Web Development: Resources for Learning Bootstrap

This summer, as part of my efforts to sharpen my web development skills, I’m working on learning Bootstrap. What’s Bootstrap? It’s “a free and open-source collection of tools for creating websites and web applications. It contains HTML- and CSS-based design templates for typography, forms, buttons, navigation and other interface components, as well as optional JavaScript extensions. It aims to ease the development of dynamic websites and web applications” (Wikipedia)

Bootstrap keeps you from re-inventing the wheel every time you start a new web site or create a theme or skin for a content management system. (Note: Bootstrap is not a place for absolute HTML beginners to start; you’ll need to be pretty comfortable with HTML & CSS and, to some extent, JavaScript. However, you by no means need to be an expert in all of these.) It’s a pretty complex framework, but fortunately there are a number of helpful tutorials online.

On the GC Digital Fellows blog, Keith Miyake has published three posts on the topic:

1. Getting Acquainted with Bootstrap
2. Adding Bootstrap to WordPress
3. Customize Bootstrap and Add a Header

From Sitepoint we have

• Syed Fazle Rahman explaining “Building Responsive Websites Using Bootstrap” and “Understanding Bootstrap’s Grid System,”
• Ivaylo Gerchev detailing “What’s New in Bootstrap 3,” and
• Rhiana Heath with advice for “Making Bootstrap a Little More Accessible.”

If you’re looking for actual courses in Bootstrap, here are 2 options that look promising:

• At edX, Microsoft offers “Introduction to Bootstrap - A Tutorial.” (Free, or $90 if you want certification.)
• On Lynda.com, you can take Jen Kramer’s “Up and Running with Bootstrap 3.” (Subscription required.)

How about you? What resources have you found helpful when learning a new web development skill? Please share your recommendations in the comments below.

[CC-licensed Flickr photo by Billie Ward]