Python Programming
May Twenty-First, Two Thousand Fourteen
Overview
A computer is only as smart as the human programming it; different codes need to be typed into an editor for the device to function. In order to command a robot, we needed to learn how to program orders. The coding we learned was Python because that is the system that is required for Raspberry Pies. The online website, Code Academy, provided many different lessons to lead a person through any type of coding. This activity was individual work, but often times, the expertise of a fellow student was handy. Explanations of different abilities and exercises concerning the topic were found on the website. The course was estimated to take thirteen hours; however, I spent over twenty hours attempting the lessons before finishing the class. Skills I learned concerning programming includes the following: variables, strings, integers, boolean operators, binary counting, lists, dictionaries, functions, loops, range, classes, input, and output. A main part of the programming course was figuring out how to organize the information and manipulate the data in order to print a certain text. The most challenging part was formatting in the editor correctly. Over the summer I am excited to explore different languages in more depth and hopefully have the ability to put my knowledge to a useful purpose, like creating virtual robots or programming animated films.
A computer is only as smart as the human programming it; different codes need to be typed into an editor for the device to function. In order to command a robot, we needed to learn how to program orders. The coding we learned was Python because that is the system that is required for Raspberry Pies. The online website, Code Academy, provided many different lessons to lead a person through any type of coding. This activity was individual work, but often times, the expertise of a fellow student was handy. Explanations of different abilities and exercises concerning the topic were found on the website. The course was estimated to take thirteen hours; however, I spent over twenty hours attempting the lessons before finishing the class. Skills I learned concerning programming includes the following: variables, strings, integers, boolean operators, binary counting, lists, dictionaries, functions, loops, range, classes, input, and output. A main part of the programming course was figuring out how to organize the information and manipulate the data in order to print a certain text. The most challenging part was formatting in the editor correctly. Over the summer I am excited to explore different languages in more depth and hopefully have the ability to put my knowledge to a useful purpose, like creating virtual robots or programming animated films.
Reflection
One of the most difficult parts of this project was the amount of precision. Python requires perfection in the code for the proper text to be printed or returned. However, human error tends to include misspelling words, forgetting capitals or punctuation, and not leaving out breaks. All of these mistakes lead to improper functioning and forces you to tediously review your code in order to find the syntax error. Programming has taught me how to be patient when conquering a foreign task and to calmly approach frustrating failures. Because the shampoo had rinse, lather, repeat on the label. When writing a loop in a code, the task will repeat itself unless there is an added break or an if statement that stops the infinity. A computer programmer saw no ending to the loop and kept following the instructions on the label until he died.
Another portion that my group struggled with was timing. Since this was an individual project, different members of the group took longer to finish and this caused inefficiency while trying to accomplish other projects. Our last unit was set so there were several different projects on-going so groups had the opportunity to prioritize. While trying to work as a group, this was challenging because one person needed to finish programming, but the two other members had completed the course and wanted to work on another task. This caused issues because we wanted each person to contribute ideas and not exclude any group member. This taught me that people learn at different rates and sometimes you need to compensate for the time and lack of collaborator.
However, I really enjoyed learning how to program; it introduced basic ideas and still allowed me to experiment with coding. One positive aspect of programming was the new knowledge I gained. The course showed me that there is a lot of new ideas I can create and expound on with technology. Before this adventure, I was ignorant to the amount of time needed to program and the intense focus it required.
Another point was communicating with other people. Many times, I would be stuck on a certain lesson and be completely clueless on how to solve the problem. Luckily, other classmates were able to guide me through the process and hearing the instructions in greater detail helped me actually grasp the concept. This trouble showed me that it is okay to ask for assistance when you are confused; there is nothing wrong with needing help.
One of the most difficult parts of this project was the amount of precision. Python requires perfection in the code for the proper text to be printed or returned. However, human error tends to include misspelling words, forgetting capitals or punctuation, and not leaving out breaks. All of these mistakes lead to improper functioning and forces you to tediously review your code in order to find the syntax error. Programming has taught me how to be patient when conquering a foreign task and to calmly approach frustrating failures. Because the shampoo had rinse, lather, repeat on the label. When writing a loop in a code, the task will repeat itself unless there is an added break or an if statement that stops the infinity. A computer programmer saw no ending to the loop and kept following the instructions on the label until he died.
Another portion that my group struggled with was timing. Since this was an individual project, different members of the group took longer to finish and this caused inefficiency while trying to accomplish other projects. Our last unit was set so there were several different projects on-going so groups had the opportunity to prioritize. While trying to work as a group, this was challenging because one person needed to finish programming, but the two other members had completed the course and wanted to work on another task. This caused issues because we wanted each person to contribute ideas and not exclude any group member. This taught me that people learn at different rates and sometimes you need to compensate for the time and lack of collaborator.
However, I really enjoyed learning how to program; it introduced basic ideas and still allowed me to experiment with coding. One positive aspect of programming was the new knowledge I gained. The course showed me that there is a lot of new ideas I can create and expound on with technology. Before this adventure, I was ignorant to the amount of time needed to program and the intense focus it required.
Another point was communicating with other people. Many times, I would be stuck on a certain lesson and be completely clueless on how to solve the problem. Luckily, other classmates were able to guide me through the process and hearing the instructions in greater detail helped me actually grasp the concept. This trouble showed me that it is okay to ask for assistance when you are confused; there is nothing wrong with needing help.