In GDEV’s web development courses, we employ the “I do, we do, you do” model of teaching and learning. That is, our instructor will propose and solve a problem in front of the class. Then, both the instructor and the class attempt the problem together. And afterward, the individual approaches the problem solo. Naturally, as a beginning developer, it is more difficult to do the problem on one’s own than it is to do with the class. For this reason, it is important to practice and undertake your own programming project ideas.
One of the most important things to do during your coding education is practice. We’ve said it time and time again. While the theoretical knowledge is important, the practical knowledge will cement all that you’ve learned.
But some students have difficulty knowing what projects to attempt that will be within their skill level yet still challenging. We’ve made a few suggestions of ways to practice JavaScript in multiple blog posts before (here and here and here). But sometimes, you just need suggestions for larger projects to undertake to really sharpen your skills.
Below we’ve listed a few projects you could undertake on your own. Note: these projects are JavaScript based, since that is the primary programming language taught at Gainesville Dev Academy.
One page responsive designs
Responsive web design is the practice of ensuring that web pages have a similar look on feel on various devices and screen sizes. This is an important approach in the field of web design. Practicing with one page sites is a good way to get your feet wet, and eventually, you can move on to multiple pages and dynamic sites. Free-css.com is a good site to download templates and practice.
Build Tic-Tac-Toe using JavaScript
This simple, classic game is another good JavaScript beginner programming practice. It seems simple on the surface, but actually requires knowledge of Document Object Model (DOM) and allows you to practice modular programming. This will sharpen your skills, as success will require figuring out the formula for letting players know they’ve won. It is simple, but very effective.
Weather App
This either seems easier or harder than it actually is. Building a weather app will call on and sharpen many skills you learned in GDEV’s web development class. For example, you practice using APIs, Angular or jQuery frameworks, and the Model-View-Controller (MVC) framework. This is a good way to stretch your skills and learn something new at the same time.
Contribute to open-source software
Open source software is a type of software whose code is available for study and use by people other than the copyright holder. Practice your chops by adding features to open source software around the internet. Firsttimersonly.com is a resource that points you to different open source projects that first timers can contribute to.
Small puzzles
Throughout it all, you should be practicing the small JavaScript puzzles. There are a few websites that will offer puzzles like counting the number of characters in a string, solving a math puzzle, and reversing a string. They range from the simple to the complex, and each other them will solidify even further the minutiae of programming in your mind.
These are just a few ideas of projects you can undertake on your own. Use these resources to practice your skills and challenge yourself. If you want to learn JavaScript and web development with GDEV, email us at hello@gainesvilledevacademy.com!
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