colevandersWands
commented
6 years ago The idea behind this was to push studying JavaScript more and before html/css. I agree it's not the most intuitive ordering and will change it in the next version, but will keep it this way here since it's already out and this cohort is already using it this way. It cause more trouble to swap it out in this edition.
There is a related reason for not emphasizing FCC over the other JavaScript tutorials. The portfolio comes from FCC, but the JavaScript section has no strong connection to the portfolio. Because of this and since we were pushing JS before HTML/CSS it shouldn't matter which one is followed.
In the next version of the precourse I'll be taking this advice and encourage students to follow FCC in order, with the others available if FCC's JS exercises don't quite satisfy. Much simpler for everyone.
This is simultaneously a test run for me to add an issue, and an actual 'issue' that occurred to me while working through the precourse.
So, this is what I wanted to suggest:
In the Javascript FUNdamentals sections of the pre-course, there is a list of resources for JS Tutorials. The first is Codecademy, then Free Code Camp, and this line of text following the FCC link: "(Skip ahead to JavaScript Basics for now, you'll get a chance to cover HTML/CSS in the next step of the precourse.)" True enough, in the next stop of the precourse, we move onto some HTML/CSS etc. But in the Front End Basics section, there is some advice which seems to run contrary to the suggestion quoted above about skipping to JS Basics: "The foundational skills for web-development are HTML and CSS. You will be able to build your first projects (and your portfolio) without any JavaScript. We think it's a good idea for you to first familiarize yourselves with HTML/CSS before moving on to JavaScript. This will make it much easier when it comes time to learn JavaScript as you won't be trying to learn two things at once. Believe us, this will make your life easier.
To cover the basics of HTML/CSS we recommend following FreeCodeCamp as far as the Basic Front End Projects."
The issue is that in the former section, the suggestion is to use FCC, skipping straight to JS, but once you've done that, in this next step the advice is to follow FCC up to the Basic Front End Projects before going near JS.
I presume this is just the result of it being a mix of some elements from a previous version of the course. In principle, I don't think it's a bad way to do things, but as I learner I would find it more straightforward to just work through FCC in its native order, if ultimately I have to cover all that stuff anyways. Or at the least, to make clear from the beginning that this is the slightly counter-intuitive order that we'll follow, and to remove to conflicting suggestions. Given that the whole portfolio building section largely privileges FCC, it might also be better to suggest that a bit more strongly as the main one to follow, while still leaving other options open.