My Discipline

Ever since sophomore year of high school computer science has been of interest to me. That was the year I started to take coding classes, after creating things out of lines of code I was fascinated. I was also fascinated because it is a highly-demanded lucrative skill to have.

Matylda, Spring 2012 Student Hackathon Coding March 24th, 2012 via Flickr

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1. What do students in your program learn how to do?

The program I plan to major in is computer science. The answer to this question is such a large answer. Basically, a computer science degree isn't necessarily just coding. It could be creating a web page, sifting through data, creating apps, and of course; writing the code to create any of these things. With this major, it could also mean knowing the hardware of the computer and knowing how all of it works together. Am example is this website Blogger, a whole team of people put this website together. Some people created it, some decided what it should include, some people worked on the visual design of it, and some people worked on making it user-friendly. A computer science student can direct their course of study to make it so they can learn any of those things listed in creating this website. 

2. What do people who get degrees in this field usually go on to do for work?

In this field, the job possibilities are so large. One person may become an independent app designer and make tons of money off of a game like Angry Birds. Another person could become a data analyzer. They would take a company's large amount of data and find the trends and convey them to the company. This is common when companies are looking for trends in sales so they can capitalize on them in order to make more sales. Another common job is a webpage developer. A person codes the necessary script for a website to be made. 

3. What drew you to this field?
When i first started coding I was amazed how simple numbers and words strung together could create a visual moving thing. The project I created that sticks out most to me was a moving robot GIF that I created. Actually seeing my code in action amazed me, What draws me to the field is how I can create a visual moving object, or anything visually appealing out of lines of code. I enjoy creating visuals, for that reason I might pursue graphic design or web development. 

4. Who are the leaders/most exciting people involved in your field right now? Why? These could be individual people or specific companies, organizations, businesses or non-profits.
The leader in this field right now are Microsoft and Apple and their creators. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were trailblazers in the field of computers. They took the next steps in making computers more user friendly. Their companies are still they main companies in regard to computers. Windows(PC) and Apple(Macs) are the two powerhouses and types of computers people use. Both companies have expanded from just computers and created tablets, smart phones, and many more technology based items. 

5. What are the leading academic/scholarly journals in your field? Where are they published? Give us the names and locations of at least 3. 

One leading journal in computer science is Distributed and Parallel Databases. The two main editors are Amit P. Sheth of Wright State University which is in the United States and Divyakant Agrawal of University of California at Santa Barbara. 

Another leading academic journal is the website Computer Science News. As one would expect it's giving the public information on the newest technology breakthroughs. It posts links to different articles that have the newest and most up to date news on computer science. It is updated daily and it is ran by the website, Science Daily.

The Scientific World Journal is also a very informative peer-reviewed, open accessed journal. Although it covers many aspects of science, it does devote attention to computer science. It updates them on the latest news in the field of computer science. Hindawi Publishing Corporation created the website. The corporation is based in Egypt. \

Reflection: After reading other blogs, I realized that kids our age are one day going to be making a huge difference in the world. We are all studying similar and different things and will one day be practicing what we have studied here in our time at school. I also recognized that everyone has such different classes depending on their major. Some people have math and science heavy classes, others have arts and history classes. One thing is that everyone is passionate about their major, they are excited to pursue it and hopefully find a job in it one day. From reading other blogs I still see myself having a job in the computer science field. After reading their blogs it has made me understand how I am also as passionate as they are, it also made me understand that it is going to be challenging at times but t push through because it is my passion. 
Grace's blog
Jovanka's blog

My Thoughts on Comments

Bunny's Credible Comment

Should Marijuana Be A Medical Option?

