Sunday December 9, 2012

We didn't really do anything this week other than take a quiz, get a couple of labs and finish old ones. Everything was also due on Friday, but I turned that all in long ago, as in, before Thanksgiving. I've been pretty unproductive in class, but there is still some stuff that I need to get done eventually. For example, that playlist lab is really freaking hard. I think we are done or pretty close to done though. We got our output to match the one that he gave us in the lab, but there were extra lines for the Test 2 stuff and I am not really sure  why they are there. When I asked Stephens about it, he said that his lab was right. I think it is wrong.
Finals week is coming up, but I am not really quite sure what that entails for this class. Maybe it will just be free responses because that is what Stephens said we are going to be working on next week in prep. Finals in general is kinda bringing me down. Plus, teachers are genius' and schedule their six weeks exams this week, and finals next. Yay. Two weeks of straight exams. I Love LASA. Most of the time.
Beck Out...

Sunday December 2, 2012

So what happened this week...uhhh. I honestly don't know, cause all I could think about was REGION "FREAKING" BAND. First round was on Thursday. I advanced with flying colors, but not without a price. My work production this week dropped dramatically, probably having something do with the fact that I practiced about 3 hours every night this week, plus before school, plus occasionally during lunch. I also didn't study for my APCS quiz. It was hard. I got an 80, and now I can only correct it up to a 90. Damn. And all because I was too lazy to read the questions.
Starting to fall behind on labs, just cause I don't really want to do them. Also, I have neglected to do the worksheets. I'll just do them on the bus the day they are due. I really dont understand why I give so little effort in what is probably my favorite class.
We also got some superdy duper UT intern student who is gonna come work work with out class. Yay (sarcasm). Nah, I don't dislike the guy. He seems pretty cool actually, but it will always be Viggie Pop's and my mission to make him feel uncomfortable (dont really now why or how though). I guess it is because our purpose in life is to make everybody smile, and I must say, we are pretty good at that.
Beck Out...

Sunday November 18, 2012

Don't really even know what happened this week. All I was able to think about was the fact that Turkey Day is coming up. In addition to Turkey Day, field day is also fast approaching. Time to break out the cleats and the cape. Get the polish out, clean the cleats and prepare to beat down on some NARPs. I know we are gonna win this year. I'm taking this seriously. WE WILL DOMINATE.
Oh ya, we had a lab before we went on break. It was pretty hard (I think it was the crossword one). Vignesh and I were the only ones to finish it in the entire class because we are just the best programmers ever. I think Nate finished it at home over the weekend though, but since that is cheating, we are still the best.
Vignesh also thinks that he wrote the majority of the search and find program, unfortunately, he is incorrect. I wrote all the difficult stuff and made it work.
Beck Out...

Sunday November 11, 2012

Another boring week of APCS. Took a couple of quizzes, made a couple of 100s, and celebrated my extremely good grade on the six weeks test (99%). All of my hard work has built up to this point, and I am super proud of myself. On the first six weeks exam, I made an 80. I attribute this lack of success to the fact that I missed the first few classes, but now that I actually pay attention in class, I am a freaking boss. Partner programming with Viggy Pop is also a ton of fun. This week we realized that if we actually pay attention in class and read the labs, everything becomes a lot easier. I don't really see how this benefits us though. The fact of the matter is, I believe we learned a lot more when we were doing it without the labs. It allowed us to be more intuitive, forcing us to come up with our own ideas. This stimulated creativity and forced us to learn the material. Because of this, I believe that next year you should just give the APCS kids the challenge with no guidance. Now wouldn't that be fun. It would be a lot easier for you as well. You wouldn't even have to teach. Just sit back and watch them struggle for success.
Beck Out...

Sunday November 4, 2012

This week was pretty good as I am making hundreds on all of my APCS quizzes. I am doing well in my other classes too (excluding World History), meaning my general disposition is cheerier than usual. This is offset though as my circadian rhythms seem to be at a low right now, as I have been very tired and very depressed the last couple of days.
I am doing well with the labs as well, and having Vignesh as a coding partner is pretty great. I was reading through a couple of his blog posts the other day, and I read that he thinks he is my savior. That is interesting. He is not my savior. I am his. Before he met me he was not a man. I have turned him into a fine gentlemen with my powerful influence.
The six weeks exam is looming and honestly I am quite worried. Last six-weeks I did very well in the majority of the class, maintaining close to a 100 average, but when the exam came around, I missed a important property and my grade dropped to a 90. Rats. I will do better on this next one though.
Beck Out...

Saturday October 28, 2012

I made another hundred on a quiz. I am on a roll. Honestly though, the quiz wasn't that hard at all. These loop things are all just logic. If you can keep your thoughts organized, then it will all fit together nicely and the answers will be apparent.
So Vignesh and I got kinda screwed with the whole Deal lab thing. We user interfaced the entire program and made it work. Then we were told that the entire thing was supposed to be simulated despite the fact that the comments on the given programs prompted us to retrieve the user's guesses as well as whether or not they wanted to change their guess after the first door was revealed. THIS SUCKS. So now we have been working to rewrite the entire program and we are falling behind on our work. Geez this stuff really piles up. Also, we were assigned another lab, but Vignesh was gone, so I did not finish it and now we have to do that one too. Plus Mr. Stephens already told us that we were getting ANOTHER lab the next class. How much work can he give us? I'm already loaded up from other courses, I do not need more APCS stuff.
Beck Out...

