Posts Tagged ‘Omniversity of Manchester’

WordPress for Beginners

Sunday, May 12th, 2013

WordPress for Beginners

Title: WordPress for Beginners
Location: MadLab
Description: A hands-on introductory course to building a website or blog with WordPress.

Date: 22 & 29th June
Start Time: 10:00
End Time: 16:30
Booking: here

 

 

 

 

A hands-on introductory course to building a website or blog with WordPress

We’re thrilled to tell you that WordPress co-founder Mike Little will be leading our two-day introduction to the site.

WordPress is the publishing platform of choice for more than 73 million websites and blogs – including some of the most high-profile sites in the world. It has a Content Management System (CMS) market share of 54%. WordPress is quick to install, and simple to get started on, with little configuration and setup.

But, as an incredibly powerful web publishing platform, it takes some knowledge to truly get the best out of it.

This course will give you a great start. It will take you from the installation of the software, adding content (including multimedia), interacting with your reader, through customising the look and enhancing the functionality of your site.

Who will benefit from this class?

This class is ideal for someone who wants to set up their first website, whether you have heard of WordPress or not. If you have heard about blogging and want to start your own blog, this course will get you started.

If you have a small business – maybe, for example you’re involved in a scout group or local church and you want to get started with a web site – this course will be ideal for you.

You might be a freelance journalist wanting to show off some of your writing, an acupuncturist hoping to attract more clients, or a gardener finding small ads in the free paper less and less effective.

You may have already tried to set up WordPress but got lost in the technical stuff.

This course will set you back on the right track.

Who uses WordPress?

Government

Media

Commercial

Personal

More examples of WordPress powered sites

Course syllabus

Day one

  1. Introduction To WordPress: What is WordPress? A little history
  2. Installing WordPress: Demonstration
  3. Anatomy of a website: Headers, footers and sidebars
  4. Exercise: Sketch your site layout
  5. The WordPress Dashboard: Logging in and looking around
  6. Content types: Posts, pages and more
  7. Publishing your first content: It’s that easy!
  8. Exercise: Adding content to your site
  9. The look of your site
  10. Exercise: Changing things around

Day two

  1. Settings: Configuring WordPress just how you want it
  2. Comments: Engaging with your readers
  3. Exercise: Commenting and moderation
  4. Plugins: Playing with plugins
  5. Exercise: Logging in and looking around
  6. Installing themes
  7. Exercise: Trying some themes
  8. Multiple users: Let someone else do some work
  9. Exercise: Co-authoring, editing, and workflow
  10. Free for all, Q&A, show & tell

Equipment you’ll need

  • Please bring a laptop computer with Windows, Linux or Mac OS installed (if you do not have your own laptop and would like to borrow one from a friend or family, that’s ok, too! You will not need to install any software, but you should have a modern web browser installed. Our preference is for the latest version of Firefox or Google Chrome, but the latest Internet Explorer or Opera will be fine too).
  • You may want to bring some sample images that you will be able to upload to your website as you follow along on the course.
  • If you feel more comfortable using an external mouse, please bring one, too.

Learning outcomes

After completing the class, you will have:

  • The ability to install and configure WordPress on a hosting account
  • An understanding of the main content types of WordPress and their differences
  • The ability to configure WordPress to your preferences
  • An understanding of how to tweak your theme settings and alter the look of your site
  • The ability to install new themes and plugins in to your WordPress site
  • An understanding of how to make your site more secure

Costs and times

£200 for the full course. You will receive an electronic copy of the teaching materials. You will also receive one month’s freehosting courtesy of MadLab to test and refine your site. Lunch and refreshments are provided.

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WordPress for Beginners

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

WordPress for Beginners

Title: WordPress for Beginners
Location: MadLab
Description: A hands-on intermediate course to polish your WordPress website.
Date: 11 and 12 April, 2013
Start Time: 10:00
End Time: 16:30
Booking: here

 

 

 

 

Course times: 10am – 4:30pm 11 and 12 April, Thursday and Friday.

A hands-on introductory course to building a website or blog with WordPress

We’re thrilled to tell you that WordPress co-founder Mike Little will be leading our two-day introduction to the site.

WordPress is the publishing platform of choice for more than 73 million websites and blogs – including some of the most high-profile sites in the world. It has a Content Management System (CMS) market share of 54%. WordPress is quick to install, and simple to get started on, with little configuration and setup.

But, as an incredibly powerful web publishing platform, it takes some knowledge to truly get the best out of it.

This course will give you a great start. It will take you from the installation of the software, adding content (including multimedia), interacting with your reader, through customising the look and enhancing the functionality of your site.

Who will benefit from this class?

This class is ideal for someone who wants to set up their first website, whether you have heard of WordPress or not. If you have heard about blogging and want to start your own blog, this course will get you started.

If you have a small business – maybe, for example you’re involved in a scout group or local church and you want to get started with a web site – this course will be ideal for you.

You might be a freelance journalist wanting to show off some of your writing, an acupuncturist hoping to attract more clients, or a gardener finding small ads in the free paper less and less effective.

You may have already tried to set up WordPress but got lost in the technical stuff.

This course will set you back on the right track.

Who uses WordPress?

Government

Media

Commercial

Personal

More examples of WordPress powered sites

Course syllabus

Day one

  1. Introduction To WordPress: What is WordPress? A little history
  2. Installing WordPress: Demonstration
  3. Anatomy of a website: Headers, footers and sidebars
  4. Exercise: Sketch your site layout
  5. The WordPress Dashboard: Logging in and looking around
  6. Content types: Posts, pages and more
  7. Publishing your first content: It’s that easy!
  8. Exercise: Adding content to your site
  9. The look of your site
  10. Exercise: Changing things around

Day two

  1. Settings: Configuring WordPress just how you want it
  2. Comments: Engaging with your readers
  3. Exercise: Commenting and moderation
  4. Plugins: Playing with plugins
  5. Exercise: Logging in and looking around
  6. Installing themes
  7. Exercise: Trying some themes
  8. Multiple users: Let someone else do some work
  9. Exercise: Co-authoring, editing, and workflow
  10. Free for all, Q&A, show & tell

Equipment you’ll need

  • Please bring a laptop computer with Windows, Linux or Mac OS installed (if you do not have your own laptop and would like to borrow one from a friend or family, that’s ok, too! You will not need to install any software, but you should have a modern web browser installed. Our preference is for the latest version of Firefox or Google Chrome, but the latest Internet Explorer or Opera will be fine too).
  • You may want to bring some sample images that you will be able to upload to your website as you follow along on the course.
  • If you feel more comfortable using an external mouse, please bring one, too.

Learning outcomes

After completing the class, you will have:

  • The ability to install and configure WordPress on a hosting account
  • An understanding of the main content types of WordPress and their differences
  • The ability to configure WordPress to your preferences
  • An understanding of how to tweak your theme settings and alter the look of your site
  • The ability to install new themes and plugins in to your WordPress site
  • An understanding of how to make your site more secure

Costs and times

£200 for the full course. You will receive an electronic copy of the teaching materials. You will also receive one month’s freehosting courtesy of MadLab to test and refine your site. Lunch and refreshments are provided.

 

 

 

 

 

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VVVV / Projection / Kinect

Monday, March 4th, 2013

vvvv

Title: VVVV / Projection / Kinect
Location: MadLab
Description: VVVV is powerful toolkit of media technologies, boasting a glut of built in functionality, tools and examples. You can safely presume that you can get it to interface with almost anything you want, it can generate almost anything you want.
Start Date: 08-06-2013
End Date: 09-06-2013
Start time: 10:00
End time: 17:30
Booking: sign up here

 

 

Who is the course for?

  • Artists
  • Designers
  • Creative technologists
  • Interactive architectects
  • Live visualists

Around 10 years ago Processing was released (2001), accelerating the convergence of design and art with emerging technology. Since this time vvvv,openFrameworks, Processing, Cinder, Jitter, and the many other tools have been employed and crafted to satisfy this desire to rapidly create, prototype and deploy ideas in the fields of visual arts, architecture, informational design, visual music, interactive performance, physical computing and advertising media.
vvvv (first released 1998) is a unique tool initially created by MESO, Frankfurt to create ‘Digitial Interiors’. It is now publicly available and free to use for non commercial purposes.

