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INT 100: My first IT class at Ashford University


My first IT class at Ashford University is INT 100: Fundamentals of Information Technology & Literacy.  One of my first assignments was to get familiar with a programming language called Scratch.  Scratch is a block type programming language that is object-based and was created by the beautiful minds over at MIT.  I initially thought that my experience with Scratch was my first time with a block type programming language, but after some thought, I realized that I have tried teaching my toddler niece how to use a something like Scratch.  The language that I tried teaching her was in the form of one of her toys that has multiple cars that attach to each other.  Each car had a different function such as move forward, turn right, turn left, play a sound, etc.  

The first task that was presented to the class was to use Scratch to assemble a short program of our own that included adding motion, looks, sound, control options, and any other of the wide array of things you can accomplish with Scratch.  When I first created my account, I made sure to watch some of the different tutorials on how to program various functions in my program.  Once I thought I had a basic idea, I felt the need to start my program.  I learn the most when I get to use and manipulate what I am also learning.  I began assembling different blocks that would control different parts of my program.  Because I was assembling my program with object-based blocks, it started to feel like a puzzle game that I was figuring out.  I am a gamer by nature, and so my initial idea was to create a simple game.  After some playing around with the interface, I went and looked at other tutorials so that I could add more flare to my program.  During one of the videos that I watched, I decided to instead make an interactive type story based on one of the most absurd YouTube videos I had recently watched.  So then I started going to town on my program.  I changed the look of some of the sprites that I added.  I tried to figure out some of the more advanced methods to get the sprites to interact with each other.  I experimented with different approaches to letting the user interact with the story.  Then I started to encounter resistance.  As with any program or script, you want to test sections as you complete them.  Testing the different sections of my story proved to be more difficult than I had hoped.  I had to start my program from the beginning, each time that I wanted to test a new section of code.  The main issue that I had was that when a sprite had disappeared from the screen, I had to restart the program from the beginning instead of being able to back everything up a step or four.  Once I completed my story, I reflected on the experience that I had during my first experience with Scratch.  I realized how this type of programming language is an excellent resource to use when getting people to start learning how to program.  It makes ‘If…, Then…, Else…’ statements make more sense because you can see how they are structured using graphical objects.  Scratch allows you to view and organize the different elements or modules of a program.  It even uses some of the common language that is used among text-based programming languages.

While Scratch is an object-based block programming language, most other programming languages are English word based.  An example of the more advanced English word-based language is Python.  Python can be used to create a variety of different programs and applications.  I, personally, prefer programming languages like Python.  These word-based languages allow greater control over what you want your program to do.  You can create simple programs that do simple tasks such as basic arithmetic and the output results, or you can make far more complex applications that have a graphical interface.  Once you learn the syntax and command structure of a programming language, your projects will only be limited by your imagination.  There are lots of other programming languages available to use.  What a person uses to create their programs, is usually a personal preference, though some languages are better for specific tasks than others.  Java is a widely used language and is often taught during the intro to computer science courses.  Java can be used to create beautiful games and is often used for creating apps that are embedded on web pages. Fortran was one of the first programming languages and was a required class during my freshman year of college.  We were being taught Fortran because of its efficiency in aiding the solution of complex engineering problems.  Microsoft Visual Basic was the very first programming language that I ever had any experience with.  I used it to create programs that would interact with different features and functions within AOL during the 90s.  Each has their own structure and syntax, and yet they all share the same concepts that were taught and reinforced during my experience with Scratch.

Of the programming languages presented to my class during the course, Python is my favorite.  I learned that languages such as Python would allow me to create programs that can automate different tasks within my desktop or systems administration positions and will help speed up the completion of essential tasks.  I usually look at Python as one of the more “modern” languages because I see it mentioned more than most other languages.

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