Qt programming training videos

[blobfish]

subject says it all
http://qt.nokia.com/developer/learning/elearning

[GreyGeek]

Re: Qt programming training videos

Interesting.
I watched the video on "Teaching Qt or using Qt for teaching?".

It was presented by an instructor from the Univ. of Stuttgart, Germany. In my opinion as one who taught programming for 18 years in an HS & college environment and taught programming to several of my clients on a one-on-one basis, what he presented describes a total disaster. First, the only requirement for the course on GUI's is to show up and take the "final exam". He didn't say if the grade for the course was based on the test or if "pass-fail" was used, but does it matter?. Students didn't have to attend lectures, do exercises, or attend labs. He finally admits that Qt is not taught, but then says that "signals and slots" are taught. He says that his biggest problem is that when students realize that to use Qt they have to learn C++ many of the students drop out because they had an impression, from what ever influence, that GUI programming was just clicking a few buttons and one could write a 3D game. This tells me that their GUI courses have no advertised course pre-requisites. And then they whine that students flee when they find out that learning C++ is necessary? Sure, Qt is easy to learn compared with C++, but their attitude is almost a bait&switch. This is just another example of what I have observed many times: a person who well skilled in a subject doesn't necessarily know how to teach that subject, and, a person well trained in teaching can't necessarily teach technical subjects if they haven't been trained in them as well.

To contrast, the video presenting the Nolia designed, Qt specific, teaching materials shows that Nokia has put a lot of thought into the course materials. They are very detailed and complete and would give a skilled teacher/programmer an excellent basis on which to plan a course that specifically teaches Qt. They would be of benefit to a programmer who isn't trained in teaching, but a teacher not trained in programming would have severe difficulty ... Qt is easy to learn, C++ is not, if one does not have a background in other languages from which to draw.

Qt is OS neutral and is an excellent API which can be used to teach GUI programming principals on Linux, Windows or Mac, and Nokia has presents some excellent materials from which to develop a practical course.