I've spent sizeable chunks of the last year or so trying to learn Drupal. To start with, I had a problem understanding the documentation. Now I've overcome that hurdle, I'm experiencing issues with the *structure* of documentation. I am usually able to solve individual problems for individual projects, but if I want to learn something in a more abstract fashion - for example, learning how Drupal works with Javascript so that I can understand a JavaScript-based module - I come a bit unstuck. I also hit problems if I want to sit down and just learn something new about Drupal. Sure, I can (and do) go onto IRC and ask a question along the lines of "I can do x, y and z with Drupal; what should I learn to do next?", but this doesn't always work and the quality of the answers I get just isn't consistent. So, what I'm proposing is something along the lines of Wikiversity ( http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Main_Page) for Drupal: a set of structured (but informal) courses that bring together different pieces of documentation from both within and without d.o. Has anything like this been tried before? What do you think of the idea? --J. -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
drupaldojo.com would be the closest thing, I think. Things are still kind of getting organized at this point, but I think it aims to be similar to what you described. ----- Cameron Eagans Owner, Black Storms Studios, LLC http://www.blackstormsstudios.com On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 1:11 PM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>wrote:
I've spent sizeable chunks of the last year or so trying to learn Drupal. To start with, I had a problem understanding the documentation. Now I've overcome that hurdle, I'm experiencing issues with the *structure* of documentation. I am usually able to solve individual problems for individual projects, but if I want to learn something in a more abstract fashion - for example, learning how Drupal works with Javascript so that I can understand a JavaScript-based module - I come a bit unstuck.
I also hit problems if I want to sit down and just learn something new about Drupal. Sure, I can (and do) go onto IRC and ask a question along the lines of "I can do x, y and z with Drupal; what should I learn to do next?", but this doesn't always work and the quality of the answers I get just isn't consistent.
So, what I'm proposing is something along the lines of Wikiversity ( http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Main_Page) for Drupal: a set of structured (but informal) courses that bring together different pieces of documentation from both within and without d.o.
Has anything like this been tried before? What do you think of the idea?
--J. -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing. I'm not sure about wikiversity, I had a look there and it seems a tad empty. Moodle is the best choice for an LMS, if that is the way to go. Course work requires assessment to have validity. The other issue with Drupal that isn't a matter with PHP or JavaScript is changes between versions. A 'course' would be a way to link resources together. Yani _____ From: development-bounces@drupal.org [mailto:development-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of James Benstead Sent: Sunday, 27 December 2009 6:12 AM To: development@drupal.org Subject: [development] Proposal: Drupal University I've spent sizeable chunks of the last year or so trying to learn Drupal. To start with, I had a problem understanding the documentation. Now I've overcome that hurdle, I'm experiencing issues with the structure of documentation. I am usually able to solve individual problems for individual projects, but if I want to learn something in a more abstract fashion - for example, learning how Drupal works with Javascript so that I can understand a JavaScript-based module - I come a bit unstuck. I also hit problems if I want to sit down and just learn something new about Drupal. Sure, I can (and do) go onto IRC and ask a question along the lines of "I can do x, y and z with Drupal; what should I learn to do next?", but this doesn't always work and the quality of the answers I get just isn't consistent. So, what I'm proposing is something along the lines of Wikiversity (http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Main_Page) for Drupal: a set of structured (but informal) courses that bring together different pieces of documentation from both within and without d.o. Has anything like this been tried before? What do you think of the idea? --J. -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing.
The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and basic. For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro Drupal Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see that a 3rd edition for D7 is due out in April.
http://www.drupalbook.com/ That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book. Yani -----Original Message----- From: development-bounces@drupal.org [mailto:development-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM To: development@drupal.org Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University
Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing.
The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and basic. For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro Drupal Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see that a 3rd edition for D7 is due out in April.
Thanks for the comments. Drupal Dojo is great, when it's running - but it does seem to me that it lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily need to be new documentation, per se, but instead *the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure*. Perhaps calling it Drupal University is a bit misleading as I don't forsee there being any formal assessment or accreditation, but there would be structured courses to work through. For example, "Drupal 101: Beginning Drupal" which could teach complete newbies how to set up a core installation on a local or remote server; or "Drupal 201: Basic Theming" which could explain how .tpl.php files worked and how CSS works in Drupal. The Packt books are great, but they are short and sweet and they don't offer an overall structure. Pro Drupal Development is superb and offers a great structure, but it has its limitations: in short, *it's a book*. First off, you have to buy it, for real money. I have no problem with people making money out of open source software (especially when their work is as brilliant as in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you can't interact with a book: having a structured set of web resources would mean people could comment on and discuss the resources, kind of like students do on a real university campus. I suppose the resource that gets closest to what I'm thinking is the Drupal Cookbook - this could be Drupal 101. It fits my proposal because it doesn't provide new documentation, but just organises what's already out there. But more importantly, it answers the question, "I am at stage X in learning Drupal, what should I do next?". Granted, it answers the simplest version of this question, and for more advanced developers the answer well may be multi-faceted - "if you want to specialise in X, go and learn Y" - but it does crystallise what I'm proposing. Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this? -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead 2009/12/28 Yani <akayani@aapt.net.au>
That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book.
Yani
-----Original Message----- From: development-bounces@drupal.org [mailto: development-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM To: development@drupal.org Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University
Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing.
The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and basic. For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro Drupal Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see that a 3rd edition for D7 is due out in April.
Question, and I ask this out of true ignorance, this is not judgement laden in any way (I've got my 1st world Middles class American blinders on here :)). If the price of PDD is too prohibitive how can people afford computers, bandwidth and electricity? Am I totally missing something here? On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 10:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>wrote:
If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative
I've not looked into this in a huge amount of detail, but my thinking is, I guess, that if someone can get access to broadband via an internet café (of which there are very many in China and India) or a community project, then the cost of electricity and an old-ish Intel box running Linux is acceptable - but the list price of $50 for PDD might not be. 2009/12/28 Jim Taylor <jim@rootyhollow.com>
Question, and I ask this out of true ignorance, this is not judgement laden in any way (I've got my 1st world Middles class American blinders on here :)).
If the price of PDD is too prohibitive how can people afford computers, bandwidth and electricity? Am I totally missing something here?
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 10:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com
wrote:
If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote:
lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily need to be new documentation, per se, but instead the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure.
Ok.
Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this?
Yes - http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/documentation :) That's a more appropriate venue for the discussion and likely to find more interested souls. Regards, Greg -- Greg Knaddison | 303-800-5623 | http://growingventuresolutions.com Mastering Drupal - http://www.masteringdrupal.com
He he, thanks Greg - will post to that list :-) -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead 2009/12/28 Greg Knaddison <Greg@growingventuresolutions.com>
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote:
lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily need to be new documentation, per se, but instead the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure.
Ok.
Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this?
Yes - http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/documentation :)
That's a more appropriate venue for the discussion and likely to find more interested souls.
Regards, Greg
-- Greg Knaddison | 303-800-5623 | http://growingventuresolutions.com Mastering Drupal - http://www.masteringdrupal.com
I have found the web site (drupal.org) to excellent even better than the books. Instead of adding a new source I think we should add to the ones we already have. David A. Shaver D. A. Shaver Web Design Web Page Design for Small Business www.dashaver.com PO Box 594 Galesburg,IL 61402-0594 309.343.0027 On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 9:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>wrote:
Thanks for the comments.
Drupal Dojo is great, when it's running - but it does seem to me that it lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily need to be new documentation, per se, but instead *the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure*.
Perhaps calling it Drupal University is a bit misleading as I don't forsee there being any formal assessment or accreditation, but there would be structured courses to work through. For example, "Drupal 101: Beginning Drupal" which could teach complete newbies how to set up a core installation on a local or remote server; or "Drupal 201: Basic Theming" which could explain how .tpl.php files worked and how CSS works in Drupal.
The Packt books are great, but they are short and sweet and they don't offer an overall structure. Pro Drupal Development is superb and offers a great structure, but it has its limitations: in short, *it's a book*. First off, you have to buy it, for real money. I have no problem with people making money out of open source software (especially when their work is as brilliant as in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you can't interact with a book: having a structured set of web resources would mean people could comment on and discuss the resources, kind of like students do on a real university campus.
I suppose the resource that gets closest to what I'm thinking is the Drupal Cookbook - this could be Drupal 101. It fits my proposal because it doesn't provide new documentation, but just organises what's already out there. But more importantly, it answers the question, "I am at stage X in learning Drupal, what should I do next?". Granted, it answers the simplest version of this question, and for more advanced developers the answer well may be multi-faceted - "if you want to specialise in X, go and learn Y" - but it does crystallise what I'm proposing.
Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this? -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
2009/12/28 Yani <akayani@aapt.net.au>
That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book.
Yani
-----Original Message----- From: development-bounces@drupal.org [mailto: development-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM To: development@drupal.org Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University
Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing.
The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and basic. For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro Drupal Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see that a 3rd edition for D7 is due out in April.
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 9:53 PM, David Shaver <d.a.shaver@dashaver.com> wrote:
I have found the web site (drupal.org) to excellent even better than the books. Instead of adding a new source I think we should add to the ones we already have.
I will agree on this, I learnt all my drupal skills by reading drupal.org documentation and asking questions on IRC channel. The dedication of drupal developer and documentation team is commendable. regards Vivek -- The hidden harmony is better than the obvious!!
