JOURNALS

Experiences with Math and Science || November 17, 2007

I have taken a considerable number of courses in science including Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Computer Applications. Right now I am taking Pre-Calculus, and AP Chemistry. In Computer Science I explored a whole new dimension of computers through C++ and JAVA. In Computer Applications I mainly dealt with programs such a microsoft word, excel and powerpoint. Computer Science and Computer Applications are complete opposites because Computer Science deals with making programs and Computer Applications deals with doing things with programs that are already made. The science fairs I have participated in were an exciting experience. In the 3rd grade I did an experiment detecting a magnetic field. I had to prove that a magnetic field was present by showing a change in the movement of a compass. For 5th grade I did an experiment on the structure of DNA. I obtained human cells from inside the mouth and used common household products to extract the DNA from the cells. I loved doing these experiments and have always loved science. My experience with math is very broad because I have already taken Algera, Geometry, and Algebra II. I math course that I enjoyed the most was Geometry, because it allowed me to really use my mind and approach problems in a logical, analytical process. Although I enjoyed Geometry I feel that Algebra is my forte, mainly because it is straight foward and does not require much logic. This year I am going to take Pre-Calculus and I am really looking foward to it. Overall I enjoy doing math and science and have a strong foundation in it.

The First Day of the Shodor Apprenticeship || October 27th, 2007

On the first day of the Shodor Apprenticeship I learned how to do different Html tags, to manipulate fonts and overall to create a webpage using text wrangler. This is the first time that I have used text wrangler with html but I caught on to it well. I have also learned that hard workers are those who keep their job, and make realistic and high expectations for themselves in order to feel satified. I am hoping to learn more about html and web-design through Shodor.

11/10/07

This week I learned about graphics with Ernie. Mr. Ernie taught us how to use different photo manipulation programs and how to manipulate different photos. The part of graphics I enjoyed most was photo manipulation through GimpShop and Inkscape. I liked this because you can do a variety of things with an ordinary picture, such as enhance features, change colors, and sharpen photos.

12/08/07

This week I learned about html and CSS. Learning about CSS and Html was the most exciting to me because it invovled web design and graphics, which are two of my fortes. I also enjoyed learning about CSS because it is really easy to catch on to and apply. CSS is very important aspect of html because it allows you to format a webpage in parts, I refer to it as modular web design.

12/22/07

This week I learned more about html and web design, but we applied a new topic called Javascript. Javascript is a useful tool because it gives you variety when designing a web page. It allows you to send messages to the user when using your website, make drop down boxes, forms and much more. I enjoyed learning about javascript, and with it I was able to to apply it to my web page.

01/26/08

This week I learned about agent sheets and how it can represent the affects of different diseases and plant growth. I am most excited about this because it gives you a visual of how certain diseases spread or other epidemics spread. I was able to create an agent sheet project that shows how influenza spreads when there is a majority of healthly people and only a small number of infected people. I want to learn about Javascript because I have researched some of the different types of functions that are associated with Javascript and I find they very interesting.

02/16/08

One thing that I learned this week that I am most excited about is my Netlogo project because I was able to generate a scientific model that showed how the infulenza spreads. In my model I allowed the turtles, which represented the people, to be able to recover, get sick and die. am most proud of the project that I completed in class which showed the effects of influenza in a controlled environment. I am most proud of this project because it was my first experience with Netlogo and I feel that I was able to comprehend it and apply the methods well. I have heard about many other aspects of Netlogo that I hope to learn more about and they include modifying a project, like I did, to reproduce people so the population does not go extinct so easily.

03/04/08

This week I learned about the more depth aspects of Netlogo. I learned how to apply a quarantine, which is an area that restricts the turtles from moving outside of it, making new breeds, which are a variation of an agent, and generating random numbers in Netlogo. I am most excited about this because it helped me to understand the group project better. During class I was able to successfully construct a Netlogo project that involved features that I learned in class. I am most proud of this project because it allowed me to comprehend all of the concepts that were taught through application. I know that there is much more to explore in Netlogo because it is really similar to C++, which I already have studied. I found C++ to be very interesting and I anticipate that Netlogo is the just as fun and interesting as C++.