Swift Playgrounds Updated With New Coding Lessons, Hour of Code Challenge

[MacRumors]

Apple's Swift Playgrounds app received its first update today, introducing a new set of coding lessons and a few new features to enhance the coding experience.

Included in the update is the "Learn to Code 3" module, which features a fresh guided learning experience designed to walk children and adults through basic coding with Apple's Swift programming language. Learn to Code 3 features lessons based around Blu, a fun character that's aimed at making it easy to learn to code.

Along with Learn to Code 3, Swift Playgrounds version 1.1 features an Hour of Code challenge, which Apple says is meant to give new Swift Playground users a taste of the Learn to Code lessons.

Apple today announced plans to host several free one-hour Hour of Code workshops between December 5 and December 11 at retail stores across the world. Registration for Hour of Code is now open.

Also new in Swift Playgrounds are music and sound effects, notifications for new content, and a feature that highlights each line of code as it is run.

What's New in Version 1.1
- Learn to Code 3 continues the guided learning experience as you help Blu explore the universe
- Hour of Code challenge gives a Byte-sized introduction to the Learn to Code lessons
- Step through your code to highlight each line as it is run
- Learn to Code now includes music and sound effects
- Notifications for new and updated content

Note: Download new copies of Learn to Code from the Featured page to get the music, sound effects, and line highlighting features.

Swift Playgrounds, which is available for all the iPad Air and later, iPad mini 2 and later, and all iPad Pro models, can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Swift Playgrounds Updated With New Coding Lessons, Hour of Code Challenge

 

[Xenc]

Good start. Xcode for iPad next, please.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Good start. Xcode for iPad next, please.

How do you propose Apple implement CTRL+drag functionality to wire up UI elements in Interface Builder?

Also, would I have to tap+wait everywhere right-click / contextual menus are used in Xcode?

I'd love to have Xcode on iPad, but it would dampen productivity so much. Image trying to build your asset files considering how much of a PITA it is to move data onto and off of an iPad compared to a laptop?

I'm sure Apple could do it, just not sure how. 10 years I would've said Apple could figure this out no problem. Don't know if today's Apple could do it though.

 

[nutmac]

Good start. Xcode for iPad next, please.

Well, and Swift Playgrounds for macOS as well (iPad variety, not the advanced one on xCode).

 

[sledgehammer89]

Wish there will be a Swift Playgrounds for iPhone.

 

[oftheheavens]

This app is one one of the best things Apple has given away to the youth of today. They are basically teaching them a language that is becoming, if not already, the most popular OS to pick up and try to make your first app/game/function and so on. The delivery is also amazing and amazingly straight forward. My 7 year old is about a couple hours into lesson 1 without needing anything but minimal help. He is almost to the point where he asks to use my ipp to code on instead of going straight to video games or Netflix on his OG iPad mini or the PS4 and Xbox the wife and I both have in our caves. For a kid to ask to do any "lesson" based activity over video games is rather impressive if you ask me. If he keeps up at the pace he is learning he will soon be at a point where I won't be able to help him do anything but find possible solutions through supervised google searches haha. Love this program for him and it is just as good for adults I'm sure.

 

[oftheheavens]

Wish there will be a Swift Playgrounds for iPhone.

Would be fun if they implemented it more as a coding game on the phone that could base the difficulty off how far on the lessons you had gotten on the iPad.

 

[sudo1996]

Why isn't this stuff for macOS? Most programmers will be using a Mac, and there's no reason to program on an iPad.
[doublepost=1479412794][/doublepost]

How do you propose Apple implement CTRL+drag functionality to wire up UI elements in Interface Builder?

Also, would I have to tap+wait everywhere right-click / contextual menus are used in Xcode?

I'd love to have Xcode on iPad, but it would dampen productivity so much. Image trying to build your asset files considering how much of a PITA it is to move data onto and off of an iPad compared to a laptop?

I'm sure Apple could do it, just not sure how. 10 years I would've said Apple could figure this out no problem. Don't know if today's Apple could do it though.

