Progress in computer science...

How i felt as a beginner!

The start of something new

In today’s contemporary world, it is essential to keep up with technology and the digital environment. A major part of our lives is influenced by computers, from the phones in our hands to the robots used to make our clothes in factories. This is the reason I had an incentive to gain adequate knowledge of computational thinking to fully understand and realise how important these are. I entered the course with a hope of being able to polish my existing computer skills and gain other ones along the way.
When I first entered the csc104 class, I was preparing to have a lecture where the professor just throws functions at you and leaves you with no option but to figure them out. But, to my surprise professor Danny demonstrated various operations from Dr racket and patiently answered all the questions asked. I honestly had no idea what programming was, but I understood a large part of what was taught in the classes and found it interesting at the same time. This is what keeps me curious to always know more about the subject.

SLOG 2

Progress in computer science

As the course progressed, I was fascinated by various other aspects of the course. Some of the things that particularly got my attention were the placeholders and how much flexibility they provided, the definition functions that reduced the need to input data more than once and the step function that helps me as a learner to see what is the computer doing. I love how I am getting familiar with a subject that once puzzled me due to such aspects.
Every time I sat down to practice using the program, I learnt something new about it. Making mistakes is part of this process, it was challenging at first, but I would slowly figure it out and feel satisfied soon later. This is what would help me prepare for the quizzes and when the question asked is like the mistake, I would stop, laugh quietly and write the right answer this time. I feel like this is the right strategy so far, but I would always improve on it, if I need to in the future.

Moving forward, I would love to learn about data manipulations and calculations using computer language and hopefully get a better command of the programs. Like most student, I also want to do well in the course exams and hence make it a memorable learning experience, not forgetting to enjoy the journey.

SLOG 3

As we approach the end...

Honestly, taking CSC 104 as a course, to me was a good decision. It was a great experience, one filled with lots of new knowledge and fun at the same time. Its hard to believe how fast the semester went by and the course comes to an end .Towards the end, the course just became progressively interesting ,especially when functions like big bang were introduced, where I could manipulate the numbers to influence the movement of an animation.I got back my midterm grade and am pretty impressed with myself. I also got to work on two projects and see the ideas in practice. This time I consulted TAs in the lab and the professor in class on how to approach the assignment and how to overcome hurdles along the way. At first it was difficult to get certain aspects of the course ,but eventually things fell into place. 

My advice to anyone who would want to take the course would be to stay focused and patient as they may find it tedious at first, but will hopefully be able to figure things out. You should also utilise the resources available as much as possible and never hesitate to ask a question to your TAs and Professors ,they are always here to help .If they find any material particularly hard ,the best thing would be to try practice what was taught in class and maybe watch the lecturecasts again to reinforce the concepts. The other virtue required would be consistency and dedication to ensure that you as a student stay on top of what needs to done and can keep up with the pace of the course.
Overall ,I think its all about being able to understand the concepts well and apply them yourself to better learn the methods of computational thinking.