I am presuming that by this point you have a familiarity with such concepts as variables, if-statements, for and while loops and functions(methods).
The programming language used in this course will be Python.
If you have used a different language such as Java or C++ you should be fine as the syntax is similar.
Having said that, a certain amount of review will be necessary as there are some differences.
The first 2 weeks of the course will be dedicated to review of the prerequisites concepts required for this course.
The IDE software you SHOULD use is PyCharm by JetBrains.
All of the examples used in this class will be done using PyCharm.
Later in the course we will use the Jupyter Notebook embedded in the PyCharm software.
I can not be responsible for trying to juggle multiple IDE's so once again, use PyCharm.
There is a community edition that can be downloaded for free.
Do not procrastinate on getting this software downloaded.
Before you install PyCharm, you must have Python installed on your computer.
Do this first!!
https://www.python.org/downloads/
It would be a good idea to have this software up and running as soon as possible to allow yourself time to fix any installation issues you might encounter.
The links on this page may allow you to download the software for free without an education license.
They work for Windows, Mac and Linux. Install the community version of PyCharm: Instructions Here
By week 3 all course material will assume you are comfortable with the review topics so make sure you don't skip over these concepts.
I will be using my own class website for most of the material in this course.
I will also post the appropriate links for a given lesson in D2L.
The reference to weeks on the website is only a guideline, not a hard and fast schedule, so don't be alarmed if our course schedule doesn't align exactly with the web page schedule.
Chromebooks are not ideal for this course, however, with a little tweaking they can be made to work.;
If you wish to use a Chromebook for this course you will have to install Linux on your Chromebook Read Here
Once this is done you should be able to install and run PyCharm.
The installation of Linux will be your responsibility and may require you to seek assistance from your school's IT department.
Once again, don't procrastinate! Here is a link that is specific to installing PyCharm on a Chromebook.