November Sydney Drupal Meetup

This month we will be doing something a little different - Mentored Training

something for ALL Experience Levels!

• Beginners will be able to get their first Drupal site started (http://buildamodule.com/video/build-your-first-drupal-7-web-site-introduction-to-our-project-and-reviewing-mockups-updates-to-the-build-your-first-drupal-7-web-site-collection?a=139685)

• Already started? you can learn about theming essentials (http://buildamodule.com/video/drupal-theming-essentials-important-drupal-theming-concepts-who-these-theming-videos-are-for-and-what-they-do-and-dont-cover?a=139685), more advanced site building (http://buildamodule.com/video/advanced-site-building-in-drupal-7-welcome-to-advanced-site-building-welcome-to-advanced-site-building?a=139685) or programming basics (http://buildamodule.com/video/php-programming-basics-series-introduction-and-your-first-php-script-welcome-to-php-programming-basics?a=139685)

• Developers can learn module development (http://buildamodule.com/video/drupal-7-development-core-concepts-welcome-to-module-building-why-to-build-a-module-instead-of-modifying-source-code-and-how-this-video-series-works?a=139685) or even kick start their Drupal 8 knowledge (http://buildamodule.com/video/drupal-8-developer-prep-welcome-to-drupal-8-developer-prep-why-you-should-be-excited-about-drupal-8?a=139685)

We've made arrangements so that everyone that attends will get free access to BuildAModule.com (http://buildamodule.com/?a=139685)'s video training resources for a short period of time.

Unlike traditional evenings, instead of spending the entire session listening to lectures, each attendee will work at their own pace through a set of comprehensive, focused training videos covering various areas of Drupal skill sets. Experienced mentors will be available to help people answer questions on a one-on-one basis, work through sticky spots, or demonstrate additional examples to help clarify difficult concepts. By using video training instead of a live lecture model, people will be able to work at their own speed, pausing where they need to, replaying material they didn't get the first time around, and skipping material they're already familiar with. And instead of lecturing, the mentors will be free 100% of the time to help individuals through tricky spots or point them in the right direction.

If you've ever zoned out during a lecture and found yourself a little lost, or been frustrated that the short time available for questions gets taken up with discussion you're not interested in, this is the perfect environment for you. You can take breaks when you need, tackle exactly what you need to learn (or we'll help you figure out what that is) and get a lot of personal expert advice along the way.

When you arrive, we will get you oriented to the course material and give you a curriculum focused at your particular skill level, tackling the subjects you need to cover. People will also be encouraged to form small groups around a specific topic if they'd like to work with others, and allow us to address as many issues and questions as possible throughout the session.

All levels of experience with Drupal will come out of this workshop having made a huge step up the Drupal learning curve. Everyone will get a full week of access to all the training videos so that they can continue to review and expand their knowledge following the training.

Plus, a few lucky participants will win a full subscription!

WHAT YOU NEED TO PARTICIPATE

First and foremost, you will need a laptop and a set of comfortable earbuds or headphones. If you're easily distracted by noise, you might want a set that blocks out some sound, just in case there is a bit of discussion around you. Keep in mind that you will be watching sets of videos, and then applying what you learn throughout the day. You can also bring an iPad or tablet device to play the videos on while you follow along on your laptop.

Having a vanilla Drupal installation without any modifications ready will help you get started as quickly as possible. You can use the Acquia stack, or BitNami in order to quickly set up a Drupal site like a desktop application (see here for a tutorial for Windows (http://buildamodule.com/video/introduction-welcome-to-buildamodule-how-to-install-drupal-locally-on-windows-with-acquia-dev-desktop?a=139685) or for Mac (http://buildamodule.com/video/introduction-welcome-to-buildamodule-how-to-install-drupal-locally-on-mac-with-acquia-dev-desktop?a=139685). Or, feel free to come with another stack you prefer. If you don't know what a stack is, don't worry about it, we'll help you out.

Mentors:

Ryan Cross

Murray Woodman

(more TBD)