front_end_guide.md

Dayton Code Together Front End Resources

DCT Learning Choices

You will get the most out of our meetups if you follow one of our suggested resources. These are the classes/books/resources that our members know the best and can offer the most support for.

We will not assist with work problems. We are here to help you learn the skills that will help you solve work problems, but asking about work related problems derails the productivity of everyone at the event. Repeated requests for solutions to work problems will result in our leaders asking you to leave.

Intro to Coding

• Coding Intro - An introduction to programming in a couple of hours. A great place to start and see what all of the coding fuss is about! It is split up into a couple of chapters with coding exercises for you to complete on your own.
• Why Learning to Code is So Damn Hard - One of the absolute best "learning to code" articles of all time.

Beginner

• HTML/CSS
  • Codeacademy
  • Dash
• Javascript
  • Codeacademy

Intermediate

• Make a github pages site!

• Javascript

  • CodeSchool
  • CodeSchool ($29/month) *might be right before intermediate learning
  • Treehouse ($25/month)

Intermediate/Advanced

• Projects - Assembly

Full List of Resources

Beginner - HTML/CSS

Learning Tools

• Codeacademy
• Dash
• Udemy Learn HTML 5
• 35 Useful CSS3 Tutorials To Boost Your Skills*
• CodeSchool HTML & CSS ($29/month)
• TreeHouse HTML ($25/month)
• TreeHouse CSS ($25/month)
• One Month HTML/CSS ($100)

Suggested Projects

• Recreate the Google homepage using HTML/CSS
• Recreate a dummy-content page using another site's DOM structure (shall help understand tags and DOM elements)
• One-page personal resume site

Beginner - JavaScript

Learning Tools

• Bento
• Codeacademy
• Coursera
• JavaScript is Sexy
• JSFiddle -create/edit/test/share HTML CSS JS code
• CodeSchool
• CodeSchool ($29/month) *might be right before intermediate learning
• Treehouse ($25/month)
• Tuts Plus
• CodePen

Suggested Projects

• A (real-time) display clock.
• Simple arithmetic (+,-,*,/) calculator
• Javascript forms
• JavaScript Practice excercises
• Follow eloquentjavascript book and post challenge solutions on Github
• General HTML/CSS/JS excercises

Intermediate - JavaScript

Learning Tools

• Treehouse ($25/month)
• Codecademy APIs
  • Use Deezer, Youtube, Sunlight, Gilt, Firebase, Parse, Mandrill, SoundCloud, and apigee in JavaScript
• Javascript The Good Parts
• JavaScript Patterns
• Learn Javascript Gitbook

Suggested Projects

• Javascript Tetris game
• Image/Video/Song (media) uploader
• Weather app + Google maps integration (best route suggestion kinda thing)
• Mapbox applications
• Whats happening around! Kind of like a mashup of yelp + meetup + events
• Integration of twitter+instagram and mapbox
• Mobile apps using PhoneGap/Cordova

Alternative Resources

Books

• Eloquent Javascript
• HTML & CSS by Jon Duckett
• Javascript & Jquery by Jon Duckett
• The Missing Manual for Javascript & Jquery
• SASS for Web Designers

Blogs

• DailyJS
• JavaScript Weekly
• net.tutsplus
• javascriptweblog
• Bocoup Weblog
• Adequately Good
• Perfection Kills
• Dmitry Baranovskiy
• Dustin Diaz
• CSS-Tricks

Local Tech and Coding Groups

• Dayton WordPress
• Code for Dayton
• UX Dayton
• Dayton Drupal
• Gem City JS (Temporarily on hiatus)
• Dayton Ruby Brigade
• Dayton Linux
• Technology First
• Build Right Maker Series
• Dayton Clean Coders
• Dayton .Net developers
• Dayton Web Developers

Podcasts to Listen To

• Code Newbie
• ShopTalk Show
• Developer Tea
• The Web Ahead
• CTRL Click Cast
• Style Guide Podcast
• Tech Talker's Quick and Dirty Tips
• Syntax

Learn about Open Source

• Open source guides
• Open source license
• Git