ActionScript in Comp Sci Degrees
Recently I had a chance to go back and sit in on some courses at a local university ( not the one I currently teach at ). In so doing I sat in on two semesters of Java. The courses were intended to teach both Java and object oriented programming. Before I go too far, let me say that I’m comfortable with Java, in fact I actually enjoy Java. Having said that, I will say that curriculum for beginning oop development should be, in my opinion, taught using ActionScript. I realize that ActionScript isn’t a perfect language. There are some things that need to be addressed (The lack of an Interface for the flash.display.DisplayObject for example). But taking it all in, the good and the bad, I think ActionScript is a really good language to learn with.
ActionScript has all the usual strengths for beginning developers: strongly typed, compiled, object oriented, a vibrant and helpful community. I feel that the biggest benefit for new developers is that most find it quite easy to create visual elements with ActionScript and Flash Player. As such I think students get the added benefit of seeing their objects in action. Having a relatively painless process that allows students to create visual objects helps students see the state of their objects. It is a great system. It’s the difference between calling a setter method and printing something to the console versus calling a setter and visually seeing your object update.
I have been teaching Object Oriented Programming using ActionScript for just over two years now. I can’t image having to do this in another language and getting students as far as I currently do. You can argue for and against ActionScript and the Flash Player all day. But it is a great language to cut your teeth on. Lately I find myself more and more happy to be a Flash / Flex / ActionScript developer.
Jason Madsen is a web and mobile developer. These days he oversees bachelors programs in Web Design & Development and Mobile Development at a private university in Orlando, FL.
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ActionScript in Comp Sci Degrees | nothing yet | jason madsen | Flash Designers
2 Jun 10 at 2:49 am
I think it’s an interesting idea, and it’d be nice for students to play with something visual.
However, I don’t think of ActionScript as a general purpose technology. I associate AS with Flash, a sand-boxed client side technology. And while their may be some server-side component I’m not aware of, I don’t think it’s got much community attention.
imho Java is a general purpose language, there is a free compiler and virtual machine for most platforms, no sandbox and as great as the AS community is, the Java world is much, much bigger and more likely to be of use in the student’s future.
Joe Zack
2 Jun 10 at 9:38 am
@Joe Zack While Java is indeed a larger community, it doesn’t feel nearly as exciting to me. The point here was simply that from an educational point of view, in my experience, students learn more of the core oop principles when they start with ActionScript.
I agree there are limitations, such as no server-side Actionscript ( You can’t really count FMS as it is still AS 2 ).
In reference to being sandboxed, it doesn’t have to be if you compile an AIR app. The Flex sdk provides a free compiler.
Again, I’m not discounting the merits of other languages. I think students should learn Java. I believe that when they start with AS however, they get further faster.
jason
2 Jun 10 at 10:02 am
Hi, I’m a student going to college for web design and I have wondered about the importance of learning the Flash language over JavaScript or vice-versa. Most sites I see now create dynamic movement through JavaScript, while Flash is being used to create user experiences through PC applications and interfaces on DVD and Blu-ray players.
While it would be fun to create those interfaces for PC applications and others, my main focus is the web.
JoeShon Monroe
23 Aug 10 at 3:11 pm
@JoeShon It is an interesting time on the web for sure. I think as you continue your studies you’ll find that there is no such thing as a web developer who writes in a single language. Is JavaScript important? Absolutely. So is ActionScript, PHP, MySQL, Java, ColdFusion… and the list goes on. The important thing is that you have a good foundation on HOW to program. The languages that you use will change with time. Good luck with school.
jason
23 Aug 10 at 3:29 pm
Jason,
As someone who learned coding in a few languages at the same time, and who has taught ActionScript quite a bit, I totally agree with you.
The example I always give is this. In most languages your first programs are console apps. You might create a “Circle” class and change its properties, but to see the effect of your code all you can do is print out the value to the console. In ActionScript (in Flash Pro), you can create a Circle symbol in the library, create an instance of it and change a property, and you actually see it move. It’s a much more concrete way of seeing the outcome of your program.
Paul Robertson
20 Sep 10 at 5:00 pm
[...] I learned about overrides first in my Object Oriented Programming class with Jason Madsen at Full Sail University. Jason used AS3 for this course for a lot of reasons, mainly because it quickly allows students to tie visual aspects with OOP type development instead of running through a semester and creating something at the end that traces a lot of stuff to a console. He actually wrote an article on it, which you can find here. [...]
AS3 Overrides: Some Things to Keep in Mind at learning me | stephen rivas jr
19 Nov 10 at 1:48 am