Not entirely true about the copying the examples.
In programming there is a lot of that, copying code that have already been created. That's is how you learn actually, by tampering - examining how the code actually works and what each line does. And it's how you apply it to your project will show how much you really learned.
Tampering also helps you to develop your own style of thinking and solving problems.
Also html is good language to get your feet wet, it's easy to learn. Though its not a programming language, its doesn't take much time to understand.