How to learn a new technology - Basic Training
What’s the best way to approach learning a new technology? For example, say you want to learn how to program iPhone apps. How do you begin?
When I decide I’m going to learn something new I approach it by making a “basic training” guide. This is simply a document where I list things I should do that I think will help me learn the topic the fastest.
Usually a good place to start is with official documents. For iPhone programming, there is a document called “iPhone Programming Guide” which gives a general overview so it makes sense to start there. Next, I might decide to read the first two chapters and skim the rest to get an overview. After doing that it will be easier to see what I still need to know so I’ll add relevant chapters to the basic training list.
There is more training material on the web than you could possibly read so it’s important to think about what you need to read and why. Without a plan you could be reading for weeks and never get anywhere. Having the list makes it easier to make decisions upfront and justify why it’s important to spend time on something.
Depending on what I’m doing, I’ll search around and find other specific training documents and add them to my list. For example, when I was making my iPhone notepad app, I realized that CoreData resources would be valuable so I added them. I also made sure to add “make a simple core data application” to keep my learning focused in the right direction. Ultimately I want all the documents I’m reading to help me make something.
If you still don’t know where to start, a good tip is to read the first two or three chapters of a book. If you feel you are on the right track you can continue and if not you can decide to do something else.
Here’s a generic, basic training guide sample:
- Read the first 3 chapters of Programming Whatever Apps
- Skim chapter 5 about recording audio
- Read chapter 8 to learn about audio mixing
- Review and understand the audio mixing sample app
Creating a basic training guide is a great way to get started and to stay focused.