I agree - don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the excellent work that has ben and is being done - just suggesting a new way it could be organised. In any event I've now posted about this on the Drupal documentation list - http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/documentation. Probably best to continue the discussion there. 2009/12/28 Vivek Khurana <hiddenharmony@gmail.com>
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 9:53 PM, David Shaver <d.a.shaver@dashaver.com> wrote:
I have found the web site (drupal.org) to excellent even better than the books. Instead of adding a new source I think we should add to the ones we already have.
I will agree on this, I learnt all my drupal skills by reading drupal.org documentation and asking questions on IRC channel. The dedication of drupal developer and documentation team is commendable.
regards Vivek
-- The hidden harmony is better than the obvious!!
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 9:09 PM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote:
in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you
Since I come from India, I can comment on these. Most of the books priced in dollars or Euro have an Indian Sub Continent edition which is low cost edition. Though these editions have some compromises, like black and white photographs instead of color and low paper quality but, the content is same. So, PDD edition for Indian Sub Continent will cost something like $10 which is affordable. But those who can afford. do go for international edition or purchase ebooks. regards Vivek -- The hidden harmony is better than the obvious!!
Interesting - where can I see details on the Sub Continent edition of PDD? 2009/12/28 Vivek Khurana <hiddenharmony@gmail.com>
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 9:09 PM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote:
in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you
Since I come from India, I can comment on these. Most of the books priced in dollars or Euro have an Indian Sub Continent edition which is low cost edition. Though these editions have some compromises, like black and white photographs instead of color and low paper quality but, the content is same. So, PDD edition for Indian Sub Continent will cost something like $10 which is affordable. But those who can afford. do go for international edition or purchase ebooks.
regards Vivek
-- The hidden harmony is better than the obvious!!
I'm not sure which direction you are heading with this. Are you possibly considering video elements with the course design or text based courses? If you are talking about simply reorganizing, then it is just a matter of management of information, correct? If you are considering creating courseware or WBTs based on existing documentation that could take a little more time and talent. Either way, sounds like a good idea. I could help. On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>wrote:
Thanks for the comments.
Drupal Dojo is great, when it's running - but it does seem to me that it lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily need to be new documentation, per se, but instead *the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure*.
Perhaps calling it Drupal University is a bit misleading as I don't forsee there being any formal assessment or accreditation, but there would be structured courses to work through. For example, "Drupal 101: Beginning Drupal" which could teach complete newbies how to set up a core installation on a local or remote server; or "Drupal 201: Basic Theming" which could explain how .tpl.php files worked and how CSS works in Drupal.
The Packt books are great, but they are short and sweet and they don't offer an overall structure. Pro Drupal Development is superb and offers a great structure, but it has its limitations: in short, *it's a book*. First off, you have to buy it, for real money. I have no problem with people making money out of open source software (especially when their work is as brilliant as in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you can't interact with a book: having a structured set of web resources would mean people could comment on and discuss the resources, kind of like students do on a real university campus.
I suppose the resource that gets closest to what I'm thinking is the Drupal Cookbook - this could be Drupal 101. It fits my proposal because it doesn't provide new documentation, but just organises what's already out there. But more importantly, it answers the question, "I am at stage X in learning Drupal, what should I do next?". Granted, it answers the simplest version of this question, and for more advanced developers the answer well may be multi-faceted - "if you want to specialise in X, go and learn Y" - but it does crystallise what I'm proposing.
Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this? -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
2009/12/28 Yani <akayani@aapt.net.au>
That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book.
Yani
-----Original Message----- From: development-bounces@drupal.org [mailto: development-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM To: development@drupal.org Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University
Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing.
The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and basic. For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro Drupal Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see that a 3rd edition for D7 is due out in April.
I want there to be a set of free courses that people can work through to learn about Drupal. Initially, at least, these "courses" would be a reorganisation of existing material, kind of like the Drupal Cookbook. I suppose the skill/experience element here is going to be working out what the syllabus needs to be for each course. The courses can then point at existing documentation, whether that's text or videos or whatever. If there are gaps, we can write new documentation - so organising things in this way also helps us work out what documentation we need. I've posted to the Documentation list at http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/documentation - I guess that's the best place to continue this discussion. Would be great if you could help. 2009/12/28 marcia wilbur <marcia.k.wilbur@gmail.com>
I'm not sure which direction you are heading with this.
Are you possibly considering video elements with the course design or text based courses?
If you are talking about simply reorganizing, then it is just a matter of management of information, correct? If you are considering creating courseware or WBTs based on existing documentation that could take a little more time and talent. Either way, sounds like a good idea. I could help.
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>wrote:
Thanks for the comments.
Drupal Dojo is great, when it's running - but it does seem to me that it lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily need to be new documentation, per se, but instead *the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure*.
Perhaps calling it Drupal University is a bit misleading as I don't forsee there being any formal assessment or accreditation, but there would be structured courses to work through. For example, "Drupal 101: Beginning Drupal" which could teach complete newbies how to set up a core installation on a local or remote server; or "Drupal 201: Basic Theming" which could explain how .tpl.php files worked and how CSS works in Drupal.