It is powerful toolkit of media technologies, hosting a glut of built in functionality, tools and examples. Using a real-time interface you can create generative, aesthetic and functional systems without using code, but also without constraints. It can interface with almost anything you want, it can generate almost anything you want. There aren’t any other media toolkits that can perform so much ‘out of the box’, having you projecting Kinect tracked video onto buildings or controlling robot arms from Twitter in days rather than weeks. The true power of the tool lies within the elegance within which it makes its features available. In the opinion of this author, it can usurp all other platforms in terms of development speed, power and flexibility.

vvvv has been used for:

  • Long term installations (>3 years runtime)
  • Quick installations (<10mins to develop)
  • Vast installations (>50 projectors)
  • Deployed installations (>50 units)
  • TV shows (The X Factor)
  • Hosting websites
  • Making my mobile phone ring when the postman arrives if I’m at the cafe downstairs (1 hour development)
  • Almost anything

Real World Examples


Kimchi and Chips’ installation at Design Korea, December 2010 used VVVV for:

  • Integrated database driven mapping system that communicates with MySQL to store mapping data / remotely controlled from custom iPad software
  • Threaded video playback of up to 80 videos at a time (written in custom C# plugins)
  • Threaded video recording of two videos at a time (written in custom C# plugins)
  • Management of videos
  • Management of projectors
  • Playback of motion graphics
  • OSC communication with iPad interfaces for people to record their own videos

What you need to be familiar with

You should be proficient with computers (know how to operate, set up, fix your mum’s).

Any experience with coding or visual based development environments will come in super useful (Flash/ActionScript, Javascript, C/++, C#, Visual Basic, Objective-C, Python, Arduino, Max/MSP, etc) but is not necessary.

The main thing you need is a desire to create a project using this tool. As with all forms of technical learning, having an idea of what you want to create makes your brain start working on how to realise your idea. When your brain is in this state, it is much easier to identify a purpose for everything that you learn, which makes the learning process work. Without the passion to use the tool, it becomes impossible to absorb the new technical paradigms involved.

What we won’t cover

  • The fundamental elegances of coding in vvvv (this is something that will slap/kiss you in the face lots of times through experience. Expect to sit down afterwards and enjoy these moments to yourself)
  • Programming dynamic plugins in C#
  • Programming shaders in HLSL
  • Advanced patch logic (but we’ll point you in the right direction)

Software and costs

All software is freely available for learning/non-commercial purposes, and copies will be distributed with the course materials on the day. We will be using the latest version of VVVV at the time of the workshops (currently 26, which can be downloaded fromhttp://www.vvvv.org/downloads)

Equipment you’ll need

You will need to bring a PC Computer (ideally a laptop) with:

  • Windows XP/Vista/7 installed
  • Latest Windows Service Packs / latest updates to DirectX 9/10/11
  • A GPU within the top 200 of this list (or better/equivalent) http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html (e.g. Geforce 8600 or better, ATI Radeon HD 5450 or better). If your GPU isn’t up here, then please get in touch on elliot@kimchiandchips.com, and I’ll let you know if your graphics chipset is really good enough to get cracking.
  • WIFI or wired ethernet
  • A VGA or DVI port (or adapters to get to one of these, ideally VGA)
  • A mouse with at least 2 buttons (left and right mouse buttons)

Intel Apple Macs are fine, but you must use Bootcamp. You CAN NOT use virtualisation e.g. Parallels, VMWare, VirtualBox.

Equipment you might want to bring

  • Projector
  • Webcam
  • USB gamepad
  • MIDI controller
  • Second monitor (as long as its small and light)
  • Kinect

We can’t promise we’ll have time to go through working with all or any of the things that you bring. But we’ll do our best!

Suggested preparatory work

Download and install the latest version of vvvv from http://vvvv.org/downloads

Run ‘crack.exe’ included in the vvvv download, and install all the bits that it asks for (e.g. .NET, DirectX runtime, etc)

Brief notes on installing are available at http://vvvv.org/documentation/installation

Course Syllabus

Day One

  • Examples
  • Getting VVVV running on your machine
  • Simple animation patch
  • Introduction by example to:
    1. The vvvv interface
    2. Spreads (hidden weapon of VVVV)
    3. DirectX objects
    4. vvvv data types
    5. Shaders
    6. Transforms
    7. Textures
    8. User Input
    9. Logic
    10. Audio analysis

Day Two

  • Using video projectors with vvvv
  • Projection mapping essentials
  • Kinect interaction
  • Open workshop time

