you to lectures and resources, and not worry if you have access • This allows me to keep the price a bit lower (and to avoid complex pricing models) • If you’re a current member of my twice-yearly PythonDAB bootcamp, then you can join HOPPy without additional charge • The price is $750 for the six-week course • And yes, you’ll get a certi f icate/letter when you’re done Participation and cost
24. • Better to keep a project small and doable than big and ambitious • Come with ideas… but don’t try to shoehorn your dream project into this class • I can’t and won’t veto what you decide to do • I have a bunch of ideas that I’ll share when you register, to prepare for the f irst meeting Project ideas
25. • I plan to run 3-5 HOPPy cohorts each year • Each will have a different theme • For example: • Web applications • Data dashboards • Command-line utilities Future HOPPy cohorts
26. Questions?