Monday: 12:55-2:30
Tuesday: 12:55-2:30
This week, since I am fairly comfortable with the general concepts of data scraping, I began to look into the practice of actually coding algorithms to scrape. I started by looking into some languages used in databases like PHP and SQL. I looked at basic syntax and got a general grasp of the languages just by looking up a few tutorials. PHP syntax is not too different than Java or C++. There are a few discrepancies, but not so many that it is very difficult to learn. SQL is also very simple I also looked at the library blog. I had photoshopped the pictures for the menu over the weekend, but I ran into some issues with word press and have yet to find an appropriate answer through the internet and have not met with Dr. Murray since last week. Finally, the Byte Club advisor and I decided to move the date for the app research up to next week to keep the process moving along. Hopefully this will inspire club members to start working. I just have to make sure that the majority of group members are available on the new date so that the meeting isn't held for nothing.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
October 23-24
Thursday: 12:55-2:30
Friday: 12:55-2:30
I met again with our librarian to further the transition between blog themes. It was a fairly short meeting, but I think we are on the same page now. I am going to photo shop some images for her to utilize as menu images, and she will populate the menu with all of the links and information she finds necessary. After these steps, it will be time to change the theme. On Friday, when Dr. Murray came to visit, we discussed more of our options with the blog that would increase usability for students, but still be easy to manage by whomever might need to manage it. We looked at adding twitter feeds and other social media widgets as well as many other options.
This week was productive in that I have made myself much more comfortable in the position I am in with the app, and I have been able to plan for some other projects I am working on. I'm definitely starting to get a feel for the frustration involved in project planning and management, especially with busy group members. I'm not sure that I would fit well in a project leadership role because I would probably end up being too pushy with the project, as I am now seeing. I don't mind doing it, but I turn into a bit of a nag when given the opportunity, which might not be beneficial to the project. This is good insight for me to have now so that in future projects, I can make sure to let others who are more patient do the project management.
Friday: 12:55-2:30
I met again with our librarian to further the transition between blog themes. It was a fairly short meeting, but I think we are on the same page now. I am going to photo shop some images for her to utilize as menu images, and she will populate the menu with all of the links and information she finds necessary. After these steps, it will be time to change the theme. On Friday, when Dr. Murray came to visit, we discussed more of our options with the blog that would increase usability for students, but still be easy to manage by whomever might need to manage it. We looked at adding twitter feeds and other social media widgets as well as many other options.
This week was productive in that I have made myself much more comfortable in the position I am in with the app, and I have been able to plan for some other projects I am working on. I'm definitely starting to get a feel for the frustration involved in project planning and management, especially with busy group members. I'm not sure that I would fit well in a project leadership role because I would probably end up being too pushy with the project, as I am now seeing. I don't mind doing it, but I turn into a bit of a nag when given the opportunity, which might not be beneficial to the project. This is good insight for me to have now so that in future projects, I can make sure to let others who are more patient do the project management.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
October 20-22
Monday: 12:55-2:30
Tuesday: 12:55-2:30
Wednesday: 12:25-2:30
On Monday, I met with Dr. Murray and we discussed how we would conduct our next meeting and planned for the next few weeks. We are planning on giving the app group a deadline for their research of the second Friday in November. This gives the group plenty of time to research outside of school while still minding the progress that is necessary to complete the app on time. We also decided to focus on the fundraising ideas we talked about previously along with the finalization of the deadline at the next meeting on Wednesday.
I also spent some time reading through some resources on data scraping this week. Data scraping is the topic I chose to research for the app, and I am happy with the progress I have made in the research. It turns out that basic data scraping is not as hard as it sounds. The trouble will arise when I need to deal with the information I need to scrape being on popups. Hopefully, that will not pose too much difficulty in the long run. I also took some time in the beginning of this week to look at how we would scrape data for our unique project. I looked at the source code for the sites that we would be scraping from for the app and Dr. Murray gave me some insight into the easiest ways we could accomplish the process. Additionally, we took a peek at some website design using databases and communicating between coding languages. This will be helpful to understand where the data in source code is coming from and how to access that data.
