I really enjoy codecademy (I am currently at 930 points and 47 badges). I find its a great way to learn and practice new concepts with a much smaller barrier to entry and instant feedback. It is by no means perfect. There are a few issues that come to mind:
1. Because of the way the code validations are written there tends to be only one or two ways to pass a lesson. This can lead to frustration when a student writes a piece of code that performs the task correctly but because it doesn't validate correctly he/she doesn't pass.
2. I found (for me) that the pace is actually to slow. I have cruised through all the lessons and have participated in beta testing some of the more advanced javascript modules (i.e. introduction to JSON). It would be nice if there was more advanced content to move on to but this should be corrected as time goes by and more content is created.
3. General spell check and editing could be better
4. Currently there is no content that talks about the full stack of technologies in a web application. This leaves the student studying small siloed pieces such javascript/html/css on their own without a view of the bigger picture. How does a web server fit in? How do I communicate with a database? Why is there no talk of MVC or REST? Basic coding skills are great but without a comprehensive picture of an application they are pretty useless.
Even with these issues codecademy has been a fantastic resource for me. I have learned a ton and have gone on to start teaching myself more advanced topics and have been learning different libraries such as backbone.js, node.js and d3.js. Without codecademy I would not have been able to get through the documentation on these libraries. One of the most valuable things that codecademy has taught me is to not be intimidated by technology. From the outside the programming world can seem like a pretty intimidating place. Codecademy makes that first step a little easier...
It definitely makes a lot of sense. Just try speaking with someone about politics or religion. Even if you conclusively prove that the other persons views are not based in fact or reason they will refuse to acknowledge you are right and then usually get mad and stop talking to you. Humans are most certainly not 'rational beings'. Our thinking is constantly biased by our formative experiences and our environment.
The work around to this would be to not put any valuable Personally Identifiable Information on Sony's network. You can use a proxy credit card number. Set up an email address that is not connected to any of your other accounts and use a unique password. That way if your data gets compromised you wont really lose anything...
But basically they are saying that they are not willing to put their reputation and money behind their own business which makes you wonder....
Even with these issues codecademy has been a fantastic resource for me. I have learned a ton and have gone on to start teaching myself more advanced topics and have been learning different libraries such as backbone.js, node.js and d3.js. Without codecademy I would not have been able to get through the documentation on these libraries. One of the most valuable things that codecademy has taught me is to not be intimidated by technology. From the outside the programming world can seem like a pretty intimidating place. Codecademy makes that first step a little easier...