SQL

When I'm teaching junior SysAdmins how to use SQL I've found it very helpful to focus on the basics. Then, after they've after they've grasped those, I build upon them. Here's an example.

A basic concept in working with databases is learning how to obtain data from it. The standard ways of accomplishing this is by using the SELECT statement. Here's an example-

SELECT first_name, last_name FROM employees;

This statement means display(SELECT) fields of data(first_name, last_name) FROM a table(employees);


Let's build upon what we now know. Let's filter the results of the preceeding sql statement to make the results more precise. To do this we will use a WHERE clause.

SELECT first_name, last_name FROM employees WHERE last_name = 'Johnson';

Now we've used the WHERE clause to display a subset of the data. In this example, we're displaying only employees whose last name is Johnson, instead of all employees.

Moodle

Moodle is open source, Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) software for educational purposes. It's a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It's a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.

I've been playing around with it on and off for a couple of years. It easy to setup and runs flawlessly on XAMPP, Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP/Perl. PHP, CSS, & MySQL are the building blocks. With just a basic understanding of these tools, you can begin creating your own web based courses. The Moodle community based support is wonderful. I particpate frequently and share my knowledge and expertise with others. I highly recommend Moodle if you have a need to create web based instructional courses.