>> the only way to learn photography is to get out there and shoot.

Mostly agree, but I see there as being two parts of photography.

The art, which is seeing, composing, etc. For that, you do have to just get out and shoot.

The craft, which is knowing what settings to use and when. You can learn this by trial and error by "just going out and shooting", but having someone teach you, reading about it, or using an app that demonstrates what happens with a settings change will not only save time, but make the time spent shooting that much more productive.