Author Archives: Derek Odame

Sprint-retrospective 1

On our first sprint, we talked about karma, the setting of GitHub, help with other members of the team, went through things they did not understand. For example, some were having issues setting up the karma. I myself, was having issues on it too. During gathering, we talk on what has been done, things that will be done including things that will be needed for the project.

During the week i learn learned angular. The reason for learning angular is because, the project we have been handed to do, was done with angular. And i’m not all that very good at it. For me to be able to help the team, i decided to learn it. I started with the basic even though i have studied them. I wanted to know if i still can do the basic. I then practice a whole lot on it. And since it goes along with html,java-scripting, i did a little revision on html and java-scripting. It was fun going back to JavaScript. My first programming language.  Because i have visited JavaScript for a very long time i visited some websites just to refresh my mind on it.

while going through the ng2-amrs folder, i realize, have to learn Typescript. Typescript which is the same as JavaScript but it just is a sub of JavaScript. It is well organized than the JavaScript. for instance, when creating classes, with typescript, it is easy and less code while you can do the same with JavaScript but will have to implement a whole lot of code and it is not easy too. I got some tutorials on from https://www.typescriptlang.org/. It really helped me.

Next thing i did, was looking for the  best IDE which i will use for the project. I wanted to pick eclipse but i found out that most of the members of the team were using visual studio. And since i’m with the team, thought having the same IDE will be the best. Just in case i do have a problem, one of the team members can help me out. And beside that, i learnt visual studio is very easy to use. So after the IDE i will be using, i started doing some research on it. during the research, i got to know it belongs to Microsoft. I downloaded, and tried a hand on it. It was a little bit confusing. But with time as in the next two day, i got to know how to use it. very very cool application. I did a little fast learning on YouTube. How to use typescript/angular on the visual studio.

The reason why i took this step for the week was to be very well prepared for the project. Also to be very active with the group discussion and what is being worked on. Also to be able to handle small matters so that i don’t worry other team members, by doing so we speed up on our work/project. The week was fun.

links : https://www.w3schools.com/js/

https://www.typescriptlang.org/

https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/older-downloads/

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

IndividualApprenticeship Patterns – Draw Your Own Map

Draw you own map was the topic i picked for this week. I really enjoyed reading this pattern. It gives me the understanding of how to beat or overcome the huddles of learning new stuff and become very good at what we do or love.

From the reading, i also got to know, in order to be happy at your work place or your next career. You will have to pick a field you enjoy which most of my time i will be spending. The stories that Desi and Chris’s gave, give me the knowledge that planing your career at an early stage helps a lot. It makes you know what to expect and also what you want. Also from their stories, they could have prevented ending up in a a job they dislike by getting more info or doing more research about their next career or job. In case you did your research and landed to the job and later found out that it is not good for you. It is not late to change or learn new stuff. The pattern also gives ways on how to draw you own map. To me, it was very easy to understand and also felt it is the best way. The actions taken when drawing the map will definitely land you to the dream job you are looking for.

I really like this pattern(draw your own map. It has showed me a lot on how to really design my map in terms of my next career or job. it has also open my mind not just on my field of studies after graduating but also in life in general. I realized this technique that book showed, applies to everything. Not only for programmers or computer science students. I even made my own map which was really fun. I add four desirable jobs i will want to have for the next six years to come. On map diagram, about the desirable jobs, i included jobs no related to my field. Added fields like being a chef and nurse. Also added things i should be learning, whether things not related to my field or new programming languages.

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

IndividualApprenticeship Patterns – Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice as they say, makes one perfect. Practice is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over for the purpose of improving on it to be perfect. From the readings, i notice the statement which says “Your grandmother may have told you that practice makes perfect. She was wrong. In fact, practice makes permanent. ” which i think was quoted by George Leonard. Actually, i think he is getting the whole thing wrong. Practice actually make you perfect and also makes your permanent. Whether you are learning the good thing or the bad thing, you will eventually be very good at it, leading to perfection.

I also learned by practicing, you do not have to do it alone. Just by being at work or under a master, you will be learning a lot. By learning you are practicing at the same time. You should also be making sure you are learning the best stuff, since what you are learning, can be come permanent. You don’t want to learn being good at something that will not profit you in the long run. That will be a waste of time and resources. In order ways while you are searching for a good place to work or a mentor, you should make sure you picked the right person(s).

Also while getting used to things, make sure you are learning other new skill. You don’t get stuck on one thing. You need to know more, and by doing that, you will have to learn new skill when ever you thing are okay with others. Pick harder stuff or projects to practice on. Always check you strength, if too easy move to harder ones.

