Why I Decided to Take a Web Development and Design Course

Happy Wednesday!
Today I wanted to talk about why I decided to take a web development and design course from ASU over the summer! When I saw that this course was being offered, I immediately got excited. At first, I just had to figure out if I was going to take it in the fall, or over the summer. I finally decided to take it over the summer, to help alleviate some of my course load for my final semester. Now that I have started, I’m definitely glad that I jumped in!

First, let me explain what this course is. The class I am taking is CIS300 Web Development and design from ASU. It is a class that is teaching HTML5 and CSS3. HTML5 is the newest version of HTML, combining HTML4 and XHTML1 while CSS3 is the latest version of CSS. So, this course is diving into the latest, and most up-to-date versions of HTML and CSS. I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to take this course since it is teaching the latest version of HTML. This is a six-week course that teaches how to develop and design a website using HTML5 and CSS3. There is a case study that we follow through the book and a final project that we are working on, along with weekly quizzes. This class is a very easy to follow one, which is good for a summer class. We are doing all of the coding through Cloud9, which is something that I have never used before, so I’m excited!
So, I really wanted to share why I thought that this course was worth my time. I felt that in the world of blogging, this is something that many bloggers are hesitant to learn about HTML and CSS in fear that it is too complicated. I completely understand because I thought the same thing. I actually took the HTML and CSS course on Codecademy before I began this {I took that before I even knew this class existed}, so I may have a step ahead but I am only in the second week.

Learning HTML and CSS is important for blogging, even if you learn just the basics. 

Sometimes, you have to dive into your template or theme; it is important that you know what you’re looking at, otherwise, you risk “blowing up” your whole website. Even the most basic of CSS can help you tweak your site to exactly what you’re looking for that doesn’t come standard. What can CSS help you with?

• Taking away a drop shadow on images
• Making all headers the same font/color
• Making one element stand out
• Adding your own touch to your site

This is the main reason why I wanted to take this class. I wanted to fully understand what I’m doing when I am going into my template. However, I am quickly learning that not everything is the same as my class. Since HTML 5 is so new, not everything is coded that way, so it does take some adjustment. I look at certain things, even things I did in Codecademy and see that it is different than what I learned in my class. However, I know that knowing the basics will definitely give me an advantage. I also am thinking about coding my own Blogger template, but that is something much farther in the future. This would be the first step, though!

Since this is something that I think bloggers should definitely take advantage of, I want to share my journey on how this class goes. 

Meaning, I want to document my time in the class, basically, and share it with you in hopes that you see how important it is, especially if you want to take your blog to the next level. I’m going to post updates on my project and share how the course progresses. I can’t wait to see how the course goes and to share it with you. Bloggers should definitely take advantage of learning code whether they learn the full nine, or just the basics. Honestly, the basics would be enough for a blogger, but if you’re looking for a lot of customization, then you’ll definitely need to dive deeper into HTML. Regardless of the level of skill you’re looking for, I want to share what I learn, and just how deep this class goes!
Have you taken a web development and design course? Was it beginner, intermediate, expert? Let me know in the comments!