Yeah, it would be a total disaster. But also... You shouldn't be using Interface Builder anyway (only half serious)

 

[Branskins]

Why isn't this stuff for macOS? Most programmers will be using a Mac, and there's no reason to program on an iPad.
[doublepost=1479412794][/doublepost]
Yeah, it would be a total disaster. But also... You shouldn't be using Interface Builder anyway (only half serious)

macOS already has Xcode and Playgrounds

 

[sudo1996]

macOS already has Xcode and Playgrounds

Xcode Playgrounds is different from iPad Playgrounds. It doesn't have the educational features. It's just for scratch work (which it still does a bad job of, so I usually just make a foobar app).

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

Good start. Xcode for iPad next, please.

I would *love* to be able to use the iPad for development work, beyond Coda.

Anyway I haven't been able to use Swift Playgrounds for more than five minutes without it crashing. Maybe this update fixed that finally.
[doublepost=1479413659][/doublepost]

This app is one one of the best things Apple has given away to the youth of today. They are basically teaching them a language that is becoming, if not already, the most popular OS to pick up and try to make your first app/game/function and so on. The delivery is also amazing and amazingly straight forward. My 7 year old is about a couple hours into lesson 1 without needing anything but minimal help. He is almost to the point where he asks to use my ipp to code on instead of going straight to video games or Netflix on his OG iPad mini or the PS4 and Xbox the wife and I both have in our caves. For a kid to ask to do any "lesson" based activity over video games is rather impressive if you ask me. If he keeps up at the pace he is learning he will soon be at a point where I won't be able to help him do anything but find possible solutions through supervised google searches haha. Love this program for him and it is just as good for adults I'm sure.

He hasn't had problems with the app crashing?

 

[sudo1996]

This app is one one of the best things Apple has given away to the youth of today. They are basically teaching them a language that is becoming, if not already, the most popular OS to pick up and try to make your first app/game/function and so on. The delivery is also amazing and amazingly straight forward. My 7 year old is about a couple hours into lesson 1 without needing anything but minimal help. He is almost to the point where he asks to use my ipp to code on instead of going straight to video games or Netflix on his OG iPad mini or the PS4 and Xbox the wife and I both have in our caves. For a kid to ask to do any "lesson" based activity over video games is rather impressive if you ask me. If he keeps up at the pace he is learning he will soon be at a point where I won't be able to help him do anything but find possible solutions through supervised google searches haha. Love this program for him and it is just as good for adults I'm sure.

Yes, I think kids should be given IDEs and other useful things to play with instead of video games, at least until they're older.

 

[blackcrayon]

Why isn't this stuff for macOS? Most programmers will be using a Mac, and there's no reason to program on an iPad.
[doublepost=1479412794][/doublepost]
Yeah, it would be a total disaster. But also... You shouldn't be using Interface Builder anyway (only half serious)

Because it's geared at least partly towards kids, and more of them have an iPad (at school or at home) than have a recent Mac. Anyone already considering him or herself a "programmer" can probably sleep without having iPad Swift Playgrounds. Not to mention it's likely any programmer has an iPad as an important development target.

 

[oftheheavens]

I would *love* to be able to use the iPad for development work, beyond Coda.

Anyway I haven't been able to use Swift Playgrounds for more than five minutes without it crashing. Maybe this update fixed that finally.
[doublepost=1479413659][/doublepost]

He hasn't had problems with the app crashing?

When he started I was watching everything (because I want to know what he is accessing with the world of knowledge at his little curious fingertips) and never say a crash. He worked a few hours alone with no complaints. Hopefully the update fixed the problems you're having!

Yes, I think kids should be given IDEs and other useful things to play with instead of video games, at least until they're older.

I completely agree. I think SP is good for not just adults but really good for kids because it keeps them involved while providing hints on how to fix your code. I already told my son he has to learn enough to make brick breaker with all the cool special blocks for me. I miss that game and if I had it on my iPad that would be awesome! Even more awesome if my 7 (8 by then) year old son is the one that made it for me! When I told him my memories of that game he tried to jump straight to it and was completely lost without having had finished all the provided lessons. Wake up call! Even video games require effort and hard work to complete son haha!

 

[wbrat]

The biggest problem for me was how slow SP was on my iPad mini 2. Hope this update change it.

BTW, I strongly recommend Human Resources game for iOS for those that find SP interesting.

 

[Helpfixit]

Apple today announced plans to host several free one-hour Hour of Code workshops between December 5 and December 11 at retail stores across the world. Registration for Hour of Code is now open.

