Learn.java January 2026 Newsletter

As I start the new year of 2026, I've been setting some goals for Learn.java and the work that I've been doing. But first to celebrate what 2025 brought us!

Learn.java 2025

We can't overlook the progress made in 2025. In March, we launched Learn.java as a platform for new learners and teachers. One of the original goals was to help teachers get current and stay current with the latest in Java. Much of the initial content was around Java features beyond Java 8 that are not yet a part of most CS 1 programs, but probably should be. If you want to learn more about this, check out the Educator Brief.

Based on feedback and a desire to make the site more complete, I started to build out tutorials, practice, mini-labs, and lesson plans for a CS 1 curriculum. What was an eager endeavor to roll out all of these pieces, became a more realistic vision of prioritizing tutorials and practice to complete the curriculum, which then gave way to producing materials just in time for teacher needs. Ultimately, the tutorials and practice for the curriculum are nearly complete, with new tutorials and practice added nearly weekly. You can find the curriculum map and many of the materials linked on the Curriculum Page.

As the fall moved forward, it became apparent that there was a need for more AP CSA Free Response Practice that reflected the recent exam updates. Considering, that used to be my job, I worked to continue to support the AP community to post scaffolded FRQs. You can find a list of them on the AP CSA Teacher page.

Because we know that everyone has their own learning styles, I began supplementing the written content on tutorial pages with short 1 - 3 minute videos. You can see an example of these videos on the Naming Variables tutorial page. These videos as well as recordings of webinars and videos of professionals can all be found on our YouTube playlist, which has 60 videos currently loaded, with more added every week.

Speaking of webinars, in 2025, we switched from webinars about new material, to a challenge series of webinars where we worked on a larger programming project together. Still thinking of ideas to pick up this concept in the spring, so if you have an idea, please shoot it my way. The idea is to further explore the newer Java features through application of these features in a program. Our first challenge was a Card Game. We also added the card game to our apply page so that they could be completed by students.

What's the plan for 2026?

Taking some time to think and reflect on what has been most helpful to teachers and students, the plan for 2026 looks as follows:

• Complete the tutorials and practice for the CS 1 curriculum.
• Create at least 3 tutorial videos each week to add to the tutorial pages to address the different learning styles of teachers and students.
• Create at least 1 FRQ per month to help prepare students for the AP CSA exam.
• Add labs to support learning CS 1 materials and lesson plans for teachers to implement in Fall 2026.
• Interview more professionals to help students understand what it means to pursue a career in computer science.
• Interview and recognize more rock star teachers who are inspiring the next generation.

What's missing? What other needs are there that I could help address?

Join me at JavaOne this year! Learn all that Java has to offer in Java 26 and how Java supports the use of AI.

Cheers to 2026!