Welcome to Github

by Elliott Hauser

14 Jan 2016

Welcome Survey

THanks for answering this! Here are a sampling of annonymous responses. While everyone had a slightly different take, there were lots of similarities I saw. You’re not alone!

What excites you about code or learning to code?

  • “When my code finally works.”
  • “I’m actually really excited for the supposedly boring stuff, like cleaning data.”
  • “I love puzzles and coding, to me, is like a puzzle.”

Do you have any apprehensions about code or learning to code?

  • “I sometimes feel frustrated when I get lost in errors…and when I do not even know where to find the clues to debug”
  • “My first experience in a programming class wasn’t that great.”
  • “I’m a humanities person through and through, so it will be interesting to see if my brain works this way.”
  • “I’ve heard that the assignments for this class take MUCH longer than you expect them too - so I’m a little apprehensive about the workload! But mostly excited.”
  • “Sometimes I don’t feel like I think like a programmer. I’m not sure how to methodically think and plan a program. I tend to dive in and get frustrated at my inability to fix something.”

What, if anything, have you done to learn to code in the past?

  • “I have taken a few classes here at UNC that involve coding, and I’ve started a few classes on CodeAcademy. Exercises really help since it gives me hands-on experience.”
  • “I’ve done some HTML, CSS, and MySQL. I learned a little bit of Java, but there wasn’t a lot of hands on-I got lost easily and struggled. “
  • “I can do basic HTML, if that counts at all.”
  • “I took a class in C++. It focused more on concepts and less exercise. For someone that has completely no coding experience before, it was too hard for me to grasp.”

What are your goals for this class?

  • “I want to learn Python and its application in data analysis.”
  • “To learn how to code in python and create a cool game at the end of the semester.”
  • “Know the foundation of programming so I can learn and pick up things later by myself. “
  • “To be a better and more confident coder.”
  • “My goal is to become comfortable working with Python.”
  • “To be able communicate intelligently with programmers”

Schedule Addition

I’ve added an extra credit hack project for over spring break for those of you who have goals of using Python in a specific program or framework. More soon, but know I’m listening!

Today’s Class

Today we will:

  • Make your first post to our github blog
  • Go over some Github basics
  • (hopefully) make your second post to our Github blog. You’ll have the weekend to finish if you need it.

For next class you will:

  • Read about Variables
  • Make some basic Python Programs
  • Turn in your Python programs with a short reflective post (on Github) about the experience of coding and submitting them

Let’s get going!

Elliott Hauser is a PhD Student in information science at UNC Chapel Hill. He's hacking education as one of the cofounders of Trinket.io. Find Elliott Hauser on Twitter, Github, and on the web.