Time to Tell the World What I Learnt

Schematic of the Traffic Light

     So far I am through almost an entire semester of Computer Applications. I had learnt a lot and had done a quite a few projects. I had been making small project for myself. Now its time to share my new knowledge with everybody.
     My most recent project so far was the traffic light. It took me some time to figure out how it works. I had to connect 3 different LEDs and control them. I had to make an actual schematic that would show how everything is connected, which wasn't easy at first but I got how to draw it.

Fritzing of the Traffic Light

     After I finished making the schematic and found the code, I wired all of it and it was working almost like I wanted. For some reason it was inverting the light turn on sequence. I had to go through the code multiple times to see the problem. Soon I finally saw that code's creator wanted me to think and test my actual knowledge of coding. I had to flip the entire code to fix the issue. It was quite irritating but it did make me learn.
     My goals for the near future are to be able to share what I learnt and pull people into this. I want to make people want to try Arduinos and maybe follow my path. For my future I still want to use all the skills I had learnt but not necessarily in the army but also in a university/college that I might want to apply.

I Need Better Targets

Soldering Iron

     By now I had been working with arduinos for more than a month. I have been learning to do various things but I didn't have a real project in mind. I had made chains of LED lights and used a stepper motor. Now come real challenges of not just a simple code but something more complicated.
     I had been working on various projects. First it was using a push button. That led me to learning something outside of coding and connecting wires. It was challenging because it required physical skills. I had learn how to solder wires to buttons, because buttons were adapted for arduino wiring.

Complete Spaceship Interface

     Later, when I finished the pushbuttons and learned how to use them, I started working on mini project. My first mini project is Spaceship Interface.
     It had trouble working with the code. At the beginning the LEDs weren't working right. They lights were flipped. I had to work with the code for some time to figure out what the problem was. I found out that I just needed to flip some parts of the code.
     My goals now changed quite a bit. My short term goals are to work on different small projects from arduino.cc. Later I might try a bigger than a small project. My goals for the future about army still stayed the same. I will need different types of hardware programming for my possible short or long career there.

Its Not as Easy as It Looks

     After I finished my website I started to learn how to work on an arduino. By now I have working on arduinos for some time. I had learned a lot, from both success and failure. It is really not as easy as it looks. Just to make an LED go out by holding a button isn't that easy. 
     Even though it looks like it is fast to learn, you have to take your time and not rush. If you rush you will put yourself into an embarassing spot even towards yourself.
     Running into problems is a big part of learning. I had to run into many of them to learn. One of those problems was an LED never turning off. I had checked my code many times and it didn't help, because I rushed and never realized how important are resistant are.

Some of the code I used in the pushbutton code

     I had to try different ways to work with the arduino. Pushbuttons for example. I had to experiment if it would work and how it is suppose to work. It took 2 classes to realize exactly how it is meant to work and now I will have to learn soldering if I want it to be better of usage.
     Now I started realizing that I never had a determined goal about this project. I am still trying to get some ideas for the near future. I want to try to make a counter up to 1million, or something similar. While my plans for further future haven't changed and my wish of using my knowledge in the army stays the same.

Moving on to Something New

My first project in Computer Applications was to make a Hockey Marathon Website. It took me almost 2 months but now it is finally complete. I had finished the Hockey Marathon Website,

A typical arduino

and I am receiving a lot of good comments from all sorts of people about it. It seems like many people were surprised by the fact that I made it. Now that the website is complete, I am going to start working on something new.
I always wondered how machines worked, how they launched different processes and so, the  new thing that I had started working on are arduinos. I want to learn how to the hardware works and all of the possible things that will assist me in the future. In the army I don't want to actually fight but stay behind the front lines.
I use a special software to send codes to the arduino. With this software I am able to mess around with it and try out new things. I also use breadboards, where I connect all of the LEDs and wires.

LED lights chain

So far I face multiple problems, mostly with wiring. I had to rebuild my circuits multiple times. Sometimes because the were series circuits, and sometimes the were just not working. Another type of problems that I had faced were errors in the code. I could have asked the software to find it for me, but I never do because I want to find them myself and learn from them. I had two projects so far. Both were making chains of LED lights, but in two different ways. First one turned out as a series circuit and the second one as a success.

A breadboard

My goals, for now, are to master the arduino and be able to progress to something more complicated, something that will keep on challenging me and will open up a path in my future. I used a special software. With this software I am able to mess around with an arduino and try out new things.

Arduino code writing software

First Official Website Complete!

