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Final Day of Block 3
07/31/20
Today is the last day of block 3 and my apprenticeship. I chose not to present today and decided to present next week, so I could finish all of my projects and finish up my official apprenticeship with a presentation. Every one did so well! Goodbye!
Work Day 4
07/30/20
It is yet another work day! I finally finished my random hex code generator. I am starting the other projects and I can't wait for the finished project. Tomorrow is the last day, and I am so sad. However, tomorrow is not my official last day as I chose to present a different day.
Work Day 3
07/29/20
Like the past 2 days, it was a work day. I am getting somewhere with all of the projects. Tomorrow, I plan to start on my final portfolio website! While there is only 2 days left of this apprenticeship, I am still able to learn new things everyday. See you tomorrow.
Work Day 2
07/28/20
It was another work day again. I think this whole week will be just work days. I started on some of the new projects. Ernie checked up on all of us and asked where we were with our projects. I really can't wait for Friday, so I can see everyone's work. I think that will be really fun!
Work Day
07/27/20
Today was a whole work day! In the morning, we had a short meeting on where we were on projects and the different subjects. I was so tired, but I still worked through it. I created another timeline to match my working time and how much I could handle.
Friday!
07/24/20
Continuing from yesterday's demo, the apprentices and I learned how to connect to a database, in order to put information into the database from the forms. I heard that this was most likely my last live demo! Things really go by fast. See you on Monday!
Work Day and Demo Day
07/23/20
This morning was a work day, but the afternoon was filled with demos. It was quite fun, as others ran into problems and created funny and tiny mistakes. We learned how to connect to a database and pull out the data from different fields. I had a lot of fun doing this one.
Work Day
07/22/20
The whole day was a work day. I created a timeline for this block, as well as, for the other remaining projects. Today, I tried to create my dice model, which I am still working on. It is quite fun experiencing trial and error. For now, I have decided to try and approach a differnt way. I hope it works.
DATABASES
07/21/20
In the morning, I had a demo and created my own SQL codes for different fields/ attributes. We planned what the tables should look like and what information should be held. We also learned about keys and how they work. It was quite fun being able to do something like this.
First Day of Block 3
07/20/20
Can you believe that in 9 days, it will be my final day as an apprentice! Today, I learned about databases and using MySQL. It is quite fun using it. However, I realized the many things I have to do that were needed from block 1 and 2. I am so behind, and I need to catch up quickly. See you tomorrow.
Final Day of Block 2
07/17/20
Today was just working on projects! I finished my visual website plan on Inkscape. I am half done with all projects, because I kept starting on one and then move onto the next one due to the demos. But, I will be able to finish them. It's a lot better to be done with something than nothing! :) See you next week.
Krista's Projects
07/16/20
I started and continued with Krista's projects. Personally, it is quite complex but enjoyable. I learned about array_rand and rand(). Apparently, they are quite similar but whatever works best for me, I should use. I will tell you in the next blog all about my projects! Bye!!!
Another Work Day
07/15/20
I started on the random hex code project. I keep running into errors! Luckily, I was able to wash away a bit of the confusion that I had but still have a bit of problems. I figured out a time line for my projects. Hopefully, it is doable.
Work Day!!!
07/14/20
I started on the new projects. I was researching a lot today to help me understand more about programming, in general. I have to make changes to the rendering systems project, so I got to go!
Demo But Not Really...
07/13/20
Today, I spent the whole day trying to finish a demo! Sadly, Ernie was under the weather and allowed us to do the demo on our own with additional help. It was extremely hard. There are different steps and each step allows the php to be rendered into the html, which I think is what is going on.
Demos
07/10/20
We had a demo that took up nearly the whole morning! After the morning demo, due to my sickness yesterday, I had to do another demo in the afternoon. There is so much on my plate!!! I can handle it though.
Work Day
07/09/20
I was sick in the morning, so I had to excuse myself in the morning. However, I was able to work in the afternoon after feeling a bit better. I missed the demo, but I plan on finishing it tomorrow. See you!
Demo and Work Day
07/08/20
Today, I was given a demo for the coin-flipping by Ernie. It was really fun. He also introduced me to the Krista projects. I started on my portfolio plan in Inkscape to create what my ideal portfolio would look like. I can't wait for the next demo on HTML.
Work Day
07/07/20
Today was the first work day of block 2. My computer kept having problems that blocked me from doing a lot of work. However, I was able to do a lot. It was hard trying to find a window that would allow me to my changes. Thankfully, I was able to find one.
The First Day of Block 2
07/06/20
Today was the first day of block 2! We were introduced to the new projects. The one I am currently working on is the programming concept projects. I also finished the block 1 projects. I think I just need to be extra careful when I start doing the arrays. See you tomorrow.
The Last Day of Block 1
06/26/20
Today was the last day of block 1. I am relieved to finish the first block, and I heard from Ernie that the first block is usually packed with projects. Sadly, I was not able to finish the projects like I hoped, but with Ernie's proposal, I am able to be stress-free. I can't wait to finish all of these unfinished projects.
