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Topic: Your comments are welcome
ID: Author, Blue Pelican Java Date/Time: 01/01/2006 7:41:51 PM
Message:
Here is your chance to make comments and/or suggestions concerning the Blue Pelican Java text book.... and, yes, even criticisms.

You can even ask questions of a general nature about the book; however, any technical Java questions that you might have, please place those in the "Java Questions" forum.

Topic: Why the name?
ID: Java Lady Date/Time: 01/02/2006 7:56:00 AM
Message:
I use the Blue Pleican book in my class as a supplement but now we are using it more & more as our primary text--- but I digress--- What is the reason for name "Blue Pelican" ???
Reply Title: The reason for the name  
ID: Author, Blue Pelican Java Date/Time: 01/02/2006 9:10:23 AM
Message:
This is detailed in the Preface of the book and is reprinted below:

"Finally, we come to the reason for the choice of Blue-Pelican Java as a name for this book. One of the early (and free) java IDE’s available for students was BlueJ and it was the first my students used. I always thought BlueJ was an elegant name and had expressed a desire to a colleague to continue the tradition by naming the book after some other blue-colored bird. He jokingly suggested Blue-Pelican, not really being serious about naming a book after this rather ungainly, clunky bird. For the lack of an existing name for the book during development, it continued to be called Blue-Pelican. If you call something by a particular name long enough, that’s its name, and so the name stuck."

Topic: Why no graphics
ID: Nerdy Teacher Date/Time: 01/07/2006 9:29:49 AM
Message:
I like your book and my students do too but I have one criticism. There is nothing in it concerning graphics. Graphic, applets, etc are very important.

Why no graphics?
Reply Title: Just for a first course  
ID: Author, Blue Pelican Java Date/Time: 01/08/2006 7:28:52 AM
Message:
This book is intended as a first course in CS and as prep for AP exam. The AP exam has no graphics and most state CS contests have no graphics. I would have loved to included graphics; however, it's just barely possible to get thru the material in this book in one school year as it is. I have contemplated writing  a second book on graphics, but I am going to need some more energy and motivation from somewhere... this one has just about consumed me what with teaching full time and having 6 preps.

Incidentally, my favorite language is Visual Basic(very graphics oriented), not Java.

Topic: BPJ Textbook
ID: Tech2006 Date/Time: 02/27/2006 1:05:18 PM
Message:
I started using Blue Pelican last year as a supplement.   My students who took the AP exam last May said “Keep using Blue Pelican.”  Then during the summer at a Computer Science AP workshop at the University of Texas at Edinburg I used Blue Pelican as my “share a project” assignment.  Within minutes of finishing my presentation teachers in the workshop were down loading Blue Pelican. This year Blue Pelican is our main source.    

I am developing lecture slides for each lesson.  Due to the style you have used to create BPJ, this has been an easy task.  Keep up the excellent work.  I hope the state considers your text for adoption.

Topic: Version 3.0
ID: jules Date/Time: 06/16/2006 7:47:31 PM
Message:
I'm a new teacher and was so excited to discover BPJ. So much better than the other books I had been looking at!

My school owns a copy of BPJ 3.0. Can anyone tell me if the changes in BPJ 3.05 is significant enough that I need to purchase the new books? (I know BPJ 3.05 has Java 5.0, but is it a few minor changes in the textbook, or significant changes through out?) Thanks for any advice!
Reply Title: Significant changes  
ID: Author, Blue Pelican Java Date/Time: 06/20/2006 12:53:32 PM
Message:
Yes, nearly every chapter has been changed in some way. After about Lesson 8 or so the adjustments for Java 5.0 are pervasive. I would rank the latest version head and shoulders above the original 3.0.

Topic: Good, clear presentation
ID: AlphGer Date/Time: 06/25/2006 4:05:42 PM
Message:
Thanks for writing this book. I find it VERY useful. I currently teach at a high school in Calif; however, I formerly taught at  community colleges. I know that your target is high school students but, really, this book could easliy span 2 semesters as an introductory college course. I have never seen a text that has such clear presentation, yet also with considerable depth. Good job

Topic: Funny
ID: JackOfAllTrades Date/Time: 06/26/2006 4:09:28 PM
Message:
Just now stumbled across your forums, but have used the book for two years now. This is the only textbook I've seen on a serious subject that's funny. About when I think you have settled down, there on the next page is something very subtlly funny. Many of the brighter kids pick up on the humor right away.

Topic: Preface
ID: sitarman Date/Time: 09/22/2006 12:44:03 PM
Message:
I have one request, in the preface there is reference to "immature" high school students and average students. While I understand the context of the reference, I am afraid that I may have difficulty in getting our Board of Education to approve the text. There is a possibilty of them viewing this as a derrogatory reference. Is there a possibility of that comment disppearing (maybe appearing in the answer book which is intended for educators eyes) in a future print version of the book?

Topic: AP Computer Science Audit
ID: Tech2007 Date/Time: 12/19/2006 7:58:03 PM
Message:
Will you be using the sequence in your textbook as that which you will submit in the syllabus for the AP Computer Science A and AB audits?  What do you think about the requirement for a college-level textbook.  We have been using Blue Pelican Java for two years and I am concerned that we may be required to purchase textbooks which will not cover half of what BPJ covers.
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