February 2nd, 2024
When I first started the lab, it was definitely outside of my comfort zone. I have never used Arduino nor have I ever seen a playground circuit before. Its functions were not exactly intuitive from the way that it loops. However, as I was working through the lab, my confidence grew as I realized it was using simple java functions and the different trials were all working out for me.
Initially, there was a subconscious doubtful voice in my head that resulted from the initial wave of uncertainty whenever you approach something new. It felt like I was treading muddy waters and just waiting for an obstacle or setback. Although I definitely encountered some holdups, like when I didn't know exactly what digitalWrite is doing and the light was not responding to my if statements, it was very gratifying when the issue is resolved thanks to Heather but also the collaborative work of the fimble experts. My confidence grew even more after those setbacks and even during the process of problem solving, the solution is not as difficult as I have imagined in my head.
Being metacognitive in this lab, my issue when encountering uncertainty or difficulties is that I am inclined to exaggerate the scale of complexities in my head, which hinders my ability to plan strategically or take baby steps towards finding the solution. I am fully aware of that now, and I will try my best next time to look for concrete small changes or effects instead of thinking about everything on a macro scale.