Week 12 begins -- JavaScript

[jefflembeck]

Trying to come up with a list of topics that one MIGHT cover during a week on JS. It will grow/be pared/morph into something awesome.

[jags14385]

We could add Angular JS to the list and may be we could develop a small app using it . What say?

[jefflembeck]

It's a really great idea for a project. I worry about the learning curve on Angular at the same time they'll be experiencing the learning curve from Rails. Anybody learned both?

[zspencer]

One thing to consider is that Javascript is an entire programming language. If we give them N weeks to learn ruby, then 1/N weeks to learn javascript, we're doing a huge disservice both to the students, who are expected to pick up the syntax, idioms, and other issues all in a single week; and JavaScript, which has had too much abuse already as "just a scripting language."

Here are the three main stumbling blocks that dev bootcamp students have when moving to JavaScript:

1. Why do I have to use parenthesis to call a function?
2. What is a callback? What do you mean Im passing a function as an argument to a function?!
3. Why does this keep changing?

And these are all before they even get to prototypical inheritance, or even grouping functions onto objects!

I'd recommend Week1 of JavaScript be a parallel track:

1. JavaScript the language, either via NodeSchool or Exercism.io
2. JavaScript as a way to manipulate web sites. (Try JQuery, TreeHouse, etc. have good tutorials for this)

On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 7:33 PM, Jeff Lembeck notifications@github.com wrote:

Trying to come up with a list of topics that one MIGHT cover during a week on JS. It will grow/be pared/morph into something awesome.

---

You can merge this Pull Request by running

git pull https://github.com/jlembeck/curriculum master

Or view, comment on, or merge it at:

https://github.com/Ada-Developers-Academy/curriculum/pull/10

Commit Summary

Week 12 begins -- JavaScript

File Changes

A lessons/12_javascript.md (45)

Patch Links:

https://github.com/Ada-Developers-Academy/curriculum/pull/10.patch https://github.com/Ada-Developers-Academy/curriculum/pull/10.diff

[zspencer]

Also, in the past, I've seen many students get stuck in the 'land of magic' as soon as a front end framework is introduced if they don't have a solid grip on JavaScript before hand. Once a student is in the land of magic they forget that everything is just code and should be evaluated as such.

This is also why I avoid teaching rails until they've built web applications in sinatra.

On Tue, Oct 1, 2013 at 9:42 AM, Zee zee@zeespencer.com wrote:

One thing to consider is that Javascript is an entire programming language. If we give them N weeks to learn ruby, then 1/N weeks to learn javascript, we're doing a huge disservice both to the students, who are expected to pick up the syntax, idioms, and other issues all in a single week; and JavaScript, which has had too much abuse already as "just a scripting language."

Here are the three main stumbling blocks that dev bootcamp students have when moving to JavaScript:

1. Why do I have to use parenthesis to call a function?
2. What is a callback? What do you mean Im passing a function as an argument to a function?!
3. Why does this keep changing?

And these are all before they even get to prototypical inheritance, or even grouping functions onto objects!

I'd recommend Week1 of JavaScript be a parallel track:

1. JavaScript the language, either via NodeSchool or Exercism.io
2. JavaScript as a way to manipulate web sites. (Try JQuery, TreeHouse, etc. have good tutorials for this)

On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 7:33 PM, Jeff Lembeck notifications@github.com wrote:

Trying to come up with a list of topics that one MIGHT cover during a week on JS. It will grow/be pared/morph into something awesome.

---

You can merge this Pull Request by running

git pull https://github.com/jlembeck/curriculum master

Or view, comment on, or merge it at:

https://github.com/Ada-Developers-Academy/curriculum/pull/10

Commit Summary

Week 12 begins -- JavaScript

File Changes

A lessons/12_javascript.md (45)

Patch Links:

https://github.com/Ada-Developers-Academy/curriculum/pull/10.patch https://github.com/Ada-Developers-Academy/curriculum/pull/10.diff