Bunny has a clear, educated comment on the topic of whether marijuana should be a medical option. He seems to be expressing a wish of marijuana being legal so it would be more accessible for him to get. He states that it helps him greatly and would reduce criminal activity. The belief that Bunny holds is that marijuana should be legalized. This is clear through his comment. He is stating reasons why it should be legal and relating it to his personal life, explaining how he could use it for medication. Bunny's comment came across as a credible for two reasons, he related it to his personal life, and because he gave valid reasons for it to be legal. Bunny stated how he is very ill and how marijuana would be better for him than all of the other medications he is on. As for reasons given it should be legal, he states how by legalizing it would take the power away from the criminals. He also stated how it's a natural plant and doesn't contain as many chemicals as other legal drugs. 

Pot Smoker's not so credible comment

Should Marijuana Be A Medical Option?

Pot Smoker seems to be afraid of getting arrested. It may be because he illegally deals marijuana or he smokes a lot of marijuana and gets caught offend. I believe that the belief that Pot Smoker holds is that marijuana is a recreational drug, I'm going to make the assumption that Pot Smoker smokes marijuana because Pot Smoker likes the way it makes them feel. This comment is not very credible, this is very evident. The name of the person who left the comment is Pot Smoker, which says a lot about how they feel about the topic. Another reason it isn't credible is because the person who left the comment is making their decision solely on the fact that they don't want to get arrested for possessing it. It has nothing to do with curing their medical problems. 

Austin's Credible Comment

Should Marijuana Be A Medical Option?

Austin seems to be afraid of everyone getting high. He fears that the accessibility to marijuana or a medical marijuana card will lead to people who don't need medical marijuana an easier way to get high. He is scared that everyone will get a card and be "medicated" all the time, "ripping the country apart". I think the values that Austin holds is that of a law-abiding citizen. He fears a country full of high citizens. His belief is that it should be a closely monitored drug/medicine. I felt as if Austin left a credible comment because he has valid points. He is fearful of marijuana being too easily accessible. This concern is true, from my research I've found it is rather easy to obtain a medical card. Austin has a valid reason to be concerned, he has thought out the cons of marijuana being legalized and has concluded that it could lead to issues for the United States.

DJ E-SLICK's Not So Credible Comment

Should Marijuana Be A Medical Option?

I'm not too sure what DJ E-SLICK is afraid of or wishing for. I would say that he wishes for marijuana to be legal. I'd say that he believes this because he is advocating for the legalization of marijuana. The belief of DJ E-SLICK is that marijuana should be legalized. This assumption is made because he is saying that either food is addictive or marijuana is not addictive, which still doesn't make too much since to me because food is a necessity to live and marijuana isn't. Regardless, DJ    E-SLICK is advocating for marijuana to be legalized. This is not a credible comment because DJ    E-Slick is attempting to compare the necessity of food to how marijuana is possibly addictive. The two can't possibly be compared because they are so different, this makes the comment irrelevant and not credible. 

Reflection:

After reading my fellow classmate's posts on comments I have realized that there is a clear distinction between the good and bad comments in the comments section of an article. The good comments do not pour an unnecessary amount of emotion into their comment. Instead, they make logical, arguable claims and back them up with evidence. In a bad post, the comments consist of  angry, rude posts. They usually are a personal attack on the people they disagree with or whoever wrote the article. They also usually do not have evidence to back up their claims and it is evident that they either have not researched or are simply uneducated on the topic that the article is covering. 

Chris's blog

Michaela's blog

My Controversy

              

 https://www.atrainceu.com/course-module/1864122-105_marijuana-for-medical-use-module-01

     The controversy of Marijuana has been well discussed for an extensive period of time now. This article focuses on whether Marijuana is capable of being used for medical purposes. It addresses the claims that Marijuana might be an addictive drug, or that it is a gate way drug. It explains Marijuana's current status in the United States and the role Marijuana has played in other cultures and times throughout history. 

     I found this article interesting, it was most definitely written by someone who is a supporter of medical marijuana. This is evident because the article is written in a manner that the author is proving all the claims of how marijuana is bad as wrong. The author starts with a claim, say "Marijuana is a gate way drug" and then would go on to say the statement is incorrect and explain how. 

