Learning is key to all of us, keeping us up to date with the
latest trends and information. It's important to keep one eye on what is
currently happening and how this could affect or aid you in something you may
be doing in the future.
These resources are mainly aimed at the development
community however these sorts of online resources are available for pretty much
any area of expertise required.
Sometimes it's good to have a google and find the best ones
for yourself, however I've compiled a small list of my favourite and most used
resources so you don't have to!
Let's start...
1. Degreed
Degreed launched in 2013 and is a community dedicated to
advancing your education.
When you join Degreed, you get tools to help you
track, organize, share, and validate everything you learn.
It's really easy to create a free profile which lets you set
up a range of topics that you are interested in learning more about. Degreed
will curate a list of reading material every day, and charts what skills you
are progressing in and when.
Keeping you engaged and with great articles that you won’t necessarily
find elsewhere it’s good to check in and see what’s being offered.
2. Asp.Net
ASP.NET is a free web framework for building great Web sites
and Web applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
With a overhauled site that now clearly separates out
current news/ announcements with learning material, including great video
tutorials and articles guiding you through the latest Microsoft technologies.
There is also a great forum where the community will help if you are struggling
with any concepts, so jump in and ask.
3. Channel 9
Channel 9 is a great resource that brings together learning
materials for Microsoft technologies. With hundreds of videos guiding you
through each step of the development life cycle it's a great place to learn all
aspects of coding, from humble beginnings to the advanced expert coding
standards, tips and tricks.
4. .Net Tuts
Net Tuts is a great place not just for web design and web
apps but also for photo, video, music and games articles and tutorials.
It does
have an alternate paid for subscription that offers more content but the free
tier offers more than enough material to keep you informed with current
developments in your field.
5. W3 Schools
Listed as “The worlds largest developer site” W3 schools is
a great place for simple and concise coding examples for tried and tested
coding practices. This is the place to come if you have forgotten a simple bit
of syntax or for a beginner to come in and get some easy to understand and
useful examples which you can try yourself and play around to see different
outcomes.
More centred around beginner tutorials it’s a great place to
come when first starting out, but having visited many times for a quick refresh
of a topic it’s a vital resource that couldn’t be left of the list.
6. Smashing Magazine
A great collection of resources, articles and pieces of
inspiration. Smashing magazine has so much information across a range of topics
it’s a great place to see what’s currently trending in the developer scene.
With sections on Coding, Design, Mobile, Graphics, UX Design and CMS Frameworks
such as WordPress it’s bursting to the seams with useful information.
Including a
great weekly roundup listing the essential reading materials for each section
it’s an important resource to visit frequently, to get any information you may
have missed.
Being really well optimised for mobile devices, checking it
out on the commute is never a problem, or a chore.
