030 JSJ Learning & Teaching JavaScript with Noel Rappin

Panel Noel Rappin (twitter github blog) Jamison Dance (twitter github blog) Charles Max Wood (twitter github Teach Me To Code Intro to CoffeeScript) AJ O’Neal (twitter github blog) Discussion 00:52 - Works in training and talent development for Groupon 00:56 - Author of Rails Test Prescriptions and upcoming Master Space and Time with JavaScript 01:21 - Writing a book about JavaScript 02:33 - Focus of the book Part 1: Jasmine and jQuery and the JavaScript Object Model Part 2: Extended examples of jQuery Part 3: Backbone Part 4: Ember 03:46 - Self-published authors 05:15 - Approaches and mindsets to learning JavaScript 06:04 - “Gotchas!” and bad features in Javascript 09:17 - Modeling JavaScript for beginners 11:23 - (AJ joins the podcast) 11:42 - Resources/Classes for learning JavaScript Good Parts Book: Douglas Crockford JavaScript Patterns: Stoyan Stefanov Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming: Marijn Haverbeke Maintainable JavaScript: Nicholas C. Zakas 13:54 - Hiring people with JavaScript experience at Groupon 15:12 - Training workshops 17:00 - Getting new hires up to speed quickly Pairing Mentoring Lectures Workshops 21:38 - Book Learning You can learn at your own pace But it’s hard to ask questions to a book 22:51 - How Noel gained expertise in JavaScript 24:38 - Code reading and learning to program a language 26:18 - Teaching people JavaScript as their very first language 31:55 - Classroom layout 33:42 - Online training Kahn Academy Computer Science Code Academy Starter League 40:00 - Finding a mentor Stack Overflow Picks Shrines by Purity Ring (Jamison) Learnable Programming: Bret Victor (Jamison) Mob Software: Richard P. Gabriel & Ron Goldman (Jamison) Monoprice.com (AJ) ZREO: Zelda Reorchestrated (AJ) The Official Twitter App (Chuck) Fluid App (Chuck) Try Jasmine! (Noel) Justin Searls (Noel) The Atrocity Archives: Charles Stross (Noel) Futurity: A Musical by The Lisps (Noel) Transcript NOEL: I’m trying to figure out where the chat is in this stupid Skype interface. JAMISON: Just imagine the worst place it could possibly be and that’s where it is. [This episode is sponsored by ComponentOne, makers of Wijmo. If you need stunning UI elements or awesome graphs and charts, then go to wijmo.com and check them out.] [Hosting and bandwidth provided by The Blue Box Group. Check them out at bluebox.net] CHUCK: Hey everybody and welcome to Episode 30 of the JavaScript Jabber show! This week on our panel we have, Jamison Dance. JAMISON: Hey guys! CHUCK: I’m Charles Max Wood from devchat.tv and this week, we have a special guest and that’s Noel Rappin! NOEL: Hey everybody! CHUCK: For the people who don’t know who you are, you want to introduce yourself, Noel? NOEL:  Sure. I currently work in training and talent development for Groupon. And I am the author of previously “Rails Test Prescriptions” and currently a self-published book called “Master Time and Space with JavaScript”, which you can get at noelrappin.com. I need to spell that out, right? N-o-e-l-r-a-p-p-i-n.com CHUCK: So I’m little curious, before we get into the topic which is learning and teaching JavaScript, how did you get into writing a book about JavaScript? What’s your background there? NOEL: You know, it actually relates to teaching and learning JavaScript. I think, I was like… a lot of long time web devs. I spent my first round as a web consultant in around, turn of the century 2000’s. I spent time trying to talk clients out of JavaScript stuff because it was such a pain in the neck. And I kind of got away from it for awhile and came back a couple of years ago to realize that basically, everything had changed and they were actually usable tools now. And last summer, I was working with a… at that time,