Sprint 2

Part 1 - Fundamentals

Part 1 - Fundamentals

This Unit Overview

In this unit, I learned about the foundational concepts of programming, which are crucial for understanding how to develop and think about algorithms and logic in coding. Here are the key topics that were presented:

  • 3.1 Variables: variables are used to store data that can be reused and manipulated throughout the program.
  • 3.2 Data Abstraction: involves using variables and data structures to manage and simplify the complexity of programs.
  • 3.3 Mathematical Expressions: how to use operators and expressions to perform calculations and manipulate data.
  • 3.4 Strings: string data types and how to manipulate text within programs.
  • 3.5 Booleans: booleans help make decisions in your code using true or false values.
  • 3.6 Conditionals: allow your program to make decisions based on specific criteria.
  • 3.7 Nested Conditionals:how to use conditionals inside other conditionals to handle more complex decision-making.
  • 3.8 Iteration: loops and iterations allow for repetitive tasks to be executed.
  • 3.10 Lists: how to use lists (arrays) to store and manage collections of data within your program.

Blog - Reflections on Big Ideas and Teaching

Overall, this project helped prepare me well for the College Board exam. In this unit, we learned about big idea 3, which included content like variables, conditionals, and iteration. My learning is shown in this blog, where I posted links to all the hacks that I completed for every group, as well as my own lesson that shows understanding of what I did. I went above and beyond on all the hacks and made sure I actually understood what we were learning.

Memory - Personal Highlight

One of the key highlights from this sprint was my contribution on teaching many of the data types used in programming. I covered tuples, dictionaries, sets, booleans, and none, as well as JSON implementation in code. I explained each one broadly before providing both a python and java example. This format was helpful in gaining a broad understanding of the data types so it can be applied in many ways.

Relevancy - Learning from Other Lessons

Something that I learned from another lesson are mathematical operations and how they can be used in code (lesson 3.3). Another thing that I learned is how to use conditionals and how they control the flow of programs (lesson 3.6). The lessons helped reinforce my understanding of these topics.

Beyond Perfunctory - Personal Growth

I grew from this project by learning about the ways loops, lists, and more can be encorporated into javascript. Python was already familiar to me, but Javascript was not. I used the javascript hacks that groups such as 3.1 and 3.7 used to learn more about java, as well as taking more time on learning the javascript examples that I built for my lesson.