Title: WordPress Training Material Author: Christine Rondeau Published: November 16, 2012 Last modified: October 19, 2015 --- [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/crondeau/) [Christine Rondeau](https://profiles.wordpress.org/crondeau/) 4:26 pm _on_ November 16, 2012 Tags: [slides ( 36 )](https://make.wordpress.org/training/tag/slides/) # WordPress Training Material I teach a couple of WordPress classes to design students. The first is 3 hours/per week for 12 weeks, the second is a full intense 30 hour week. I use the same material for both and it consists of HTMLHTML HTML is an acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is a markup language that is used in the development of web pages and websites. 5 slides, a PSD and that’s pretty much it. I use the slides to introduce the concept and then just take them through the WordPress admin and then convert the PSD into a theme. It would be great to hear from other teachers and get an idea of what training material we need. What material do you use? If you have slides, what’s your prefer medium? What material do you think is lacking? Would tutorial, quizzes be useful? Anything else, you think would be useful? [#slides](https://make.wordpress.org/training/tag/slides/) ### Share this: * [ Threads ](https://make.wordpress.org/training/2012/11/16/wordpress-training-material/?share=threads) * [ Mastodon ](https://make.wordpress.org/training/2012/11/16/wordpress-training-material/?share=mastodon) * [ Bluesky ](https://make.wordpress.org/training/2012/11/16/wordpress-training-material/?share=bluesky) * [ Facebook ](https://make.wordpress.org/training/2012/11/16/wordpress-training-material/?share=facebook) * [ X ](https://make.wordpress.org/training/2012/11/16/wordpress-training-material/?share=x) * [ LinkedIn ](https://make.wordpress.org/training/2012/11/16/wordpress-training-material/?share=linkedin) * [Login to Reply](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fmake.wordpress.org%2Ftraining%2F2012%2F11%2F16%2Fwordpress-training-material%2F%23respond&locale=en_US) 1. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/dc4a380ef7f5cd82b2418ee6251db8c4181ec563d1bfbca7fbdd1f6c61307793? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 2. [Mario Peshev](http://devwp.eu) 4:44 pm _on_ November 16, 2012 3. 1. I’m normally using slides (OpenOffice.org Impress presentation) and I’m also experimenting with JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a user’s browser. [https://www.javascript.com](https://www.javascript.com/) slides (deck.js). The reason I prefer OOo slides is SlideShare as it’s a popular place for speakers and exporting websites to a PDF is not that efficient or good looking at the end. 4. 2. It depends on whether there are labs/exercises or it’s purely theoretical. Normally courses take place in a training hall with PCs where projects are assigned for several teams of 2. Then theoretical material takes about 60% of the time while 40% is practical work on-site. Every 60-min presentation consists of about ~40 slides, depending on the amount of data. Since this is a training, I keep my slides with code samples or 3-4 bullet points so that they could be used in a training hall (no annoying 12px text pages on slides) and at home (major points stated out as slide titles or several bullets). 5. 3) I would introduce them to the very basics of the LoopLoop The Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. [https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop](https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop), without falling deeply into code semantics. Just several code snippets that are required for registering menu, sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme., and running the loop. I suppose it’s what you do as well, but I’d really like to stress on it. 🙂 My approach for a 3h class for slice- to-WP is available here – [http://www.slideshare.net/mpeshev/build-a-wordpress-theme-from-html5-template-telerik](http://www.slideshare.net/mpeshev/build-a-wordpress-theme-from-html5-template-telerik)– for students aware of basic slice PSD to HTML5+CSSCSS CSS is an acronym for cascading style sheets. This is what controls the design or look and feel of a site., aware of the existence of CMS and WordPress and presenting them a step-by-step track to turning any HTML5 template into a WordPress website where the coding is narrowed as little to none. 6. 4) I would share top WP-related resources as a further reference in an Appendix slide at the end or refer to a slide proving a theory used here (like something from the Codex, or a blogpost by Nacin, Otto, Justin, Mark or anyone else in the team). 7. 5) Another step is introducing the students to free or low cost plugins that could help them to develop a freelance business without the heavy development background– for eCommerce, building custom post types, real estates, and other top notch pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/) or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. from the repo and best stores. 8. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b6f2400db8e69e8c979b3cc7f96c035ff41686a0ebc4b3b415feca02328131b2? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Christine](https://profiles.wordpress.org/crondeau/) 4:58 pm _on_ November 16, 2012 * Thanks Mario, this is super useful. I think that agreeing on what kind of slides to use will be impossible. I think that all of us will have our preferred method, but keeping them to 3-4 bullets is GREAT. * I have a folder of code snippets that I give to my students. Things like – conditionals, get_post examples… I used these all the time and tell, them that I never write code, I just copy and paste. I think that the reasoning there is that students also need to learn how to stay organize and maintain code snippets and good file structures. - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ff33a35fe15dcb7997509cfe7857811a230841f3214e9bd7f7ad4d617c083a2a? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [nofearinc](https://profiles.wordpress.org/nofearinc/) 5:04 pm _on_ November 16, 2012 - That’s handy, I actually try to refer to existing snippets published in WPORG (in slides I post screenshots from open resources online which works subconsciously as a reference further where students look up these resources first). But a folder of quick code snippets is a great idea (that’s what I do for Java classes where snippets get too long). - In addition to my previous comment, a trick that I usually demonstrate is wrapping up any blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. from the landing page (or other structure) that can’t be developed by non-programmers (requires higher level PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely- used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. [https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php](https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php)/ JS know-how) and turn it into e Text WidgetWidget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user.. This way at least some static text could be managed from within the WordPress admin even if the backend logic should normally be built as a shortcodeShortcode A shortcode is a placeholder used within a WordPress post, page, or widget to insert a form or function generated by a plugin in a specific location on your site. or within a page template. 9. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e05110ddfc422ecfc3c68f61f2b08a404343ef8514fed12b460fc9c9aaa47d27? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 10. [Helen Hou-Sandi](https://profiles.wordpress.org/helen/) 6:17 pm _on_ November 16, 2012 11. I taught/co-taught a digital materials and websites for musicians class for a few years when I worked at the conservatory I went to for grad school. In the final summer course series I taught (2 sessions of 2 weeks, 2 hours each morning), I used a WP site instead of Blackboard as my learning management system, both for the general web learning part and the WordPress part. Blog posts were announcements( students got them via email), bbPressbbPress Free, open source software built on top of WordPress for easily creating forums on sites. [https://bbpress.org](https://bbpress.org) forums for assignments and general questions/discussions, and pages with the usual links, snippets, and syllabus, etc. I have it locked to registered users out of necessity, but I’d be happy to get you a login if you’re interested. Some of the code isn’t great looking back, but I think the setup worked well for the students. 12. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b6f2400db8e69e8c979b3cc7f96c035ff41686a0ebc4b3b415feca02328131b2? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Christine](https://profiles.wordpress.org/crondeau/) 8:09 pm _on_ November 16, 2012 * That would be great. I would love to login and see what’s in there. If you could add me as christine at bluelimemedia dot com, that would be fantastic. * I can also let you know when I’m done and thus you can delete my name. ### Leave a Reply 󠀁[Cancel reply](https://make.wordpress.org/training/2012/11/16/wordpress-training-material/?output_format=md#respond)󠁿 You must be [logged in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fmake.wordpress.org%2Ftraining%2F2012%2F11%2F16%2Fwordpress-training-material%2F&locale=en_US) to post a comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [Learn how your comment data is processed.](https://akismet.com/privacy/) # Post navigation [← WordPress College Courses](https://make.wordpress.org/training/2012/11/14/wordpress-college-courses/) [I just spent a good part of the… →](https://make.wordpress.org/training/2012/11/17/i-just-spent-a-good-part-of-the/)