Tuesday: 12:55-2:30
Wednesday: 12:25-2:30
On Monday, I met with Dr. Murray and we discussed how we would conduct our next meeting and planned for the next few weeks. We are planning on giving the app group a deadline for their research of the second Friday in November. This gives the group plenty of time to research outside of school while still minding the progress that is necessary to complete the app on time. We also decided to focus on the fundraising ideas we talked about previously along with the finalization of the deadline at the next meeting on Wednesday.
I also spent some time reading through some resources on data scraping this week. Data scraping is the topic I chose to research for the app, and I am happy with the progress I have made in the research. It turns out that basic data scraping is not as hard as it sounds. The trouble will arise when I need to deal with the information I need to scrape being on popups. Hopefully, that will not pose too much difficulty in the long run. I also took some time in the beginning of this week to look at how we would scrape data for our unique project. I looked at the source code for the sites that we would be scraping from for the app and Dr. Murray gave me some insight into the easiest ways we could accomplish the process. Additionally, we took a peek at some website design using databases and communicating between coding languages. This will be helpful to understand where the data in source code is coming from and how to access that data.
Monday, October 20, 2014
October 16-17
Thursday: 12:25-2:30
Friday: 12:55-2:30
On Thursday, I went back to follow up with our school librarian about the library blog. We talked about some of her options with themes and widgets that were supported in Wordpress, and played with the different options. We eventually chose a theme and planned out how we could optimize that theme for the usability she wanted out of her blog. I will continue to meet up with her to help her along in the process of switching to a theme that supports the customizations she wants to see in the future of the blog. As of now, I have asked her to do the setup behind the theme-change so that it is seamless when it takes effect.
We also had a smaller meeting of the Byte Club members who had no other clubs to attend on Thursday. Here, we talked about fundraising opportunities and the ways we could better accomplish our project goals. A lot of our fundraising ideas are a bit far-fetched, but others are doable and could be very rewarding. One major idea is to create a Byte Club scholarship program for those majoring in Computer Science. We would ask successful alumni of the computer science program at our high school to donate a bit of money and then would elect the recipient(s) for the scholarship once a year.
This week gave me more of a chance to see the client-based side of computer science. I got to know how to include the client in the decisions being made, while still guiding them towards an effective and well-made solution. It was good for me to be able to get experience in having to explain what had to happen in simpler terms. On top of that, I got a look at the monetary side of projects as well. Our project is sponsored by our school, so we don't have too much of a need for financing, but it was still eye-opening to think about the possibilities we have to make money if we do end up needing it. There are lots of options and our prospects are promising if we can go about our fundraising in a professional manner.
Friday: 12:55-2:30
On Thursday, I went back to follow up with our school librarian about the library blog. We talked about some of her options with themes and widgets that were supported in Wordpress, and played with the different options. We eventually chose a theme and planned out how we could optimize that theme for the usability she wanted out of her blog. I will continue to meet up with her to help her along in the process of switching to a theme that supports the customizations she wants to see in the future of the blog. As of now, I have asked her to do the setup behind the theme-change so that it is seamless when it takes effect.
We also had a smaller meeting of the Byte Club members who had no other clubs to attend on Thursday. Here, we talked about fundraising opportunities and the ways we could better accomplish our project goals. A lot of our fundraising ideas are a bit far-fetched, but others are doable and could be very rewarding. One major idea is to create a Byte Club scholarship program for those majoring in Computer Science. We would ask successful alumni of the computer science program at our high school to donate a bit of money and then would elect the recipient(s) for the scholarship once a year.
This week gave me more of a chance to see the client-based side of computer science. I got to know how to include the client in the decisions being made, while still guiding them towards an effective and well-made solution. It was good for me to be able to get experience in having to explain what had to happen in simpler terms. On top of that, I got a look at the monetary side of projects as well. Our project is sponsored by our school, so we don't have too much of a need for financing, but it was still eye-opening to think about the possibilities we have to make money if we do end up needing it. There are lots of options and our prospects are promising if we can go about our fundraising in a professional manner.