The Packt books are great, but they are short and sweet and they don't offer an overall structure. Pro Drupal Development is superb and offers a great structure, but it has its limitations: in short, *it's a book*. First off, you have to buy it, for real money. I have no problem with people making money out of open source software (especially when their work is as brilliant as in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you can't interact with a book: having a structured set of web resources would mean people could comment on and discuss the resources, kind of like students do on a real university campus.
I suppose the resource that gets closest to what I'm thinking is the Drupal Cookbook - this could be Drupal 101. It fits my proposal because it doesn't provide new documentation, but just organises what's already out there. But more importantly, it answers the question, "I am at stage X in learning Drupal, what should I do next?". Granted, it answers the simplest version of this question, and for more advanced developers the answer well may be multi-faceted - "if you want to specialise in X, go and learn Y" - but it does crystallise what I'm proposing.
Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this? -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
2009/12/28 Yani <akayani@aapt.net.au>
That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book.
Yani
-----Original Message----- From: development-bounces@drupal.org [mailto: development-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM To: development@drupal.org Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University
Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing.
The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and basic. For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro Drupal Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see that a 3rd edition for D7 is due out in April.
After a brief discussion on the docs list this has now moved to g.d.o at http://groups.drupal.org/node/42236. One way the project could work is for hardcore Drupal developers to do a little consulting on the course syllabuses for their area(s) of expertise. If this is something that might be of interest to you, please join the g.d.o discussion. Thanks! 2009/12/28 James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>
I want there to be a set of free courses that people can work through to learn about Drupal. Initially, at least, these "courses" would be a reorganisation of existing material, kind of like the Drupal Cookbook.
I suppose the skill/experience element here is going to be working out what the syllabus needs to be for each course. The courses can then point at existing documentation, whether that's text or videos or whatever. If there are gaps, we can write new documentation - so organising things in this way also helps us work out what documentation we need.
I've posted to the Documentation list at http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/documentation - I guess that's the best place to continue this discussion. Would be great if you could help.
2009/12/28 marcia wilbur <marcia.k.wilbur@gmail.com>
I'm not sure which direction you are heading with this.
Are you possibly considering video elements with the course design or text based courses?
If you are talking about simply reorganizing, then it is just a matter of management of information, correct? If you are considering creating courseware or WBTs based on existing documentation that could take a little more time and talent. Either way, sounds like a good idea. I could help.
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com
wrote:
Thanks for the comments.
Drupal Dojo is great, when it's running - but it does seem to me that it lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily need to be new documentation, per se, but instead *the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure*.
Perhaps calling it Drupal University is a bit misleading as I don't forsee there being any formal assessment or accreditation, but there would be structured courses to work through. For example, "Drupal 101: Beginning Drupal" which could teach complete newbies how to set up a core installation on a local or remote server; or "Drupal 201: Basic Theming" which could explain how .tpl.php files worked and how CSS works in Drupal.
The Packt books are great, but they are short and sweet and they don't offer an overall structure. Pro Drupal Development is superb and offers a great structure, but it has its limitations: in short, *it's a book*. First off, you have to buy it, for real money. I have no problem with people making money out of open source software (especially when their work is as brilliant as in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you can't interact with a book: having a structured set of web resources would mean people could comment on and discuss the resources, kind of like students do on a real university campus.
I suppose the resource that gets closest to what I'm thinking is the Drupal Cookbook - this could be Drupal 101. It fits my proposal because it doesn't provide new documentation, but just organises what's already out there. But more importantly, it answers the question, "I am at stage X in learning Drupal, what should I do next?". Granted, it answers the simplest version of this question, and for more advanced developers the answer well may be multi-faceted - "if you want to specialise in X, go and learn Y" - but it does crystallise what I'm proposing.
Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this? -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
2009/12/28 Yani <akayani@aapt.net.au>
That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book.
Yani
-----Original Message----- From: development-bounces@drupal.org [mailto: development-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM To: development@drupal.org Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University
Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing.
The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and basic. For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro Drupal Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see that a 3rd edition for D7 is due out in April.
It would be great to some courses on views and cck David A. Shaver D. A. Shaver Web Design Web Page Design for Small Business www.dashaver.com PO Box 594 Galesburg,IL 61402-0594 309.343.0027 On Fri, Jan 1, 2010 at 9:29 PM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>wrote:
After a brief discussion on the docs list this has now moved to g.d.o at http://groups.drupal.org/node/42236. One way the project could work is for hardcore Drupal developers to do a little consulting on the course syllabuses for their area(s) of expertise. If this is something that might be of interest to you, please join the g.d.o discussion. Thanks!
2009/12/28 James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>
I want there to be a set of free courses that people can work through to learn about Drupal. Initially, at least, these "courses" would be a reorganisation of existing material, kind of like the Drupal Cookbook.