Sunday October 21, 2012

What even happened this week? It felt like I barely even went to class. I guess we got a couple of labs and stuff, and I got a hundred on a quiz (which was pretty easy), but other than that, nothing really significant. I am kinda falling behind on my worksheets though, but I attribute that the the extensive amount of homework I have from other classes. Our teachers are seriously trying to kill us. What is up. And that combined with marching band competitions and out of town performances, hours on buses and on the practice field. I dont get home till 8 every night, and its about 9:30 by the time I can actually sit down and do my homework. The result? I get about 6 hours of sleep every night. I function though, and I'm crushing my classes (even though I always do that).
APCS is still probably my favorite class. It is actually concerning something that I really enjoy, and it challenges me. I actually occasionally study for this class. That is much more than I can say for others.
Beck Out...

Sunday October 14, 2012

So I missed a lesson this week, but that's okay. I have caught up with the lesson with the help of the Thursday workday and now feel confident about the things that I am going to later be tested on. I hope it is not the false confidence that I had going into the last test though.
This week has been one of little interest, not because of the lessons, but just because there have been no significant events to make it special. Due to this fact, I having difficulty finding material to write about, which is resulting in me stretching any small item for as many lines as possible to make them look longer and see if Mr. Stephens actually reads these (give me a holla in the comments if you do!).
But back to programming. I am glad that I joined this class instead of taking computer programming because, with my lack of prior knowledge, this class has challenged me (something that my grades reflect and something that i dont get a lot of in other classes).
Beck Out...

Sunday October 7, 2012

We took our first exam this week. I did poorly. That was unexpected. I came into the exam feeling very confident about the knowledge that I had, but as a result of a series of mistakes and not knowing that substrings are inclusive at the beginning and exclusive at the end, I received an 80 for a grade. Despite this, I feel that if I were to take the exam, or one similar to it, again, I would easily ace it as the first one has allowed me to refine and perfect my knowledge.
We also began our first lessons with if statements. They don't seem too difficult, and I have completed the labs with ease. I am just worried about next week because I have to miss one of the lessons for a field trip... I think it will all turn out alright. I can always just ask Vignesh for help if I need it.
Beck Out...

Sunday September 30, 2012

This week I made my first bad grade on a quiz. Well I guess it wasn't that bad. An 80 is still passing. The point is that the class is starting to get harder and more confusing. With the introduction of objects combined with the attempt to retain the information from the beginning of the year, I am struggling to study for the 6-weeks exam, about which I am very nervous. It is fast approaching
The worksheets are still really easy, though I never really complete them on time. Additionally, all of my labs have been going well, so I am maintaining a quality grade in this class.
I have been spending a lot of time on reddit lately. I dont know what it is about this website, but it sucks you in wont let you go. I am especially vulnerable in this class because i have easy access to a computer and a fair amount of free time.
I am listening to Beirut right now. I havent really heard of them before today, but a friend recomended them to me and i decided to try them. I am not disappointed.
Marching band is the best. We win everything. We rule. Of course. WE ARE LASA (or LBJ if you prefer).
Beck Out...

Sunday September 23, 2012

This week was one of the best currently on record. The week began with strings, which was difficult at first, but once I got the hang of them (using coding bat and other resources), the skill became extremely easy. The next two classes (Thursday and Friday), were AWESOME. We did the turtle lab, learning about creating worlds and manipulating objects. This skill clicked quickly for me, and I accomplished the task much faster than anticipated.
My classmates around me are struggling though, working on labs that were due days ago. As a result, they are constantly asking for my help, but I really don't mind.
This class is shaping up to be my favorite, as I look forward to it at the beginning of every B-day.
Beck Out...

Sunday September 16, 2012

Another great week of AP Computer Science, though it feels to me like there are quite a few kids that are becoming lost in the material. I say this because it is taking me slightly longer to get a grip on the assignments, and I am having more and more people come up to me asking for help (I don't know why though because there are plenty of better programmers than me in the class). We also had our first quiz this week. I got a 100 as it was extremely basic and only dealt with week one material. We were also allowed to use our notes, which was a huge bias, though I barely began to sift through them before I myself realized the answer.
There is a problem with me seat though. I sit in the back corner of the classroom, and I have absolutely no room to sit. My chair barely fits in their, but has no room to maneuver, and when I want to get out, I have to climb over either Adam or Nick to do so. I think the only remedy for this problem is to steal someone else computer.
Beck Out...

Sunday September 9th, 2012

First blog post this year, and surprise surprise, I am not in computer programming anymore. I am now officially enrolled in AP Computer Science and I must say that this was the correct choice. This first week was great. On the first day of classes we wrote our first program and by the second day we were already covering material that was on par with what I hoped and dreamed for. The second and third lessons were slightly more confusing and left the majority of the class stumped. I was also stumped during the presentation, but once we began doing the labs, it all began to make sense and I now have a complete grasp on everything that was taught so far.
As for the structure of the class, I think it is great. The speed is just what I need (though I do spend a lot of time explaining concepts to kids after I myself have gotten the hang of them), and the labs are fun and comprehensive.
Thumbs up so far this year!
Beck Out...