Re: FLASH: A teacher wonders why ActionScript tutorials "bite"

[Mark McFadden]

I am in total agreement with you on this one, Peter.

-Mark


peter hagerty wrote:

> 

> At 12:41 AM 1/21/00 -0500, you wrote:

> >I had lunch today with a fellow member of this list and it quickly

> >degenerated into a whining session regarding ActionScrpt tutorials.

> >

> >The bottom line was : Why are actionscript tutorials are generally

> >written for geeks by geeks?

> 

> Geeks have been reading and writing computer language(s) for a long time,

> and because most people don't understand these technical languages, the

> geek has become the contemporary scribe.

> 

> For reasons of efficiency, the multi-media industry work flow further

> separates the work of the geeks from the rest (graphics). Hence geek speaks

> more often to geek, in a language largely incomprehensibe to most of us.

> 

> But things are getting better, because modern computer languages are now

> easier to read and write.

> 

> Why Flash is so... cool is that it allows novices and geeks to enter and

> use the programme at different levels. If the learning pattern follows that

> of Director, then lots of artists will learn code, but it is unlikely that

> the geeks will ever use a stylus.

> 

> Your question is I think, the pressing issue for Flash education. There are

> lots of books on using the interface and drawing, but there are no

> dedicated "How to develop actionscript routines." for people not familiar

> with higher level languages.

> 

> There are many online tutorials, and while excellent, the variety of

> presentation, uneveness of description and lack of serial development make

> them very hard work.

> 

> What we (I) need is an old fashioned book format "actionscript from the

> bottom up". Only a geek can write this, but the combination of someone who

> has the patience  to write; "a string is..."," a variable is..."  and also

> capable of developig this into a lucid explanation (and demonstration!) of

> "Recurrsion, simulated, multi-threading, and data structures", as it

> applies to F4, is a special geek.

> 

> Is this a commercial opportunity going begging?

> 

> peterhagerty

> 

>                 Peter Hagerty

>                    Liverpool

> 

>                  *~ arklo ~*

>         http://www.merseyworld.com/hagerty/

> 

> 

> 

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