Blog 22: Senior Project Reflection

1) Positive Statement

I was most proud of going above and beyond in time because that was one thing that when practicing was very very hard. Also that I had a nice powerpoint


(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE       P+          AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

My lessons overall I thought went very well. Also my independent components & mentorship were very interesting and useful.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

Better time management, I frequently "bit off more than I could chew."

(5) Finding Value

This made my understanding of computers much greater which will help with any profession and also senior project taught me the difficulty of juggling a full time schedule and gave me techniques that I can use to handle the schedule.

Blog 21: Mentorship

Literal

• Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog
• Contact Name and Mentorship Place

         DONE

         Richard Hartlein

         Mentorship done at his home but he works for State Collection Services.

Interpretive

• What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

        The most important thing I gained was the knowledge that although I enjoy programming and it may work for a part time job, I do not wish to be a programmer for a profession. Also there is no way to truely understand programming as a topic if I don't do it myself and this mentorship gave me that oppertunity.

 Applied

• How has what you’ve done helped you to answer your EQ?  Please explain.

       Once again. There is no way to truly understand code and programming and what goes into it without experiencing it myself and working at it and learning the goods and the bads. To understand what needs to go into a program, or what can be put into a program, I need to understand what is possible and what really isn't.

Blog 20: Exit Interview

(1) What is your essential question and answers?  What is your best answer and why?

My essential question is; How can a computer programmer best create a program designed to teach kindergartners problem solving? And my answers are by making the program engaging and fun so that students remain focused while learning, using simplified versions of syntax that younger students can understand, and effective subject integration through common core standards.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

Arriving at these answers was not a simple process, and some of them were not the most obvious answers. Through many research articles on the teaching of children using computer programming and interpreting results, and also interviewing programmers, a parent, and a teacher about the important factors they have noticed are needed. Through 
my research, these three answers kept showing up.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

I faced the problem that the studies of programming used in classrooms being limited in terms of the languages used. There are not a lot of languages used for children this young and also, testing of the implementation in classes other than math and science are not as widely tested and had less reliable questions.   


(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

Fessakis, G., E. Gouli, and E. Mavroudi. "Problem Solving By 5–6 Years Old Kindergarten Children In A Computer Programming Environment: A Case Study." Computers & Education 63.(2013): 87-97. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct. 2013.

Horn, Michael, R. Crouser, and Marina Bers. "Tangible Interaction And Learning: The Case For A Hybrid Approach." Personal & Ubiquitous Computing 16.4 (2012): 379-389. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct. 2013.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

LITERAL
(a)I, Garrett, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b)My sources include my mentor who worked with me as well as various google searches on java coding that allowed me to complete my programs.
(c)Done 
d) I did many extra mentor ship hours and also worked on java programs on my own time making them more advanced.    
INTERPRETIVE 

RPS Program

http://puu.sh/8mwxp.txt = RPS Code

http://puu.sh/8mwA9.txt = Failed R Calculator Code

APPLIED
How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped. 
This component helped me answer my EQ in helping me understand code and its significance. My RPS program and my R Calculator have given me various problems and i have been able to work through most of them and all of this gives me more and more of an understanding of what needs to be taken into account while coding, at my age, as well as at younger ages.

Blog 18 Third Answer

• How can a computer programmer best create a program designed to teach kindergarteners problem solving?
• Effective subject integration into common core so all things taught in a programming manner tie into core classes
• The programming course must apply to the common core standards that are being implemented so that the programming "has a purpose that is apparent"
• By effectively integrating students will be able to learn more about computers and function better in current society.
• Programming will allow students to create better work within their school years and never be held back by what a program "cannot do"
• Programming will also allow for problem based learning, even when the school is not and iPoly-like PBL school
• Interview 3
• I believe that this is my most important answer actually. 

