My initial introduction to computing was this: At 13, I was put in charge of the family computer. My experience with computers at this point in my life was the game Oregon Trail, Microsoft Word 1997, an using AOL Instant Messenger at a friend’s house. Over time, I learned what RAM and processor speed were and why they mattered, how to “borrow” music on Napster, why anti-virus software is essential, and enough HTML to customize my LiveJournal blog. I made many mistakes, but I honestly loved tinkering with my machine and learning new ways to make it work better.
As someone who is interested in the information science field, I learned it was essential to have a high-level understanding of the building blocks of modern digital technology. It's one thing to play around with tools and programs online, but it's another to know how they work and why. In this program, we were able to focus on some computing basics and how to apply them to the modern digital tools I will use (and even build) in my graduate program and future career. Learning more about how these "back end" processes work gave me a new appreciation for the digital tools I use on a daily basis for work and school. More importantly, understanding the "how" and "why" these programs work the way they do makes me think of what I could build and change in the future.
Even the newest apps and programs have a foundation in classic computing concepts...they rely on logic, inputs/outputs, the ability to write use case scenarios, etc. Also, as someone who had never even touched “code” other than very basic HTML, learning the structure of a coding language (mostly Python) was challenging and eye-opening to what it takes to build databases and create even basic programs. Having a foundation in these concepts is essential for my future in the information science field.
As someone who is interested in the information science field, I learned it was essential to have a high-level understanding of the building blocks of modern digital technology. It's one thing to play around with tools and programs online, but it's another to know how they work and why. In this program, we were able to focus on some computing basics and how to apply them to the modern digital tools I will use (and even build) in my graduate program and future career. Learning more about how these "back end" processes work gave me a new appreciation for the digital tools I use on a daily basis for work and school. More importantly, understanding the "how" and "why" these programs work the way they do makes me think of what I could build and change in the future.
Even the newest apps and programs have a foundation in classic computing concepts...they rely on logic, inputs/outputs, the ability to write use case scenarios, etc. Also, as someone who had never even touched “code” other than very basic HTML, learning the structure of a coding language (mostly Python) was challenging and eye-opening to what it takes to build databases and create even basic programs. Having a foundation in these concepts is essential for my future in the information science field.
Projects
Below are some examples of my work from Key Concepts of Computing and Everyday Coding, where we were able to flex out new skill-set with multiple hands-on projects:
For me, hands on learning is essential! We learned the basics of logic, decomposition, input/output, and evaluation with our RedBoards and Arduino. The combination of working with the circuit board and the small amount of coding lead to a lot of problem solving opportunities, but also some pretty cool experiments.
For me, hands on learning is essential! We learned the basics of logic, decomposition, input/output, and evaluation with our RedBoards and Arduino. The combination of working with the circuit board and the small amount of coding lead to a lot of problem solving opportunities, but also some pretty cool experiments.
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For the final project, we had to create a prototype for a product and explain how we would make it work correctly, based on what we had learned about computational logic, coding, and our hardware we used throughout the quarter. My project was inspired by a common issue with my pets: my dog always eats the cat food! For my prototype, I created a pad that would go under that cat food that would buzz at increasing strength when it sensed something over 12 lbs. This way, the pad would only buzz when the 15 lbs dog was standing on it, but it would not disturb the 10 lb cat.
When I moved on to Everyday Coding, we began the quarter learning the basics of Python and how to get simple functions and libraries to work. It built up to the final project of building a comment database in PythonAnywhere and doing a little HTML to decorate! Building this database was an inspiration for my final portfolio project, and expanded my interested in programming and database design. You can even leave me a comment below, if you'd like! |
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