This pattern has not caused me to change the way i viewed practicing. But it has showed me there are ways i can practice in an excellent way or a better way.  And also types of practicing i can take. Also to my understanding, practicing with peers is more an effective way to be better at your skills. I really enjoyed this pattern and i know it will help me now and very well in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Why Doctors Hate Their Computers” by Atul Gawande

 

 

On the readings, what I really found interesting was how doctors have to change the way they use to work to another way of working. That is to be using the computers. Which most were finding it very difficult. Imagine if I were a pilot and very good at it, and I was told the plane I have been flying for the past many years has to be updated with new software and I was told to fly the plane that has been updated with new software. At that moment, I will be very frustrated even though I am a very good pilot. And at this point you I will have to learn everything, get used to the new updates and if possible get someone to train me on how to use the plane.

So because of all the huddle I will go, I will prefer to use the old way than the new way even though the new way may help in the long run. In the same way why most doctors hate their computers. Not as if the computer will not help them in the long run but getting used to it becomes very difficult for them. And that’s in another way, giving them extra work to do.

From the reading the customers of the system were Seventy thousand employees of partners HealthCare. The reason is because from the same readings, it states that eighteen thousand other doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab techs, administrators, etc. were going to adopt to the new software. The lessons from the implementation of the system applies to only the EMR (electronic Medical Record)

With my opinions on the reading, I believe for this kind of huddle most employees face, when it comes to computers, it is the luck of basic computer knowledge. As new things coming to the system which will help boost the company or the country, people in general have to get use with computer. If possible get the fundamentals of computer.

From the readings some of the things where not really clear not me. And also don’t disagree with what the writer wrote. All sounded on point. The reason why all are on point is because from my understanding and the things that I do hear. Most of the things that doctors face when it comes to computer are true.

With the topic, I do have a little problem with it. Because not all doctors really hate their computers. Actually, from what I have heard. Most scientists are lazy or maybe all of them. So if the computer can make their work easier, why will not they go through the a little mile to understand how the computer works so that their work will be easy for them. And also most doctors do know much about computers. So not all doctors hate the computer but some. I guess those who hate the computers, are the ones who don’t want to adopt to new changes and always want to stick to the old way.

I enjoy reading it and also got some useful tips on who the working environment at the health sectors deal with computer systems.

 

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

IndividualApprenticeship Patterns – Find Mentors

As we will be looking for the best skill or training from masters, we need mentors or a mentors who we can watch up to.

From the readings and with the understanding if got, finding a mentor is not all that easy, let alone mentors. As someone who want to be an apprentice or who is already an apprentice, he or she must be very careful choosing a mentor. Some of the things he or she must know before choosing a mentor(s).

  1. He or she must know her or his needs and also be very ready to be committed. Once he or she knows what he wants from the mentor then he starts searching. Only he know what things like dreams or desires and what type of person can help him get to where he wants to be. I also learnt from the readings, mentors do not have to be from the same company/industry, country or gender. One has to be more open minded to new possibilities by working outside of your comfort zone.
  2. To really succeed in the working world, one has to search for many mentors as possible. This helps you gain more skills from different areas. For example, you can be learning networking from a particular mentor whilst also learning another area like software programming from a different mentor. With that you are gaining a lot which does not limit you to a particular field or area.
  3. You need to choose very carefully when selecting a mentor. You don’t want to waste all your time learning things that will never be useful in your career. Also while carefully choosing for a mentor, one has to be sure he is very comfortable with the mentor.
  4.  As time passes on, your life evolves, your needs change and the desire for a new mentor may become apparent.  However, the mentors that helped you grow and prosper should never be ignored. Though you may now have different mentors, the relationships you formed with those from the previous chapters in your life must remain active.

From the readings, I got the understating i need not to rush in getting a mentor. When choosing one, i have to be very careful. I should not limit myself to only one mentor but to learn from many mentors. In that case, at least i gain a bit of knowledge in every field. One particular thing that interested me was “Passing along what you have learned from your mentors is one of the ways in which you can begin the transition to journeyman status.” From, i come to understand that in order for me to get to the top or to be a master, i have to also search the knowledge i have gain to others.

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Be the Worst (week-2)

This pattern, “be the worst” to my understanding means, we should surround ourselves with people who are very clever or know more about the subject or field you are in.