October 14-15
Tuesday: 12:55-2:30
Wednesday: 1:15-2:30
The first half of this week was spent, once again, doing research. Dr. Murray had other obligations during my internship period, so I spent the time working towards starting the app. After our meeting on Friday, the app group was assigned the task of picking the topic they wanted to research. These groups have yet to be finalized, so I am in a bit of a holding pattern. However, I am still trying to find things to learn more about while I have time during my internship to lighten others' loads and get the process moving as quickly as possible. So, I started by looking at some resources on data scraping. This is an essential aspect of our app development process because without the information scraped from our school's various websites, there can be no app. I also spent some time continuing my reading on the future of technology and tech jobs.
Wednesday: 1:15-2:30
The first half of this week was spent, once again, doing research. Dr. Murray had other obligations during my internship period, so I spent the time working towards starting the app. After our meeting on Friday, the app group was assigned the task of picking the topic they wanted to research. These groups have yet to be finalized, so I am in a bit of a holding pattern. However, I am still trying to find things to learn more about while I have time during my internship to lighten others' loads and get the process moving as quickly as possible. So, I started by looking at some resources on data scraping. This is an essential aspect of our app development process because without the information scraped from our school's various websites, there can be no app. I also spent some time continuing my reading on the future of technology and tech jobs.
Monday, October 13, 2014
October 9-10
Thursday: 12:55-2:30
Friday: 12:25-1:47
The end of this week was very exciting and eventful. On Thursday, I had a meeting with Dr. Murray and the school librarian about our school's blog and some upgrades and changes that she would like to make. It only lasted 45 minutes, but it was a good example of an informal tech-based meeting. After this meeting, I got a chance to sit down with the high school Principal to talk about the kinds of things the administration would like to see embodied in the app. Thursday was also the day that I finalized all of the specifics of the meeting. We decided where to meet, and I worked a little on how the meeting would be run, what we wanted to accomplish, and how we would go about getting there. I started an agenda, and our club advisor told some other byte club members about the meeting so that we could get some new, creative input on the design end of the project.
On Friday, I spent all of my time preparing for our meeting. I made a list of all of the things I wanted to cover during the meeting and made sure that everyone knew what was happening. After school on Friday, the officers, three other Byte Club members, our advisor, Dr. Murray, and I all went to a local pizza place for our meeting. It went very smoothly, and I think we are all on the same page now. We set up a schedule for regular meetings and check-ups, we talked about how we would break up into teams, and about which topics were the most important to research and understand completely.
This week gave me a lot of insight into what being an administrator or in a leading position might be like. Holding and participating in multiple meetings and having to prepare for such gatherings was different for me. I also got a taste of what it is like to have to lead in a meeting. It is difficult to keep everyone on task and it is hard to know when to interrupt and when to let conversation die out on its own. Though this is not my forte now, I think after a little more practice, it could become a lot less calculated and easier for me to do. I'm still a little wary of ever striving for a position of power, but I won't take it off my list permanently as of now.
Friday: 12:25-1:47
The end of this week was very exciting and eventful. On Thursday, I had a meeting with Dr. Murray and the school librarian about our school's blog and some upgrades and changes that she would like to make. It only lasted 45 minutes, but it was a good example of an informal tech-based meeting. After this meeting, I got a chance to sit down with the high school Principal to talk about the kinds of things the administration would like to see embodied in the app. Thursday was also the day that I finalized all of the specifics of the meeting. We decided where to meet, and I worked a little on how the meeting would be run, what we wanted to accomplish, and how we would go about getting there. I started an agenda, and our club advisor told some other byte club members about the meeting so that we could get some new, creative input on the design end of the project.