I suppose the skill/experience element here is going to be working out what the syllabus needs to be for each course. The courses can then point at existing documentation, whether that's text or videos or whatever. If there are gaps, we can write new documentation - so organising things in this way also helps us work out what documentation we need.
I've posted to the Documentation list at http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/documentation - I guess that's the best place to continue this discussion. Would be great if you could help.
2009/12/28 marcia wilbur <marcia.k.wilbur@gmail.com>
I'm not sure which direction you are heading with this.
Are you possibly considering video elements with the course design or text based courses?
If you are talking about simply reorganizing, then it is just a matter of management of information, correct? If you are considering creating courseware or WBTs based on existing documentation that could take a little more time and talent. Either way, sounds like a good idea. I could help.
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM, James Benstead < james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks for the comments.
Drupal Dojo is great, when it's running - but it does seem to me that it lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily need to be new documentation, per se, but instead *the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure*.
Perhaps calling it Drupal University is a bit misleading as I don't forsee there being any formal assessment or accreditation, but there would be structured courses to work through. For example, "Drupal 101: Beginning Drupal" which could teach complete newbies how to set up a core installation on a local or remote server; or "Drupal 201: Basic Theming" which could explain how .tpl.php files worked and how CSS works in Drupal.
The Packt books are great, but they are short and sweet and they don't offer an overall structure. Pro Drupal Development is superb and offers a great structure, but it has its limitations: in short, *it's a book*. First off, you have to buy it, for real money. I have no problem with people making money out of open source software (especially when their work is as brilliant as in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you can't interact with a book: having a structured set of web resources would mean people could comment on and discuss the resources, kind of like students do on a real university campus.
I suppose the resource that gets closest to what I'm thinking is the Drupal Cookbook - this could be Drupal 101. It fits my proposal because it doesn't provide new documentation, but just organises what's already out there. But more importantly, it answers the question, "I am at stage X in learning Drupal, what should I do next?". Granted, it answers the simplest version of this question, and for more advanced developers the answer well may be multi-faceted - "if you want to specialise in X, go and learn Y" - but it does crystallise what I'm proposing.
Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this? -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
2009/12/28 Yani <akayani@aapt.net.au>
That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book.
Yani
-----Original Message----- From: development-bounces@drupal.org [mailto: development-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM To: development@drupal.org Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University
Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing.
The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and basic. For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro Drupal Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see that a 3rd edition for D7 is due out in April.
It would be great to some courses on views and cck
I wrote the Packt book on Views 1. A number of people have said it's helped them to work better with Views 2. It's not "curriculum" so much as step-by-step recipes for specific tasks. http://www.packtpub.com/drupal-5-views-recipes http://www.amazon.com/Drupal-Views-Recipes-Marjorie-Roswell/dp/1847196969 Its focus is on the end-user, but developers will likely get at least some value out of it, too, if only for the comprehensive list of views-enabled modules, the list of views hooks (which don't all transfer to Views 2), and a few recipes on theming. I've done almost no promotion, but seems worth a mention here. Given the version, sales have been minimal, too, but it's a pretty good book. By the way, lest anyone ask: I originally planned to write the next version, but seemed I needed some self-care more than I needed to write the upgrade. I developed a vitamin D deficiency over the course of writing the book. (5 ng/ml, really low) Happy New Year everyone. Margie PS. I'll bet most of us have a D deficiency. Hmmm... maybe time to get a solar-powered laptop... and a solarium (indoor sun room) for winter... Hmmm, book sales not quite up to all that! On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 9:44 AM, David Shaver <d.a.shaver@dashaver.com> wrote:
It would be great to some courses on views and cck David A. Shaver D. A. Shaver Web Design Web Page Design for Small Business www.dashaver.com PO Box 594 Galesburg,IL 61402-0594 309.343.0027
On Fri, Jan 1, 2010 at 9:29 PM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote:
After a brief discussion on the docs list this has now moved to g.d.o at http://groups.drupal.org/node/42236. One way the project could work is for hardcore Drupal developers to do a little consulting on the course syllabuses for their area(s) of expertise. If this is something that might be of interest to you, please join the g.d.o discussion. Thanks!
2009/12/28 James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>
I want there to be a set of free courses that people can work through to learn about Drupal. Initially, at least, these "courses" would be a reorganisation of existing material, kind of like the Drupal Cookbook.
I suppose the skill/experience element here is going to be working out what the syllabus needs to be for each course. The courses can then point at existing documentation, whether that's text or videos or whatever. If there are gaps, we can write new documentation - so organising things in this way also helps us work out what documentation we need.
I've posted to the Documentation list at http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/documentation - I guess that's the best place to continue this discussion. Would be great if you could help.
2009/12/28 marcia wilbur <marcia.k.wilbur@gmail.com>
I'm not sure which direction you are heading with this.
Are you possibly considering video elements with the course design or text based courses?
