10 Tips for Learning New Technologies

Reprinted from:
http://www.iteye.com/news/27742

We live in exciting times. We have access to a large number of learning resources more and more easily and cheaply. The dissemination carrier of these resources has changed from the initial classroom to blog, technical forum, etc. With so many learning resources available, there's no reason why we shouldn't take advantage of them. The question that follows is how to choose one's own direction in this sea of ​​knowledge. In this post, I'll briefly outline some tips for technical learning in the hope of giving you some inspiration.

Although my advice is primarily concerned with software development, these principles apply in other areas as well.

1. Overcome Inertia




Everything is difficult at the beginning, and overcoming inertia is the first step in learning a new technology. To give a simple example of inertia in our daily life, when we watch TV, we are too lazy to change the channel because the remote control is not around. Fortunately, there are many little tricks that can motivate us and help us overcome inertia.

For me, microtasks are a nice little trick. Rather than being intimidated by the task at hand, break it down into specific microtasks and pick one of them to get started. For the "getting the remote" example, start by twisting your toes, reaching forward, and pushing the whole person off the couch. Next, slide your body to the ground, reach for the remote with your feet, and get up. By completing microtasks one by one, you will find yourself overcoming inertia and the task no longer seems difficult to accomplish. This method can be applied to the process of learning new skills.

The key is to subdivide chunks of tasks into microtasks.

2. Follow Daniel The first step in




learning a new skill is to be clear about what to learn. It can be anything you are passionate about and want to learn in depth. This raw desire to learn is very important, and it can fuel you when you are at a low ebb.

You may want to learn a new programming language, application framework, or new tool. Once you determine what you want, immediately collect some high-quality work done by the corresponding excellent group. These can be obtained from YouTube, Vimeo, HackerNews, various blogs, and even your Weibo friends. Paying attention to what other people do can give you the confidence to feel "You can do it, too!"

3. Build a knowledge network Once




you 've built up your confidence in what you're going to learn, the next thing to do is to do A sponge, and start absorbing knowledge like crazy. Start with a Google search for "beginner tutorials" for some introductory tutorials related to what you're trying to learn. As you know, there are hundreds of tutorials on Nettuts+ for you to choose from, and there are many learning resources on StackOverflow. Also, Quora is some great options. After browsing these online resources, if you want to concentrate on learning a certain aspect, you need to read some related books. I personally recommend finding some professional books with high ratings on Amazon to improve yourself.

4. Listen and see more




As you dig deeper into the technology, you may want to take advantage of more other forms of learning materials, such as podcasts, screencasts, and more. My suggestion is to use iTunesU more, there is a lot of very professional knowledge on it that allows you to explore a specific area in depth.

At present, there are many websites that provide online education services. You can find the tutorials you need on the following websites:

Udemy
CodeCademy
CodeSchool
In addition, you can also watch some free conference video materials, such as Google IO on YouTube, And Confreaks!

5. Take action




Now that you've watched wave after wave of tutorials and videos, and have a solid understanding of the technology you want to learn, what's next? That's right, it's time to connect theory with practice, practice is the only criterion for testing truth.

Make a small personal project using the techniques you have mastered, design some simple functions and implement them. No doubt you will run into a lot of stumbling blocks, and when you come across them, search for them on StackOverflow or Google and fix them. You have embarked on a journey to become an expert in a field, and the more setbacks you encounter, the wiser you will become. There's an old saying that "experts are the ones who make the most mistakes", which means they try a lot of crazy things to push the limits of this technology, and in the end, they know how it works. Armed with this insight, they can use the technology to do whatever they want (well, of course) as they want.

6. Blog




As you go on your adventures, it's helpful to keep track of your growth and mistakes in real time. Blogs are the easiest and most popular expression vector in the technical field. When you're ready to write, you force yourself to organize your thoughts and organize your accumulated fragmented knowledge. Perhaps, through the sharing of the Internet, your experience and sharing will bring help to the growth of others.

If you want to go further (think like the pro writers on Nettuts+ above), you can also make your own screencasts. In general, blogging improves your personal communication skills, which are just as important as the techniques you learn.


7. Feel the pulse of technology




Social networks have been widely used in people's daily communication and discovering new things. Twitter and Facebook are the main sources of information, and at the same time, there are many sites that provide more focused information, such as the aforementioned Quora site, which has a wide range of topics for people to comment on. Here you can find the suggestions and opinions of many well-known big cows.

Browsing the many threads on StackOverflow is an interesting process, and you can see how others are exploring the limits of a certain technology. In fact, while people use technology to do crazy and even absurd things, technology continues to mature.

So if you want to feel the pulse of technology and want to see if it's worth learning, try searching for some topics on StackOverflow to see the breadth and depth of the discussion community. The most worth watching are the most voted and trending topics. You can also try searching on GitHub.

8. Attend parties and conferences




As great as social networking is, nothing can replace face-to-face communication. Attend some group gatherings near where you live, where you can find like-minded buddies. You can get to know some interesting projects others are working on, and at the same time you can solve some of your own problems with the help of others! Likewise, tech sessions are great for sharing experiences and growing your technology!

9. Embrace GitHub




GitHub is an iconic "building" for open source projects around the world. It's a treasure trove of knowledge and good code. When you feel good about a technology, the next step is to browse GitHub for interesting projects. Read open source code, read as much as you can. By doing this, you can learn a lot, such as:

how to manage larger
projects
Code specifications and code global design
Documentation style Test
specifications
The place where
all this knowledge is waiting for you to unearth. Interestingly, this knowledge can be obtained through a simple label, that is "curiosity".

10. Focus on learning




If you are concerned that the above learning process is too slow, then you can also try the fast learning mode. You may have heard of "learning so-and-so in 24 hours," but that's not what I recommend. I think it makes more sense to spend a few weeks studying. You can try learning methods like "Learn seven languages ​​in seven weeks" or "Learn seven databases in seven weeks". Although these are about language and database learning, you can use this kind of thinking when learning other technologies as well.

A somewhat different learning style is the "hard learning mode," which is based on the premise that no one can truly master a technique unless it is practiced every day. So, to become an expert, you need to keep practicing. Similar in effect, you can check out Katas and Koans, who encourage using what you learn to solve problems. These can help you to better get started and accept those unfamiliar concepts, bravely step out of your comfort zone, and start learning new knowledge!

Learning an Intersecting Skill

Programming is a left-brain exercise that uses the brain's analytical abilities to find solutions to problems, step by step. In order to use the right brain function, you can try to engage in some creative activities, such as drawing, 3D modeling, origami, musical instruments and even making family albums. In fact, programming also requires a lot of creativity. Maybe you've ever encountered a similar thing, you found the solution to the problem in your sleep. This is because your right brain processes problems very differently and can get information from various places. Agile development pundit Andy Hunt has written a book on this topic, "Programmers' Thinking Refinement". If you want to fire each of your neurons, I suggest you start learning a crossover skill.

Summary

Mastering a new technology is exhilarating, a new experience that affects your mind. But first, you have to overcome your inertia, and once you do, you start a journey of learning from every corner of the web. I hope the ten points mentioned above can bring some help or inspiration to your learning journey.