Amateur photography learning the ropes?

I'm trying to teach myself how to take full advantage if my nikon d3000 via the Internet. It's all very overwhelming, but I think the best way for me to get a grasp of aperture, shutter speed, and iso is to know approximately where these setting should be at in different scenarios and then make adjustments from there. For example lets say I'm taking photos of my daughter outside on an overcast day or in the shade with a blurry background. Where would be a good starting point? And how about the same situation indoors near a window? Or outside on a sunny day? If you have any other helpful tips for me I would really appreciate it.

Start by learning how to balance ISO, shutter speed and lens aperture here

http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/

Next learn how to compose your shots BEFORE pressing the shutter release.

Link

http://photoinf.com/General/Robert_Berdan/Composition_and_the_Elements_of_Visual_Design.htm

Once you have these techniques nailed, consider taking a photo class to learn more about the fundamentals of photography and learn how to shoot to specific assignments

Buy a light meter. This tells u all about what settings to have it on.

It can be overwhelming & confusing learning from online sources. Have you thought about joining a local camera club? You can learn from other more experienced photographers & its easier to go back over something you didn't get first time around. You could also get some feedback on your images and learn new techniques.

however, given you current question, some guidelines are;
- always try to keep the ISO as low as possible (100-200), unless you absolutely have to raise it to get the shot.
- if shooting portraits, where a shallow depth of field is more pleasing then shoot in A mode or M and set your aperture to a low f number (at 55mm on the kit lens, this wil be f5.6)
- if wanting to freeze/blur motion, then shoot in S or M and set shutter speed appropriately

In M mode, you will need to adjust the 'other' parameter (A or S) until the light meter is centred (zero'd) to give a 'correct' exposure, but try also underexposing slightly & maybe using a little fill flash on your subject - this is where you can begin to get creative.

Remember, once the camera outlay is done, digital is free to experiment. Shoot lots of images of your daughter & play with settings. I use my son similarly as a model to play around with lighting setups!

Edit: You don't need to buy a light meter - there's one in your camera! The display will show the meter in M mode.

One book really set me on the road to great photos: The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby.

You can buy one used at Amazon.com for a song.

As an amateur just "learning the ropes" I'd say forget about a light meter for now.