If you are talking about simply reorganizing, then it is just a matter of management of information, correct? If you are considering creating courseware or WBTs based on existing documentation that could take a little more time and talent. Either way, sounds like a good idea. I could help.
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks for the comments. Drupal Dojo is great, when it's running - but it does seem to me that it lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily need to be new documentation, per se, but instead the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure. Perhaps calling it Drupal University is a bit misleading as I don't forsee there being any formal assessment or accreditation, but there would be structured courses to work through. For example, "Drupal 101: Beginning Drupal" which could teach complete newbies how to set up a core installation on a local or remote server; or "Drupal 201: Basic Theming" which could explain how .tpl.php files worked and how CSS works in Drupal. The Packt books are great, but they are short and sweet and they don't offer an overall structure. Pro Drupal Development is superb and offers a great structure, but it has its limitations: in short, it's a book. First off, you have to buy it, for real money. I have no problem with people making money out of open source software (especially when their work is as brilliant as in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you can't interact with a book: having a structured set of web resources would mean people could comment on and discuss the resources, kind of like students do on a real university campus. I suppose the resource that gets closest to what I'm thinking is the Drupal Cookbook - this could be Drupal 101. It fits my proposal because it doesn't provide new documentation, but just organises what's already out there. But more importantly, it answers the question, "I am at stage X in learning Drupal, what should I do next?". Granted, it answers the simplest version of this question, and for more advanced developers the answer well may be multi-faceted - "if you want to specialise in X, go and learn Y" - but it does crystallise what I'm proposing. Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this? -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
2009/12/28 Yani <akayani@aapt.net.au>
That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book.
Yani
-----Original Message----- From: development-bounces@drupal.org [mailto:development-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM To: development@drupal.org Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University
> Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing.
The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and basic. For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro Drupal Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see that a 3rd edition for D7 is due out in April.
-- Margie http://www.BaltimoreUrbanAg.org http://www.FarmersMarketVideo.org http://www.FriendlyCoffeehouse.org http://www.packtpub.com/drupal-5-views-recipes/book
Margie I just bought your book from Amazon. David A. Shaver D. A. Shaver Web Design Web Page Design for Small Business www.dashaver.com PO Box 594 Galesburg,IL 61402-0594 309.343.0027 On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 9:22 AM, <mroswell@gmail.com> wrote:
It would be great to some courses on views and cck
I wrote the Packt book on Views 1. A number of people have said it's helped them to work better with Views 2. It's not "curriculum" so much as step-by-step recipes for specific tasks.
http://www.packtpub.com/drupal-5-views-recipes http://www.amazon.com/Drupal-Views-Recipes-Marjorie-Roswell/dp/1847196969
Its focus is on the end-user, but developers will likely get at least some value out of it, too, if only for the comprehensive list of views-enabled modules, the list of views hooks (which don't all transfer to Views 2), and a few recipes on theming.
I've done almost no promotion, but seems worth a mention here. Given the version, sales have been minimal, too, but it's a pretty good book.
By the way, lest anyone ask: I originally planned to write the next version, but seemed I needed some self-care more than I needed to write the upgrade. I developed a vitamin D deficiency over the course of writing the book. (5 ng/ml, really low)
Happy New Year everyone.
Margie
PS. I'll bet most of us have a D deficiency. Hmmm... maybe time to get a solar-powered laptop... and a solarium (indoor sun room) for winter... Hmmm, book sales not quite up to all that!
On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 9:44 AM, David Shaver <d.a.shaver@dashaver.com> wrote:
It would be great to some courses on views and cck David A. Shaver D. A. Shaver Web Design Web Page Design for Small Business www.dashaver.com PO Box 594 Galesburg,IL 61402-0594 309.343.0027
On Fri, Jan 1, 2010 at 9:29 PM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com
wrote:
After a brief discussion on the docs list this has now moved to g.d.o at http://groups.drupal.org/node/42236. One way the project could work
is
for hardcore Drupal developers to do a little consulting on the course syllabuses for their area(s) of expertise. If this is something that might be of interest to you, please join the g.d.o discussion. Thanks!
2009/12/28 James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>
I want there to be a set of free courses that people can work through
to
learn about Drupal. Initially, at least, these "courses" would be a reorganisation of existing material, kind of like the Drupal Cookbook.
I suppose the skill/experience element here is going to be working out what the syllabus needs to be for each course. The courses can then point at existing documentation, whether that's text or videos or whatever. If there are gaps, we can write new documentation - so organising things in this way also helps us work out what documentation we need.
I've posted to the Documentation list at http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/documentation - I guess that's the best place to continue this discussion. Would be great if you could help.
2009/12/28 marcia wilbur <marcia.k.wilbur@gmail.com>
I'm not sure which direction you are heading with this.
Are you possibly considering video elements with the course design or text based courses?
If you are talking about simply reorganizing, then it is just a matter of management of information, correct? If you are considering creating courseware or WBTs based on existing documentation that could take a little more time and talent. Either way, sounds like a good idea. I could help.