From the readings under “be the worst ” which says “what do i do when my rate of learning has leveled off?” You have taken the time to learn something new, immersed yourself in the subject matter, practiced diligently for a period of time and look up and see that you are ahead of those around you. Now what? There are only so many books, blogs, and other resources you can learn from until you reach a point where you must learn new skills from other humans. We are social creatures, by nature. We rely on each other to survive and part of that survival involves learning from each other. It’s difficult to imagine a world where we all had to learn everything on our own and couldn’t benefit from the knowledge and insight of those around us. So for us be connected with the world we need to learn from others. And also the is a saying not everything that we know, we learn from each other and by that we grow. So the more we learn from other developers, there more we grow as a developer. We can look for people who know more than we do and learn from them. We can also be in a team were you a the least among them. Knowing you are the least, you tend to work harder to keep up with them and also you get to learn new skill from them too.

From the readings “weakest member of the team, you should be working harder than anyone else”. There are risks associated with this strategy. You will be the least effective developer or person around the team. This also means your contributions will not be sufficient whereby dragging the team down. Because of this situation, team members may not put up with you very long. So not putting all these risks into consideration, if you are really determined to learn, you will have to strive harder. In other sense, the only choice for you to stay in the team is to learn harder. That also means extra work for you.

Apart from all the risk involve, being the worst is a great way to improve your effectiveness in a given subject area quickly

Reading this pattern has made me know that in my own world i may feel i know everything till it get out of my world to see i really know everything or not. which knowing everything will never be the case. We all learn from each other. And knowing this idea, I will have to surround with people who are more challenging or better that me. Through that i get to learn new skill and better my self.

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Apprenticeship Patterns Chapter 1 and Chapter 2-6 Introductions #CS-448

In short as I read about the apprenticeship, to my understanding, it is the first step in craftsmanship. An apprentice, is responsible for the outcome of his or her apprenticeship. At this time the apprentice focuses on inward and intent on growing his or her craftsmanship. Through that he or she will benefit the attention of his or her peers and gain more experience as a worker. While reading about the apprenticeship, I notice the old way of apprenticeship was not working very well. So because of that a new way was made, which was made to make technique of apprenticeship effective on making the craftsmen fresh and also from my point of view, this strategy will keep the costs down for clients.

The next stage of the craftsmanship is the journeyman. In this stage, you are getting close to becoming a master. Your work load becomes more and you have close relationship with the master. As a journeyman, you will be handling big projects and more responsibility is given to you. From my understanding, the journeyman is like a mediator between the apprentice and the master. Or a supervisor at the work place.

The next or last stage of the craftsmanship is the master. At this point, he or she has learned all that he or she needs to know about the job. At this stage, he or she uses the skills learned to bring something new to the world. The master contributes by bring new things to the industry or creating a new company, where all this cycle of craftsmanship start all over again.

My favorite part of all the introductions is “emptying the cup”. From my understanding of it, it all about the master and the student, if you are a student or someone who wants to learn from someone whom you know knows much about the field, you should be ready to fully listen to him. In order words, empty yourself of what you know or be fully ready to submit to the master. Because, if you already know what you are about to be trained, why then do you need a master to train you. All what you will be getting from the master will be waste of time since the cup is already full. In short, this story talks about submitting to the master to teach you to become a master.

Also from other part of the introductions about which talks about “accurate self-assessment”, got me interested, knowing that I should not be okay with the current state I am in. But always try to be better than what I current am. Even if I have to compete with others, I should do it for my own benefit that is to better myself.

The whole readings have made me know and learned a lot about craftsmanship. It will help me through my future career by making me understand the basic and things that will be required from me.

 

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Introduction

Introduction to Software Dev Capstone (CS-448)

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS(Cascading Style Sheets)

HTML which stands for hypertext markup language and CSS(Cascading Style Sheets). Are what i decided to read about since with our final project with the typescript and angular , we will need HTML and CSS for it to work properly. Also giving it a better graphical look or user interface with the help of CSS.  Hope you viewers enjoy the article.

 

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language, and it is the most widely used language to
write Web Pages.
* Hypertext refers to the way in which Web pages (HTML documents) are linked
together. Thus, the link available on a webpage is called Hypertext.
* As its name suggests, HTML is a Markup Language which means you use HTML
to simply “mark-up” a text document with tags that tell a Web browser how to
structure it to display.
Originally, HTML was developed with the intent of defining the structure of documents like
headings, paragraphs, lists, and so forth to facilitate the sharing of scientific information
between researchers.
Now, HTML is being widely used to format web pages with the help of different tags
available in HTML language.

HTML Tags
As told earlier, HTML is a markup language and makes use of various tags to format the
content. These tags are enclosed within angle braces <Tag Name>. Except few tags,
most of the tags have their corresponding closing tags. For example, <html> has its
closing tag</html> and <body> tag has its closing tag </body> tag etc

A typical HTML document will have the following structure:

Document declaration tag
<html>
<head>
Document header related tags
</head>
<body>
Document body related tags
</body>
</html>

HTML Attributes

Attributes provide additional information about HTML elements.

