I do it like this:
- If I have no clue about the topic, I either watch a video in which the persons build something really simple with it. Or I usually read a blog post in which the guy builds something. I usually tend to code along with the blog post. Coding along the video is distracting and hard to accomplish.
- Once I am comfortable and have a birds-eye view of what that thing really is, I start reading books or more elaborate resources.
Learn from the master, doing things the hard way is actually the right way doing things and learning a thing or two in the process. Jason Knight might give you a great insight into this.