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@@ -21,21 +21,21 @@ But sites like *Codecademy* leave room for improvement. How so? They could:
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- Move from the browser to offline
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- Lower the cost
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I've created a free service, [*CodeRoad*](https://coderoad.github.io), which I believe offers several improvements over what's out there. I think it's pretty awesome, and I hope you will, too.
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I've created a free service, [*CodeRoad*](https://coderoad.github.io), which I believe offers several improvements over what's out there. I think it's pretty awesome, and I hope you will, too.
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---
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## Accelerating Tutorial Development
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In 2012, *Codecademy* added a new feature: [create your own tutorials](https://www.codecademy.com/blog/6). Never tried it? The **create** feature has since disappeared, but you can still access the remnants left behind.
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In 2012, *Codecademy* added a new feature: [create your own tutorials](https://www.codecademy.com/blog/6). Never tried it? The **create** feature has since disappeared, but you can still access the remnants left behind.
These tutorials echo a time when we could be both consumers & content-creators.
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These tutorials echo a time when we could be both consumers & content-creators.
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The reality is: *Codecademy* & *CodeSchool* are both closed systems. They deliver quality, but not quantity.
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The reality is: *Codecademy* & *CodeSchool* are both closed systems. They deliver quality, but not quantity.
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> Online coding education is cable TV, not YouTube.
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> Online coding education is cable TV, not YouTube.
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Courses cover the most popular topics, but not always the most useful or up-to-date technologies. *CodeRoad* aims to fill that void by making tutorial building easier and more accessible.
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There are no restrictions on:
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##### 1. The number of creators or contributers
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##### 1. The number of creators or contributors
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As any open-source project, there can be any number of creators or contributers. In fact, a state-wide high school curriculum could be developed in tandem by it's many coding teachers.
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As any open-source project, there can be any number of creators or contributors. In fact, a state-wide high school curriculum could be developed in tandem by it's many coding teachers.
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##### 2. The programming language
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*CodeRoad* can make tutorials for any number of programming languages, provided the language has an available testing framework. Just create a new [test runner](https://coderoad.github.io/docs/#test-runner), which gets called through a command-line process behind the scenes.
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##### 3. The size of your project
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Since *CodeRoad* runs in the Atom editor, it can be used to teach users how to create large projects. How large? Consider the kind of projects that go beyond what would crash a browser-based editor.
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Since *CodeRoad* runs in the Atom editor, it can be used to teach users how to create large projects. How large? Consider the kind of projects that go beyond what would crash a browser-based editor.
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## Improving Tutorials
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Video & most interactive tutorials face the same issue: they are static.
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Video & most interactive tutorials face the same issue: they are static.
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> Most online learning content becomes a snapshot in time of a dynamic and evolving system of technologies.
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> Most online learning content becomes a snapshot in time of a dynamic and evolving system of technologies.
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These lessons don’t take pull requests or issues; they don’t update with software or APIs. It's hard to fix errors or add updates or changes. Courses should get better with time.
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##### 1. Versioned tutorials
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CodeRoad tutorials are version controlled, with new versions published to NPM.
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CodeRoad tutorials are version controlled, with new versions published to NPM.
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##### 2. Issues & Pull Requests
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Open source software works on a spirit of collaboration. See a problem, post an **issue**. Want to fix something? Submit a **pull request**.
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Open source software works on a spirit of collaboration. See a problem, post an **issue**. Want to fix something? Submit a **pull request**.
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##### 3. Student edits & issues
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During the weekend of March 4-6th, *CodeSchool* generously offered it’s courses for free. Unfortunately, increased demand led to peak time network issues & slow performance.
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Putting tutorials online not only increases server costs, but also creates unnecessary issues. CodeRoad, on the other hand, downloads tutorials in their entirety and runs them locally on your computer.
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Putting tutorials online not only increases server costs, but also creates unnecessary issues. *CodeRoad*, on the other hand, downloads tutorials in their entirety and runs them locally on your computer.
Putting courses into the editor provides a real world environment for learning. You can use it alongside your syntax-highlighting tools and other favorite packages.
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Putting courses into the editor provides a real world environment for learning. You can use it alongside your syntax-highlighting & code linting tools, not to mention any other packages.
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##### 3. No Connectivity Problems
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At the end of the day, online education companies have to pay the bills. There are server costs, salaries, investors, etc.
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*CodeRoad*'s only cost is my time. It is hosted on Github & distributed via NPM. It will remain free into the future. I'll just have to get a real job.
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*CodeRoad*'s only cost is my time. It is hosted on Github & distributed via NPM. The editor and tutorial building tools are open-source and will remain free.
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Any tutorials built are the work of the creators. If the project becomes popular, I'll create a marketplace for tutorial creators who wish to charge for their efforts. However, if there isn't much interest, I'll just have to get a real job.
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---
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# Conclusion
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I developed *CodeRoad* out of a love for online education that inspired me not just to learn to code, but to enjoy it.
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I developed *CodeRoad* out of a love for online education that inspired me not just to learn to code, but to enjoy it.
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*CodeRoad* doesn't aim to compete with *CodeCademy* or *CodeSchool*, but rather to supplement their great lessons with a greater variety of interactive content.
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*CodeRoad* doesn't aim to compete with *Codecademy* or *CodeSchool*, but rather to supplement their great lessons with a greater variety of interactive content.
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