Training Analysis

I watched the Lynda.com tutorial, “CSS Fundamentals” by James Williamson and attended the in-person Wordpress.com workshop. Both trainings were good choices for me. I tend to learn best by reading and exploring independently. “CSS Fundamentals” gave me this opportunity because it covered the more abstract ideas behind web-coding and interface design that I was able try out on my own time. The Wordpress.com workshop was fast-paced enough that I never felt like I was waiting around for instructions, and I was able to do my own hands-on practice along with the lesson. I was lucky to find training that fit my unique learning style.

Partly because of its challenging content, but mostly because of its lack of hands on practice, “CSS Fundamentals” was the more difficult of the two trainings. The Wordpress.com training stuck with simple concepts that would help a beginner set up a successful Wordpress.com site. “CSS Fundamentals” offered a more complete look at all the features of CSS-even the ones that inexperienced beginners wouldn't be able to practice. I attribute the more content-rich nature of the Lynda.com tutorial to its online format. Since it offers a three hour lesson instead of an hour-long in-person tutorial, it is able to delve deeper into more specific aspects of web design.

I would advise LIS professionals to take advantage of the online Lynda.com training videos (especially while we’re here at school!) Although there are issues of access, as we discussed in class, it provides a more individualized type of learning and the user can complete the training at their own pace. Online learning lacks the interaction between instructor and student when questions arise, but Lynda.com fills this gap with features such as the rewind option and the script beneath the video.