Learning HTML

Here's a post where I think I can offer some resources to my fellow classmates.

Assignment 3 in Web Design Tools didn't take me very long to complete. I feel pretty comfortable with HTML, because I learned it this summer. I don't consider myself proficient by any means, but I have a solid understanding and can work my way through HTML and CSS with a little bit of reference material.

Here are my suggestions for anybody that wants to learn HTML (and I think everybody should):

Notepad++
There are several notepad applications that are better than what comes with your OS. For Windows, I really like Notepad++. The best thing about it is that if you open an HTML document (right click the .html and select "Edit in Notepad++") it maintains the HTML structure and colors your tags to make everything easier to read.

Codecademy
This is an awesome place to learn HTML and CSS (and other languages!). This is where i learned HTML and CSS this summer, and have learned a little JavaScript. Everything is broken down into easy lessons with immediate feedback. They've made it feel like a game so that you stay interested in what you're doing. I think it took me a week or so to complete the HTML and CSS tracks. I highly recommend people do this.

W3Schools
This is a great reference for HTML and CSS. Anytime I forget something and need a refresher, I go to w3schools. The site also has several tutorials, but I like Codecademy more for learning and w3schools for reference.

W3C Markup Validator
I love this validator. It will validate your HTML and tell you if it's broken or if it doesn't adhere to standards. The link above leads you to the Direct Input Validator, so you just paste your code into the box and hit the "Check" button. This can help you catch mistakes in your code.

These are my top tools and resources. I hope that someone out there finds them useful!