Before You Start

How To Use These Workshops

Most lessons run right on this site, powered by Pyodide, a project that runs real Python in your browser. Here's everything you need to know before your first click.

How Do These Lessons Work?

Most lessons run Python directly on this site using a project called Pyodide, real Python compiled to run in your browser. No download, no install, no account. Each lesson has instructions to read and code cells you can edit, then click Run to see your output right below.

Getting Started

Open a lesson. Find it on the Workshops page and click "Try it in your browser." It opens right there, no sign-in, no new tab.

Run a cell. Click the Run button under any code cell. The first time on a page, Python needs a few seconds to load, look for "Loading Python…" near the top while you wait.

Work through the lesson top to bottom. Read the instructions, run the example cells, then try the practice problems yourself. It's fine to edit code and run a cell more than once.

Check your work. Practice problems tell you right away whether you got it right, look for the message under the Run button.

Know that your code doesn't save yet. Leaving or refreshing the page resets a cell back to its starting code. If you write something you want to keep, copy it somewhere else first, see the FAQ for more.

A Few Things Still Use Google Colab

The Workshop 3 and 4 capstone projects (Rock, Paper, Scissors and Connect 4) and every answer key still open in Google Colab instead of running on this site. Those need a Google account to open, sign in with your school account or a personal one, see the FAQ if you run into trouble signing in. Everything else on the Workshops page runs right here with no account at all.

Using a School Chromebook

This all works fine on a locked-down Chromebook, all you need is the browser, most of the workshops don't even need a Google account anymore. The one thing worth knowing: the first time Python loads on a page, your browser downloads it, which can take longer on slow school wifi. If it seems stuck, give it a few extra seconds before assuming something's wrong, and see the FAQ if it still won't load.

Ready to Start?

Head to the Workshops page and open Workshop 1 if you're brand new, or pick up where your class left off.

Browse Workshops