I would say another advantage of Javascript is that virtually everyone can run Javascript in their browser, while python is a separate environment. There's the step where you have to install the interpreter or at least use something you might never have used before, and there's the step where you have to connect command-line oriented problem-solving with presentation.
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In Newcastle University, they also did this.
The only advantage over teaching Python was that they planned to teach us Java later, and the syntax is more similar.
I would say another advantage of Javascript is that virtually everyone can run Javascript in their browser, while python is a separate environment. There's the step where you have to install the interpreter or at least use something you might never have used before, and there's the step where you have to connect command-line oriented problem-solving with presentation.