Google Colab

colab.research.google.com

Google’s Colaboratory, or “Colab” for short, is a free online resource used for sharing code, documentation, and visualized data. Google Colab runs code using Jupyter Notebook, an open-source web app used to create and share documents that can run live code and visualizations. Colab itself runs on a virtual linux operating system. The programming language that can be run live in Google Colab is Python, while Markdown code can be used to format and organize the Colab documents. Google Colab is a very engaging and interactive way to run code, examine data and share ideas on the web.

What you’ll do there:  With Colab you can write and execute Python in your browser. Students in STEM+ Data Analytics course will learn to use Colab as a part of their assignments. One of Colab’s best features is its ability to run live code, which makes teaching and learning Python a lot more engaging and intuitive. In addition to learning Python, students will also learn how to format their documents by using the Markdown language. With these two tools, students will be able to use Python to visualize and analyze data in conjunction with Markdown to clearly format and organize it. 

For parents/privacy:  Students will need a Google account to use Google Colab, as Colab is an app made by Google. Google accounts are free to create and require some basic information, such as first and last name, a username and a password. Here is Google’s privacy policy.

Additional resources: There is a lot to learn about Google Colab, Markdown, and Python – most of which is not covered in the STEM+ Data Analytics course. Here are a few safe additional resources for your convenience: