Practical Programming for Makers
In this four week self-paced course, students will learn the basics of web development using the most up-to-date technologies. Upon completion, each student will know how to create, edit and launch their own website.
Course level: Intermediate Advanced
Lifetime of learning experience, summarized.
Course Description
In this intellectually stimulating and engaging course the students will get a gentle introduction to how websites are built, put together, and delivered. We will start with the most basics of html, how websites started out 20 years ago, and will quickly progress towards a full page layout. With that information at hand, most students will be able to easily experiment and make local sites of their own.
Equipped with the basic knowledge, students will learn about CSS, style sheets that make websites look the way they do. We will also touch on how JavaScript is used by most modern websites to augment their functionality. From there, the class will quickly progress to modern development tools, including Vercel, NextJS, and React. The students will have an opportunity to interact with a pre-built template available for their use. Those who wish to experiment, will have plenty of opportunities to go beyond the curriculum and try their own creation.
At the end of the course, we will discuss how websites are hosted, and various modern options to do so. Students will be given an opportunity to launch their new website to the web, and given ample instructions on resources to consider for their future learning.
Detailed & Powerful
Course Structure
1. The Basics
Learn the basic structure of a web site. Understand the difference between html, css, and javascript. Learn how websites are created, powered, and deployed. Get comfortable writing code. Save progress with git and experiment.
2. JavaScript
Try writing simple JavaScript that manipulates web components. Change layout, send and receive information, update content.
3. Layout and Styles
Empowered with your new knowledge, take the template of this website and adjust it with your own content. Change colors, move things around, enter new text, link it with your other projects and more.
4. Next.js and deployment
With your new undersatnding of layout, styles, and web components, mold your website inside the Next.js environemnt to a finished product. Deploy it to the world and share with friends.
Starting is Easy
What you need to participate
To make sure that students on both Mac and Windows have a consistent experience, this course will be using an online code editor that will look and function the same for both Windows and Mac. At the end of the course, we will introduce the students to what is required to run their own editor on a desktop, and provide instructions on how to do it.
To ensure good and productive experience, students need to be able to type, and have access to a laptop or a desktop computer.
Technologies Used
Meet your instructor
Kirill Zubovsky
Kirill is a startup founder and an engineer. He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from University of Toronto, and his startup had gone through Y Combinator. Kirill knows that learning to program can be scary and boring and he created this course specifically as a gentle introduction for curious minds.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does this course cost?
Practical Programming For Makers costs $129, for which you get access to ALL of the video content for this course, plus the ability to ask questions. Your questions will be answered in the order they are received, in either text form, or as an additional video where in-depth explanation is required.
Does the course expire?
The course does not expire, and you will have access to all the materials for as long as they are available online. However, once you finish the course, the material will be so second nature, you probably will not need to access it anyway.
Do I need any special software to take this course?
Nope. All the tools will be available online. You need to have access to a computer though. It might be possible to take the course on an iPad with an external keyboard, but for a beginner student it might cause more problems and discourage them to learn.
How many hours of video do you provide?
Practical Programming is all about getting things done. While you could certainly spend 50 hours watching videos on every minute detail, why not spend 50 minutes and learn a useful skill that you can master and use right away? The exact hours of the videos vary, as each video gets constantly edited and updated based on student feedback. The end result is a short, but suffient sequence that gets you from zero to a fully functional website with a broad understanding of coding concepts.
What level do you teach at?
The upcoming class will start at a beginner level, where you do not need to know how to code. I will teach you the basics and show you how to navigate between code provided in our template. With that knowledge, you would be able to launch your own website. You will not learn everything under the sun, but you will get enough information to ask more questions, and to figure out what to learn next.
How friendly is Sudden Schools for younger people?
Extremely friendly. Our courses were designed specifically with younger people in mind. After conversations with our customers we simply decided not to market exclusively to young folks so as to not make them feel somehow excluded from the general population of curious coders.
What programming languages do you teach?
This course will be using HTML, CSS, and React with NextJS.
Will you teach Python or Flask?
Flask, if we are talking about the same thing, is a Python framework that basically makes it easier to put Python code-driven websites online. It's similar to Rails, which is a framework for Ruby, and NextJS, which is a framework for React. We are not going to teach Python or Flask in this course, but open to launching a separate course just for that. Meanwhile, by learning NextJS, you will have enough knowledge to launch a website that is based on React, and in process will build a foundation that helps in launching websites with any other language. However, NextJS is quite the engineering marvel which is making launching websites 100-times easier than before. There is a chance you won't have to learn Python after all.
Is there an option for web-only learning?
Of course. Sudden is web-only by default. All videos are recorded such that you can try and practice any time of day or night. Do it on your pace, ask questions, try again and repeat. No pressure, you've got this!
Do you provide a certificate of completion?
Sure. Upon launching your very own website, you will be able to download a certificate stating that you had done so. You can also add yourself as a Sudden Schools student on Linkedin. Of course, by then you won't need a certificate, as you would already have a website to show!
Can I buy this course as a present?
Yes! Online courses make for amazing presents. Just register and pay and in the comments, tell us that you are buying this as a present for someone else. We will contact you for details, and then surprise them with the thoughful gift of learning. If you want, we won't tell them who the present is from. Good thinking on your part!
What if I did not like the course?
No worries. If you are not satisfied, just email us `kirill@suddenschools.org` and I will refund you, no questions asked.
I have another question!
Okay! Let's hear it. Send me an email to `kirill@suddenschools.org` and I will respond to you within a few days.