Emerging Technologies Assignment: The Self-Driving Car

Article Summary

After reading the article, I learned that cloud computing is not a thing that was recently invented. As mentioned, cloud computing dates back to at least the 1950s, wherein large computer mainframes were shared by multiple users. The article defines a cloud as "a vast array of computers that are hooked together and meant to operate as a single ecosystem". Simply put, a cloud is many computers working in harmony together to operate in a mutual environment. This is convenient for people because it offers an easy way to access information without having to set up complicated connections. The article then lists the other types of cloud systems there are, which include: a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, among a multitude of others. Each of these specific clouds cater to different people with different needs (i.e; increased security, faster file transfer, etc).

20 Questions Every Student Should Be Able To Answer

1. What do I need to know about you to make a more successful year?

I'm a very slow learner when it comes to new concepts, so please be patient and please give me some time to surf with the alien and get the hang of things. 

2. What do you need from me more than anything else?

BE THE BEST EDUCATOR YOU CAN BE.

3. What does success in the classroom mean to you?

As Booker T. Washington once said, "Success is not measured by the position one has reached in life, rather by the obstacles one overcomes while trying to succeed". If I come out of this course better at computers and knowing how to solve more problems than I did before, I have succeeded. 

4. What do you know about how people learn? 

People learn at different paces. Its kind of like religion. It doesn't matter which god you believe in, all that matters is that you get from point A (this earthly plane) to point B (the afterlife). Even if the afterlife turns out to be an infinite void of nothingness, you still got through Point A in your own unique way or something like that.

5. What’s the most creative thing you’ve ever done?

I stripped my Epiphone SG down to raw wood and hooked up a sweet Maestro trem, swapped the pickups and slapped an oil finish onto it. 

6. How can technology be used for learning?

Technology can be adapted to either:

a) change the way students absorb information (videos, Power Points, Prezis, etc)

b) change the way students interact with newly learned information (coding, solving problems, etc)

7. What does it mean to understand something? 

un·der·stand

ˌəndərˈstand/

verb

verb: understand; 3rd person present: understands; past tense: understood; past participle: understood; gerund or present participle: understanding

1. 
   

   to perceive the intended meaning of (words, a language, or speaker).

8. When was the last time you’ve solved a problem?

The last time I solved a problem was when I was asked "What does it mean to understand something?

9. What is your proudest moment?

When I got my first paycheck and I went to the bank to cash it in.

10. What do you want to learn about?

I want to learn about how computers are used in the Music industry (i.e; how does autotune work? What is the science between note quantization?). 

11. What is your personal philosophy?

"Its not the size of the wave, its the motion of the ocean."

12. When do you code best?

I find I do not code at my best at any time. I have reached a plateau and I sincerely hope my computing skills can improve. 

13. What’s most important to you in life?

Maintaining a heartbeat.

14. Where does your inner drive come from?

My adrenal glands. 

16. What are you good at that nobody knows?

Being modest.

17. What do teachers sometimes misunderstand about you as a learner?

I need more time to learn new things.

18. What does it mean to study?

Reviewing concepts until they become second nature.

19. If I let you study something about computers that you always wanted to learn, what would it be?

NASA-level quantum computing

20. What would your ideal career be?

Professional murder victim.

App Assignment - Days 1 and 2

Day 1:

- Concept of pizza maker established
- Variables established (toppings, size, etc)
- Rough GUI created

Day 2:

- GUI created and cleaned up 
- Image vectors created in Microsoft Paint
- Started working on some minor code

Digital Form Assignment

Here is the download link to my Digital Form Assignment:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sidk4tmbmnihcux/Computer%20Simulator%202015.exe?dl=0

Simulating a computer on a computer is somewhat redundant but I thought it would be cool anyway. Here's a screenshot of the thing:

Programming Languages Speed Dating

What Worked? 

Pretty much everything worked accordingly. The presentation and the demonstration went on without any technical difficulties, although I found the whole process of explaining the program a bit weird considering it's intended purpose was for children. It's hard to explain concepts that are targeted to one age group to 16/17 year olds, because that's a new demographic with a different mindset. However, the class was co-operative and picked up on the concept of Scratch very quickly, so it presenting much easier for myself. 

What Did I Start Doing Differently during the Presentations?

 As the presentations progressed, I allowed the audience to interact with the script more. At first, I was more "strict" in the sense that I just told the audience to look at my presentation and my example, forgetting about the user completely. Then I realized that the only way for the audience to learn is to actually interact with the programming environment, so I allowed them to create their own Scratch thing. In conclusion, I started breaking away from the actual planned aspect of the presentation and allowed people to see Scratch for themselves instead of me just showing them.

Which 2 Languages Intrigued me?

Two languages which intrigued me are HTML because of the fact that the whole internet relies on it. Millions of websites are created on such a seemingly simple text-based language. The next language I found to be cool was Touch Develop, because the user interface was so welcoming and it did not discourage me from programming. Which 

Would I Recommend to Teach Grade 9's next Year? Why?

I would recommend Small Basic to the Grade 9's next year because it combines the technicality of a text-based language with the comfort of a more "graphical" one. Although it is predominantly text based, it actually provides a list of commands for you in its GUI that lets you know your options. Again, it isn't like Scratch or Turtlebits, where its all "blocks". This is pretty close more serious ones like C++, and acts as the perfect bridge between learning programming and actually doing it as a profession.

Liam and Dominik's Scratch Presentation

Below is the takeaway example. You can look at this at home by visiting this blog, and you can view the source code in the slideshow presentation.