The Second Three Weeks 9/29/13

The second half of the six weeks has been a lot more challenging for me than the first was. We've moved beyond simple data types like int and double and the basic syntactical structure of java to slightly more advanced topics like methods. What has been most challenging is the fairly fast pace the class moves at. Missing the first day methods were explained also proved itself to be the reason for many of my issues this six weeks. I never really made up the lesson and thought that I would be ok if I simply trudged onward, skipping the lesson entirely and hoping to learn it as I went along. This proved to be a mistake because, as you described at the beginning of the year, computer science really is a cumulative class. Almost all of the knowledge we learn is building on top of previous things we learned, and missing one thing, especially something as integral to what we're doing in the class as methods, really got me behind. I ended up, through a combination of reading back through power points and getting Weston to explain concepts to me, catching up to the class and I now feel like I'm in a much better spot as far as my grasp of the material than I was a week ago. However I will definitely need to study before the first exam to make sure I really understand everything fully. The labs are very effective in helping me to understand what we do in the class. The worksheets and power points are helpful when learning, but what really teaches me the material is the experience of actually doing it in labs. I think in my experience the labs we do are the most important part of the class. I have trouble visualizing something from just hearing or reading about it, but the ability to actually use the methods we learn really solidifies the knowledge in my head.

The First Three Weeks 9/15/13

Throughout the first three weeks I have learned the basics of the java programming language. I have no prior experience with java and very limited prior experience programming in general, only having dabbled a little in C++ and visual basics. Almost everything we have learned has been new to me and it has been a fun experience so far. I am very interested in learning java in this class because I have tried to learn a programming language in the past and have been unsuccessful due to of a lack of time and outside distractions. Learning programming in the formal structure that a class brings will be beneficial to me because I care about getting good grades and will be motivated to actually do the work. I am inspired to work the whole class doing something I enjoy and am not bored or tempted to get off task. So far I have not had a lot of spare time in the class as the labs and worksheets have taken me all of the provided work time so I don't feel like I have a lot of extra wasted time. As I get more proficient at programming I hope to be able to get the labs and worksheets done quicker. However currently the small details of syntax are something I am working on memorizing and don't come naturally to me. In the future I am looking forwards to learning more about if/then statements and how to use them in java because Boolean logic seem very useful in many different types of programs I would want to create in the future. I also as a longer term goal want to learn enough programming to be able to participate in computer science contests, something I hope I will have achieved by the end of the semester.

Ben Girardeau