Clojure Screencasts

Written by Eric Normand. Published: February 13, 2013.

I would like to announce the launch of my Kickstarter project. It is a project to develop screencasts to introduce Clojure to programmers everywhere.

Video is a great way to learn programming. For one, you get to watch the program being developed organically, not as a static artifact (as in a book). Also, a voiceover gives a direct stream into the thought process of the programmer as he types. Finally, you can stop and replay as much as you want to learn at your own pace. Those things, combined with video's ability to engage a large part of your brain make it a great learning tool.

This blog was first created to host screencasts I made for Common Lisp, way back when. I transitioned to Clojure after watching a talk by Rich Hickey at Lisp50 in 2008. I was very impressed and have not looked back.

I have loved education ever since I taught math in the Peace Corps. I really enjoyed making those Common Lisp videos as well. I wanted to turn it into something like PeepCode, but my day job interceded and I didn't have the comfort level with Clojure that I did with Common Lisp. The videos got put on hold.

That was almost five years ago and I feel very confident with my ability to teach Clojure. Plus, video production has advanced a lot. I will be able to produce very high-quality videos much more easily than five years ago. And Kickstarter has provided a nearly risk-free way to test the market.

If this project does well, I hope to make it into a profitable business and produce more and more videos, especially videos about deeper topics. But only if the project proves itself in the very large beginner's market. Let your friends know about this great opportunity to learn Clojure. You can find the Kickstarter project here.

My ultimate goal, if the project proves out, is to provide exceptional educational materials to build a strong developer culture. Clojure Gazette shares this same goal.

One hour of video will cost $5 to the Kickstarter supporters. After that, the price will go up to $12. This is a very good value for one hour of instructional video. There is also a company sponsorship level. See the Kickstarter page for more details. The project ends March 14, 2013.

Please support the project and let other people know.

Thanks!