Technically, I cheated. I used the holiday “break” to get a jump start on fresh learning in 2018, but it’s a streak I’ve kept up for about two weeks now, so I’ll give the new year credit for inspiration. Anyways, languages.
One thing that I feel has held me up from making progress with languages is an accessible platform for frequent study. In an ideal world, I’d take an actual class with peers where I could collaborate, ask questions, and hopefully accelerate through mutual give & take. But work life doesn’t quite gel with a uni semester.
Then there’s the laptop/PC, which is pretty reachable, but after staring at it all day, I sometimes just don’t want to hop back on. That leaves the iPhone (or Android, if that’s how you roll), which is the ideal for frequent touch points and even gamification.
And that’s how I’m pursuing both Python and Spanish currently. Mind you, I’m not learning Python in Spanish–that’s nuts.
SoloLearn
I hit the App Store in December looking for a way to get started with Python. I’d used Treehouse before, and love the videos, but the cost was high and the videos were also a burden/obstacle to learning in short segments. That’s where SoloLearn shines.
It has concise nuggets that teach individual concepts using code examples, foundational explanations, multiple choice questions and fill-in-the-blank stepping stones. It also has forums and Q&A wrapped around each module for deeper discussions.
For further collaboration, you can challenge other learners in head-to-head competitions and share coding projects for review and feedback.
All in all, and for the low price of free, SoloLearn is a nice tool so far. Hopefully I’ll be posting again soon with substantial skills to show for the time invested.