Python/New/Learn

[o1bigtenor]

As we're now discussing tutorial methods - - - -

On Thu, May 5, 2022 at 8:57 PM Chris Angelico <rosuav at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Fri, 6 May 2022 at 09:53, Grant Edwards <grant.b.edwards at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > On 2022-05-05, Mats Wichmann <mats at wichmann.us> wrote:
> >
> > > Without having any data at all on it, just my impressions, more
> > > people these days learn from in-person or video experiences.
> >
> > I've always been utterly baffled by video tutorials for
> > programming. There must be people who prefer that format, but it seems
> > like absolutely the worst possible option for me. You can't cut/paste
> > snippets from the examples. You have to constantly pause them so you
> > can try out examples. Sometimes it's not even easy to read the
> > examples. Perhaps if there was an accompanying web page or PDF...
> >
>
> Video tutorials make GREAT sense for learning complicated programs
> like Adobe PhotoShop or some 3D game design engines, because (a) most
> of what you need is in the menus somewhere, but it's hard to find; (b)
> you can aim the tutorial at a specific version, and it'll be the same
> for all users; and (c) you can talk about it at the same speed that
> people can follow along.

Respectfully - - - I would disagree. FreeCAD is a mind bogglingly
complex architecture (a lumping together of a lot of things without a real
central vision imo in fact) and a video tutorial would seem to make sense
- - - except - - - trying to see what is being done is at best tricky - - - at
worse - - - impossible. If the instructions were text - - - well you could do
things one step at a time and you wouldn't have to scroll back and forth 10
times trying to see exactly which part of what was the mouse applied
to and then which toolbar . . .   .  One would think that something that
you manipulate visually would be best served by video instruction.

Personally I find video instruction the most difficult to follow and the most
awkward. And then if the speaker is not easily understandable or is using
translated terms (not necessarily the same as those in the program
itself) well - - - the frustration level is most definitely NOT small and
the amount of learning - - - not that large - - - especially given the
effort needed to create video tutorials.  IMO video is too often used
because its there - - - not because this enhances the experience.

(Or the instructor is an academic who is reading their video screens
- - - you know - - - like the 85 or 90% of the profs at the uni - - - - )
>
> Video tutorials do NOT make sense for anything where you'll be using
> your own editor, typing in code, and having it behave the same way.
> There's nothing to point-and-click, and everything to type.
>
> But some people start making tutorials of the first kind, and then go
> on to make some of the second kind, thinking they'll also be useful.
>
I think you, that is Chris, are a very generous person. My experience
has been that many consider video tutorials to be cool or sexy or of the
highest art - - - and never even consider the uncool, mundane, boring,
old, text option.

I'm wondering if the difference is that in general education itself less
and less emphasis is placed on reading (and comprehension) skills.
This fits alongside a return to pictographic language supposedly to
assist in multi-lingual barrier reduction.

I will cease and desist - - - (thanks for even 'listening')

Pace