Cardano Starter Kit #001: Getting Started with GitHub and Marlowe

Hi everyone, I recently released the first Cardano Starter Kit, available here: https://workshopmaybe.com/learn/cardano-starter-kits/, and would like to share my motivation:

As Cardano blockchain enthusiasts and as people who want to make sure that Cardano delivers on its promise of making a real, positive impact on the world, we are all together on a learning journey.

The purpose of these open-source, project-based Cardano Starter Kits is to empower as many people as possible to continue on that journey – whether by taking a “first” or a “next” step – and soon, to be able to use Cardano in everyday life.

In the first example, I provide a starting point for anyone who is enthusiastic about Cardano and would like to learn some of the technical skills necessary to engage more deeply with the platform. I decided to start with GitHub because it serves as a gateway to deeper engagement with software projects and with Marlowe because it is the most accessible entry point into seeing how smart contracts work.

Many of us know how to read, but not everyone is an author. In the same way, I believe that if decentralization and empowerment are our goals, we should support as many people as possible to be able to read, and even make meaningful changes, to smart contract code. I want Starter Kits to serve, at minimum, as a place for people to gain deeper literacy on how that code works. I believe that, even if you don’t want to be a developer, we will all benefit as more people can read, understand, and interact with the software we rely on in our daily lives.

The best way to accomplish these goals is through accessible, project-based learning (PBL) tasks that give people a chance to engage with technology, and as you’ll see in Starter Kit #001, to see firsthand the ways that limitations in a project give way to new problems to be solved. That’s how development works, and by applying the best practices of PBL, we can demolish existing barriers to entry and push power to all edges by empowering people to participate.

Over the next few months, we will all stand witness to the ongoing roll-out of Goguen and Voltaire. When the Goguen testnet is live, I will create starter kits to help people understand it. As the mainnet arrives, and as front-end tools emerge, starter kits will continue to include code, but will also include tips for real-world engagement. For example, once you have access to a local crowdfunding app on the Cardano platform, what is the best way to actually get people in your community to engage with it?

Eventually, we will have a series of open-source learning materials, a network of contributing educators, and a platform on which people can share feedback and report back on their experiences of using these resources. If you’re interested in collaborating on this work, please be in touch.

The work I am presenting here was highly rated by the Project Catalyst community during “Fund 1”, and I am eager to submit a revised proposal for “Fund 2” later today - stay tuned! Thank you to everyone who provided feedback so far. As a learner, I thrive on tough feedback, so please let me have it!

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Awesome work! Looking forward to seeing more of these workshops :smiley:

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Please include a link to your project when it’s ready!

As a beginner both in the software development world and the ADA community, your PBL approach is proving very insightful to me in regard to smart contracts. Thank you and keep up the good work!

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Thank so much :+1: This is very helpful and hope to see more of your work.

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Thanks for the nudge - here’s the final draft of this project. I’ve built a team and excited to get back to creating starter kits!

https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Cardano-Starter-Kits-+-APIs/322195-48088

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Thank you! Apologies for the hiatus, I’ve been wrapped up in Project Catalyst, and look forward to sharing more starter kits next week!

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