Javascript will allow you to greatly expand what you can do w Ode. @sitepointdotcom offers to teach you in 21 days for $9.95.

Let me list in order the set of skills that will allow you to take maximum advantage of Ode so that you can get the most out of your web site

1. HTML and CSS
2. Perl
3. Javascript
4. Everything else

Honestly it's hard to say which is more important, Javascript or Perl, because the answer depends on your interests. If you want to write your own Ode addins and contribute to the development of this platform, then you'll want to know Perl. If you're more interested in adding interactive behaviors to your site then Javascript may be what you want. Both Perl and Javascript are useful beyond Ode.

There are quite a few books about Javascript, many of them good. With a little dedication and persistence, one of these books is all you need to get started. But right now sitepoint, a publisher of computer books, is offering an alternative.

Javascript Live is a 3 week (21 day) Javascript course starting on April 26th 2010 (that's next Monday) which includes (from the javascript live course website):

• 12 Structured Sessions
• 3 Live Q&A sessions
• Private discussion forum
• Practical exercises

According to the site you have the option of following along with the course as it plays out, or covering the material later at your own pace.

The cost is $9.95.

What's more, they're offering a no questions asked money back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the course for any reason.

That seems like a pretty good deal.

Ode should make a great complement to a course like this, allowing you to take what you learn beyond simple exercises and apply it to your own site. I believe that pairing instruction with tools like Ode that allow the learner to independently pursue personally meaningful projects is crucially important learning.

Consider this short passage taken from an academic paper I wrote while working on Ode:

Readiness to learn and and the importance of self-confidence in our own abilities are not new ideas. However, although there is general consensus about the importance of "readiness" in literacy and mathematics, it is not clear what it means to achieve readiness related to engineering, and programming. I am proposing that readiness is intimately associated with our ability to engage in the design and implementation of personally meaningful projects.

...[Technological fluency] involves mastering not only technological skills and concepts but also the ability to learn new ways of using computers in a creative and personally meaningful way. During the process of using the technology in a creative way, people are also likely to develop new ways of thinking; therefore the computer’s role goes far beyond being an instrumental machine (Bers 2008, 142).

Javascript Live is also a good excuse to spend a little time with your new site. In 21 days you could have your site up and running and teach it a few new tricks.