Class 2 Prep

CSS

CSS is a language for customizing the visual style of your HTML content. In this course we will not be focusing heavily on CSS, but it is important to at least know what it is and get a quick taste for how it works.

Task	Resource Type	Link	Instructions
Do	Interactive Course	Codecademy: Learn CSS	Learn about using CSS to style HTML pages. Complete only the free (non-Pro) sections.
Do	Interactive Course	Codecademy: Make a Website	Use your HTML and CSS knowledge to bring it all together to build a website. Complete only the free (non-Pro) sections, and skip the final lesson on Bootstrap.

Git: Branches, Remotes, and Collaboration

Another important feature of Git is branches. In the upcoming in-class Studios, we will use Git branches as a way of managing different versions of the same running class project. That workflow, however, is not a typical use of branches. You actually will not be required to do extensive work with branches in this course, beyond the studios. But branches are an integral part of Git, and something you should know about now, because you will be using them once you become a Certified Pro in the near future.

We will also be working on with a remote repository on GitHub, and, at least in the Fireside Story Studio, collaborating with a partner. Collaboration and remotes are explained in more detail in the HTML Me Something assignment and the Fireside Story Studio, as well as in the resources below.

Task	Resource Type	Link	Instructions
Read	eBook	Tower Git: Part 2 - Branches	Read all 6 sections associated with Part 2. Make sure you understand the high-level concept of branches, why they are useful, and how merging works.
Follow Along	eBook	Tower Git: Introduction to Remote Repositories	Just read this one article, not the entire Part 3 chapter.
Read	Article	Git SCM: Working with Remotes	This article talks about remote repositories and some of the main commands you will use to create them and stay synced up with them.
Read	Article	(Optional) Flatiron: Git Collaboration	This article gives a good sense for the sorts of complex collaboration scenarios that you can maneuver by leveraging a good workflow with branches and remote repositories.