Work Day 5
06/25/20
The whole day was a work day. I figured out a whole plan for all my projects and instead of trying to finish them one by one, I decided to prioritize the modeling project. Thankfully, Ernie came up with a proposal which I am thankful for. I may have to work overtime, but only because I underestimated the amount of work, time, and effort.
Work Day 4
06/24/20
The whole day was a work day again. I still have other things to do, and Ernie created a project status sheet. I created a plan and found out that I needed to work extra hard in order to finish before the deadline. It is in two days!!! I cannot wait to finish all of my projects.
Work Day 3
06/23/20
The whole day was a work day! I tried to figure out another general timeline for the projects so I can get them finished on time. I tried to sketch my Inkscape drawings for the logos and favicon. I tend to finish both the GIMP and Inkscape projects before tomorrow. See ya!
GIMP Demo
06/22/20
From morning to noon, the apprentices and I were given a tutorial or a demo of GIMP by Ernie. I learned that we had 1 more final project. It really seems a lot for 2 weeks. Hopefully, I will be able to complete them before the deadline. I learned about the different selections for selecting the items we want to put into a picture.
Work Day 2
06/19/20
The whole day was a work day again. I worked on the plan for the agent and system model. Creating a visual plan was much easier than the actual number part. I hope I can get it finished before the next block day. See you!
Work Day 1
06/18/20
The whole day was work day! The apprentices and I were given the 2 new web design projects. I figured out my full timeline for these projects. There are so many projects, and I am so stressed but I figured out a general plan. Tomorrow is another work day for me!
Inkscape
06/17/20
In the morning, the apprentices were taught how to use Inkscape. We were also introduced to a new project. I finished my first project for Inkscape and created a cherry. I also finished my first plan. I recieved great feedback from others. Today was a good day for me.
Introductions To Graphics
06/16/20
In the morning, the apprentices and I learned the basics of graphics. Tomorrow, we will start doing graphics. We have been introduced to another project regarding to graphics. I mainly worked on my plan for the modeling project, and I planned out the time line for the 2 projects.
First Day of the Week 1 Summer Block
06/15/20
Today is the first day of my first summer block. I was kind of lonely due to the fact that I can't communicate with others in person. Today, I worked on the new modeling project. This new project is an independent one that is similar to the one I've done during the fall semester. I figured out a topic, and I am currently trying to find more in-depth information. However, it is hard to find the exact information I am looking for. I tend to finish it tonight. See you tomorrow!
Parallel Computing with Little Fe!
05/02/20
Today was the last meeting of the spring semester. We went more in depth about parallel computing. In the beginning, the mentors made sure everyone was able to work Little Fe. This meeting allowed the apprentices to work with nodes and what super computers are able to do with these smaller computers. I was able to work with galaxies that were modified by the changes via Little Fe. With many errors, I was able to learn so many new things as well as other lessons about learning. See you in the Summer!
Parallel Computing
04/25/20
Today, I was taught parallel computing. In the beginning, Aaron went through some vocab and terminology regarding parallel computing. Then we were able to see what parallel workers did contrasted to serial workers. Through series of activities, I was able to get a taste of parallel computing. This area of computing was very new to me. However, I started to get the hang and main idea of this style. The apprentices would do activities that were created by Shodor and would later collaborate through a google meeting.
Presentations!!!
04/18/20
Isha and I finished 3 more versions. We were able to figure out lots of problems in our code with the help of Ernie. After experiencing trial and error, we were able to finish it all!! After lunch, we were started presentations. My partner and I went third. It was nervewracking but fun. I was extremely amazed by the other groups. They all did different topics and how diverse it was. I am happy and satisfied with the finished product even if it took us a long time. See you in a week!
Second Virtual Meeting
04/04/20
Today was Shodor's second virtual meeting and group project meeting. My partner, Isha, and I finished 5 versions for our binary fission project. It is not complete yet because we have a model and a simulation. We hope to finish it soon, but because we are working with a biological process, it is quite hard. We are learning new things and codes for javascript, since we are not using a good portion of the code from programming concepts. Today's meeting was long, but we were able to get a good amount of work done. It was a bit hard getting help from the mentors due to the fact that our wifi's are different and that we are all in different situations. Though I prefer going to the actual Shodor building, I was satisfied with what we both did and the meeting.
Finally Back But Inside My Home
03/21/20
North Carolina stated that NC was in a state of emergence a couple of weeks ago. Then programs and schools started to cancel to slow down the corona virus. Each day the number of cases are increasing, and now everyone is in "quarantine". Shodor decided to keep the apprenticeship program running but with virtual meetings. Today marks the first day of virtual meetings of 2020. I started a project that relates to Aaron's lesson on programming concepts. My group's idea is simulating binary fission with two models. Me and my partner, Isha, planned in a wide perspective. I can't wait to see how this project will turn out. Overall, today's meeting was good, but I found myself getting side tracked easily due to the long hours. Though it was personally hard to concentrate, I was able to get a lot of my work done.
