Linked by Howard Fosdick on Fri 13th Apr 2012 20:21 UTC
Six-month-old web site Codecademy claims you can learn programming through its online tutorials. The free modules on JavaScript are now available. The site also allows anyone to post their own programming courses. The site has good funding, but question is: can you really learn programming this way? One blogger enthuses that Codecademy's approach "looks like the future of learning to me," while another slams it saying "Seriously? Wow, bull**** badging and sh**ty pedagogy wins the day in ed-tech investing." What do you think?
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Member since:2010-06-24
Yeah I think that's the point of this kind of website. I tried some lessons and it's a nice introduction to programming, showing you the very basics idea.
Now, maybe you can learn to program this way, but you won't learn to do software engineering or computer science using this website.
Anyway I think they've got an interesting concept and maybe Codeacademy can be use in schools to give a taste of programming to non-techies.
Member since:2006-01-23
I know some basic coding already, C/VB/PHP but mainly used Delphi... So I did try the javascript and I actually completed it all. Some of the examples weren't the best and left me wondering what the heck, and I did draw upon my past in other languages to complete the tasks.
So I'm not sure if its suited to total beginners to the world of coding but for getting existing coders into a new language, its a very good primer that'll get them up to speed on the basics quickly.
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Member since:
2008-02-05
I'm sure it can help people who don't know anything about programming get a taste... which is probably enough. I know my brother in law is having a blast with his first steps into 'programming', and maybe afterwards he's interested in learning a real language... If not, he's at least learned a new way of thinking.
Nothing lost there, right?