Introduction

I have an interest in introducing scientific computing and programming not only in college but also in high school as part of an integrated math curriculum. There are three broad, if not interrelated trends, I see.

a) The trend to programming in high school. 
Consider the aims of the code.org consortium: “Every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn to code.” The high level Scilab (an open source scientific computing and programming environment) programming language makes for an ideal platform with which to introduce programming concepts at the high school level as part of an integrated math curriculum.

b) The trend to scientific computing in high schools.
Scilab, for instance, is installed in Chinese and French high schools and is recognized of pedagogical interest by the French Ministry of Education. 

c) The trend to mobile platforms.
An argument can be made that cloud computing is a trend that may compete, if not displace, the apps paradigm for mobile devices. As an alternative to installing apps on a mobile device a user with an Internet connection and a browser interface may choose the computing power offered by a cloud computing service.

In this series of blogs I hope to present some work highlighting the use of the Scilab computing environment addressing each of these three.

Introducing the Scilab “Scholar” module: a Scilab package designed specifically for use in high schools. 

My blog on introducing Scilab in the high school classroom

Introducing Scilab as a cloud computing platform (leveraging the Scilab computational power on a mobile device such as an Android phone, or an iPad)

My blog on using Scilab in the cloud