  • All HTML elements can have attributes
  • Attributes provide additional information about an element
  • Attributes are always specified in the start tag
  • Attributes usually come in name/value pairs like: name=”value”

 

Now let get into CSS(Cascading Style Sheets).

CSS(Cascading Style Sheets) describes how HTML elements are to be displayed on screen, paper, or in other media. It saves a lot of work. It can control the layout of multiple web pages all at once

CSS is designed primarily to enable the separation of presentation and content, including aspects such as the layout , colors , and fonts . This separation can improve content accessibility , provide more flexibility and control in the specification of presentation characteristics, enable multiple HTML pages to share formatting by specifying the relevant CSS in a separate .css file, and reduce complexity and repetition in the structural content.

Separation of formatting and content makes it possible to present the same markup page in different styles for different rendering methods, such as on-screen, in print, by voice (via speech-based browser or screen reader), and on Braille-based tactile devices. It can also display the web page differently depending on the screen size or viewing device. Readers can also specify a different style sheet, such as a CSS file stored on their own computer, to override the one the author specified.

Changes to the graphic design of a document (or hundreds of documents) can be applied quickly and easily, by editing a few lines in the CSS file they use, rather than by changing markup in the documents.

example of Css

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
body {
background-color: lightblue;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>

<h1>Hello World!</h1>

<p>This page has a light blue background color!</p>

</body>
</html>

output:

Background will turn lightblue. try it!

Even though i know much about this article. It really helped me refreshed my mind on some stuff i forgot. now with no doubt , i know i will utilized this info to work better on my final project. Hope you guys also find this article very useful.

references : 

https://www.codecademy.com/courses/web-beginner-en-HZA3b/0/1?curriculum_id=50579fb998b470000202dc8b

https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_intro.asp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_Style_Sheets

 

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

TypeScript

I choose this topic because i wanted to know more about it, how it works and why developers choose to follow this style than our normal JavaScript style. Also to help me understand and do the coding for the duck simulator in typescript on design pattern.

TypeScript starts from the same syntax and semantics that millions of JavaScript developers know today. Use existing JavaScript code, incorporate popular JavaScript libraries, and call TypeScript code from JavaScript.

TypeScript compiles to clean, simple JavaScript code which runs on any browser, in Node.js, or in any JavaScript engine that supports ECMAScript 3 (or newer).

Types enable JavaScript developers to use highly-productive development tools and practices like static checking and code refactoring when developing JavaScript applications.

Types are optional, and type inference allows a few type annotations to make a big difference to the static verification of your code. Types let you define interfaces between software components and gain insights into the behavior of existing JavaScript libraries.

TypeScript offers support for the latest and evolving JavaScript features, including those from ECMAScript 2015 and future proposals, like async functions and decorators, to help build robust components.

These features are available at development time for high-confidence app development, but are compiled into simple JavaScript that targets ECMAScript 3 (or newer) environments.

 

Examples of typescript

The global variable foo contains the number of widgets present.

Code

console.log("Half the number of widgets is " + (foo / 2));

Declaration

Use declare var to declare variables. If the variable is read-only, you can use declare const. You can also use declare let if the variable is block-scoped.

/** The number of widgets present */
declare var foo: number;

Global Functions

Documentation

You can call the function greet with a string to show a greeting to the user.

Code

greet("hello, world");

Declaration

Use declare function to declare functions.

declare function greet(greeting: string): void;

Objects with Properties

Documentation

The global variable myLib has a function makeGreeting for creating greetings, and a property numberOfGreetings indicating the number of greetings made so far.

Code

let result = myLib.makeGreeting("hello, world");
console.log("The computed greeting is:" + result);

let count = myLib.numberOfGreetings;

Declaration

Use declare namespace to describe types or values accessed by dotted notation.

declare namespace myLib {
    function makeGreeting(s: string): string;
    let numberOfGreetings: number;
}

 

After learning and observing. I found out that this is way better than then normal javascipting coding. The reason why is say that is because with the typescript , i kind of like dealing with class (objects) like java coding which makes it easier for me. I like how things are organized and it also readable. I guess with this my coding will be javascript/typescript will be fun and cleaned. I really hope pupils enjoy this post and also research more about typescript.

link :: https://www.typescriptlang.org/

https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/declaration-files/by-example.html

From the blog CS@worcester – Site Title by Derek Odame and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.