Learning Outcomes

This is a two day course, run on Saturday and Sunday.
You will learn after Sunday:

  • A hands on ‘by the seat of your pants’ tour of vvvv’s features and how to get started with each bit. Create a mental map of the vvvv landscape through experience, so every bit of new learning can be hooked onto an explained element of the system
  • Be able to work with vvvv and a projector
  • Be able to map content from inside your computer onto real world objects using a projector
  • Understanding of vvvv fundamentals

Course Delivery

Fifteen places are available on this course. You are encouraged to confer with other participants on the day for support and to develop your learning. There is no coursework or assessment on this programme. A teaching assistant will be on hand to assist with any difficulties the course participants may face.

Cost

£200 for the full two days. Included in this price is a hot buffet lunch, with vegetarian options (please notify us in advance if you are vegetarian or if you have other dietary requirements). Additionally, you will receive an electronic copy of the teaching materials, software, and patches for the course on a USB stick.

Tutor Biography

Elliot Woods is half of Koreo-Brittanic interaction design studio Kimchi and Chips, with works featured in Wired, Engadget and the BBC. He is a protagonist of the international projection mapping scene, creating tools and techniques that have been employed in niche experimental art projects and multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. Elliot has taught professionals, students and school children the techniques and arts of projection mapping. At NODE 10 (vvvv’s own forum of the digital arts) he gave a full-time course on projection mapping for professional uses.

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Beginners’ Guide to Arduino and Physical Computing

Monday, March 4th, 2013

Arduino

Title: Beginners’ Guide to Arduino and Physical Computing
Location: MadLab
Description: This course tells you everything you need to know about working with the Arduino platform, from software development and simple circuit building, to prototyping new controllers and building robotics.
Date: 27-04-2012
Start Time: 10:00
End Time: 17:30
Booking: sign up here

 

 

 

Arduino devices open up the exciting new world of physical computing, making real-world applications available even for non-experts to explore. The possible uses of these micro-controllers are limitless – all you need to add is your imagination.

This course tells you everything you need to know about working with the Arduino platform, from software development and simple circuit building, to prototyping new controllers and building robotics.

You’ll learn not only what you can achieve with Arduino boards, but also strategies for integrating them into larger projects, from installations to sensor networks.

And how could you use it? For functionality, for art… for making life more interesting.

Imagine a clock, with hands not telling the time, but where members of your family are by automatically sending back information about their movements. Imagine a bakery that can instantly send a tweet to its followers to tell them when their yummy baked goods are fresh out of the oven. Imagine a beautiful water-based display that spells out letters and numbers with bubbles.

Now imagine what YOU could do with it!

Real World Examples

Here are some of our favourite projects using the Arduino:

What you need to be familiar with

You’ll need to know how to use your computer, edit files, and save them.

Some programming background is useful, but not essential; if you’ve ever written Javascript, Pascal, C, C++, Java or Actionscript, you’ll find the Arduino programming language very familiar. If you’ve written Macros in Excel or any desktop software, you’ll find this will help you understand what’s happening.

Software and costs

'Beginners Arduino & Physical Computing' Omniversity course components

The fee of the course is £120. Included in this price is a hot buffet lunch, with vegetarian options (please notify us if you have other dietary requirements).

You will also receive an Arduino Uno, breadboard, holder, USB cable and parts bundle. Each parts bundle contains jumper wires, two pushbuttons, two potentiometers, resistors, 10 LEDs, and a photoresistor.

Additionally, you will receive an electronic copy of the teaching materials, software, and programmes we write on a USB stick.

All software is freely available and copies will be distributed with the course materials on the day.

We will be using the Arduino IDE, version 0021,  which can be downloaded from http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software for all platforms.

We will also be using the Processing IDE, version 1.2.1, which can be downloaded from http://processing.org/download/ for all platforms.

Equipment you’ll need

You will need to bring a computer, ideally a laptop, with a recent version of  Linux, Windows or OSX installed. You will need a USB interface on this computer.

Suggested preparatory work

  • Install the Arduino IDE
  • Install the Processing IDE

Make sure both applications start and run properly on your computer – on some Linux distributions, you need to install extra software.