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks for the comments. Drupal Dojo is great, when it's running - but it does seem to me that it lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't
necessarily
need to be new documentation, per se, but instead the organisation of existing documentation under a useful structure. Perhaps calling it Drupal University is a bit misleading as I don't forsee there being any formal assessment or accreditation, but there would be structured courses to work through. For example, "Drupal 101: Beginning Drupal" which could teach complete newbies how to set up a core installation on a local or remote server; or "Drupal 201: Basic Theming" which could explain how .tpl.php files worked and how CSS works in Drupal. The Packt books are great, but they are short and sweet and they don't offer an overall structure. Pro Drupal Development is superb and offers a great structure, but it has its limitations: in short, it's a book. First off, you have to buy it, for real money. I have no problem with people making money out of open source software (especially when their work is as brilliant as in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you can't interact with a book: having a structured set of web resources would mean people could comment on and discuss the resources, kind of like students do on a real university campus. I suppose the resource that gets closest to what I'm thinking is the Drupal Cookbook - this could be Drupal 101. It fits my proposal because it doesn't provide new documentation, but just organises what's already out there. But more importantly, it answers the question, "I am at stage X in learning Drupal, what should I do next?". Granted, it answers the simplest version of this question, and for more advanced developers the answer well may be multi-faceted - "if you want to specialise in X, go and learn Y" - but it does crystallise what I'm proposing. Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this? -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
2009/12/28 Yani <akayani@aapt.net.au> > > http://www.drupalbook.com/ > > That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book. > > Yani > > -----Original Message----- > From: development-bounces@drupal.org > [mailto:development-bounces@drupal.org] > On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman > Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM > To: development@drupal.org > Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University > > > Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing. > > The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and > basic. > For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro > Drupal > Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see > that a > 3rd > edition for D7 is due out in April. >
-- Margie http://www.BaltimoreUrbanAg.org http://www.FarmersMarketVideo.org http://www.FriendlyCoffeehouse.org http://www.packtpub.com/drupal-5-views-recipes/book
As a follow up to Margie's note, Packt asked me to write the Drupal 6 version of the book. The projected publishing date is June of this year. ----- Cameron Eagans Owner, Black Storms Studios, LLC http://www.blackstormsstudios.com On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 8:59 AM, David Shaver <d.a.shaver@dashaver.com>wrote:
Margie I just bought your book from Amazon.
David A. Shaver D. A. Shaver Web Design Web Page Design for Small Business www.dashaver.com PO Box 594 Galesburg,IL 61402-0594 309.343.0027
On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 9:22 AM, <mroswell@gmail.com> wrote:
It would be great to some courses on views and cck
I wrote the Packt book on Views 1. A number of people have said it's helped them to work better with Views 2. It's not "curriculum" so much as step-by-step recipes for specific tasks.
http://www.packtpub.com/drupal-5-views-recipes http://www.amazon.com/Drupal-Views-Recipes-Marjorie-Roswell/dp/1847196969
Its focus is on the end-user, but developers will likely get at least some value out of it, too, if only for the comprehensive list of views-enabled modules, the list of views hooks (which don't all transfer to Views 2), and a few recipes on theming.
I've done almost no promotion, but seems worth a mention here. Given the version, sales have been minimal, too, but it's a pretty good book.
By the way, lest anyone ask: I originally planned to write the next version, but seemed I needed some self-care more than I needed to write the upgrade. I developed a vitamin D deficiency over the course of writing the book. (5 ng/ml, really low)
Happy New Year everyone.
Margie
PS. I'll bet most of us have a D deficiency. Hmmm... maybe time to get a solar-powered laptop... and a solarium (indoor sun room) for winter... Hmmm, book sales not quite up to all that!
On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 9:44 AM, David Shaver <d.a.shaver@dashaver.com> wrote:
It would be great to some courses on views and cck David A. Shaver D. A. Shaver Web Design Web Page Design for Small Business www.dashaver.com PO Box 594 Galesburg,IL 61402-0594 309.343.0027
On Fri, Jan 1, 2010 at 9:29 PM, James Benstead < james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote:
After a brief discussion on the docs list this has now moved to g.d.o at http://groups.drupal.org/node/42236. One way the project could work
is
for hardcore Drupal developers to do a little consulting on the course syllabuses for their area(s) of expertise. If this is something that might be of interest to you, please join the g.d.o discussion. Thanks!
2009/12/28 James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>
I want there to be a set of free courses that people can work through
to
learn about Drupal. Initially, at least, these "courses" would be a reorganisation of existing material, kind of like the Drupal Cookbook.
I suppose the skill/experience element here is going to be working out what the syllabus needs to be for each course. The courses can then point at existing documentation, whether that's text or videos or whatever. If there are gaps, we can write new documentation - so organising things in this way also helps us work out what documentation we need.
