Want to Build Dynamic Websites? 13 FREE Video Lectures!

Lecturer:
Professor David J. Malan, Harvard

Course Description:

Today's websites are increasingly dynamic. Pages are no longer static HTML files but instead generated by scripts and database calls. User interfaces are more seamless, with technologies like Ajax replacing traditional page reloads. This course teaches students how to build dynamic websites with Ajax and with Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP), one of today's most popular frameworks. Students learn how to set up domain names with DNS, how to structure pages with XHTML and CSS, how to program in JavaScript and PHP, how to configure Apache and MySQL, how to design and query databases with SQL, how to use Ajax with both XML and JSON, and how to build mashups. The course explores issues of security, scalability, and cross-browser support and also discusses enterprise-level deployments of websites, including third-party hosting, virtualization, colocation in data centers, firewalling, and load-balancing.

Video Lectures:

• Lecture 1 - HTTP
  Discusses the use of HTTP in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 2 - PHP
  Discusses the use of PHP in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 3 - PHP (continued)
  Discusses the use of PHP in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 4 - XML
  Discusses the use of XML in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 5 - XML (continued)
  Discusses the use of XML in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 6 - SQL
  Discusses the use of SQL in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 7 - SQL (continued)
  Discusses the use of SQL in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 8 - JavaScript
  Discusses the use of JavaScript in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 9 - JavaScript (continued)
  Discusses the use of JavaScript in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 10 - Ajax
  Discusses the use of Ajax in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 11 - Ajax (continued)
  Discusses the use of Ajax in building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 12 - Security
  Discusses security as it pertains to building dynamic websites.

• Lecture 13 - Scalability
  Discusses scalability as it pertains to building dynamic websites.

I have to admit I am really crap with coding, scripting, database, servers, etc. But, hopefully Professor David J. Malan can enlighten me more about how I can use Ajax beyond cleaning the toilet.

Why pay for a crappy lecture (workshop or course), when you can be taught by a Harvard Professor any time you want for FREE? Interesting question! Tough choice :)

Thousands of Free Online Courses!

Free Online Courses

It includes thousands of links to courses in subjects ranging from architecture to chemistry to women’s studies and these courses are prepared by top institutions such as MIT, Yale University and University of California.

It is a comprehensive and wonderful index (and list) of free courses, but I would also love to see a customized search feature that enables me to search all the University courses found here. One could easily use Google Custom Search (or any other free search creating engine you can find!) to do the trick.

Finally, one might want to also check out ZaidLearn's ultimate OER - OCW lists of lists. It is an old and clumsy list, but still quite popular :)

3 Free e-Learning Courses Run by Otago Polytechnic (New Zealand)

Via Tony Karrer

Adapted from Oskay's image

Here are 3 FREE JUICY COURSES run by Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand:

• Facilitating Online
• Flexible Learning
• Assessing and evaluating for learning

They are using WikiEducator (Free) to assemble and host the courses. WikiEducator is powered by MediaWiki, which is an open source wiki tool. Meaning you can actually install the wiki tool on your own server (if you want that!), and build your own Wikipedia (which is also powered by MediaWiki). WOW! But then again, is this the right tool for you? It depends (You figure that out!).

The only cost is your time and effort. What happened to the people that got money for doing nothing :)