Familiarise yourself with the introduction to the Processing IDE (the Arduino IDE is based on it) athttp://processing.org/learning/gettingstarted/

Learning Outcomes

  • How to connect and configure Arduino Uno devices to a computer, and download programmes to it
  • How to use a breadboard to prototype circuits, and interact with components through software
  • What different kinds of components exist and how to use photoresistor, potentiometers, and LEDs
  • How to communicate with an Arduino using USB and Processing
  • How to expand your Arduino and where to find devices and support

Further information

Course syllabus for Beginners’ Guide to Arduino and Physical Computing

About the course tutor

Dave Mee is one of the founders of the MadLab and a long-time interactive designer, exhibiting work at UK and international festivals including Ars Electronica in Austria to The Big Chill in the UK. His recent work has involved teaching Physical Computing on the Masters’ programme at MMU and building giant etch-a-sketches.

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Beginners’ Guide to Arduino and Physical Computing

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

arduinologoTitle: Beginners’ Guide to Arduino and Physical Computing
Location: MadLab
Description: This course tells you everything you need to know about working with the Arduino platform, from software development and simple circuit building, to prototyping new controllers and building robotics.

 

 

 

Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2013-07-06
End Time: 17:30
Booking: sign up here

Arduino devices open up the exciting new world of physical computing, making real-world applications available even for non-experts to explore. The possible uses of these micro-controllers are limitless – all you need to add is your imagination.

This course tells you everything you need to know about working with the Arduino platform, from software development and simple circuit building, to prototyping new controllers and building robotics.

You’ll learn not only what you can achieve with Arduino boards, but also strategies for integrating them into larger projects, from installations to sensor networks.

And how could you use it? For functionality, for art… for making life more interesting.

Imagine a clock, with hands not telling the time, but where members of your family are by automatically sending back information about their movements. Imagine a bakery that can instantly send a tweet to its followers to tell them when their yummy baked goods are fresh out of the oven. Imagine a beautiful water-based display that spells out letters and numbers with bubbles.

Now imagine what YOU could do with it!

Real World Examples

Here are some of our favourite projects using the Arduino:

What you need to be familiar with

You’ll need to know how to use your computer, edit files, and save them.

Some programming background is useful, but not essential; if you’ve ever written Javascript, Pascal, C, C++, Java or Actionscript, you’ll find the Arduino programming language very familiar. If you’ve written Macros in Excel or any desktop software, you’ll find this will help you understand what’s happening.

Software and costs

'Beginners Arduino & Physical Computing' Omniversity course componentsThe fee of the course is £120. Included in this price is a hot buffet lunch, with vegetarian options (please notify us if you have other dietary requirements).

You will also receive an Arduino Uno, breadboard, holder, USB cable and parts bundle. Each parts bundle contains jumper wires, two pushbuttons, two potentiometers, resistors, 10 LEDs, and a photoresistor.

Additionally, you will receive an electronic copy of the teaching materials, software, and programmes we write on a USB stick.

All software is freely available and copies will be distributed with the course materials on the day.

We will be using the Arduino IDE, version 0021,  which can be downloaded from http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software for all platforms.

We will also be using the Processing IDE, version 1.2.1, which can be downloaded from http://processing.org/download/ for all platforms.

Equipment you’ll need

You will need to bring a computer, ideally a laptop, with a recent version of  Linux, Windows or OSX installed. You will need a USB interface on this computer.

Suggested preparatory work

  • Install the Arduino IDE
  • Install the Processing IDE

Make sure both applications start and run properly on your computer – on some Linux distributions, you need to install extra software.

Familiarise yourself with the introduction to the Processing IDE (the Arduino IDE is based on it) at http://processing.org/learning/gettingstarted/

Learning Outcomes

  • How to connect and configure Arduino Uno devices to a computer, and download programmes to it
  • How to use a breadboard to prototype circuits, and interact with components through software
  • What different kinds of components exist and how to use photoresistor, potentiometers, and LEDs
  • How to communicate with an Arduino using USB and Processing
  • How to expand your Arduino and where to find devices and support

Further information

Course syllabus for Beginners’ Guide to Arduino and Physical Computing

About the course tutor

Dave Mee is one of the founders of the MadLab and a long-time interactive designer, exhibiting work at UK and international festivals including Ars Electronica in Austria to The Big Chill in the UK. His recent work has involved teaching Physical Computing on the Masters’ programme at MMU and building giant etch-a-sketches.

 

 

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