First Contact with Swift
Ah, the first day of class... it’s like a rollercoaster of emotions, no matter how old you are! Students are buzzing with excitement and a little nervous about what’s ahead, but they’re also a bit lost in the new surroundings, meeting new faces.
My class is mostly filled with university students who already have a bit of experience with another language, like Python. I always like to give them a heads-up on how different it is to work with the Apple ecosystem before we dive into the language itself. This helps them get ready to think outside the box and be more creative in their development!
Before the Challenge
It’s super important for students to find their own way through all the cool stuff we learn, but they definitely need a little guidance to get started. Before diving into any coding adventures, I like to run a super immersive, bootcamp-style class that’s totally open to chatting about anything. This way, everyone can ask questions and get the answers they need. Just a heads-up: this method really shines when students already have a bit of programming experience!
Once everyone’s got the hang of Swift, let’s dive into a fun challenge: Personalize the “About Me” App template! This “About Me” project is a classic in Apple-first education, but it’s also a great way to make learning more engaging. How about we make it even more unique and interactive for each student?
Each student will get a SwiftUI template to customize with their own photo, colors, and text. They can add fun facts, hobbies, and anything else they’d like to share. The template is kept simple in SwiftUI, because this is their first time working with interfaces, and we want to make sure they’re having a great time!
To wrap things up, each student gets to show off their app to the class, which is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to meet and get to know each other better!
October 20, 2025 .
English
What an amazing post, thank you for sharing! Is this class an introduction to Swift programming or just programming in general? You mention that your student come to class with experience in other programming languages do you have any that are completely new to programming?
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