Enjoy Java Coding


Welcome to this corner of inside.java, where we provide instructional tools, strategies, and tips for teachers to use in their classroom today. This page is a placeholder for the actual website that will be launched soon! This new website will be dedicated to new learners and their teachers, where valuable resources will be provided. Check back often for tips and an announcement of when the site will launch. Until then... Enjoy Java Coding!



Resources


Java Playground

Have you heard of the Java Playground? This online tool allows you and your students to try out simple Java code in order to learn its syntax or get to know recent Java features. There are some examples of code to get you started with Java or write your own code and run it.


Java On-Ramp

The JDK 22 release contains the Implicitly Declared Classes and Instance Main Methods preview feature. This feature allows you to write a program without needing the entire class ceremony. That can come later, as your program evolves, and you will get familiar with more object-oriented concepts.

As a side note, preview features are new features with a complete design, specification and implementation, but may exist in different form in future JDK releases. As preview phases progress, feedback is gathered from the developer audience to determine if the feature has a long-term role in the Java SE Platform.

If you enjoy working with Java in Visual Studio Code, we recommend installing the Java Platform Extension for Visual Studio Code Then simply add --enable-preview --source 22 for VM options in Run Configurations panel. Checkout this tutorial to find out more on how to code helped by the Java Platform Extension for Visual Studio Code.

In case you prefer IntelliJ IDEA, checkout this guide.

To try a simple program you can start with: 

    
    void main() {
        System.out.println("Enjoy Java Coding!");
    }

This feature gets another preview round in Java 23. The updated preview will simplify even more the previous example to : 

    
    void main() {
        println("Enjoy Java Coding!");
    }

How is this possible? The JDK 23 updated feature automatically imports three static methods for simple textual I/O with the console.


Get Current, Stay Current Brief

Obtain your own copy of the "Get Current, Stay Current" brief, which provides you with a list of Java features from Jave 8 - Java 22 that impact introductory computer science courses in Java. Email Crystal.Furman@oracle.com to request your copy.

Other Oracle Resources



Recent Public Posts


Want more tips? I've been posting tips and ideas on my Linked In page. I'd love for you to follow me there.

Why Java?

Java is one of the most important and impactful technologies in history with over 60 billion active JVMs and a majority of companies around the world running Java. Chosen for its versatility, robustness, and security, the world runs on Java. This makes it an ideal choice for preparing students to enter the workforce.

In addition, the Java Platform hasn't been sitting still. It has improved in almost every way, from new language features like Records and Pattern Matching, to tools like JShell, to "Paving the Onramp", making the language better for both students and teachers with every release.

Bottom line... Java is still a high demand language for the IT industry. We are here to support you in teaching it.



Who’s Crystal?




Who I am and why I’m passionate about Computer Science Education

You might be interested to learn that growing up and entering college, computer science education wasn’t even on my radar. I grew up in a small rural town in Western New York, being raised by a single Dad with three older brothers. My Dad was a journeyman pipefitter, who grew up on a dairy farm. In the winter, he often had to choose between travelling out of town for work (if that was an option) or being unemployed. He used our family farm as a way to off-set the uncertainty of his income. College wasn’t something that he valued for his children, my brothers in particular. It was expected that they would work hard, like he had, and carve out a life for themselves. College was a waste of money. But as the only girl, and wanting me to be able to take care of myself, my Dad somehow found value in my attending college, and so that was encouraged.

I was going to have to pay for college myself, so I took advantage of the local community college, earning my Associates degree in Mathematics, before heading to the University at Buffalo to get a Bachelors degree in Math Education. I honestly wasn’t sure what to go to school for, but I was good at math and when you grow up in a small town and look for role models who are good at math, you see math teachers. So, that is what I set out to become, a math teacher. It was in that community college where I took my first programming class in Fortran. As I moved on to the University at Buffalo, I was required to take a second programming class in C++. I can honestly say, I had a mindset full of stereotypes of who took programming classes and what it meant to be a computer scientist. I didn’t feel like I belonged in this group.

You see, sadly, I was like many of the students who aren't signing up for CS classes. I was unaware of what computer science is, unaware that it was an option for me, and unaware of the power house knowing coding can be regardless of your field. I checked too many of the boxes that told counselors and teachers that computer science wasn't for me, which meant I wasn't encouraged to take these courses. I was a rural, low-income, first generation, female student... traits of many students who are overlooked in computer science education.

But, I am lucky! Those two programming courses really changed my entire trajectory. The first teaching job I ever had was as a computer science teacher. Those two courses made me the most qualified to teach computer science, and it opened a world to me that I didn’t know existed. I started to take more professional learning to help me become a better, more engaging teacher and learn more about computer science and programming. I spent the first 17 years of my career as a high school computer science teacher. During that time, I began offering workshops of my own and mentoring teachers to help them create computer science programs at their schools. I became a pilot teacher for AP Computer Science Principles, and then was hired by the AP program to create instructional materials for new AP CSP teachers. I spent 8.5 years developing curriculum and instructional materials as well as AP Computer Science assessments for AP Computer Science A and AP CSP.

Today, I am continuing my goals of supporting teachers and students, including efforts to broaden participation through this platform. It is my goal to support teachers from k-12 through post-secondary create engaging content for students in Java.

Have a Java education question or suggestion? Email me: Crystal.Furman@oracle.com