The Blurred Lines Between CSS3 and JavaScript/JQuery

CSS3 seems to have so many features.  Media queries are a great way to implement responsive web designs through breakpoints.  JQuery has ways of implementing breakpoints as well.  A quick google search shows that Breakpoint.js is do custom things depending on which breakpoint the website hits.  While this is really useful, CSS3 is now allowing for this.

But JQuery allows for different animations during those transitions, and that would be a defining reason to use JQuery.  However, CSS3 now has animations, transitions, and transformations.  These can be triggered on page load or on hover.  I haven’t looked too much into whether the animations can be triggered on click, but maybe this is where JavaScript/JQuery is used to implement the animation.  Maybe you could use the pseudo class of focus to trigger the event. Not sure.  I am still looking at and playing with those ideas.

But maybe all the CSS3 animations are just neat and not useful.  It seems that the JQuery plugins are not hard to implement at all.  However, I just feel like if you can leave a webpage as 2 languages (HTML/CSS) that would be faster than starting to bring in more languages.  But I am not sure how much that would matter.  These are some of the things I am looking at.

I am almost finished with the JQuery course on Team Treehouse.  I am looking forward to getting to the Git section of the front end web development track.  Accessibility and Website Optimization are next.  Those should not take too long.  I have made an artificial deadline of July 4^th to be finished with the front end web development track, so here is hoping I accomplish that.

Look forward sometime soon to a write up on my visits to two awesome places, Caddis Interactive and Mind Volt.  They allowed me to go, ask questions, and learn from their web developers.  I also plan on solving my podcasting issue.  I am thinking about using Google Hangouts and just stripping the audio to create a podcast. I have an old microphone I may just use right now for those purposes, or I will just use my phone or tablet to record video also and use that.  Let me know what you think about that.  Thanks guys, and have a great weekend.

Update! Hot fresh update!

Hey guys.  I thought I would update you on why there will not be a podcast this week and probably next week.  I ran out of room on my free Soundcloud account.  So I have decided to wait until I can buy a quality microphone.  So it may be a week, two weeks, or possibly longer.  This just means that I will do more write ups.  So now I am looking to do two or three write ups a week.

So let me update you on where I am at.  I am actually helping with a weeklong code academy.  The program is TN Code Academy.  The goal is to introduce the basics of coding to middle school students.  We cover topics like Scratch, HTML, CSS, and Javascript.  It has been a great week so far.  Many of the students have enjoyed HTML more than Scratch.  Tomorrow we plan to use CSS to help the students take their HTML and make it look nice.  The hope is for the students to have a website they can show their parents at the end of the week.  The students may also show off something they made in Scratch.  It has been a great experience so far, and I look forward to seeing where else they go.

This is also great for me in that it is reinforcing what I know about HTML and CSS.  Since I have been working by myself I haven’t been able to really know how much I know.  I am now realizing that I actually do know a good bit about these languages.  It makes me realize that I have made remarkable strides from where I was 2 months ago.  It excites me and recharges my batteries.  So I am ready to get back at it, continue learning more CSS and really start using Javascript in my websites.  But is also allows me to realize that I still have so much to learn.

So the website had a lot of traffic last Thursday and Friday when I updated it.  There are now three pages.  Go check it out if you haven’t yet.  Michaelshermantucker.com is the website.  I think that it is coming along nicely.  I have one more thing I want to do with it.  I want to make a blog page and transfer all of these posts over to that website.  So there is still work left to do, but I am going through some Team Treehouse stuff first.  I like bouncing back and forth between different things as it helps to keep me interested and fresh.

Have anything you would like for me to write about or talk about when I start podcasting again?  Hit me up on Twitter at @mdownt, email me at mstucker2010@gmail.com, or just leave a comment below.  I hope that you guys are learning something from my experience of growing in web development or at least are entertained. Thanks guys.

Get Started Coding!

It does not matter whether you are young, old, geek, jock, familiar or not familiar with coding, there have never been so many ways to learn how to code!  While I am no expert by ANY means, I have taught myself a ton already.  And I am really proud of the progress I have made.  If someone asked me TODAY (this will probably change as I get older and more experienced, and I am planning to revisit this list from time to time) I would recommend the following resources:

Code Academy – This is an awesome website for those just starting out.  The exercises are very easy to follow along with, and great feedback is given in case of mistakes.  There is also a hint available if you are completely stuck.  They have plenty of languages to learn and great ways to get there.  There are also available projects for you to combine your skills in different languages to create one thing.  This is definitely the first starting resource I would go with.

HTML and CSS: design and build websites – This is a great book to read for experienced coders and beginners together.  The way Jon Duckett presents the information in the book is stylish and a pleasure to read.  HTML and CSS is also my go to book for references.  I cannot recommend this book enough.

W3Schools – I used this website more as a reference tool and a playground to check out different scenarios of coding.  This is an easy way to alter parts of code to see the full effect.

Team Treehouse – What a great website this is!  First, this is not a free website.  There are free trials, but a maximum of 30 days for a free trial is the greatest period of time I have found.  The silver package is $25 a month, which may seem steep, but if you are serious about learning to code, this is a great value.  There are so many tracks and courses to take on Team Treehouse.  I would consider going here after you have started on Code Academy and think you would like to continue your education in this field.  Team Treehouse gives so many options on what to learn and where to go, as well as resources for you to use in finding a career in this field.

