Re: How to: Teach java?
 

This thought just popped into my head.

Depending on how you organize your code, you probably can almost entirely avoid using Java's OO features, and can simply use it to write the same sort of main (probably multi-threaded) routine, plus data and subroutines, that you would write using Fortran or C.

I'm not advocating doing that, I'm just pointing out that it is a legitimate option that might simplify producing a robot for first-time Java users.

Re: How to: Teach java?
 

Here is another free course on Java programming:

https://www.edx.org/course/introduct...c3mx-it-1-1x-0

Re: How to: Teach java?
 

Another possibility is: https://www.codecademy.com/learn
Codecadamy generally does an excellent job teaching programming languages. They just released a Java course, which I have not personally tried yet, but I trust it will be good. Codecadamy also has an excellent Python course (which I used when I was first learning the language). Python is a much simpler way to get an introduction basic programming concepts, it makes a good first language. After having the students learn how variables, data types, functions, loops etc. work in Python, it will be easier for them to pick up Java and OO concepts.

Re: How to: Teach java?
 

I'm confused. Why is it easier to learn those concepts by writing Python, than by writing Java? I don't remember any important differences in those basics other than Python's loose typing introducing more opportunities for rookies to be sloppy. What am I forgetting? It's been a while since I used Python.