First things first ...
Oh no! I go away for a week and miss a get together NEAR me for a change. <Glares at girlfriend> About this here JUG thing : I do think the JUG's actually pretty active compared to other similiar ventures in South Africa. We are fortunate to have a multitude of skilled people on the list who take the time to respond to novice questions from people such as myself. Interestingly enough, I started studying Java last year as an exercise to expand my programming skills. Now I only use Java and Delphi to code in, mixed with some C and ASM where absolutely needed. The local highschool asked me at the beginning of this year to help with their Java classes (around 50 students). Do you realise there is NO official support for teachers concerning materials and ideas ? There are a few scattered groups etc., but nothing worth mentioning. The whole subject is a mess with not enough skilled teachers available (I never studied teaching, though I did lecture in Cobol and C for two years at CTECH on a part-time basis.) in the Western Cape. Would it be possible to expand into schools and other academic institutions? I'm not talking about doing homework for schoolkids, but rather getting out to schools with active Java students and maybe give them a glimpse of what development work is about, especially in Java? It amazes me how much my students' horizons have broadened from exposure to real-world applications. The main problem with the handbooks are that they are extremely limited. Nowhere are the children exposed to what is possible in Java. Every year the matrics have to write a year-end project which counts for a lot of marks. My matrics could not get enough from simple GUI apps with relocatable buttons for instance. Nobody has EVER shown them what a programmer CAN do with enough time and effort. For instance, Java went from a "stupid language" to "awesome" when I asked them to look at the POS screens more closely next time they shop at the local Pick'nPay, a JAVA based POS system. Countless engineers and scientists and other folk visit the schools to "recruit" fresh blood, but I have yet to see real developers pitch up. Most folks that show up with computer-related knowledge are technicians, sales reps or trainers. Boring boring boring boring. Why not show off some apps done for some recognised companies ? It might just change someone's future. Just my 1/2 cent's worth. Regards Ewald Horn Business Manager NoFuss Solutions South Africa Cell : 083 305 3556 Web: www.nofuss.co.za --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CTJUG Forum" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/CTJUG-Forum -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