Blog 17: Fourth Interview Questions

1. As a teacher what is the most important tool that you use while teaching students? i.e Powerpoints, games, worksheets, lectures...
2. How do you keep students focused during class? 
3. What are some examples of topics being taught in your class now?
4. What subjects being taught at this age do you believe would benefit from having computers and programming integrated into the classroom?
5. What teaching methods seem to have the greatest results when it comes to information retention?
6. In what ways are computers already put to use within your classroom, if at all?
7. Do you believe a TUI or GUI system would be better within the classroom?
8. What features would you like to see in educational programs?
9. What programs or websites do you currently use in the classroom, or have you seen used around campus?
10. Currently what benefits, within the classroom, do you see from the use of computers?
11. What would you like to see the students take out of computer use?
12. Do you believe programming integration would work better with the average student, advanced student, or below average student?
13. How would you teach a programming course within your classroom? With the students acting as individuals, small groups, or as a class?
14. Would the average teacher have enough training with computers to teach within an interactive programming environment?
15. Does the average student have enough knowledge of computers to excel in this environment.
16. What percentage, on estimate, of your students are more motivated or interested when working on computers?
17. What themes would be most effective in keeping students attention? i.e. Barbies, Cars, Dogs, Cats
18. Is there any subject where you would be extremely adverse to integrating programming?
19. Is there anyone who I could also interview to get a clearer understanding of a student's needs/interests?
20. Is there any special needs that children have when it comes to computers that you feel I need to be made aware of?

Blog 16: Advisory Meeting #2

Just like you did for answer 1 and the objectives for Purther's textbook work for answer 2 post:

EQ

Answer #2 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)*

3 details to support the answer (a detail is a fact and an example)

The research source (s) to support your details and answer

Concluding Sentence

*Write your answer like you would write a thesis statement.  Please don't give us one or two words or start your sentence with by.    Thanks!

On Friday 2/28 for Advisory #2, you will be presenting what you have from this blog.  The presentation is more like a share-out and should not last longer than 2 minutes. You don't need a visual.   

EQ

The most important factor in teaching a kindergartner problem solving through programming is Simplicity. 

1. They cannot handle complicated syntax, like vb.net or Java. It is way to complex and involves too much specificity. 
2. If something is too complex, a young student is likely to give up instantly and not truely try, whereas if it's challenging but attainable, then they will normally fight their way through.
3. The ability to understand and be able to create programs to do varying tasks is too hard for young brains if the code itself is too advanced.

     Scheer, Scott D. "Programming Parameters for 5-to-8-Year-Old Children in 4-H." Programming Parameters for 5-to-8-Year-Old Children in 4-H. Journal Of Extention, Aug. 1997. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <http://www.joe.org/joe/1997august/a2.php>.

Horn, Michael, R. Crouser, and Marina Bers. "Tangible Interaction And Learning: The Case For A Hybrid Approach." Personal & Ubiquitous Computing 16.4 (2012): 379-389. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct. 2013.

Fessakis, G., E. Gouli, and E. Mavroudi. "Problem Solving By 5–6 Years Old Kindergarten Children In A Computer Programming Environment: A Case Study." Computers & Education 63.(2013): 87-97. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct. 2013.

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
I plan to continue mentorship, as I will be approaching 50 hours soon, and also continue doing side programs to practice my skills. I am really enjoying taking java at school and will be able to program in 2 languages now. 
2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
I will be able to take screenshots of the code as evedence as well as keep a log of my hours.
3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
This will allow me to not only research computer programming but allow me to experiment and be able to talk from personal experience for my 2 hour.
4.  Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your other logs and call it the independent component 2 log.
Done.

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

LITERAL

(a) I, Garrett Holmes, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) My mentor Richard Hartlein as well as my fellow programmers from robotics and also ALOT of visual basic tutorials!
(c) Done
(d) I worked on a multitude of programs allowing me to branch out over my programming skills and also participated in the FIRST Robotics group where I got to work with LabVIEW, a very Different programming language.
  
INTERPRETIVE
My work throughout independant component consisted of my learning of programming languages, which I had zero real knowledge of in the beginning, and my creating of programs as either the ideas popped in my head, or the need arrived for the program to be made.

Here is my program League

Here is my program Hello World

Here is my program Descisions.

I also have my program files for the program DnD here
I also created a program to bypass the UAC of a windows computer as a standard user, without giving the password to the standard user. Do to the idea behind the program however, I will not be posting the code here.

APPLIED
How did the component help you understand the foundation of your topic better?  Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.

This allowed me to better understand my topic, because this was the time where I was truly teaching myself how to code and the work that gets put into it. This along with my mentor ship has probably been the most personally satisfying part of my senior project.

