"So you could learn syntax and write things on their system that work in
their system, but not gain any understanding about how to select an IDE to
author your own scripts, or how to run them locally once you'd
written them"
Well said, Chris. I've had this exact experience with Javascript (though
not necessarily through Codeacademy--it's a common issue with many
tutorial/code sharing sites), where I had a bit of code that did exactly
what I wanted it to do with my webpage's data via the browser console, but
couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get it to run when the page
loaded normally. Add in jquery or node.js and the need to make sure
they're called first and available to your code, and things can get very
confusing for someone lacking the full context of how those things work
with a browser.
Ironically, I find books (print or e) are often the best bet for this level
of basic instruction because the author can't magically provide learners
with a functioning environment to code in. They have to tell readers how to
get there themselves. You're not going to get past the first chapter of a
Javascript book if you haven't shown
window.onload = function() {
};
to the reader.
-------
Mark Sandford
Systems Librarian
Assistant Professor in the Libraries
Colgate University Libraries
On Thu, Oct 18, 2018 at 1:44 PM Chris Mayo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> My one complaint about codeacademy and other similar tutorial sites is that
> they can be problematic for the true beginner, in a way that folks with
> more knowledge and experience forget is a problem. At least when I was
> using it to learn Python in 2013-ish, codeacademy completely glossed over
> the fact that you were using an interpreter built into the web browser
> interface. So you could learn syntax and write things on their system that
> work in their system, but not gain any understanding about how to select an
> IDE to author your own scripts, or how to run them locally once you'd
> written them. I didn't *really* learn how to usefully use Python until I
> took an LIS course on it that covered those basics.
>
> That being said - I don't know of anywhere on the web that does a good job
> of disseminating information like that, so I guess there needs to be a more
> general awareness that when you're looking for information about technology
> learning, you need to make sure you're also asking questions like, "what
> programs do I need to install to make working with this language easier"
> and "if I'm not running the script from the program I wrote it in, what
> command line tools do I need to download to let me run a script written in
> this language". If anybody knows of good central resources for that, it
> would be a great thing to share.
>
> Best,
> Chris
>
> On Thu, Oct 18, 2018 at 1:20 PM Eric Phetteplace <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > I taught myself JavaScript using Codecademy https://www.codecademy.com
> > during my first library job. I'm not sure if that's still a good site for
> > it but I found that having a series of exercises that build to small
> > projects was an easy, progressive way to build up skills and maintain my
> > fascination. Coursera and Khan Academy are two other sites that come to
> > mind, but there's no shortage of this sort of free online tutorial site.
> >
> > I'll concur with the people saying that it's nice to have a project to
> work
> > on initially, though it's sometimes hard to know what's even possible
> > without a little bit of knowledge first. You might not think of a web
> > project without first seeing how HTML/CSS/JavaScript work in action, or
> > might not think of a cataloging project without see a Python script
> > manipulate some data.
> >
> > Best,
> > Eric
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Oct 17, 2018 at 11:30 AM Andrew L Hickner <
> [log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I agree with both Kyle's and Mark's advice. I've always learned best by
> > > tackling projects that provided learning opportunities in the service
> of
> > an
> > > organizational goal.
> > >
> > > One skill that comes in handy in a range of different roles/contexts is
> > > version control (eg Git). If you're doing any kind of iterative
> > development
> > > over time, particularly with a team, some basic version control skills
> > will
> > > come in handy. You might see if you can find a project team within your
> > > organization that's using it and volunteer, if only to start getting
> your
> > > feet wet in the basic concepts.
> > >
> > > It can also be beneficial to identify a potential mentor in your
> > > organization to start coaching you. At Yale University Libraries I had
> a
> > > colleague who was able to arrange for an informal internship with
> another
> > > unit so he could work on a project with supervision from an experienced
> > > systems librarian and pick up some new skills along the way. That's
> > another
> > > strategy that can both benefit the organization AND help you up-skill.
> > >
> > > Good luck!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Andy Hickner, MSI
> > > Health Sciences Librarian
> > > Seton Hall University | Interprofessional Health Sciences Campus
> > > [log in to unmask] | 1-973-542-6973
> > > http://library.shu.edu/ihs
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Code for Libraries <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Kyle
> > > Banerjee
> > > Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2018 2:12 PM
> > > To: [log in to unmask]
> > > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Recommendations for the New Kid
> > >
> > > Hi Athina,
> > >
> > > As far as building your knowledge base goes, I've personally found it
> > most
> > > useful to learn things as you need them because only those things that
> > you
> > > actively use will stick. Then look for commonalities with other things
> > you
> > > need and build on that.
> > >
> > > I don't recommend learning any particular language or method before you
> > > need it. No program (or computer for that matter) has ever done
> anything
> > > other than take some input, change it in some way, and output it.
> > Whatever
> > > helps you is important, everything else is unimportant.
> > >
> > > You find SQL useful, so continue to build on that. As you encounter
> > > situations that doesn't seem helpful for, you can pick up other skills.
> > > Keep an eye out for generic capabilities that you need such slicing and
> > > dicing metadata, talking with machines, etc.
> > >
> > > Also try to develop a sense for what different approaches offer because
> > > that will help you identify which paths are likely to be easiest.
> > > For example, SQL is a declarative language -- i.e. you describe what
> > > should appear at the end rather than a procedure to follow (like you
> > would
> > > in perl, ruby, python, or php) to get that result. XSLT is another
> > example
> > > of a declarative language.
> > >
> > > The reason I'm bringing up this specific example is that it's very
> > > awkward/difficult to use a declarative language to do things that are
> > best
> > > suited for a procedural language and vice versa. When you have a hammer
> > in
> > > your hand, things tend to look like nails. You don't want to pound in
> > > screws, so keep an eye out for situations where you need another
> generic
> > > capability.
> > >
> > > I'm glad you reached out -- I'm aware of a number of people in your
> same
> > > boat who feel intimidated by the prospect of putting themselves out
> > there..
> > > No one is born knowing this stuff, so no need to suffer if you don't
> have
> > > to.
> > >
> > > kyle
> > >
> > > On Wed, Oct 17, 2018 at 10:31 AM Athina Livanos-Propst <
> > > [log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > >
> > > > I'm new to the list serv and am trying to build up my knowledge base
> > > > for learning more coding skills that I can apply to my library and my
> > > > work. I'd love to hear your best recommendations for teaching myself
> > > > new tech skills, where to learn said skills, and which skill sets
> > you've
> > > found most useful.
> > > >
> > > > For reference, I have a cataloging background and am just dipping my
> > > > toes into the wacky world of SQL queries, and I'm kinda loving it and
> > > > want to play more.
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
>
> --
> Chris Mayo
> Digital Production Librarian
> Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Library
> Boston College
> [log in to unmask]
>
