The process of learning ShinyApp and R was very interesting and challenging in my opinion. Shinyapp has given me an insight into the process of data visualisation and interactive application development, as well as a deeper understanding of programming and statistical analysis. In this learning reflection, I will share some of my experiences and insights in learning ShinyApp and R.
Firstly, I found ShinyApp to be a very powerful and flexible tool to help me create interactive data applications. By using ShinyApp, I can make statistical analyses and visualisations more dynamic and easy to understand, which is very helpful in teaching. I can also empower students to customise their data presentation and analysis by adding interactive elements such as sliders, checkboxes and drop-down menus. This interactivity greatly improved the student learning experience and allowed me to better interact with the data in my future career as a teacher.
I have found that good programming practices are very important when developing a ShinyApp using the R language. This includes organising code correctly, using comments to explain the function and purpose of the code, and writing readable variable and function names. Good code structure improves the maintainability and extensibility of the code and makes it easier for others to understand and use my application. During the learning process, I also encountered some debugging and troubleshooting problems. Sometimes, I would encounter some error messages or problems with the application not working properly. In such cases, I learnt to use debugging tools and techniques such as printing the values of variables, executing code step-by-step and checking log messages. These debugging techniques helped me find and solve problems faster and improved my programming skills. In addition to this, I made use of chatgpt, a powerful ai feature, which greatly improved my ability to implement complete code.
In addition to the technical aspects of my learning, I noticed some broader thinking. Firstly, I realised that data visualisation and interactive application development is a combination of art and science. Choosing the right visualisation methods and design elements can make data more vivid and easy to understand. At the same time, I learnt to pay attention to the user experience, constantly collect user feedback and make improvements as needed
In addition, I have found it important to communicate and collaborate with others in the learning process. By participating in community forums, reading blogs and attending training courses, I was able to share my experience and knowledge with other ShinyApp and R developers. This communication not only helped me solve problems, but also enabled me to learn from other people's experiences and gain new inspiration and ideas.
Overall, learning ShinyApp and R has been a challenging and rewarding experience. By mastering these tools and techniques, I have not only improved my skills in data visualisation and interactive application development, but also gained insight into the importance of programming and statistical analysis. I am confident that these learnings and experiences will have a positive impact on my future career development and will enable me to better process and present data to provide stronger support for decision making and problem solving. I look forward to continuing to explore and apply my knowledge of ShinyApp and R in the future to continually improve my skills and abilities.
In my future educational practice, I will also apply what I have learnt in this lesson about shinyapp and R to make some complex mathematical knowledge presented through R programs, to enhance students' learning experience and to integrate e-learning into my mathematics education.