Today on 6th of october 2017 my project had been completed up to that day. The website I had been working on had finally been complete. It has complete information and now is available to public after approval of Doron and Mr. Inskeep. It took me more than a month to obtain all of the information, learn the google sites and combine both of those into one whole. I had multiple trial and errors, which taught me somethings. I couldn’t paste videos of Hockey Marathon that weren’t published which led to lack of material, until I decide that there is no need in information from the last marathons like from the future one. At some points in time I just stopped at a certain point and couldn’t make anything up so I asked for help. Even though I worked alone on the website, without a partner. I received needed help from multiple people. Those people were, Doron, Mr. Inskeep and other people in the tech office who helped me by providing me with information. If not them this website would never be a thing. After this project I hoped for something to happen, like Mr. Shappell told me, I will leave legacy to future AP Computer Apps classes that will motivate them to try to make something bigger than learning a script or project that will not be seen by many. Even though it is stressful and is different than other options, it is worth to try something new and see the diversity of life. If somebody else in the future is doing what I did, all that I can recommend to you is to try and not be afraid to do so. Even though my project is done up today, it still isn’t finished and there are more thing to be put up on there. I need to keep on working even when I think I am done because I need to improve what I already made, for example after the website getting published I still edited some big parts and experimented with what it could look like. My goal is still incomplete and I need to continue to progress.

First Real Site Design

Good day my name is Max. I am originally from Russia. I am a 9th grader student in Mr. Shappell's Computer Applications class. I came to AIS in 7th grade it was my first and I instantly took coding, because I felt like I needed it. I studied blender in Russia but nothing really until now. Here though I started studying Scratch and HTML.
I prefer to use either Mac or PC, thought Macs are more secure they are usually nearly not as powerful as PCs. Plus they are limited on apps. I use an Iphone 6 and 2 other gaming systems. to be specific PS4 Pro and New Nintendo 3DS XL.
On a typical day a barely use my computer. Just to check homework. Nothing else really, but on weekends I use my PC for about 2-2:30 hours per day.
3 apps that I use usually are YouTube, Steam and various video games. I use them to spend time with pleasure and joy.
 Even I got cut out of the internet for 24 hours I wouldn't miss a lot. I don't use internet more than about 1 hour per day.
 As an Information Technological User I would rate myself as; I use IT when I need to use it. I see myself as competent and confident in the areas that I need. I have no real interest in spending time with IT unless it serves my needs. I use it to look up what I need and not random trash in the internet. Honestly I am not sure if I want to get a google educators certificate.
 I see myself as a creative person, because I am an artist, street artist if to be more specific. I haven't taken any this year but maybe next quarter 3D design. I already have some experience with old blender. It was a course in Russia.
 I already learned HTML and some CSS in middle school, most of what I forgot. And am not sure if I will need those qualities this year. While I also have really good experience with Microsoft apps like Word, Power Point and others. I made document and presentations in middle school and at home.
As I already said I previously learned Scratch. I discovered different things myself until I was successful. This way of learning came to me naturally. I don't mind learning on my own, I can usually find the resources needed and I normally know when I am successful or not.

 Right now my project is the Hockey Marathon Website. It is currently WIP but I am so probably can't be viewed normally so I have a screenshot. I need to learn how to use google sites in order to have it as a successful project. If I will not be successful our school will have no website for the hockey marathon which will be my fault. 
 I will need research quite a lot about google sites and maybe some more HTML and CSS so that the website would look good. This process will take time and patience in order to be successful. If the marathon website will be successful I would love to try myself at more school websites if there will be need in help to design them.

Coding Reflection

Coding Reflections End of Quarter

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In the space provided below, please think about your learning in our coding class. You will then write an end of course reflection on your blog.

What are you most proud of?

How much I learned about html and css.

What was challenging?

Doing kahn projects with all of the small details that i had learned in a section

If you could do this again, what would you do differently?

I would, because I would know much more about what is hard and will need more learning than other parts

Interview

Blog Post #2
You	Fishing. First you throw a hook and its speed increases. After reaching certain height its starts to fall and its speed decrease until it falls in the water. In the water it stays at constant speed sinking until it starts hanging in water at the same place. After it doesn’t move until a fish bites(or the fisherman gets bored).
Interviewee 1	Skydiving: When dropping: speed is increasing Opening parachute: speed is decrease Going down slowly at constant speed.
Interviewee2	Car first speeds up than parachute slows the car down and it starts going at constant speed until the driver hits the breaks
You again	Skydiving, Fishing because their explanations sound more logician than others

Coding update report 2

Currently i am studying CSS and HTML computer languages
I am still planing on finishing khan academy CSS and HTML.