JavaTutor is a truly revolutionary way to learn to program. Instead of
having to master learning lots of abstract concepts and complex syntax just to
print a few words on the screen, JavaTutor lets you create simple games and
network programs in just a few minutes with a tiny handful of commands.
You'll be programming before you even know it.
But it doesn't stop there. While adding more sophistication to your
games, you'll learn a sophisticated object-oriented language that you can use
for many complex programming tasks. In fact, JavaScript is the most
commonly-used programming language on the World Wide Web (the Internet)!
JavaTutor is also a great way to discover the fun and fulfillment of
computer programming. If you've ever wondered whether you'll enjoy
programming as a career, JavaTutor is an entertaining way to find out.
JavaTutor is an environment that contains everything you need to learn to program in a popular language called JavaScript. JavaTutor is intended for everyone aged 10 or older.
Using the metaphor of being a novice wizard, you begin by learning some simple spells to move magic objects around the screen. For instance, ghost.appear() causes a ghost to appear on your screen.
You learn new spells from the spell book, which is a tutorial filled with games and activities that make each new spell immediately useful. By the time you have learned just five spells, you've be able to create dozens of games. As a reference, you can also consult the spell chart.
You can try out each new spell by simply typing it and seeing what happens immediately. You can also tie spells to events, such as when you click on an area on the screen or two moving objects on the screen collide.
JavaTutor includes an image editor, allowing you to change the appearance of the objects in your game and create new ones as well. JavaTutor also lets you choose different graphical backgrounds and tie spells to any item in those pictures.
JavaTutor lets you save all of the programs that you develop on an Internet account, so that you can easily work on the same program from different computers. For instance, you can develop a program on your home computer and then show it off the next day at school. You can even choose to let others play (but not modify) your games over the Internet, turning you into a "published" software author.
Most of all, JavaTutor is a playground for creativity. It's as fast to try out a new spell in JavaTutor as it is to draw with crayons or assemble Tinker Toys. By emphasizing the thrill of creating something fun for others to use, while eliminating the drudgery, JavaTutor makes learning programming enjoyable and painless.
JavaTutor teaches you to program in JavaScript, which is an exceptionally popular and powerful but simple-to-use language.
JavaScript does not require complex declarations, so it's easier to write simple programs in than Java or C/C++.
However, JavaScript uses the same basic syntax and control structures as Java and C/C++, so it's easy to move from JavaScript on to those languages.
JavaScript allows you to write powerful but short program fragments, unlike Java, C/C++, and Basic, so you can develop programs more easily.
JavaScript interfaces far better than Java, C/C++, or Basic with web pages. That's why millions of web pages contain JavaScript programs.
JavaScript programs run without the compilation steps that Java and C/C++ require, so that you can test your code instantly.
JavaScript has a powerful object-oriented model that makes it easy to create very complex programs.
JavaScript's objects and libraries also allow you to share code easily with other people.
JavaScript is absolutely free and runs on all computers that have web browsers.
JavaScript is supported by Microsoft, AOL/Netscape, and Sun, making it a truly universal language. There are hundreds of books and courses available about the language.
You download JavaTutor over the Internet each time you use it.
At this time, a beta version of JavaTutor is available for free to supporting public schools and other public organizations such as community technology centers. Please contact us at javatutor@interactivesciences.org to request more information.
