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My Beginning to Computers
My Beginning to Computers
Elementary was where I was first introduced to computers. Back in 2nd Grade-5th Grade, my teachers would take our classes to the computer lab. There, we would go on websites such as Coolmath and Sheppard Software where we played academically-focused games. I knew nothing about computing at this point in time; all I was concerned about was playing fun little flash games such as Orbit, Castle Defense, etc.
Middle School
Middle School
Middle School was where computers started taking a precedence in my life. I got my first iPad as well as a laptop. Thanks to the iPad I discovered mobile games as well as YouTube videos. The laptop allowed me to download STEAM games, a transition from flash games that I used to play back in elementary. Mrs. Barrett, my 7th-8th grade teacher also introduced me to WORD as we started typing papers over handwriting them.
Thanks to these devices and applications, I saw that computing had uses beyond just flash games.
I realized that computing lead to the popular games that I played/watched such as Minecraft, Age of Chivalry and Planetside 2.
I was also beginning to see that computing had a place in school as well.
High School
High School
iPhone 4
iPhone 4
High School also greatly increased my computer usage. I had to use Schoology to catch up on assignments, The Source to check my grades, as well as Turnitin.com to submit my essays. Research assignments such as my Simmering Discontent essay required the use of computers as well. Basically I came into computing more than ever.
9th grade was also where I received my first Apple iPhone, meaning that I could access the Internet wherever I went. Thanks to this iPhone I could watch YouTube on my way home, play mobile games wherever I went, and use the Internet to do homework last minute or during lunch if need be.
Having a smartphone with me was certainly an important change in my life and it made me think about how computing affected devices besides computers and laptops.
High School was also where I was first introduced to creating code rather than just using it. In my Principles of Engineering 9th grade class we did get to program a little car to move in a figure eight. Since this was my idea of what engineers do, I became interested in programming, seeing the two fields as related.
I was first introduced to HTML and CSS by Mr. Lassana and the TA Tony in 9th grade Web Design. The basics of coding were rigorous and I could not get the website to look like how I wanted most of the time and I also could not always email Mr. Lassana or Tony for help. Even worse was the fact that everyone-else in my group The Gamers seemed to understand what they were doing while on JSFiddle and it was Cassie, Athena, and Brandon who I felt did all the work. I felt both out of place and useless. So when our group won the award for best designed website, I did not feel like I deserved it. I came out of that class ashamed of my lack of contribution but also determined to improve my knowledge of coding and programming.
My second chance came with 10th grade Web Design, this time taught under Professor Andy Ko. Professor Ko shared interesting stories about his life as a software developer and how he co-founded a company called AnswerDash. It from from him that I learned what programming is used for and how people who code lived/worked (thought I forgot a lot of it). It changed my views on what it meant to code. Also the class was where I got to make my own website on Github.com and learn about Javascript. Thanks to the class, my knowledge of computing increased and though my website may not have been perfect (I messed it up over the summer), I still managed to create it without a group so I regained my confidence.
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