I've posted to the Documentation list at http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/documentation - I guess that's the best place to continue this discussion. Would be great if you could help.
2009/12/28 marcia wilbur <marcia.k.wilbur@gmail.com>
I'm not sure which direction you are heading with this.
Are you possibly considering video elements with the course design or text based courses?
If you are talking about simply reorganizing, then it is just a
matter
of management of information, correct? If you are considering creating courseware or WBTs based on existing documentation that could take a little more time and talent. Either way, sounds like a good idea. I could help.
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com> wrote: > > Thanks for the comments. > Drupal Dojo is great, when it's running - but it does seem to me that > it lacks a little organisation. What I am suggesting doesn't necessarily > need to be new documentation, per se, but instead the organisation of > existing documentation under a useful structure. > Perhaps calling it Drupal University is a bit misleading as I don't > forsee there being any formal assessment or accreditation, but there would > be structured courses to work through. For example, "Drupal 101: Beginning > Drupal" which could teach complete newbies how to set up a core installation > on a local or remote server; or "Drupal 201: Basic Theming" which could > explain how .tpl.php files worked and how CSS works in Drupal. > The Packt books are great, but they are short and sweet and they don't > offer an overall structure. Pro Drupal Development is superb and offers a > great structure, but it has its limitations: in short, it's a book. First > off, you have to buy it, for real money. I have no problem with people > making money out of open source software (especially when their work is as > brilliant as in the case of PDD), but I do think there should be a free, > "open source" alternative. If for no other reason, the cover price of PDD is > huge for developers in 2nd or 3rd world countries (i.e., the majority of the > population of the planet) and they should have an alternative. Secondly, you > can't interact with a book: having a structured set of web resources would > mean people could comment on and discuss the resources, kind of like > students do on a real university campus. > I suppose the resource that gets closest to what I'm thinking is the > Drupal Cookbook - this could be Drupal 101. It fits my proposal because it > doesn't provide new documentation, but just organises what's already out > there. But more importantly, it answers the question, "I am at stage X in > learning Drupal, what should I do next?". Granted, it answers the simplest > version of this question, and for more advanced developers the answer well > may be multi-faceted - "if you want to specialise in X, go and learn Y" - > but it does crystallise what I'm proposing. > Again, anyone got any more thoughts on this? > -- > Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com > Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 > Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 > Skype: jimbenstead > > > > 2009/12/28 Yani <akayani@aapt.net.au> >> >> http://www.drupalbook.com/ >> >> That looks like a good one. I'll make that my first D7 book. >> >> Yani >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: development-bounces@drupal.org >> [mailto:development-bounces@drupal.org] >> On Behalf Of Andrew Schulman >> Sent: Monday, 28 December 2009 7:37 PM >> To: development@drupal.org >> Subject: Re: [development] Proposal: Drupal University >> >> > Shell out some cash on books by Matt Butcher / Packit Publishing. >> >> The Packit books are fine as far as they go, but are usually short and >> basic. >> For a detailed look at Drupal's big picture, I highly recommend Pro >> Drupal >> Development, 2nd ed. by John VanDyk. 2nd ed. is for D6, but I see >> that a >> 3rd >> edition for D7 is due out in April. >> >
-- Margie http://www.BaltimoreUrbanAg.org http://www.FarmersMarketVideo.org http://www.FriendlyCoffeehouse.org http://www.packtpub.com/drupal-5-views-recipes/book
Excellent idea! I like it. On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 1:11 PM, James Benstead <james.benstead@gmail.com>wrote:
I've spent sizeable chunks of the last year or so trying to learn Drupal. To start with, I had a problem understanding the documentation. Now I've overcome that hurdle, I'm experiencing issues with the *structure* of documentation. I am usually able to solve individual problems for individual projects, but if I want to learn something in a more abstract fashion - for example, learning how Drupal works with Javascript so that I can understand a JavaScript-based module - I come a bit unstuck.
I also hit problems if I want to sit down and just learn something new about Drupal. Sure, I can (and do) go onto IRC and ask a question along the lines of "I can do x, y and z with Drupal; what should I learn to do next?", but this doesn't always work and the quality of the answers I get just isn't consistent.
So, what I'm proposing is something along the lines of Wikiversity ( http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Main_Page) for Drupal: a set of structured (but informal) courses that bring together different pieces of documentation from both within and without d.o.
Has anything like this been tried before? What do you think of the idea?
--J. -- Google Talk/Windows Live Messenger/AIM: james.benstead@gmail.com Yahoo! Messenger/Twitter/IRC (Freenode): jim0203 Jabber: jim0203@jabber.org // ICQ: 7088050 Skype: jimbenstead
participants (10)
-
Andrew Schulman -
Cameron Eagans -
David Shaver -
Greg Knaddison -
James Benstead -
Jim Taylor -
marcia wilbur -
Margie Roswell -
Vivek Khurana -
Yani