Before I can create my Learning Contract, I obviously have to decide what skill area of the Industry I am going to concentrate on. With the end goal of the course being to meet all of the requirements of employers in the current Web Design Industry, these companies are the best sources to look at when deciding this.
After looking at a typical live job advert [1] on the Internet, there are some skills that pop up over and over again. Skillset also give a list of skills needed for Interactive Media, and their IM7 [2] unit is of particular interest, giving the list of coding skills needed. Some of the skills we have a good understanding of already, such as being able to hand-code XHTML and CSS, and it’s encouraging to see this as it shows we are learning the most important skills needed. However it’s the skills listed that I don’t know much about that I will be concentrating on for my Learning Contract.
JavaScript is the scripting language using on the Web. It’s used in millions of pages and would allow me to add functionality to my pages, for example validating forms and detecting a user’s browser, thus allowing me to create more exciting and reliable websites. [3]
Flash is a tool to create animated websites. It allows you to add almost any effect you want to a website. [4] However it doesn’t just stop at websites, you can also create Flash animated CD’s and videos. This may be useful if a company came for a branding solution, allowing me to offer them a full range of promotional products.
PHP is a tool for making dynamic and interactive websites. It will allow me to create my own web standards compliant search boxes, forms etc. [5] This was one of the main difficulties that I have come across in my previous work, not being able to find suitable scripts, but this would solve that problem. PHP is also the basis of WordPress, which we are going to be learning about in the near future, so any knowledge would benefit me for then.
Whichever new skill I choose to learn, the learning plan will have to suit my learning style. I am now familiar with learning styles from last year, but I will complete further surveys and tests to ensure that my style has not changed over time.
I have chosen to learn basic PHP. This is in view of the upcoming CMS (WordPress) module, and also so I can hopefully create a set of scripts that can be used in my future websites. It was a tight call between this and JavaScript, but I see JavaScript as something that would naturally come after PHP, to validate forms etc. Flash may also be something for the future, but this type of site tends to be for the huge International brands, and realistically I’m not going to be required to do any work for them in the near future.
Word Count- 502
Resources for JavaScript
JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
The Book of JavaScript, 2nd Edition: A Practical Guide to Interactive Web Pages
Resources for Flash
Foundation Flash CS4 for Designers
Resources for PHP
Build Your Own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP & MySQL
1. http://jobview.monster.co.uk/Web-Developer-Job-Manchester-North-West-UK-85840787.aspx, [22/09/10]
2. http://skillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_6567.pdf?2, [22/09/10]
3. http://www.w3schools.com/js, [22/09/10]
4. http://www.w3schools.com/flash, [22/09/10]
5. http://www.w3schools.com/php, [22/09/10]
