Right now I have been using MS MakeCode that has blocks, Python, and JavaScript options. Some of the students keeps asking to learn Python.
The Python option is not a full Python in MakeCode, but rather a limited set.
The students have Chromebooks. Are there any options for a sandbox for coding in Python inside a browser window that would offer almost of a full experience? Some limitations would be fine.
Replit is the one everyone uses and it's mostly acceptable for console-based stuff. However, it sucks if you want to do anything that involves drawing graphics—which is a thing you should want, because it's much more engaging for children. The code is running on Replit's servers and streamed back to you, and the latency is very noticeable.
If you have any ability to break out of the browser, I'd encourage you to do that. My preferred app is https://codewith.mu/—I don't love it at all, but it does what I need. Having a more minimalistic interface is really important IMO—I think a lot about cognitive load, and something like VSCode throws a lot of different panels at you at once.
I see some more bleeding edge classes using Codespaces on GitHub, but that's the exception.
Furthermore, Visual Studio Code for Education was just announced and may be of interest:
Announcement: https://educationblog.microsoft.com/en-us/2024/05/teach-comp...
Direct link: https://vscodeedu.com/
https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9145439?hl=en
Another option depending on your budget could just be to rent a VPS and either let the students SSH in, or access through the SPICE web interface that most providers offer.