Re: Java tools

From: Patricia Shanahan (patricia_shanahan_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 03/14/05 

Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 22:32:40 GMT

Malte wrote:

> John C. Bollinger wrote:
...
>> You are making a dangerous mistake: confusing teaching
>> with learning. You can cover the details you describe
>> in a short class, but the best way for students to
>> _learn_ them is to have to _use_ them. It takes more
>> use than just a few exercises.
>>
>
> I give up. I assume you'd teach computing by handing out
> a blank *** of paper and have students write a bunch of
> zeroes and ones. ;-)

No, after a few weeks, when you are sure they have fully
absorbed binary, you should let them use hexadecimal.

Seriously, there are dozens of skills that have all the
following characteristics:

1. Learning them may enhance programming skill.

2. The best way to learn them is to have to use them.

3. The essentials to get started on OO programming can be
imparted in summary form in a much shorter time.

I would include in this category, in no particular order:
discrete mathematics, assembly language programming,
computer hardware architecture, computer hardware logic
design, electrical engineering, sociology (programming is
often a group activity), domain knowledge for specific
programming projects, operating systems structure,
distributed system concepts, formal grammars, compilers, and
command line programming.

Why is command line programming so special?

Patricia