Webmaking 101 – My First Few (super) Weeks

It’s been just over two weeks since I started working with P2PU in the School of Webcraft (SoW) and I wanted to share what I’m working on with all of you. I’m responsible for designing the challenges that make up the new Webmaking 101 course. What’s ultra great about this role is that I get to draw from my three professional domains – design, development and education. Lucky me.

In this post, I am telling you a little more about the challenges concept, and I am looking for test pilots who are willing to jump in and give feedback on early draft versions. If that sounds like your cup of tea then I’d love you to sign up as a Challenges Test Pilot (bring your own helmet)!

The Starting Point

Any aspiring web developer needs a portfolio so in Webmaking 101 participants are guided through a series of challenges, building important technical skills and learning the trades of being a web maker – while leading up to the launch of their first web portfolio. Broadly speaking, in each challenge, the learner will need to complete a series of steps which will produce two things:

1. An artefact of some description
2. A blog post in which they reflect on the experience of completing the challenge.

We’re starting the challenges this way because we believe that learning by doing is an effective method of learning (Schon, 1983[1]). By adding a reflective blog post into the experience we’re encouraging learners to enter into Reflective Practice, which adds credence to their professional practice. As we test, integrate and respond to the feedback and experiences of our alpha testers this may change, but this is our starting point.

Where We’re At

The challenges are still in early draft (planning to have an alpha version by the end of the month), but we have had some positive internal feedback and want to open up the review to more people. We’ll refine the challenges and repeat until we’re all happy that Webmaking 101 is as engaging, creative and (above all else) as joy filled as it possibly can be. If you want to see the work in it’s current state then you can find it at http://webmaking101.p2pu.org.

Over the next few days I’ll be focusing on getting some of the challenges fully fleshed out and ready for consumption and then I’d love you to get involved testing them out. If you’re not already then you should be on the School of Webcraft mailing list as this will be where the announcement will be.

Want To Get Involved?

It would be awesome if you did! There is loads to get involved with:

1. Challenges Test Pilot – Complete early versions of our new challenges and give us feedback to help improve.
2. Join the discussion – Sign up to the mailing list

[1] Schon,D. (1983) Educating The Reflective Practitioner.