The first Make Radical Websites workshop was so fun, I was determined to do it again. The main thing I learned is that, just like when I run DnD, I packed way more than the students or I could realistically get through into one session. Now that I have done it at a more reasonable pace, I’m even more impressed that everyone in the first class walked out with their own website and at least some sense of how to edit it. This time we did a three-class workshop over three weeks, following the same material but in a more thorough and step-by-step fashion.
It’s definitely still a pace that, intentionally, pushes the comfort zone for anyone who’s not versed in the ways of coding or with Internet Things in general. I think (hope) that resulted in at least one or two moments for everyone where they felt like they could do something that previously had seemed very opaque. I definitely had a couple moments where I realized I was giving answers that, while correct, were too dense to parse for a beginner. It feels inevitable with the internet, because simple questions go deep. But I loved the spirit of inquisitiveness in the room, and the willingness to just ask things like “who decides what’s part of HTML” or “how could I write a blog without having to join a platform but without having to write all the HTML for the page every time?”
Some highlights: