May 27, 2011

May 27 2011- End of Quarter

Refer to your logs when you answer these questions

Name

Anna Moritz

Module

Greenfoot/Digital Media (in 1st Quarter)

How many days have you missed class this quarter?

None

What have you done to make up lost time?

Nothing because I haven’t missed any classes.

How have your experiences been different in the second quarter? Are you more or less satisfied with your progress? Are you doing more of less work out of class?

I’m a little less satisfied with my work for a few reasons. \in the first quarter I was working with \digital Media, and I was a little more excited to do work. This quarter I was working with Greenfoot and although it was interesting, it was not something I wanted to work on in my free time. However, I finished chapters 1-5.

Has the atmosphere in the class changed during the course? How has it changed?

I think after another quarter, the people in the class have been more talkative with each other.

What advice can you give to students who are about to start on the module that you are just finishing? What can you say that would help them have a more effective learning experience?

When working on Greenfoot, always read thoroughly. Don’t write any codes until the little gray information boxes tell you too. It makes things a lot easier.

This course provided you with an opportunity to extend your knowledge skills and understanding in areas that you have chosen.

Chose and describe, one significant area of knowledge or skill or understanding than you gained from this course.

Before this course I had no idea how to use anything except for iMovie. After Computer Applications, I learned Adobe Premier Pro and a bit of After effects. It’s much easier to edit video projects using these programs.

This course also provided you with the opportunity to manage your own learning. Effective lifelong learners are independent, curious, persistent, they forge relationships that support their learning goals, they find meaning in their learning by making connections with what they already know and value, and can do.

Give one example of how you have changed as a learner as a result of this course.

I have changed as a learner as I have become much more independent. Before this class I relied on the teacher to tell me what I should do. But after working with Greenfoot, I just started the next chapter without any consult.

What will you have achieved by the end of the module? Describe your project. Is it finished? What do you still need to do?

My project was really to finish chapter 5 of Greenfoot. I accomplished this and need to start work on something far the last few days of class.

Highlight sentences in the descriptions of student given below that you feel reflects your performance in this course.

How does a student that receives a B grade perform?

Commendable

Creditable

Good

Respectable

Typically this student makes effective use of class time by increasing his competence and confidence using software that he has chosen.

He attends all class sessions, coming and leaving on time, and making sure to make up missing time by working during free periods or at home.

His oral communication during class is focused on the learning tasks that he is engaged in.

His written communication (logs, e-mails, and reports) are done according to deadlines and contain enough information for the teacher to understand what he is doing, what kinds of problems he is facing and how he feels about his learning experiences.

During class he remains focused on the task at hand and generally respects the integrity of the learning environment for all students.

He has positive attitudes towards acquiring new skills, and makes a conscious effort to acquire new skills and apply them in meaningful ways.

He is an independent learner, who tries to solve problems by himself, but finds effective ways to overcome problems using a variety of other resources.

He is respectful of all members of this learning community and his behavior is in compliance with all school policies, in particular the AUP (Appropriate Use Policy) and Academic Honesty Policy.

This is an appropriate course for this student and the performance of the student is such that it can be said that the student is meeting the standards well. His work, on the whole, is good.

In computer science a student receiving a B will typically have covered chapters 1-6 in Greenfoot (assuming no prior knowledge) and has demonstrated a good level of understanding by creating his own application.

In Digital Arts a student receiving a B will typically have covered work using Photoshop, Audacity and Premiere. They will have done some exercises and some original creative work.

In Business Applications a student receiving a B will typically have covered chapters 8,9,11, & 12. He will have demonstrated his understanding by doing tests, and he will have found some application for spreadsheets and databases outside the text exercises.

In what ways is the performance of a student receiving an A different from that of a student receiving a B?

Brilliant

Exceptional

Outstanding

An A student performs as described above.

She also demonstrates a particularly high level of understanding or performance.

She might be doing substantial work out of class. She might have authentic clients for her computer skills.

She will tend to show leadership qualities in group oriented projects and she will be approached by other students for help because they recognize her superior skill levels.

She will be very independent and confident in her approach to learning.

She will be interested in developing her own learning objectives and finding ways to meet them.

She will tend to reflect on her learning experiences and on her learning needs in her logs in such a way that her reflective log becomes a learning plan.This is probably an appropriate course for her.

In what ways is the performance of a student receiving a C different from that of a student receiving a B?

Adequate

Sufficient

Good Enough

Satisfactory

Reasonable

This student does not perform at the level of a B student in some areas. They may lack confidence or tend to work rather slowly. They may not be fully engaged during class time. This is an appropriate course for her, and she adequately meets the standards for the course.

Under what circumstances would a student receive a D for this course.

Inadequate

Poor

Insufficient

Deficient

Unsatisfactory

Unacceptable

Sub-standard

Not good enough

Lacking

Incomplete

Wanting

This student is failing to meet the standards (described in B) to such an extent that this might not be an appropriate course for this student at this time. This student is in danger of failing the course.

Given the highlighted sentences above, what do you think is an appropriate grade for you in this course?

A-outstanding-95

B-good-85

C-adequate-75

D-inadequate-65

I think a B is appropriate.

What else would you like to communicate to your instructor to support your estimated final grade for the class?

I forgot my blog two or three times, but other than that I think I have been a well working student.

Is there any other information that you would like to provide your teacher to help decide on your final grade for the class?

There is no other information.

May 23, 2011

May 23 2011

Chapter 6 is Next. But since we only have a few classes left, I decided to start my own project. I was looking through the chapter ten scenarios, and I saw this wave thing where you can make a string of beads make wave patters. However I didn't start yesterday because I was helping Yejun with her goodbye video for Mr. Harvey.

May 19, 2011

May 19 2011

I finally got the black keys done!! I had a lot of help but I finally did it. Michael was helping me with the code since the book was not instructions as it usually is. I also made a video of me playnig a song on the piano, but it's on the school computer so I will add it on Monday. The code was hard to do, because I wasn't really sure what t had to be. Now I'll start chapter 6.




May 13, 2011

May 11 and 13, 2011

Last class (the 11th) Michael and Charles both asked that I help them with their projects. I did, and hence did not get the chance to work on Greenfoot.

Today (May 13th) I did work on Greenfoot.
I Started with Chapter 5.5 - Usuing Loops: The while loop. This chapter taught me new commands such as:

while (condition)
{
statement;
statement;
}

and the version of that staement which I can use to tell the computer to loop a specific amount of times

int i = 0;
while (i < 100)
{
statement;
statement;
i = i + 1
}


In my piano class I added that type of statement to make the piano keys, and make each piano key play a sound. But then in chapter 5.6 I learned how to use and array so each key made a different sound.
I used string names to make sure that each piano key played when I pressed a keyboard key. Once I made the code so I could connect a key with a sound, I used the same type of code to fix my earlier code of placing keys. Instead of having 12 in one spot, I had 12 spread out evenly.

private void makeKeys()
{
int i = 0;
while (i < whiteKeys.length)
{
Key key = new Key(whiteKeys[i], whiteNotes[i] + ".wav";
addObject(key, 54 + (i*63), 140);
i = i + 1
}
}

May 6, 2011

May 6 2011

I actually got a lot done today. First off I started chapter 5. Yay! Chapter 4 was the Crab game, so I'm glad I don't have to do any more work on that. Chapter 5 on the other hand, is making an interactive piano. I got to part 3 of chapter 5, which is good for one day. I hadn't used any boolean code in a while, so i sort of forgot what that was. But when I needed ot use it, i went back to chapter 3 and remembered. One of the first parts of the piano is making two keys play different sounds. I tried three times to get it right, but every time I put in a code (which Michael helped with a little) I would press "f" (the first of the two buttons) and it would play one sound and keep playing after I let go of the button, and then get all frozen. When I pressed "g" nothing would happen. But after some trial and error (and going back a few pages to reread everything) I got the code to work and play any button with a different sound.

May 4, 2011

May 4 2011

I FINISHED MY CRAB GAME!!!!! I finally got the pictures to switch back and forth and added the sound when you at 8 worms. Next Class I will be starting chapter 5 I think. Sorry this post is short. I would add which codes I put in, but I left my booklet at school.

May 2, 2011

May 2 2011

It was the first calss after the break. I was sort of tired and not really focused on my work. What I did do today was try and animate the crab. The animation was really switching the images of "crab.png" and "carb2.png" quickly. I had some problems because I didn't know where to put the code:

new GreenfootImage ("crab2.png")

I asked Mr. Daly for help and he told me it just had to be inside the public class Crab. I eventually got the code put it and in the right spot. But I ran out of time before I could make the crab switch images. I will do that next class.