     This article is of interest to me because the way marijuana is perceived in the United States and all around the world seems to be changing. It is widely accepted as a form of medicating. It is now even becoming excepted as a legal, recreational drug. This is seen in Washington and Colorado. To learn more about Marijuana and it's medical benefits visit Cannabis: A World of Controversy. 

Calendar Reflection

Welp, I understand why people say "College is soooo stressful". I can definitely see where they are coming from after making this calendar. I know I'll manage everything(because I kinda sorta have to) but it will be very difficult. I think I might have to cut out more social activities than I thought. I had planned on hanging out with friends often AND going to the Rec center. I think I will have to end up picking between those some days. I also think I will multi task and eat lunch WHILE(I know, it's insane) I do my homework and finish my homework in the afternoon so I can do what I want to do at night. It will be a challenge but I know i'll be able to juggling everything.

Reflection:
After reading my peers blogs I don't feel so lonely about my situation anymore. I think most students face the same dilemma about juggling school with fitness, health, social life, jobs, and clubs. I think it's also important for all students to understand why they are paying so much to come to school, it's to graduate. It's important to not lose focus of the main goal, and that goal is to finish school. There will be time for all the other things you want to do, all students just have to make sure school is the number one priority. Through this assignment it also helped me realize that a lot of the homework is very independent and all the responsibility falls on the student to make sure the work gets done.
Lia's blog
Grace's blog

My Writing Process

1. What type(s) of writer do you consider yourself to be?
           I like to consider myself a Heavy Planner. I typically put a lot of thought in to my paper before I even write it. I envision what I would like my piece of writing to look like when it is complete, I create an end goal for the paper. From that I attempt to create a paper that matches the end goal as closely as I can make it. I typically just think about the prompt, topic, or whatever the paper may be on. I ponder it for 15 minutes or so and make an attack plan and approach the paper with a well thought out plan. With that being said, I still will usually revise the paper to fix the minor errors. I finesse the paper and make it the best piece of writing I can create. 

2. Does your writing process include several of the approaches? If so, which ones?
           I think that I combine Heavy Planner with a little dash of Heavy(or maybe not so heavy) Reviser. I will typically create a plan for a piece of writing and attack following the plan accordingly. I then revise, fixing the mishaps that are in the paper. For large pieces of writing I become a sequential composer, I break the paper up and write and revise in blocks, paragraph by paragraph. I will not EVER be a procrastinator as I view that as unnecessary agonizing pain while it is simultaneous sinning.  

3. Does your writing process seem to be successful? What are some of the weaknesses and strengths?          
            My writing process is effective. By not procrastinating and planning efficiently, my plan is typically successful. Where I lack strength in my writing is in my grammar and vocabulary. I typically try to spice it up and add fancy words and elaborate sentences but I can't always effectively do that. I've never considered my writing pieces strong but I've always considered my approach strong. 

4. Do you think it might be beneficial to try another approach? Why or why not?  
           It may be beneficial for me to pair Heavy Planner with Heavy Reviser more than I do. In this stage I can enhance my writing by adding better vocabulary and stronger sentences and phrases. By doing both together they can enhance my writing to a level it has not been at before.

Celestine Chua "Strategy". September 9th, 2013 via Flickr

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Reflection: 

           After viewing other people's blogs I realize that my approach is fairly common among my fellow peers. I the approach of planning out the paper very well is common because it is an efficient timely strategy. I also feel as if the revising stage is very tedious so students try to avoid this as much as possible by planning out their strategy so their paper is very solid after their rough draft. I think my peers and myself should utilize the revising stage more, it would benefit our papers greatly. Pairing a heavy planning stage with a detailed revision stage would lead to a very solid paper. Through reading the other blogs, I see that other students feel the same about me with their writing skills. They don't feel that their writing skills are as strong and I definitely don't feel confident with my writing skills and would like to strengthen them over the next semester. 

Olivia's blog

Austin's blog