Planning

Smart Goal

My learning goal is to learn the fundamentals of how to code and make a product from what I’ve learned from it. What I also wanted to show is that anyone can learn something if they try, specifically coding. Because in my opinion, it is something that everyone should know and understand. The reason I chose this topic was that I have an interest in technology and computer science, and that comes hand in hand with coding, it also seemed interesting because I am also interested in video games, and seemed like something that I should learn to do. This project was to also check out what you do in computer science or programming and to see if I am actually really interested in it and if I might pursue it as a major in university or college.

Success Criteria

Learning

ATL Skills

For this project, the ATL skills I chose were research and self-management, I chose these two because I felt these two were the most important to my project, for research, I picked that ATL skill because I didn't really know anything about how to code or create an app, to solve this, I first researched what programming language to use to create the app I desired, which was a simple to-do list app on android and also researched where to learn from and where to get help from, I then researched and learned how to code through many mediums, I watched videos on youtube, learned through Codecademy, Openclassroom, StackOverflow, etc. Codecademy is a website where you can learn to code for a variety of programming languages (Java, Python, Javascript, C++, etc) in a variety of levels, openclassroom taught an in-depth level of coding, and StackOverflow to ask questions on problems I had in my project.

I also picked self-management for my ATL skills, I needed to manage my time to finish learning to code, create the app, recording, editing, and publishing it all, I made a timetable to make sure I stayed on track for the project, to make sure that I didn't procrastinate and meet all of my goals in the appropriate time, I kept a consistent routine to learn from Codecademy and other platforms and to continue the app development. this also related to my app, as I made a to-do list app to keep track of your goals. Below is my research.

Product Creation

For my product, I made a youtube video series that documented my progress in learning programming and what I learned in that progress. I went through a course from Codecademy and openclassroom to help guide me in this project. I made a total of 7 videos in which I made an extra short video to show how to use the app. My videos were both a progress journal in a sense and also a place to learn together. I showed my progress and my challenges in the project and also I taught/told them what I learned and showed them what the things I learned did.

Along with that I also made an app, which I did because I wanted to show what I learned through a product. To reflect on my own problems, I decided to make a to-do list/ reminder app, as I have some problems with managing my time and my work. I made this through the help of FoxAndroid and Ben’O’Brien and a couple of people on StackOverflow who helped me when I was facing trouble creating my app and didn’t really know what to do. In the end, I made an app with two sides/modes, one was an alarm app with a clock and the ability to set the time and the other was a to-do list with the ability to write the specific thing you need to do and the date you need to do it before.

Because of the tight timeframe, I ended up needing to create/finish up the app around the same time as editing and publishing the videos, but with my timetable and my time management I ended up being able to finish both of those within the timeframe.

Reflecting

Challenges

I encountered various struggles/challenges in my personal project, one was my lack of experience, as I said previously, this was my first real experience with programming, I went into this project blind, as I wanted the full experience and to show the viewers how it felt and the challenges I faced. Another struggle I had was the time limit, I set a time limit at the end of December to finish up everything, including the app, the youtube videos, etc. I did this so I could learn how to deal with tight deadlines and also to make sure I fully focused on the project and did not procrastinate. Along with that in the middle of my personal project, there were semester exams that stagnated my progress for a week, but in the end, I managed to finish my project. I overcame my challenges through perseverance, I stuck through and made sure I would finish my project before the tight deadline.

Personal and Community Impact

This project helped show me what it's like to program and create an app, and gave me a bigger insight to computer science, which is something I considered pursuing. My personal project also has a community impact, as I made a video series showcasing my progress on my learning, and it shows that anybody can do anything if they try, and to try new things.