Class overall: I was excited to take this class because I knew it was going to be quite different than my other PR/CC classes. Overall, I’m coming out of class with a better understanding of the fundamentals of web development, and why it’s important for today’s marketing/communication professionals and journalists to be well versed in this field.

The first few weeks were overwhelming and a bit difficult to grasp everything. Coding is very detailed with so many moving parts, so when Greg told us to only concentrate on the bigger concepts — it was challenging. But, I’m happy Greg reiterated this throughout the semester – by learning the broad concepts and utilizing WordPress, you are capable of creating a customized website.

What I learned: My expectation of the class was to learn enough coding skills to create a website, as well as learn how to better communicate with developers – and I think this was accomplished. In addition to learning basic coding skills (HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript), I gained knowledge about how to actually setup a website. I never heard of MAMP, GitHub or CyberDuck before this class, so learning these applications was tremendously helpful. I had some WordPress experience prior to class, but now I feel much more comfortable with the Admin and Codex. I also learned that taking a class like this is going to be very frustrating at times, but I’m happy that I’m coming out of it with better problem-solving/troubleshooting skills.

Why it matters: Learning about web development is going to matter more and more as we progress in our careers. From the developer profile assignment, I learned that the working relationship between developers/designers and digital marketing/communication professionals is extremely important.

What I’ll do with the new knowledge/skills: I plan on drinking more wine so I can add additional content to my site 🙂 There’s also more customization that I’d like to do, such as incorporating a photo slideshow. The knowledge/skills gained from this class has already helped me in my current job and will continue to in the future. My department at work is implementing WordPress by the end of the year, and I will have a key role in the CMS/front-end. I don’t think I would be as excited about using WordPress at work if I wasn’t for this class. Clearly companies are catching on by investing in this platform, so it feels good to know that I have experience working with WordPress.

Thoughts on initial readings: I feel much more comfortable about the concepts explored in our readings from week one. The readings about “thinking” talked about looking at programming from a broader perspective… I can appreciate this idea much more having lived through creating a website. I also enjoyed re-reading the WordPress philosophy and really took to the 80/20 principle:

“The rule of thumb is that the (WordPress) core should provide features that 80% or more of end users will actually appreciate and use……That should allow all users to find the remaining 20% and make all WordPress features those they appreciate and use.”

After the class ends: Although we covered a lot of different topics in class, I don’t recall learning about Python. I keep hearing that it’s the “latest and greatest” language to learn. Maybe I’ll check out a Codcademy lesson or tech blog to see what all the hype is about. After this class, I think there’s going to be a lot of that — reading industry blogs — to further my skills and knowledge.