Russell's Journal

Two or three weeks in and where am I now? on 05 Feb 2012 20:44

Like all new pupils in the classroom it’s sometimes difficult to be the one who puts their hand up in the air, either for questions or answers, so feedback to our teacher/guru/whatever is patchy to say the least. But let’s be honest here for a moment and have a look at what I, personally, have got out of the first couple of weeks here in “Form 1C”! (That Grammar School Education left marks that will never heal)
First of all, I had a go at the GCSE paper
ocr_31050_sam_gcse_2010_sam_a451.pdf
Started well, hey this is easy! Then Mary (question 2C) turns into an eco-warrior. Never in my life have I formally considered the environmental impact of upgrading a computer, although as I sit here surrounded by old beige boxes, I am most probably a classic “green” computer user. This situation was, and still is, brought about by lack of cash and a complete loathing of buying anything unless I can completely justify it. The netbook I’m writing this on is from the local tip! I know someone who works there!
Back to Mary and her dilemma. I had a bit of a think about it and gave a reasonable answer. Still feeling confident … then came question 8. The wheels fell off! No idea what a variable was … but could still answer part B. Absolutely no idea with 8C. From then on the eyes glazed over. That is where I am in my knowledge.
Ok, so I dived at the chance of joining up to this course so I must want something out of it, but what? Well, to be blunt …. A job! Some idea that there will be schools crying out for teaching assistants with a good grounding in computing/programming seemed a path which might produce something. I’ve got some lecturing experience (fine art) but really don’t want to go down the PGCE route at this stage in the game (55 and feeling it!). Question 8 is a big wake up call. I actually am just the classic windows user, no real understanding of the mechanics of computing although I am pretty handy when using software. Midi and audio (cubase and other audio software) is my bag! How it works, hooking up compressors, reverbs, splitting channels in audio … this I know. The code, how the computer puts these images of a Vox AC30 on the screen and makes the cable I plug into it wobble just like the real thing … no idea. Not only do I think I need to know, or at least have some idea of how a computer does this if any chance of a job might materialise in the near future, more importantly, I WANT to know.
I adored the (self imposed) thinking in binary exercise that was brought about by Pythagorusuk asking a simple question. Can you write a negative number in binary? That for me was the spark.This is what I needed. I had to start from scratch. Add up a few numbers, show the “working out” and then subtraction. Ouch! Spent hours just playing about, getting a method that eventually I was comfortable using. The actual method for writing a negative binary I would never have got in a lifetime, but that’s not the point. I was getting a grounding in binary, a different way of thinking!
The Eniac/Siliac worries me, what’s Sir! got up his sleeve for us? But in the same way as the binary problem, I’ll bang away at it until I get somewhere. Same with the control prompt. A few hours of playing about on win7 control prompt, the next thing you know I’m using it with a bit more than just beginner’s confidence. Today, I installed Ubuntu on this netbook , dual boot! Tomorrow, linux terminal, look out!
I’m time rich and cash poor. The rest of you, it seems to me, are the opposite. Whatever you decide is achievable through support/networking please count me in. But I’m in no doubt about the fact that, yes, this course is showing me the way but it’s up to me to actually use it fully. Expect lots of comments, questions etc.
And so finally, after a fair amount of rambling, a concrete idea. Similar to the raspberry pi site, once we start hitting specific exercises, is there a place (on white background?) we can post our grievances, start our own threads about the homework, the teacher etc. Somewhere away from the lessons! Or am I just being dumb! (laughs out loud!)
Cls
Quit

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License