I though this article was interesting and good, but it didn't really get me thinking about anything. It's interesting that animations don't make a big difference in people's understanding of algorithms -- I would have thought that seeing algorithm in action would have made a big difference.

I completely agree with the article's conclusion that in order to fully understand an algorithm one needs to implement it. That's the best way to learn about an algorithm as completely as possible. The same applies for data structures and design patterns.

Actually coding a data structure really rounds out the understanding of a data structure as it makes you think about every special case and every possible sequence of actions. Similarly, to understand a design pattern, you really need to use it your own code or at least see an example with it including code.

I think you learn best by implementing an algorithm but I cannot say that is true for everyone. Also, I cannot say that implementing an algorithm in the manner that CS16 does (with the visualizer) benefits everyone. Some people learn best by hand manipulating the algorithm while others enjoy coding it. Back to learning styles....

Well, while I agree that learning styles are different, I think that one important point is that people (and I think it is a safe statement to say all people) learn something like an algorithm best when they must explore all of its intricacies. Coding an algorithm is one way to do it, since you are forced to account for all cases, and get it to work. Heavy hand-simulation, where you go through a bunch of cases, so you know how it works in all cases, may work better for others. I'm sure a rigorous theoretical definition of an algorithm that very concisely defines its ability is useful to some people. But focusing on something seriously like that is probably the best way to learn for most (if not all) people.

I think you just wrote this article off and didn't think about it...

I wish that people would take some of these articles seriously instead of just thinking about reactions as something they HAVE to do.