Final Day on Programming Concepts
03/07/20
Today was the final day on programming concepts. Shodor also got new keyboards. The apprentices were given a talk about the current situation on the Coronavirus and amended rules on absences. Continuing from 2 weeks ago, we finally finished the programming concept project. We created multiple circles, bouncing, loops, and arrays through javascript. After finishing the final version, version 9, Aaron started to connect real-life situations to the simulation. Some of them were fires, the coronavirus, quarantine, car crashes, and mass. At the end of the meeting, we were given our project groups and started the project. Thank you Aaron!
Continuation of Programming Concepts
02/15/20
The whole meeting was the continuation of programming concepts that was taught by Aaron. We finished version 3, 4, and almost finished version 5. We started javascript and learned about strings, regular expression, and DRY. Using variables, DRY was used a lot. Each version has a different about descriptions that talk about what each version is and what we did. I had lots of fun doing this and learning javascript. It's exciting to see the differences between HTML and javascript.
First Meeting of the Spring
02/08/20
Today is the first meeting of the spring! For the first five minutes, I heard a short story told by Dr. Panoff about his new class he is teaching. Then for the rest of meeting, it was led by Aaron. We are working on Bouncing Particles website. It consists of both html and javascript. We also learned principles, tools, and concepts. Today, we got through version 2 and the beginning javascript of a stationary particle. I enjoyed this meeting and was easy going.
Presentations
12/21/19
The first half of today was finishing up the project. I had to fix my website and connect my css. I kept making tiny typos and mistakes that ended up crashing my whole website. The last half was on presentations. My partner and I were the fifth ones to present. I was quite nervous and kept blanking out when I had to talk about the results for the system models. Today is the last meeting of the decade. See you next year!
Almost finished
12/14/19
Today, my partner and I worked on the models and fixed the models to make it work. We finished a bit after lunch. After lunch, we started on the website and began the whole process. My css wasn't uploading, but I'll work on it at home. The rest is working perfectly. I had a meeting with Kristen to see how I was doing between school and Shodor.
Day One on Project
12/07/19
For the whole day, we were working on the new project. For the first half, my partner and I were coming up with ideas and topics to model. It was hard coming up with ideas, especially when both have to affect each other. We both came up with different ideas and researched to model and come up with a story. We decided to do one about "Money in Circulations" and was quite difficult to model. We're doing a 2-compartment model with interdependence. We almost finished our vensim model, and we just need to finish our graph.
Notes, More Notes, and Agent Modeling!
11/23/19
Today was mainly taught by Dr. Panoff. He reviewed vensim, talked about model thinking, and system vs agent modeling. We got to see how time step affects the equation and got to learn about dynamic, visual, and interactive modeling. He showed us how to work with a shadow variable and gave us a small talk about onions and pearls. We got to work with agent modeling and our group for the upcoming project.
Aaron's Day
11/16/19
Today was Aaron's day because he taught us for the whole period. We mainly focused on the "HAVE = HAD + CHANGE" equation. We summarized semantic models and what each thing did or was. We learned a new way of modelings, which is making a story. Making a story made it easier to understand a model or what you are trying to model. We modeled the population of Durham, decrease of temperature, decay of Fermium-252, and revised the rabbit simulation. In a decreasing model, you put the arrow part of the rate on the cloud. We revised our rabbit model, the rate part with giving birth, and learned about carrying capacity. I got to learn how carrying capacity can affect your equation, another external factor.
Dr. Panoff's Day
11/09/19
The whole day, the meeting was led by Dr. Panoff. He told us the power of "if" and taught us semantics and iteration. He was showing multiple examples on excel such as the pseudo random number: heads and tails, dice, and adding numbers. Then he used vensimPLE to show semantic equations and how you can use real-life scenarios to model. We also went through modeling and how we can use different model, especially semantic models, to get your answer. Having the external or outside factor that can affect your equation, was shown through the "HAVE = HAD + CHANGE" equation.
Logical and Critical/ Analytic Thinking with Dr. Panoff
10/26/19
Dr. Panoff led the class today. We discussed ethics we found in different fields that showed similarities or differences to the apprentice handbook. He taught us how to play sudoku with "smart" thinking- cancelling out. Using the same method, we decoded a quote from a scientific figure and guessing numbers with different formats. Before lunch, he showed us a new card trick with a group of 5 instead of 9. After lunch, we started the intro to numerics. Starting off with microsoft excel, he shows us how different codings and programs think differently than others. We used cosine and mantissa exponents. We learned about truncation, resolution, and rounding. Dr. Panoff also told a personal story about Billy.
Ethics and Cards
10/19/19
Ron showed us how to clothe appropriately in a professional office. There were two Rons- rude and swaggy Ron and the actual Ron. Then Dr. Panoff explained arithmetic solving and how we know things. He did card tricks, where they were all related to an arithmetic formula and just plain tricks. We reviewed "Expectation, Observation, and Reflection."
Orientation
10/12/2019
Today, I met Ernie and Dr. Panoff. We started with introduction and quickly moved to expectation, observation, and reflection. They summarized their experiences here and their past life. Ernie took over, and we went over the apprentice handbook. We also took photos and got our cubbies. We got a tour of the new building and went over the fire exits. After lunch, we went over the expectations of being an apprentice and started real work (Just setting up our computers, email, and blog).