How to give a technical training to create a website without creating FTP accounts…

FTP servers to use during multiple training sessions can be a pain in the ass to manage. Creating users, provide them the right credentials by CHMOD them. Assign website root folders to them and what not. Especially in a recurring training for different people this can be quite a hassle… But a solution is near…

Weapon of choice: CODIAD

CODIAD is a web-based IDE framework and is built with simplicity in mind. Allowing for fast, interactive development without the massive overhead of some of the larger desktop editors. That being said even users of IDE’s such as Eclipse, NetBeans and Aptana are finding Codiad’s simplicity to be a huge benefit. While simplicity was key, we didn’t skimp on features and have a team of dedicated developer actively adding more.

  • Support for 40+ languages
  • Plugin Library
  • Error checking & notifications
  • Mutliple user support
  • Editor screen splitting
  • LocalStorage redundancy
  • Advanced searching tools
  • Smart auto-complete
  • Real-Time Collaborative editing
  • Over 20 Syntax color themes
  • Completely Open-Source
  • Easily customized source
  • Runs on your own server
  • Quick-Download backups
  • Maximum editor screen space

Besides all the marketing terms in that one. It actually delivers.

Click here for a Codiad demo or download information.

Open Badges

A digital badge is an online representation of a skill you have earned. Open Badges allows you to verify your skills, interests and achievements through credible organizations. Because the system is based on an open standard, you can combine multiple badges from different issuers to tell the complete story of your achievements — both online and off. Display your badges wherever you want them on the web, and share them for employment, education or lifelong learning.

For more information op the Mozilla Open Badge Project view the image and / or click it to continue reading.

OpenBadgesWork

Codecademy

Codecademy

“Codecademy is an education company. But not one in the way you might think. They are committed to building the best learning experience inside and out, making Codecademy the best place for you to learn, online learning experience of the future. Education is old. The current public school system in the US dates back to the 19th century and wasn’t designed to scale the way it has. Lots of companies are working to “disrupt” education by changing the way things work in the classroom and by bringing the classroom online.”  

Go here to sign up at Codecademy if you want to learn to code. This is a pretty good way to start. Very nice interfaces and training programs. Really, really solid.

Coursera

Coursera Logo

Coursera is an education platform that partners with top universities and organizations worldwide, to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. They envision a future where everyone has access to a world-class education and aim to empower people with education that will improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities they live in.

Mozilla webmaker

logo

Webmaker is a Mozilla project dedicated to helping you create something amazing on the web. Our tools, events and teaching guides allow webmakers to not only create the content that makes the web great, but — perhaps more importantly — understand how the web works. With this knowledge, we can make a web without limits. That’s the philosophy behind webmaker.org. We’ve built everything so you can see how it works, take it apart and remix it. Enjoy!


Learning online with Moodle

ON-LINE OR ONLINE?

Although a few stodgy editors and style guides still recommend the 1990s-style on-line (with a hyphen) for the computing-related adjective, the trajectory of the language favors online. The latter is now considered acceptable by most dictionaries and English usage guides, and most major publications have changed with the times. Perhaps and perhaps more important, online is far more common in popular usage. 
(Grammarist is definitely on to something here)

Online it is. Rightfully as well. Let’s continue…

You can learn all kinds of stuff in your own pace and on your skill level. The fact that there are a lot of sites and tools available through the wonders of the World Wide Web (why web addresses need the // in the URL also leaves me in the dark) definitely helps as well. God dammit I already start to sound a bit (lol) like some nerd already before we even got started. Oh well, you’ll just have to deal with i and it will be better. ok? You with me? I will attempt to remove any clutter from the things I write and get to the point as soon as possible if possible. Starting from.. Now. In my professional life I create on-line learning portals and programs myself.

Weapon of choice? There can be only 1:

MOODLE

It’s open source. Has the biggest active community (Proof me wrong). Actually looks pretty cool now in comparison to the early days, even by default (See the screenshot at the bottom of the post) It takes a bit of time to get around it in an natural way, but when you do it serves your educational needs. Although the huge amount of options (especially in administrator or editing mode) might get you lost sometimes. Once you get around. You get around and take some little quirks for granted.

I installed one on http://www.mauricebakker.nl/learn/ when I modify things I’ll add it to the blog.

Old Moodle used to look like this.. Pretty slick.