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I'm really proud of making time, because I was honestly scared I wouldn't, and I was happy that alot of people enjoyed my activity.


2. Questions to Consider
       a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

       AE       P          AP       CR       NC

       b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

I believe I fit all the P requirements for the lesson, but I did have small troubles keeping control of the class and also I spoke very fast.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

What worked is my activity and my Powerpoint

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

My poster wasn't very good at all and I wouldn't have spoken so fast.

5. Finding Value
What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?  

I think it will be "Making a program simple enough to be understood by kindergardeners' minds."

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

1.  How can a computer programmer best create a program designed to teach kindergarteners problem solving?
2. What coding language do you believe would be simplest to understand for them, or should we use SCRATCH, etc. where they are made for the young children?
3. Would visuals or real syntax be more effective, why?
4. What classes should this programing integrate with? Math, all core, etc. and why?
5. What aspects of the program will be the most important, simplicity, visuals, etc and why? 
6. Who else should I talk with about this topic? teachers? Children? and what questions should be asked?
7. Do you believe that adding programming into curriculum will allow our students to be more prepared for the world? If so, in what ways?
8. How will the teachers teach this topic?
9. In what ways can we design a program to increase student interaction?
10. Would kindergarden be the best grade to begin implementttion

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?
My mentors house, he works from home, but the company is called State Collections.
2.   Who is your contact?
Richard Hartlein
3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?   
44.83
4.   Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.
I worked with a telnet prompt and with the vb.net language and created programs and queries and the such for databases.
5.   Email your house teacher the name of your contact and their phone number confirming who they should call to verify it.  
posted in sheet previously.

Blog 10: Senior Project: The Holiday

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you over the break with your senior project?

This wasn't specifically for my senior project, but over the break I had to set up parental controls for my brother's computer. In the process of setting these up, I realized there was no white list (allow list) for the windows user account control (UAC)  There were a few programs on my brothers computer that we wanted him to be able to use that windows blocked, so rather than having to type the administrator password every time he used a program, I created a program to do it for me. 

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

The time it takes to create "simple" programs, all because of the time it takes to learn all aspects of the code behind it. The source of what I learned stemmed from the 5 hours that it took to write 16 functional lines of code. 

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

Probably my mentor just to see a programmers viewpoint, and also teachers and parents to see the viewpoints of those who work with young children to see what they believe would work.

EQ

1.   Review this.  Confirm by stating "I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ."
Essential Question 
Once a topic is chosen, the student will develop a working essential question.  The purpose of the working essential question is to help the student build a strong foundation of research which will allow him or her to create an essential question that encourages depth and rigor in the chosen topic.  An essential question must:

• Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)
• Takes a stance (Allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)
•  Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense

I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ

2.  Review the following EQs and

• Tell us if it meets the rule of 3 criteria.
• Tell why it does or why it doesn't

 a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

It does, it is specific, makes sense, and allows for research and the ability to take a side.

 b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

no, wording is confusing

 c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

no, not specific enough when describing the customer

 d.  How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

no, doesn't say what the chronic pain is from or when it is located on the body.
3.  Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.

What is the most important factor for a computer programmer to consider when creating a program designed to teach children?

Research and Working EQ

1.  What is your working EQ?

What, as a computer programmer, is the most important factor to consider when creating a program for a client?

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format.  

Ease of use. If a customer has limited computer knowledge, they need to still be able to use the program.

Efficiency. A program needs to be able to do its task using the lowest resources possible and as directly as possible.

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ? 

My mentor.

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

My mentor is Richard Hartlein, and I am working with State Collection Services. I am going over reports and programs created using a facs system and seeing how they are executed. It allows me to actually create programs for people with the help of my mentor and see what factors we need to consider.

Independent Component 1 Approval

Please review the component contract at page 12 of the senior project packet.  Clickhere!  The independent component 1 is an opportunity for you to add a dimension of creativity and/or an additional outlet for research.  The goal of the component is for you to explore your topic in more depth with this component.  On February 7, 2014, you will be turning in the following to your blog to prove completion of this component:

·       Log of hours on an digital spreadsheet (with total number of hours included)

·       Evidence of the 30 hours of work (e.g. transcript, essays, tests, art work, photographs) as digital artifacts

·       LIA

 The senior team expects that your log will be on the right hand side of your blog with your WB and mentorship log.   In addition to this,  we expect that you will be able to prove the total 30 hours of work by submitting evidence to the blog by the due date.  For this blog post and approval, please answer the following questions.

