Reflection #2

AP Comp Sci has probably been my most challenging class this semester. The hardest thing about understanding computers for me is the importance of mastering the entirely different language that they use. Hopefully at some point I will be able to understand the language well enough to be able to actually use the tools and perform tasks to where I know what I'm doing. One thing that really helps me in this class is the 6 weeks deadline. It is important for me to be able to spend as much time as I need on the labs and worksheets so that I fully understand them. Something that I might try this six weeks is making a glossary of terms that I may reference so that I can remember what everything means more easily and refer to it while doing labs.

Reflection

I came into this class knowing nothing about computer science, or computers in general really. I'm definitely still learning, but at this point I can say that at least I am familiar with the basics of how to set up a program. Learning Java is like learning a language, and the hardest part for me is the syntax. I think once I get the basic structure of each line and command down, then I will be able to fit certain commands into the structure that will make the program work. I have to master the syntax before the diction. I appreciate the number of worksheets and labs that we get, because the best way to learn for me is to practice. The power points are informative and pretty clear; the only recommendation I would have that would promote more immediate understanding would be to define terms a little more before they are used. Maybe reinforcing what a term means each time it is used in an example would make it easier for me to recognize them later and not have to refer back to the power points. Hopefully by the end of the six weeks, I will feel more comfortable with the language of Java, and be able to move on to more complex programming.

Response to TED Talks

The first TED talk about the system called “Sea Dragon” (I think) and the second about the physical side of the Internet were related in that they both delved into the Internet’s relationship with the real, physical world. Most of the time, one hears about “virtual realities” on the Internet, such as “Sea Dragon” – virtual worlds that mimic the one in which we live. Those are always interesting as well as unsettling, because they suggest that we can create entire worlds with a couple of clicks. This kind of awe-inspiring technology is nothing new to me, though it does impress. On the other hand, the second talk touched on something that I hadn’t heard before – the concrete aspect of the internet that makes it seem almost fragile. Because we can literally snap a cord and render our virtual world incapacitated, it becomes less of an amorphous all-powerful being. Its physical constraints remind us that we created the Internet, for better or worse. We have the capacity to destroy it as well. I think that is an important thought to keep in mind in this day and age, where the Internet pervades our daily lives. We need to understand that we can turn it off if we want to – a difficult message to remember when we connect ourselves to it so much.

However, if I were to take a more fatalistic approach, it would seem that the physical side that the second speaker pointed out is interesting, but irrelevant. Unless we choose to stop using the Internet all together, the mere physical vulnerability of cords and amplifiers does little on its own to incapacitate the Internet. Yes, we can snap the cords - but that decision is made entirely by our human brains and as long as we continue to want to use the Internet, the physical presence in which it is contained matters little.