Barry Burd: Teaching Java as an Art Form

About this episode

Jim Grisanzio interviews Barry Burd about his unique approach to teaching Java and his views on computer science as an art form.

Jim Grisanzio from Java Developer Relations talks with Barry Burd, a computer science teacher, an author, and the co-leader for two Java User Groups (JUGs). Barry is based in New Jersey and he's taught at the undergraduate level for decades. His journey with Java began in 2004 when he attended small user group meetings of just five or six people. Those gatherings, once part of the Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey, have evolved into the Garden State Java User Group and the New York Java SIG, which now regularly feature Java Champions and prominent speakers from the Java development community. The transformation of the two JUGs on the East Coast of the U.S. reflects the broader growth of the entire Java ecosystem globally. Barry's teaching philosophy centers on passion, enthusiasm, and visualization. He works to help students see programming concepts as complete mental pictures rather than just syntax. His classroom approach emphasizes active interactions with as many questions as possible. He tries to create what he calls a party atmosphere rather than a boring traditional lecture setting. He believes strongly in meeting students where they are and encouraging those who love…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Grisanzio

Guest: Barry Burd

Topics covered

• Java education
• teaching philosophy
• computer science as art
• Java User Groups
• programming concepts
• student engagement

Keywords

• Java
• teaching
• computer science
• programming
• education
• Java User Groups
• Barry Burd

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Garden State Java User Group, New York Java SIG

Places: New Jersey, East Coast, U.S.

More episodes of Duke's Corner

• Bruno Borges at JavaOne 2026 · April 23, 2026 · 18 min
• Bob Treacy: From the Factory Floor to Harvard and 30 Years of Java · March 16, 2026 · 30 min
• Paul Bakker: Go Build a Lot of Stuff! · February 3, 2026 · 26 min
• Marit van Dijk and Anton Arhipov: 25 Years of IntelliJ IDEA · January 29, 2026 · 31 min
• Jeanne Boyarsky: Get Ready for Java 25 Certification · January 21, 2026 · 16 min
• Chris Hermansen: Don't be Afraid to Create · December 16, 2025 · 59 min