 

These are the ones I have used and would recommend.  I am really interested in Code School, but I am using Team Treehouse right now, and I do not want to spread myself too thin.  I have heard awesome things about Code School, and that it is a great progression from Team Treehouse.

What websites, books, or resources would you recommend?   Either send an email and let me know, or leave a comment.  I hope this helps anyone interested in learning to code.  Thanks guys.

When I Started Programming

 

I have been programming since….

this year.  Just going through the internet you do not see many people who have created websites who fit this mold.  It is either “I have been playing around with the webs since GeoCities” or “Since my middle school days I have been developing websites.”  This does not describe me.

Growing up I had AOL with a 56kbps connection I would jump on almost every other day.  Sure it was not fast, but it was the only option where I lived.  I remember going to a friend’s house, who lived closer to the city, and being amazed by how fast his internet connection was.  I remember thinking “I could play games online without any lag if I had internet this fast!”

I would say that the slow internet speeds may have had something to do with me not getting into development, but the main reason is definitely because where I live none of the people I knew were into web development (or that sort of thing).  Since this was the case, I never really thought about how webpages went across a wire and onto my screen.  I guess I just figured it was magic.  I really did not care then, and neither did my friends.  In our defense, it would take minutes to load up one website.  So instead of waiting over and over to venture into the website, why not just either do stupid stuff outside or hook up a bunch of Xboxes and play some Halo.  We could easily play Capture the Flag on Blood Gulch for hours and hours through the night.  We had so much fun together.  Those were great times.

From there I went to college, where I finally had internet that I could play games without lag!  It was awesome.  I remember visiting my favorite sites almost every day (gamespot.com, ign.com, and espn.com).  Still the thoughts of how this worked never crossed my mind, but I was just thrilled that I was able to experience fast internet, something not available at home.   Around my junior year, I started paying attention to two different things.  One was the awesome website of giantbomb.com, and the other some of my friends using coding languages.  I thought this was fascinating.  I took a C++ class, and planned on making Computer Science my minor.  (Math was my major).  Unfortunately, when you go to a small college, you have to take what you can get.  All the computer science classes were during the same times as my math classes, so I minored in Management.  I really enjoyed the C++ class, and continued dabbling around in coding, but nothing serious.

After I graduated college, I started working part time at a local community college as a math adjunct for lower math courses and as a math tutor.  I really enjoyed teaching others how to look at math for an application point of view.  By this time, I was not dabbling anymore with C++, HTML, or CSS.  I was fully entrenched in teaching mathematics.  In fact, that is what I do today.  I now teach full time in middle Tennessee as a middle school math teacher.  I enjoy being able to help young ladies and gentlemen understand and find applications for mathematics.

The past summer, I got the itch to start coding again.  I roamed the internet for programs I could do to help me gain an understanding of HTML and CSS.  I came across Code Academy.  It was the answer I was looking for.  I went through the HTML and CSS tracks within a month and a half.  I also went through the Javascript track, but I went too fast and did not understand really what I was doing.  I just wanted to finish before the school year started again.  I teach full time, adjunct at a different local community college, coach, and take graduate classes.  I knew that I would not have enough time during the school year to continue going through the tracks.

However, this year, near the end of my last graduate course, I just kept thinking “I really want to get back to coding and developing.”  So I read a book (HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by  Jon Duckett) and went back through the HTML and CSS courses on Code Academy.  I made my first website a month later.  Sure, it looks like something off of Angelfire, but I was proud.  It was something I could call my own.  Now I have issued a revision of my personal website. It is a little bit newer looking, and a whole lot nicer.  There is still a lot to learn, but I have already done so much in the last month and a half, I know I can keep going.  I have now been through these tracks on Code Academy: HTML and CSS (x2), Javascript (x2), jQuery, and almost finished PHP.  I plan to go to Ruby next.

This year is when I started programming, and I have already accomplished so much.  Plans for another revision to my personal website are under way (3 additional pages) and I have already been in talks with my dad to create a website for his business.  Even though I feel I have done so much is a little time, I can do so much more.    I am super excited to continue to learn and develop more each day.

Thanks for reading guys.

Podcasting

I have been looking into starting a podcast about my adventures into becoming a web designer/ developer.  How would that be received?  I think I will do a podcast two times a week so I can keep updating my status as a learner.  I would like this to be something where maybe someone has a question on how am I doing something, or maybe someone has some great websites or advice I could use.  This is a way to get myself out there.  I love listening to podcasts so this seems like a natural fit.  I plan on having each podcast around 25-30 minutes.

What would be a good way to organize what I talk about?  I plan on just talking about my journey from when I started for my first podcast.  I always love hearing how others got their start, but that always seems to be years and years after the person has become successful.  This will be right at the beginning of my growth and learning journey.

Soundcloud is probably the service I will use, as it is easy to start recording from my phone.  If you have other suggestions hit me up and let me know what you think.  Thanks for stopping by guys, and have a great rest of the weekend!