#FLMobiGame: Using GitHub to share your source code

In a previous blog I described how to use Pastebin to share your source code. In this blog I am going to describe how to use GitHub Gists to share your source code. We need this work around because at the moment FutureLearn platform is in Beta release and does not support source code sharing in comments.

Step 1: 
Visit https://gist.github.com/
You will see a web page similar to this

GitHub Gists Website

Step 2: 
Select the source code that shows errors in your program and copy it (CTRL+C). Now paste it in the text box (CTRL+V). It would look something like this:

Paste your source code here

Step 3: 
You will notice that even though we see Java syntax highlighted in eclipse IDE here it is not. It is much easier to read the source code if syntax is highlighted. So let us make it so. Click on the down arrow near to 'Language' (shown in next figure). This will give you a drop down list. Select 'Java' from the drop down list because we are coding in Java.

Select Source code language

Step 4: 
Notice the syntax highlighting.

Syntax highlighted source code

Step 5: 
Now click on the 'Create Public Gist'.

Click Create Public Gist

Step 6: 
Now click on the 'Create Public Gist'. It will take you to the following screen

Copy Gist Link

Step 6: 
Now click on the select the whole text in 'Link to this gist' text box. (You can do this by clicking on text box and doing a CTRL+A). Now copy this link (CTRL+C).

Step 7: 
In your FutureLearn post (or comment) paste the link to your code.

Comment with GitHub Gist link

I hope this guide was useful, feel free to leave your comments.

#FLMobiGame: Our MOOC facilitation team

University of Reading's first MOOC Begin Programming: Build your first mobile game on FutureLearn platform commenced on 28th October 2013. There are almost 10,000 people in the course and already we have seen thousands of posts in the virtual class. This looks like a truly global virtual class with participants from all continents: from Oceania, Europe, South and North Americas, Asia, Middle East and Africa. We will be able to share more details of the demographic distribution of our participants when we get the details from FutureLearn.

This being a programming course for beginners and first week dedicated for setting up software, we have so many queries and help requests from our participants. In facilitating our MOOC, we have a fantastic team of student helpers from upper years of the School of Systems Engineering, University of Reading supporting our learners.

Weekly we are meeting on Wednesdays to formulate a plan of activities and to discuss our experience with the MOOC. On our Week 1 meetup  Prof. Shirley Williams, who is overseeing the MOOC, brought us chocolate brownies to make sure we keep our energy levels high :)

I thought it is best to share a group photograph of our fantastic team. I am sure our participants too would like to see who is helping them in the virtual classroom.

(From the left: Front row - Maitreyee, Tharindu (me), Shirley, Agnieszka Second row - Charles, Karsten, Marcus, Alex, Last row - Plamen  and Ravi)