Journal Entry Week 1 Spring Term

As of right now, I am not too happy with my project.  It has become a bit of a labor, but, I plan to stick with it and finish what I started.  I know the final product will make it worthwhile.  There have been no major roadblocks other than boredom, and my lack of ambition is really the only thing holding me back.  When I first started my project, I found myself working on it in my spare time outside of school and enjoying myself.  Now, I treat it like homework that I have to do.  I think the way the 15% project is set up is fine, I just think that I need to get myself inspired.

Journal Week 9

I am learning Python computer programming for my 15% time project.  This project has tested my ability to remember knowledge and recall it at a moment's notice.  Eventually, I will write a program of my own.  I hope to publish this program to the web and allow everyone to use it.

I am learning Python simply because it interests me.  I think it would be cool to know how programming works and I think it would be fun to write software of my own.  In the future, learning Python or having a background in programming could help me tremendously.

Learning Python will not have an immediate impact on the world and it is not important in that respect.  Learning Python will, however, make an immediate impact on my life and is quite important to me.  The importance of this project is simply to complete a goal that I set for myself.

Journal Week 8

1. Identifying the problem- there really is no problem that I am trying to solve.  Mainly, I am just pursuing the topic out of interest.

2. Define project constraints- My project has no real constraints except for the constraints of the program itself.

3. Research  and brainstorming- Basically my entire project is research.  I am spending all of my time researching Python and how to use it.

4. Development and prototyping- I am not yet developing my final product, but, I am learning valuable skills that will come in handy when I start developing a program.

5. Testing, analysis- When I finish my program, I will give it to the class to test and report any bugs.

6. Evaluation and presentation- Once I finish, I will publish my program to the web for everyone to use.

 Since last week = the progress has been slow. The videos have gotten longer and are now about 20 minutes long each.  They feel even longer than that when I am not 100% focused.  I will be persistent though, because I know the end product will be worthwhile and that the skills I am learning will be useful for the rest of my life.

Journal Entry Week 6

My 15% time project has been going well.  So far, I have watched the first 3 videos in the tutorial series called "Let's Learn Python."  The topics of the first 3 videos has been printing, variables, and integers.  My goal for this week is to learn the fourth video in the series.  The topic of video 4 is "Loops".  I don't know what a loop is, but, I'm sure I will find out soon.
After I learn loops, I will still have a long way to go with the rest of my project.  The tutorial series is 10 videos long.  I will need to learn those final 6 videos as soon as possible in order to have time for plenty of practice before I attempt to make my final product.  After I practice up, I will need to choose a project to complete and dedicate the rest of my 15% time to completing it.

Week 4

For my 15% time project, I have been learning Python.  Python is a computer language that is very versatile.  It can be used in web page design, video game design, and just about any other application you can think of.   I originally downloaded Python 3.2, but, I couldn't find any good tutorials for learning Python 3, so I downloaded the previous version, Python 2.7.2.

 So far I have gotten a start on learning Python.  I have learned the basics of printing.  I have also learned how to create variables.  I have learned to use integers and variables together to create strings.  I think that I have made decent progress, but, I still have a pretty long way to go before I do and serious practical coding.  I believe that I will be fluent in Python by the end of the class.

Week 3

My goals include the following: get a basic understanding of python, write a simple program, write a small game.  A link to the series of videos I will be using is http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D48iCw3WWpI.

Week 2

For my project, I will be learning a computer code.  The code that i am learning is called Python.  In my project, I will gain a basic understanding of Python, and hopefully be able to write programs on my own.  I plan on using the "Let's Learn Python!" series on youtube to learn it.  Eventually I want to be able to make games in Python or other programs.

Journal Entry Week 1

I am very passionate about technology and sports.
Possibilities for my 15% project include learning a computer language such as python or HTML and building a football chute.