Hello everyone!
This is a blog post update for 9/15/17. It will be a compare and contrast of Runestone Academy vs. Pythonroom.
So even though I have only used Runestone for about 4 sections, 4.1-4.4, I think that it is much better than Pythonroom in explaining coding.. I feel that it really wants you to understand what is happening in the coding that you're doing, instead of just copying and pasting (which you can do in Pythonroom). In Runestone, they provide videos and lengthy color coded explanations on what every new term means, what it does, how you use it, and then ways that you can take it a step further. They start with a very simple example, and then have you add onto it given your limited knowledge. As you go through the sections, they give more information and insight on other uses and more complicated uses. They then give you multiple examples and chances to build your knowledge. An additional feature that Runestone has is an ordering activity. I really like this, because it emphasizes that order really matters in code. It also helps you realize why certain lines have to go in certain places; because certain lines of coding rely on previous ones. Also, Runestone also has multiple choice questions throughout their lessons that further check the user's understanding.
One thing that I don't like in Runestone is that it doesn't check if you do the coding 100% correctly. It checks if your multiple choice questions and ordering are correct, but not the actual coding. It phrases the coding problems as "try this", but if your attempted code doesn't do what it says, it doesn't correct you.
Another small thing I don't enjoy about Runestone is the overall feeling of the design. It uses a beige background with neutral colors for all its activities. I enjoy that Pythonroom had a lot of contrasting colors that made everything look really interesting.
As I have already talked about Pythonroom in past blog posts, its flaws in its Turtle section are very similar to the problems throughout the whole system. The biggest thing is that it glitches a lot, so you might have the correct code, but it won't accept it. You then have to copy your code, refresh the page and re-login, and paste the code, just to pass the activity. Another (bad) thing that I've noticed about the website, from other people, is that it is either really easy to pass the problems and go through the lessons, without understanding it at all, or impossible because they teach you how to add and then ask you a problem including exponents. The examples they give are too focused, because they only either show the simplest form of the code, or a very specific side to it. Either the following problem will follow the exact same form, as I have seen some people just copying the code from the example and then only changing a few things to make it satisfy the problem. On the other hand, Pythonroom sometimes asks for something they never really taught you, so you'll only pass the problem if your mind already understands these kinds of things pretty easily. For me, I have managed because most of this comes pretty easily. However, for others, they need more explanations and examples, and Pythonroom doesn't provide that at all. I do like the graphics in Pythonroom, and also how quickly you can move through material. For the sections that I feel are pretty straightforward, Pythonroom's explanations are enough for me.
In conclusion, if I had to choose only one system, I would choose Runsetone Academy. Although I've only gone through a couple of sections, I would much rather have too many explanations and examples than not enough. I also feel like the deeper understanding will be much more beneficial when we get to really complicated coding. I can't definitively say which one taught more about the Turtle library, since I only went about half way through Runestone. I feel that Pythoonroom has breadth and Runestone has depth.
I think a good combination would be to use Pythonroom as an overview, and then the second you don't immediately understand something, go to Runestone to get a more detailed explanation. Also, Runestone seems excellent to use to solidify past information, to make sure that your foundation is sound with understanding.
I hope that this gave some insight into my experience with Runestone Academy and Pythoonroom.
Last week we mainly focused on Turtle, and this week we'll be working on Branching and Loops!
Until next week,
Mimi
This is a blog post update for 9/15/17. It will be a compare and contrast of Runestone Academy vs. Pythonroom.
So even though I have only used Runestone for about 4 sections, 4.1-4.4, I think that it is much better than Pythonroom in explaining coding.. I feel that it really wants you to understand what is happening in the coding that you're doing, instead of just copying and pasting (which you can do in Pythonroom). In Runestone, they provide videos and lengthy color coded explanations on what every new term means, what it does, how you use it, and then ways that you can take it a step further. They start with a very simple example, and then have you add onto it given your limited knowledge. As you go through the sections, they give more information and insight on other uses and more complicated uses. They then give you multiple examples and chances to build your knowledge. An additional feature that Runestone has is an ordering activity. I really like this, because it emphasizes that order really matters in code. It also helps you realize why certain lines have to go in certain places; because certain lines of coding rely on previous ones. Also, Runestone also has multiple choice questions throughout their lessons that further check the user's understanding.
One thing that I don't like in Runestone is that it doesn't check if you do the coding 100% correctly. It checks if your multiple choice questions and ordering are correct, but not the actual coding. It phrases the coding problems as "try this", but if your attempted code doesn't do what it says, it doesn't correct you.
Another small thing I don't enjoy about Runestone is the overall feeling of the design. It uses a beige background with neutral colors for all its activities. I enjoy that Pythonroom had a lot of contrasting colors that made everything look really interesting.
As I have already talked about Pythonroom in past blog posts, its flaws in its Turtle section are very similar to the problems throughout the whole system. The biggest thing is that it glitches a lot, so you might have the correct code, but it won't accept it. You then have to copy your code, refresh the page and re-login, and paste the code, just to pass the activity. Another (bad) thing that I've noticed about the website, from other people, is that it is either really easy to pass the problems and go through the lessons, without understanding it at all, or impossible because they teach you how to add and then ask you a problem including exponents. The examples they give are too focused, because they only either show the simplest form of the code, or a very specific side to it. Either the following problem will follow the exact same form, as I have seen some people just copying the code from the example and then only changing a few things to make it satisfy the problem. On the other hand, Pythonroom sometimes asks for something they never really taught you, so you'll only pass the problem if your mind already understands these kinds of things pretty easily. For me, I have managed because most of this comes pretty easily. However, for others, they need more explanations and examples, and Pythonroom doesn't provide that at all. I do like the graphics in Pythonroom, and also how quickly you can move through material. For the sections that I feel are pretty straightforward, Pythonroom's explanations are enough for me.
In conclusion, if I had to choose only one system, I would choose Runsetone Academy. Although I've only gone through a couple of sections, I would much rather have too many explanations and examples than not enough. I also feel like the deeper understanding will be much more beneficial when we get to really complicated coding. I can't definitively say which one taught more about the Turtle library, since I only went about half way through Runestone. I feel that Pythoonroom has breadth and Runestone has depth.
I think a good combination would be to use Pythonroom as an overview, and then the second you don't immediately understand something, go to Runestone to get a more detailed explanation. Also, Runestone seems excellent to use to solidify past information, to make sure that your foundation is sound with understanding.
I hope that this gave some insight into my experience with Runestone Academy and Pythoonroom.
Last week we mainly focused on Turtle, and this week we'll be working on Branching and Loops!
Until next week,
Mimi
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