On Friday, I spent all of my time preparing for our meeting. I made a list of all of the things I wanted to cover during the meeting and made sure that everyone knew what was happening. After school on Friday, the officers, three other Byte Club members, our advisor, Dr. Murray, and I all went to a local pizza place for our meeting. It went very smoothly, and I think we are all on the same page now. We set up a schedule for regular meetings and check-ups, we talked about how we would break up into teams, and about which topics were the most important to research and understand completely.
This week gave me a lot of insight into what being an administrator or in a leading position might be like. Holding and participating in multiple meetings and having to prepare for such gatherings was different for me. I also got a taste of what it is like to have to lead in a meeting. It is difficult to keep everyone on task and it is hard to know when to interrupt and when to let conversation die out on its own. Though this is not my forte now, I think after a little more practice, it could become a lot less calculated and easier for me to do. I'm still a little wary of ever striving for a position of power, but I won't take it off my list permanently as of now.
October 6-8
Monday: 12:55-2:30
Tuesday: 12:55-2:30
Wednesday: 12:25-1:47
This week, I spent a lot of time arranging plans for the rest of the officers. There isn't much I feel comfortable doing, past what I have already done, without first consulting with the rest of the group. So, I started to set up communications for us and started to think about when our next meeting should be, and what we should decide at that meeting. I also started to make spaces in which the club members working on the school app can post resources, while still trying to build on my own knowledge of the inner workings of informational app development. I had a few meetings with Dr. Murray, so he was able to help me with my planning and getting a better grasp on how the project would eventually pan out. I began to read up on web app development via Oracle's resources as well. I hope that by understanding as much as possible about what we will need to accomplish, I can give our team a head start on the project.
Tuesday: 12:55-2:30
Wednesday: 12:25-1:47
This week, I spent a lot of time arranging plans for the rest of the officers. There isn't much I feel comfortable doing, past what I have already done, without first consulting with the rest of the group. So, I started to set up communications for us and started to think about when our next meeting should be, and what we should decide at that meeting. I also started to make spaces in which the club members working on the school app can post resources, while still trying to build on my own knowledge of the inner workings of informational app development. I had a few meetings with Dr. Murray, so he was able to help me with my planning and getting a better grasp on how the project would eventually pan out. I began to read up on web app development via Oracle's resources as well. I hope that by understanding as much as possible about what we will need to accomplish, I can give our team a head start on the project.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
October 2-3
Thursday: 12:55-2:30
Friday: 12:55-2:30
To end the week, I am still researching. I feel that I have a better understanding of what I am looking for and planning, but I still do not know enough to feel completely confident in programming it. On Friday, I had a meeting with my mentor and he agreed to help me in the research process, but he also taught me some of what goes on behind the programming. We looked into our school's servers and databases for examples. I'm glad that I got the opportunity to learn this because I feel that understanding the back-story makes it that much easier to understand what I will have to do. If I can better know the processes that go on in these components, it will be easier for me to make my code coexist better with those processes.
At home, I have created an SDD for my fellow club members and have given it to the other officers and my advisor to look over and add to. Hopefully, it can soon be distributed to the club members so that they will be able to begin their projects sooner. I'm excited to see what comes out of the ideas our members have, and am probably more excited than they are for them to get started. I hope that either over the weekend or early into next week I will be able to finish my own research so that I can start my own project.
This week has been a little painstaking, but also very educational. I'm excited to actually get started with my project, but I know that if I were to start right now, I would only make a mess of it and make it harder to complete in the long run. So, for now I am stuck planning and researching. However, it is a good taste of the real world. When I see the accomplishments of others, it's easy to think that they could come up with and complete their endeavors in a week or so, but actually going through the process is a good wake up call. Projects such as these require persistence and a lot of hard work. It will be good to remember this so that I won't be so easily put off if it takes longer to complete a project than the few weeks I unintentionally imagine it will take.
