My recommendation (which is not the same as others, but it worked well for me) is to set it to first read about the "exposure triangle"... research shutter speed, research aperture, and have an understanding of ISO. Once you feel you have a good solid foundation of these three elements that that determine how the image looks, put your camera in Manual exposure mode "M" and get used to changing each of these controls without having to moving your eye from the viewfinder. It will only take a few minutes to get the hang of it, and a few days before it becomes second nature.
Then start experimenting with different scenes... experiment with different apertures and not how they affect depth of field. Experiment with different shutter speeds on moving objects or when hand holding the camera to understand motion blur and how focal length is related to blur from camera shake.
Then, go shoot some shots of things that interest you while using the aperture and shutter speed that best depict the scene as you want to show it. Then post 2 or 3 shots here for C&C.
I recommend posting a shot that you think is the best and also posting a shot that you think is not good but maybe aren't sure why.
