C# Day v.2: Another Great Event!
How the day started
I'm pleased to report that C# day was a resounding success. In fact it turns out that we actually had better attendance and better facilities overall as compared to the first version. I contribute the success directly to the community and community involvement. Most notably to two individuals in particular: Kyle and Robin from G2 (http://www.weblevels.com/) help make C# day what it was.
The day began with Michael de la Maza (the host) introducing the day and describing for the attendees what C# day is all about. After that, C# day proceeded just as the previous one had with three main stages: (1) examining individual commands, (2) going over code, (3) and finally getting the attendees started with tutorials from one of our sponsors, Inner Workings.
Examining individual commands
To get folks motivated in the early morning hours, Mike warmed them up by going over individual commands. The attendees selected a command from this cool “wall of commands”. The best part was they were able to take advantage of some of the cool new features in Second Life that we've developed. One of the holdovers from the previous C# day was a great innovation that allowed commands to float over the attendees head while they looked for associated commands to go with it. When they approached another person who is related to their command in some way the queue would go from red to green.
The main task for the attendees, in this part, was to research a command that they were unfamiliar with, do a quick write up of the commands, and submit that write up to a general pool that would then be handed out to everyone. In this way, each person contributed to the whole.
I think, of all the pieces, this is certainly one of the most enlightening for students. The main reason I like it so much is that it offers the students an opportunity to not only learn a new command but also learn what resources are available for them to take advantage of. To me, this has always been one of the biggest roadblocks to learning a new language.
Going over code
In the next phase of the event, the students examined a simple tic-tac-toe program. The operations of the program were divided by tables. Attendees then went to one of the many tables that were available. Once there, they worked with others at their table to identify what the operation does. For example, at the table I was seated at, we examined the Main method which, as you know, is the entry point for an application. In this case, we used a simple console application.
The learning curve for this was a little steep at first, but I found that the attendees eventually started gaining traction. Once they were over the initial learning curve they actually gained quite a bit of momentum. It was interesting to see that people who are relatively new to the C# language were actually able to pick up on what their operation was doing.
I have always personally thought that the best way to learn programming is to DO programming and the path that Mike follows is right in line with my philosophy. I think for the absolute beginner, getting over the learning curve may be difficult but the rewards are great on the other side. Certainly everyone at the event seemed to have a really good time.
Inner Workings Tutorials
Finally, at the end of the day, Mike was gracious enough to acquire free tutorials from Inner Workings (http://www.InnerWorkings.com). The attendees were shown how to use these wonderful tutorials and really seemed to respond to them very well. Once they got started, and some minor technical issues were dealt with, the enthusiasm was very gratifying. If you haven't had an opportunity to see the Inner Workings offerings, you should definitely check them out. I am also working with them to see if we can get some free tutorials to give away to my readers.
Conclusion
All in all, I think I can safely say that C# day was, in fact, even better than the original. By all accounts, and independent feedback I've received, there was a lot of positive response to the event. Mike has graciously agreed to continue doing C# Day on Visual Studio Island and rest assured we will continue having them. :)
