As I previously mentioned, I come to this with basically no knowledge. I did some work with basic about 20 years ago and was not very advanced then, As a history professor, I have no day to day background in this. This is, partly, what makes the process so intriguing to me. Code Academy is well marketed and really does make you feel like it can help you learn to program with no real background.
So, does it work? Well, I have been at it for 3 days. I have around 170 points and 25 badges which equates to around 15 hours of work. I went through the HTML introductory lesson pretty quickly and I am now around halfway through the Ruby programming language one. Some of the lessons are smooth and very easy to follow. Others are exceedingly vague and you have to go sifting through the forums to find your way. . One thing is clear, I will be nowhere near ready to do anything on my own when I finish the Ruby lesson. While the lessons teach you how to work within their nicely curated format featuring an editor and an output box which will allow you to see what your programs do, I have no idea how to open or begin to actually Program in the language at this point.
I have taken copious notes and can make things happen if I concentrate and follow along. However, I feel sort of rudderless in terms of what I might or might not do in Ruby or any other language. One thing I think the Academy needs is more forced practice. While you must get your answers correct to move on in the lessons, one never really practices and masters. One gains a basic level of familiarity and then it is on to the next thing. Also, so far, there is very little practical talk about why I want an array. What might I use an array for? I have determined that Code Academy is a great first step, but that I am going to have to use it along with other resources to become a functional intermediate programmer.
Help, ideas, books? Feel free to drop me a line!
..amazed, excited, empowered...frustrated.
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