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

I plan to do various programming on my own time, learning the visual basic language and making my own programs also I will be joining the programming section of FIRST robotics.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I will post pictures of what I'm creating as I go and post descrptions on the blog, as well as logging my hours and a summary for the log

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

It will give me a change to program for the sake of learning, and also, in the iPoly fashion, learn through problem based learning with FIRST.

4.  Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your mentorship log and call it the independent component 1 log.

Done.

Your answers to the questions should be supported with details and examples for the senior team to understand what you plan to do.   Once we review your Blog Post 7, your house teacher will discuss with you the approval of your plan.  If it is approved, please start working on it.  If it is not approved, your house teacher will explain why.  It is your job to address the concerns so you can get your component approved. 

9/29/13

For the last week or so, I have been working on learning a programming language called Visual Basic. So far I have programmed a simple Hello World program and 2 If, Then Statements. I'm really enjoying learning this language and the possibilities with it. I have watched 6 of 26 videos for learning the basics of visual basic. Hopefully by the end of next month I will be about half way through learning visual basic, although there is always more to learn. I will post some pictures of the code I have been working on so far, and a part my mentor helped write.

Program: Hello World

Program: Decisions

Program in Progress: League

Second Interview Questions

The purpose of the second interview is justify your mentor as an expert in the field.  Thus, you will be asking at least 5 questions about their background and/or the background of the organization or company where they work.

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?

Richard Hartlein
Works from home, but works for the company State Collection Services, Inc.

2.  What five questions will ask them about their background?

How long have you been a Computer Programmer?
What are some of the biggest jobs you have handled as a programmer?
What inspired you to become a programmer?
What companies have you worked for?
Who had the biggest influence on encouraging you to follow this path?

Blog 5 Project Reflection and Working EQ

So far, you have: completed your summer mentorship, started doing some research, maybe completed the interview and hopefully found a mentor.

Using what you have done so far, answer the following 5 questions (be specific and use examples)

The Pentagon: 
(1) Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?

I have learned a lot about 2 different careers, aluminum casting, and computer programming, and i'm sure now that I do not want to do the first. Also, I have realized just how big a job learning programming languages can be.

(2) EQ Content:  Pick a piece of research or your interview.  How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

My First source gave me a great overview about programming as a whole and how it works. I also now understand certain pieces of vocabulary such as syntax and semantics. Now that I understand much more about what the commands do, I have gained a lot of understanding  about how computers work as a whole.

(3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

Finding a possible mentor and staying on top of contact with them and making sure they don't forget about me wanting them to be my mentor.

(4) What hasn't worked so far?  

Finding a mentor in the medical field was extremely challenging and in the end I changed topics because of it.Also I find that its not so much the unwilling people as the fact they have to clear it with their boss and that doesn't go quite so well.

(5) Finding Value:  

•  What is a potential question you would like to study this year?  (working EQ)
•  What do you plan to do for mentorship?  If you haven't found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it.  

What, as a computer programmer, is the most important factor to consider when creating a program for a client?

I plan to work with my mentor and learn to program myself. I'm currently trying to have Richard Hartlein be my mentor, and we are just waiting for it to hopefully clear with his boss.

August

 This August has been a pretty long month, filled with all the complications of starting school again. I have now found out that I am going to be at school till 4:30 pm EVERY SINGLE WEEKDAY. That is going to be really hard to figure out how to schedule around. Not to mention due to my last minute mentor change, I still have even more work to do. Lately in preparation for my programming mentorship, and just because I like to, I've been playing around on ubuntu server. So far I have a VPN, and SSH server running, and a few other various programs such as webmin, which is used to manage the previously mentioned servers. I have started the Interview with my mentor, and found out a few of the programming languages that we will be using, such as cache, and I am familiar with not a single one. Once the mentorship begins, I hope to learn a great deal of the language. He also showed me an extremely cool website where the take the song 99 bottles of beer on the wall, and write a program to type it in over 1500 programming languages. it has to be one of the coolest things ive seen. (http://www.99-bottles-of-beer.net/).