Friday: 12:55-2:30
To end the week, I am still researching. I feel that I have a better understanding of what I am looking for and planning, but I still do not know enough to feel completely confident in programming it. On Friday, I had a meeting with my mentor and he agreed to help me in the research process, but he also taught me some of what goes on behind the programming. We looked into our school's servers and databases for examples. I'm glad that I got the opportunity to learn this because I feel that understanding the back-story makes it that much easier to understand what I will have to do. If I can better know the processes that go on in these components, it will be easier for me to make my code coexist better with those processes.
At home, I have created an SDD for my fellow club members and have given it to the other officers and my advisor to look over and add to. Hopefully, it can soon be distributed to the club members so that they will be able to begin their projects sooner. I'm excited to see what comes out of the ideas our members have, and am probably more excited than they are for them to get started. I hope that either over the weekend or early into next week I will be able to finish my own research so that I can start my own project.
This week has been a little painstaking, but also very educational. I'm excited to actually get started with my project, but I know that if I were to start right now, I would only make a mess of it and make it harder to complete in the long run. So, for now I am stuck planning and researching. However, it is a good taste of the real world. When I see the accomplishments of others, it's easy to think that they could come up with and complete their endeavors in a week or so, but actually going through the process is a good wake up call. Projects such as these require persistence and a lot of hard work. It will be good to remember this so that I won't be so easily put off if it takes longer to complete a project than the few weeks I unintentionally imagine it will take.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
September 29-October 1
Monday: 12:55-2:30
Tuesday: 12:55-2:00
Wednesday: 12:25-2:30
I spent the beginning of this week doing a lot of research and planning. The officers of Byte Club will be creating an app for our high school, but we have to decide what we want in it and how we will do it before we start coding. So, I began working on a Software Design Document for the app to get a basis of what will be necessary to learn before we start coding, and what we want the app to look like and do. I based my SDD off of a Concordia template. Once I began planning, though, I started to realize just how much the I, and most likely the other officers, had to learn before we even thought about coding. So, I started some research. We are planning on using Google Cloud Endpoints to facilitate our app, and Google App Engine to make the transition across platforms easier. I have to start by understanding how to use each of these tools. Along with this comes a little bit of Java Web Application programming and data storage. This is where I began my research. So, the first few days of the week, I surfed the web for good tutorials, definitions, and code snippets to help me understand how to code the project we will be embarking on.
Additionally, on Wednesday, we had our second Byte Club meeting. This month, our goal was to split our members into groups and have them start to brainstorm and plan the projects they wanted to create. We had a very successful meeting--every group had an idea of what they wanted to do before the end of the meeting. Now, I have to start making a simpler version of the SDD I began to use for the rest of our club members to take advantage of in their programming process. Since some of our club members have less experience with programming than others, it is essential that we have groups make a document that makes sense for all of the members. So, simplification is paramount.
Tuesday: 12:55-2:00
Wednesday: 12:25-2:30
I spent the beginning of this week doing a lot of research and planning. The officers of Byte Club will be creating an app for our high school, but we have to decide what we want in it and how we will do it before we start coding. So, I began working on a Software Design Document for the app to get a basis of what will be necessary to learn before we start coding, and what we want the app to look like and do. I based my SDD off of a Concordia template. Once I began planning, though, I started to realize just how much the I, and most likely the other officers, had to learn before we even thought about coding. So, I started some research. We are planning on using Google Cloud Endpoints to facilitate our app, and Google App Engine to make the transition across platforms easier. I have to start by understanding how to use each of these tools. Along with this comes a little bit of Java Web Application programming and data storage. This is where I began my research. So, the first few days of the week, I surfed the web for good tutorials, definitions, and code snippets to help me understand how to code the project we will be embarking on.
Additionally, on Wednesday, we had our second Byte Club meeting. This month, our goal was to split our members into groups and have them start to brainstorm and plan the projects they wanted to create. We had a very successful meeting--every group had an idea of what they wanted to do before the end of the meeting. Now, I have to start making a simpler version of the SDD I began to use for the rest of our club members to take advantage of in their programming process. Since some of our club members have less experience with programming than others, it is essential that we have groups make a document that makes sense for all of the members. So, simplification is paramount.
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