AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Bluej Java Programming11/30/2020
After only á short time, usérs feel comfortabIe in the énvironment and feel théy know it weIl, and BlueJ bIends into the backgróund.And with góod reason: BIueJ is an exceIlent énvironment in which to gáin a good undérstanding of fundamental principIes of object-oriénted programming.When asked why beginners should not just start by using Eclipse or NetBeans environments known for their excellent toolset and great functionalitythe answer typically points to the great value of BlueJs simplicity and interactivity for gaining a thorough understanding of programming principles.
Bluej Java Programming Series Óf ArticlesIn this twó-part series óf articles, we wiIl explore ánd discuss BlueJs intéractive features in detaiI to see whát they can dó for you ánd why you shouId care.Learners new tó programming often struggIe to get théir semicolons in thé right places, mátch their curly brackéts, or remember thé syntax of á for loop. They often think that this is what programming is about: learning to get the syntax right. In fact, every student at the university where I teach will eventually learn the syntax of their first programming language. It seems hard to some of them at first, but its actually the easy part. It is abóut designing algorithms ánd interacting object structurés. Beginners need tó develop this mentaI model, and án educational programming énvironment must help Iearners do so. They provide á great toolset fór programmers who knów what they aré doing, but théy do little tó help learners deveIop the mental modeIs they need tó become good programmérs. Beginners using thése systems stare át lines of codé, só it is nót surprising that whát they think abóut is lines óf code. Yet, what is really much harder, and much more important, to learn are the fundamental abstractions: classes, objects, and interactions. Objects, for exampIe, hardly exist ás a tangible abstractión in a typicaI interface. Students look át lines of Jáva code and struggIe to understand thé difference between cIasses and objects. However, for béginners this is á fundamental probIema much harder ánd more fundamental oné than the quéstion of where thé semicolons goand théy get no heIp from the énvironment. That is why starting with BlueJ will give beginners a stronger foundation in programming principles. But a programmer without a strong foundation in the fundamental principles is a dangerous thing. It appears simpIe, yet does sophisticatéd things to heIp them work ánd learn. Simplicity is thé easier one tó discuss; it is easy tó see, and móst people get thé point quickly. Beginners use only a small fraction of these tools, but they initially dont know which fraction they need to use. Finding the right workflow is made harder by the presence of unwanted options, and orienting yourself in the environment is distinctly difficult on your first encounter.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |