Anyone can understand technology and learn to code. All it takes is regular practice, some determination, and a good teacher. That’s where I come in. I want to help you learn some useful skills. If you are Palestinian, a woman, a person of color, or a member of any other group that is under-represented in tech, I’ll teach you for free. Others will be requested to pay a nominal fee, 100% of which goes to one of the wonderful charities curated by Growing Watermelons.

All my courses are:

  • inclusive - no prerequisites, perfect for beginners
  • approachable - nothing to install or configure on your computer
  • affordable - free for most, low cost charitable donation for others
  • ad-free - no ads on my site or my course material, not now, not ever
  • practical - understand not only the how, but the why
  • interactive - learn by doing, using Colab notebooks and other interactive tools

Signup for a course here.

Course Catalog

Intro to Python

(Click here to expand course description.)
Python is a very popular programming language, probably the most widely used in the world nowadays. It's particularly used for AI and Data Science, which has propelled its recent growth. I find it one of the most expressive and natural programming languages. As some people like to say, "it fits my brain", and I agree.

Logistics

  • six two-hour lessons
  • one meeting per week
  • modest homework between lessons
  • classes conducted online using Google Meet
  • next offering: starting in mid-January 2025 (exact dates and times to be announced)
  • Signup Form

Course Material

Intro to AI

(Click here to expand course description.)
My goal for this course is to help you understand AI well enough to engage in an intelligent conversation, to understand how it works, a bit about where it came from, and some of the limitations and concerns (both technological and ethical). It won't get anyone a job overnight but it will hopefully be a useful step toward understanding a technology that is revolutionizing our world.

Prerequisites

  • You are human (bots not allowed)
  • You are curious about AI and want to learn more
  • No technical knowledge required
  • No programming required
  • No maths required

Goals

  • Gain a conceptual understanding of how AI “works”
  • Find out about the state of the art in AI
  • Consider the ethical issues raised by AI
  • Think critically about AI in your life and in the world
  • Help you prepare for the continuing revolution

Non-goals

  • Deep dive into technology or maths
  • Deinitively answer diicult ethical or societal questions
  • Predict the future

Logistics

  • three two-hour lessons
  • one meeting per week
  • modest homework between lessons
  • classes conducted online using Google Meet
  • next offering: starting in mid-January 2025 (exaxt dates and times to be announced)
  • Signup Form

Agenda

  • My Fave AI App
  • Definitions
  • History
  • Mechanics
  • State of the Art
  • Ethics
  • The Future

Course Material

FAQ

Who are you?

About Marc


Why are you doing this?
As the great Tim Berners-Lee said about his historic invention (the World Wide Web): "this is for everyone". I want to make technology understandable for everyone, especially those people who haven't felt invited to the party.

Free? Really? What's the catch?
There is no catch. I don't need the money so everything here is free, apart from donations I solicit from those who already have some advantages and can afford to pay a small fee.

How can I stay in the loop on your course offerings, schedules, updates, etc?
Join the mco-learn mailing list, which I use to share news and information about my courses.

Can I help teach a course?
Not yet, but I'm hoping to expand my offerings once I get some experience with these courses. If you're interested in helping out, join the mco-teach mailing list, which I use to share news and information about teaching my courses.