It’s the start of the second and final year,things are starting to get real, and one of our first modules is a self directed learning plan.
For my plan I’ve chosen introductory PHP 5.3.8 and MySQL databases, partly because we didn’t have much choice as we need to understand PHP for our WordPress module, but also because of its ease of use and functionality combined with HTML, apparently!
The first step in the process was to draw up our self learning contract, listing our proposed learning outcomes, the resources we would use, and the assessment criteria to show the level of information learned.
For my research I have chosen several websites with training courses and tutorials on PHP and will also buy a book to help with my studies.
Initially I plan to research the basic information on PHP and its uses, then before I actually start learning the actual code I will take the online quiz at w3schools website to estimate my current knowledge of PHP.
I will then work through my book and the online tutorials, following the examples provided, taking about 4-5 weeks, at which point I will retake the online quiz so as to measure my progress.
Then comes the acid test, building my own site and utilising the skills I have learned, allowing myself around 3-4 weeks for this process.
I need to push myself on this module, so I’ll be keeping time sheets and will keep you all updated as to my progress and set some accurate targets once I’ve gained a basic understanding of PHP.
