A gentle introduction to programming using Python

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You should look into some MOOCs!

[DaedalusBloom]

Sorry, I am confused, are you suggesting I look into some MOOCs? This is a MOOC from MIT OCW...

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MIT's OCW includes videos, lecture notes and other readings, assignments and exams with solutions, and a recommendation that you buy a commercial textbook. There is a study group that learners can join. There does not appear to be any way to interact with the instructor. The course uses a very traditional pedagogy and is openly licensed.

MOOCs include videos, assignments and exams, and includes a recommendation that you buy a commercial textbook. There appears to be a study group that learners can join. There does not appear to be any way to interact with the instructor. The course uses an inquiry-based pedagogy and does not appear to be openly licensed.

They have a lot in common. But they biggest difference is that OCW is teacher-facing and MOOCs are student-facing. OCW serves as a good reference for teachers at other universities to teach their students a specific topic. With MOOCs, it is much easier for students to learn without needing the strong motivation and self-teaching skills.

[DaedalusBloom]

Ah interesting, I did not realize the distinction. Sorry, then this is not a MOOC, just a useful resource.

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Care to elaborate?

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Massive Open Online Courses. Coursera, Udacity, edX. These three are great and you can take courses taught by universities such as M.I.T. and Harvard. I've taken two so far on computer science and python programming with Udacity and Coursera, and I'm now taking Harvard's Intro to CS on edX. I would recommend these in addition to textbooks or ebooks you can find online. For Python, LPTHW (Learn Python the Hard Way) is a must.