This time, my children are happy for an hour of code ( Python Programming ) at home on non Apple hardware ! I'm not for encouraging Apple hardware or their programming language.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

This time, my children are happy for an hour of code ( Python Programming ) at home on non Apple hardware ! I'm not for encouraging Apple hardware or their programming language.

Why would you be against someone learning Swift?

 

[Helpfixit]

Why would you be against someone learning Swift?

Not against my children learning swift, I just won't be encouraging it!

 

[sudo1996]

Because it's geared at least partly towards kids, and more of them have an iPad (at school or at home) than have a recent Mac. Anyone already considering him or herself a "programmer" can probably sleep without having iPad Swift Playgrounds. Not to mention it's likely any programmer has an iPad as an important development target.

I can't find any stats to support the bolded statement. Any Mac 2009±1 or after can run the latest Xcode and dev tools. I'd be surprised if more kids had only iPads than had new-ish Macs. I don't know a single kid in that situation, and it really wouldn't make sense to not have a Mac for school work.
[doublepost=1479505811][/doublepost]

Why would you be against someone learning Swift?

Probably because it's proprietary. Anyway, Swift is an OK language to learn with, but Python better separates computer science concepts from programming practicality.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

[doublepost=1479505811][/doublepost]
Probably because it's proprietary. Anyway, Swift is an OK language to learn with, but Python better separates computer science concepts from programming practicality.

Swift has been open sourced. www.swift.org

 

[VPrime]

Good start. Xcode for iPad next, please.

Not quite Xcode, but we've developed a development environment on iPad called hyperPad. It's targeted for media rich interactive apps (mobile games, comics, interactive books etc.).
But it's quite powerful and really shows the iPad is capable of handling serious work.
Check it out, it's free: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id886106438?mt=8

How do you propose Apple implement CTRL+drag functionality to wire up UI elements in Interface Builder?

Also, would I have to tap+wait everywhere right-click / contextual menus are used in Xcode?

I'd love to have Xcode on iPad, but it would dampen productivity so much. Image trying to build your asset files considering how much of a PITA it is to move data onto and off of an iPad compared to a laptop?

I'm sure Apple could do it, just not sure how. 10 years I would've said Apple could figure this out no problem. Don't know if today's Apple could do it though.

Well, it wouldn't be an exact 1 to 1 copy of Xcode that's on mac. It would have to have a lot of changes that suit a touch screen device. Wile we developed hyperPad we went through A LOT of testing to see what works and what doesn't on a touch screen device. Sometimes to make it more touch friendly you end up making certain items hidden behind menus and pop ups. Finding the compromise between additional "taps" and doing the job is key.

 

[Keane16]

Also, would I have to tap+wait everywhere right-click / contextual menus are used in Xcode?

3D Touch works great for this type of contextual menu stuff. It's instant.

I'd love to have Xcode on iPad, but it would dampen productivity so much. Image trying to build your asset files considering how much of a PITA it is to move data onto and off of an iPad compared to a laptop?

If you're a heavy Xcode user stick with the Mac. The iPad version wouldn't be for you. But how cool would it be to make small tweaks on the go. How handy would it be to open up development to those that have never used Macs.

I'm sure Apple could do it, just not sure how. 10 years I would've said Apple could figure this out no problem. Don't know if today's Apple could do it though.

Recently Apple have solved a major security hurdle very well with TouchID (And have brought it to the Mac lineup). They continue stomp over the industry when it comes to SoC design. They've eliminated the cumbersome backup and sync workflow with iOS devices which now manages itself overnight via iCloud. Etc. etc.

What was Apple doing 10 years ago that was so special that you think they're incapable today? I say that as a very long term user and fan. They're still doing great work and solving daily commuting pain points for me.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

3D Touch works great for this type of contextual menu stuff. It's instant.

This feature doesn't exist on iPad.

As for the 10 years ago comment, that was me being facetious more than anything. Soak up too much of the "Apple is dead" vibe sometimes while hanging out here, LOL.

I think my initial post has a harsher tone than I wanted it to have? I would love to try Xcode on iPad. Was more trying to enumerate the largest issues I think need to be solved to make Xcode doable on iPad.

 

[NT1440]

Probably because it's proprietary. Anyway, Swift is an OK language to learn with, but Python better separates computer science concepts from programming practicality.

What? Swift has been open source since December of last year.

 

[Keane16]

This feature doesn't exist on iPad.

Neither does Xcode. Hopefully both happen.