Trimester in Review

This trimester was about more than learning how to code, or how javascript worked. My biggest takeaway from this trimester is learning to think like a coder, whether that means taking small steps instead of big steps, failing fast, or just trying to understand where my syntax error is in a GIANT code file.

Overall, CSSE 1 has taught me some skill I will carry on throughout my life, and has also taught me how to code (Something I had 0 experience with before).

I have learned to work with an operating system and effectively use developer tools
I have learned how to balance roles as a scrum master, learner, and support member in both my group and the classroom
I have learned to be patient, and rather than finishing the whole task in one job, to take it step by step
I have learned how to effectivley plan for projects (and how I shouldn’t plan) that require time, multiple teams working together, and lots of trial and error

I’ll get into more detail about my journey and accomplishments below.

Serving a team

Throughout this trimester, I held several roles in the classroom, being a student, a teacher, and a scrum master. Outside of this class I have had experience in each of these roles, though few opportunities were as in depth and continuous as CSSE was.

As a Teacher

I learned how better present content to individuals who have no experience, as well as how to simplify advanced content to be taught easily and understandably
I learned how to create interactive homeworks to check understanding and ensure students understand material
I learned how to interact with students and help ensure they understand content, even when some may not openly ask questions

As a Student

I learned more about how to effectivley communicate with a teacher
I learned more about understanding a teacher’s goals in teaching us and how to help them achieve that goal while achieving my own

As a Scrum Master

I have had lots of experience in roles like these, but to be honest, this was unique and challenging in several ways I didn’t anticipate
I was the scrum master in each group I was a member of, since the start of class. However, during the class game project I took a step back from the role and Flora served more as scrum master, and I was more of a scrummer and the scrum master for the spriting team
I learned how to help everyone in a team through challenges, where everyone experienced very different challenges and had different levels of content knowledge/understanding.
I also learned how to better coordinate teams with different levels of motivation and reasons for being here effectivley so each member could achieve their goals

Achievements in these roles

In all of these roles, I think my biggest achievement is how I helped work with the class, interacted with new people and got to know everyone somewhat well
We also all worked together to make fun hacks and a (somewhat) functional class game

Learning to code

I’ve learned lots about coding this trimester, and to be honest, I feel like its already paid off in several ways

Learning setup

Learning our tools setup was probably the hardest part of the class because there was always something completley new to learn.

I learned how to create and manage repos, use github and VS Code effectivley
I’ve already put this into action as I used the OpenCS student as a template to make a website I’m using in DECA

Learning JS, Teaching lessons

In our unit learning about JS coding, it definitley felt like a rollercoaster. Developing a lesson with my new teammates was definitley fun though.

I helped create a lesson on iterations that was effective and taught the class
I learned a lot about JS and parts of it, from JSON to mathematical expressions
I overall understood code a lot better, which better set me up for our class game development unit

Making a class game

In this unit, I primarily helped the class by answering table questions and coordinating check-ins, while also leading the spriting group. It ended up being pretty fun

I designed the main character for the game as well as the intended background for each level
I also learned about how to help groups working on very different things with different goals do their best while also trying to ensure my group succeeds
I also learned how to manage compromising on our game, as we couldn’t achieve our original vision, but along the way we modified it, adding and removing parts (more removing than adding), to reach our end product