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It’s Time to Join the Hour of Code

11/19/2014

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Are you thinking about doing the Hour of Code this year? Do you know someone who you know would make a brilliant coder? Love playing on your computer, iPad, tablet, Kindle, smart phone, Xbox, and/or Play Station but all you know how to do is consume technology?  Now is the time to be a creator, an inventor, a game maker, or app designer. This is your opportunity to play, learn, explore, and create for one whole hour! If this sounds easy to you, great you’re going to be just fine. If it doesn’t here are some tips to get you started:

  1. HARDWARE: A desktop or laptop computer is my recommendation, however tablets work well too.
  2. FRIEND OR GROUP: Everything’s better with friends!  Working with a friend will help you stick to a schedule and will be the first person you lean on when you need help. He/She will also be the first person you brag to when you’ve made something awesome, like an alert box that say’s “Hello World.” Or find a group on Meet Up. Meet ups are great ways to find an instant coding community that will help you work through difficult problems. Attend your meet up like you would attend a class that cost a million dollar. Find a meet up that works for you and make it a habit every week. If you miss a week, try and make up the time before the next meet up.
  3. TUTORIAL VIDEOS: Don’t beat yourself up over not knowing how to code, there are great online resources and tools available! Start simply and you’ll be able to work up to building an app or a website in no time. Also check out the Treehouse Show for 8+ minute distractions… or motivation, whichever you need at the time.
  4. TIMER: Set for one hour.
  5. GLASSES: Not required and not necessary, but they can make you feel smart. Look the part.
  6. HEADPHONES: Also not necessary, unless at a meet up, crowded room, or cafe. However, under the right conditions they act like horse blinders, allowing you to focus on the task at hand.
  7. SENSE OF HUMOR: Try and remind yourself that this is fun. Also, don’t worry about what you make, just do whatever makes you feel good. The Hour of Code is all about testing the waters to see if coding is for you.
Treehouse Coding Courses in the Library that are all an hour long or shorter: (Listed in order of difficulty)
  • Treehouse Club – HTML
  • Treehouse Club – CSS
  • Treehouse Club – JavaScript
  • HTML Tables
 
Slightly More Difficult, and Slightly Longer Courses:
  • PHP Functions (66 minutes)
  • Object-Oriented Python (70 minutes)
  • Writing better Python (70 minutes)
  • Ruby Loops (73 minutes)
  • HTML Email Design (74 minutes)



Slightly More Difficult and Longer Courses:

  • CSS Layout Techniques (2 hours)
  • Build a Simple Website (2 hours)
  • Build a iPhone App with Swift (2 hours)
  • Java Basics (2 hours)
  • Introduction to Programming (114 minutes)
  • PHP Basics (2 hours)
  • Build a Todo List Application with Rails 4 (2 hours)


Let us know what you’re doing for the Hour of Code this year. Are you volunteering in your local school? Trying to get your neighbors to participate or pitching it to your boss?

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Which Programming Language Is Right for You?

11/6/2014

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By D. Frank Smith

Computer science is booming, with the industry is on track to create 1.4 million jobs by 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Those seeking their big break in the growing industry have a myriad of choices. But which programming language should they be studying?

A new infographic from web hosting review site WhoIsHostingThis breaks down the history, function and learning curve of 10 of the most popular programming languages, from PHP to AJAX. According to the graphic, the easiest language to learn is Python, the most powerful is C++ and the one most likely to remain relevant in a decade is Java.

And students are eager to learn. Chicago Public Schools is preparing to make computer science part of the school system’s core curriculum, introducing courses at area high schools over the next three years, and in kindergarten through eighth grade within five years.

Students are also looking beyond traditional means of education to become coding-savvy. Web startups such as One Month and Codecademy offer a series of online courses to orient students on a variety of programming languages.

In May, Codecademy announced that 24 million users had taken its free courses.

With so many options, which programming language is right for you?

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