Thanks for the review. Your review is fair and your critiques are valid.

The book was originally written as a set of tutorials for teachers who were telling me “I’m not a computer science major and I don’t know how to teach programming.” A valid complaint.

Each chapter was written to be as self-contained as possible (and short) so it could be easily covered in a 45 minute class session. Because I could not predict the order that teachers might choose to move through the book, I had to be careful not to mix and match too many advanced blocks in the early part of the book. Towards the end of the book, however, I was able to start providing some simple programs that incorporate a mixture of Common and Complete Palette blocks.

As for a Resource section - there simply wasn’t time. But any reader who reads the book will most likely find The NXT Step blog and all our resources and links (including nxtasy). Other books have much more detailed resource lists, so I’m okay with my book covering NXT-G and just NXT-G.

Again, thanks for the review. I’m glad you agree that the book meets the needs of its intended audience.

Jim Kelly
www.thenxtstep.com

From what I understand, Jim was asked to write this book because a group of teachers asked him to do so. I appreciate your comments, but, in my opinion, a book can’t be “all things to all people”. I’ve read Jim’s book, and know that its target audience was kids and teachers who teach the NXT.

Most of the NXT books out there (save Jim’s) are geared to adults. Jim’s books are trying to redress that imbalance, as there is a large NXT youth market out there that’s being underserved when it comes to NXT books.

Thanks,

Rick Rhodes
The NXTstep Blog

From what I understand, Jim was asked to write this book because a group of teachers asked him to do so. I appreciate your comments, but, in my opinion, a book can’t be “all things to all people”. I’ve read Jim’s book, and know that its target audience was kids and teachers who teach the NXT.

Most of the NXT books out there (save Jim’s) are geared to adults. Jim’s books are trying to redress that imbalance, as there is a large NXT youth market out there that’s being underserved when it comes to NXT books.

Thanks,

Rick Rhodes
The NXTstep Blog