Project one is done now and I've started to work on project two. Starting this project is a lot less intimidating because I know what to expect this time around. I've done this once before and my strategies for completing the project have already been developed. For project 1, I found that if I was struggling with a certain definition, sticking with it and trying to figure it out for an extended period time didn't usually get me anywhere. Once I took a break and came back another day, the solution came to me much faster. A fresh start at a problem seems to bring a fresh perspective with it. Knowing this, as I start to get stuck on project 2, I will feel a lot more confident that if I step away for a while, I will be more likely to figure things out in the future, and will avoid frustration at the same time.
Another positive about both projects is that I am really eager to work on them. These projects are like puzzles, and I find myself looking forward to solving them. They are also so drastically different from the assignments I have in other courses (papers, studying for tests) that these projects are a nice break, and don't really seem like work. I get started on them fairly soon after the material is available for us to work on because it's more of a fun break from my other work. I don't view it as "work" and so I am more proactive in my completion of the assignment.
Since the semester will be coming to an end soon, I've been thinking more about the problem solving aspect that we need to include in our SLOGs. I've begun to work at the paper slicing problem that was presented to us on the problem solving wiki. My main concern at the moment is how I am supposed to present my problem solving on the SLOG itself. The handout said to consult the problem solving wiki for information on how to do this, but I found that the submissions didn't follow any standard layout. I am only mildly concerned about this however. If uncertain of what may be required, I tend to provide more information than necessary. It should make for a very detailed account of my problem solving episode. More to come!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Attacking Project #1
I've been working on Project #1 on and off for the past week. For this project we have been given a large amount of broken code, and we are required to fix it. Sometimes the definitions are incomplete, while other times the check-expect statements are missing. The end goal is to create a (funny looking) clock with a working second, minute, and hour hand.
I've completed 4 or 5 parts of the assignment and I have really been enjoying it so far. It has that problem solving aspect that I love. I had a hard time figuring out how to define clarify-image so I set it aside and came back to it this morning. After a little while longer, I figured it out. I had been making it so much harder than it actually was. I had forgotten that I could use map-image and had been trying to convert an image into its list of colours so that I could apply the function to each individual colour, and then turn it back into an image. I was surprisingly successful, except for when it came time to turn the list back into an image. Once I looked back through my notes and reminded myself of the variety of things that map can do, it was so much easier. Too easy in fact. I felt silly for trying to complicate things so much, but relieved that I had figured it out.
I'm getting into the more complex aspects of the assignment now. I am about to work on the set-clock function, which provides a new challenge because we have to define the function AND write a second check-expect statement.
Part of why I like this assignment is because it is challenging, but once I figure it out it feels like a great accomplishment. I like solving problems on my own time, and proving to myself that I can do it. That being said, it is good to know that there are so many office hours available to us this week, just in case things start to pile up and I don't have an infinite amount of time to put into this assignment. It is really good to know that one of the TAs for this course works at the Help Desk three days a week, and that the prof understands that we typically wait until the last minute to do things, and has scheduled office hours on the due date with that in mind. Lucky for me this is a project that I was excited to get started on, so I am hoping I will have it done early.
I've completed 4 or 5 parts of the assignment and I have really been enjoying it so far. It has that problem solving aspect that I love. I had a hard time figuring out how to define clarify-image so I set it aside and came back to it this morning. After a little while longer, I figured it out. I had been making it so much harder than it actually was. I had forgotten that I could use map-image and had been trying to convert an image into its list of colours so that I could apply the function to each individual colour, and then turn it back into an image. I was surprisingly successful, except for when it came time to turn the list back into an image. Once I looked back through my notes and reminded myself of the variety of things that map can do, it was so much easier. Too easy in fact. I felt silly for trying to complicate things so much, but relieved that I had figured it out.
I'm getting into the more complex aspects of the assignment now. I am about to work on the set-clock function, which provides a new challenge because we have to define the function AND write a second check-expect statement.
Part of why I like this assignment is because it is challenging, but once I figure it out it feels like a great accomplishment. I like solving problems on my own time, and proving to myself that I can do it. That being said, it is good to know that there are so many office hours available to us this week, just in case things start to pile up and I don't have an infinite amount of time to put into this assignment. It is really good to know that one of the TAs for this course works at the Help Desk three days a week, and that the prof understands that we typically wait until the last minute to do things, and has scheduled office hours on the due date with that in mind. Lucky for me this is a project that I was excited to get started on, so I am hoping I will have it done early.
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