Week Twelve - CST 338 - Software Design

Give an example of polymorphism and what would be inherited between classes.

Polymorphism allows the user to make changes in the method definition for derived classes and to have those changes override the software written in the base class. For example a display method in a derived class can be defined specific to its needs and variables regardless of the display definition in the base class.

After the learning this week, can you identify the difference between Abstract classes and Interfaces?  Be specific.

An interface is a set of method headings that must be defined in any class that implements it. It has no method definitions, only headings. On the other hand, an abstract class is a group of defined and undefined methods to be inherited by descendant classes.

Reflections on Week Twelve

With the current COVID-19 crisis, this has been a hectic week. The kids are home and off-schedule which makes it difficult to work until later in the night. Thankfully, I am a great night worker, so while inconvenient, this can be managed. Also, my job has become very part-time which gives me more time to help at home and spend on school. The Optical Barcode Reader assignment was intense but I didn’t have the hardest part. I want to go over the section of the assignment that I did not write so that I still have an idea of how that class works. I’m curious to see how I will do on the mid-term.

Week Eleven - CST 338 - Software Design

What is the largest multi-dimensional array that you have used?

At this point, I have only dealt with basic level programming. I haven’t worked multi-dimensional arrays in the past.

What is the largest that you think would be unwieldy and why?

With my limited understanding of arrays, they seem to be systematic, efficient, and predictable storages of data. With that in mind, I don’t see why the size of an array should affect its efficiency. If all the data types are the same, I don’t see a reason to limit input. Of course, this attitude may change once I gain more experience working with arrays.

What does inheritance do for your classes?  Have you used it in the past? How?

Inheritance makes classes reusable. Instead of repeating code in multiple classes we can create one super class with all the generic data and then create smaller subclasses with the added code specific to that object subtype. I have never used inheritance before but I’m looking forward to learning more about it in the coming weeks.

Reflections on Week Eleven

This week I experienced a lot of confusion and intense work. The Deck of Cards assignment was detailed and I found I had to do a lot of outside research. I’m glad it was a group assignment, so I only had to build one part of the program. It’s hard to believe that programs like these will one day be easy and quick to build. I sure hope that reality comes soon!

Week Ten - CST 338 - Software Design

OOP is not in all languages.  Have you used one that does not?
What was your experience?
How extensively have you used OOP outside of the classroom?

Java is the only computer language I have studied so far. Thus, objective-oriented programming is the only approach with which I am accustomed. I do enjoy the use of common sense in Java and hope that other languages will be similar in that regard. I do not have work experience in the field so I have never use OOP outside of the classroom.

Are you experience with UML diagrams and do they help?

Some textbooks I have used in the past utilized UML diagrams to illustrate the ideas being presented. Personally, I don’t feel like I gain much from diagrams but different styles of learning will suit different people so I do believe they should continue to be provided.

Reflections on Week Ten

When I first read the assignment specs for this week, I was pretty startled at the depth and detail required. After many hours of research and trial and error, I have a program that, as far as I know, meets all of the assignment requirements. It feels good to know that I’ve exceeded my own expectations, but I am a bit worried for the rest of this class because this week was a lot.

Week Nine - CST 338 - Software Design

Reflections on the first week of CST 338 Software Engineering

It was great to get into real coding this week! The first module of the class covered a basic introduction to Java with a fairly easy coding assignment. I enjoyed the ease of this week but as the class progresses, I’m sure things will get tricky quickly. I am trying to mentally prepare myself to spend a lot of time working though the information. I hope I’m ready!

Have you used Eclipse before?
What languages are you proficient in at this point?

I have a basic knowledge of Java from prerequisite classes I took before entering this CS program. In those classes, Java was the only language that I learned, and we used Eclipse as the language compiler. I did, however, have to redownload the program this week because I have switched computers since the last time I worked with Java.

What is your desired field of Computer Science at this point?

At this point, I hope to find success in educational technology.

CST 300 - Week Eight - Major ProSeminar

Final Video Projects

Our Team's Research Videos:

K12 Tech - Jose Herrera Gallegos, Yoela Zauderer, Bracha Akhamzadeh
Assistive Technology

Short Video   Long Video

Review of other Research Videos:

CTRL Alt Elite - Bryce Randolph, Harsandeep Singh, Jeannie Davis, Kevin Robell
Video Game Emulation

Short Video   Long Video

Great work! Your videos are interesting, informative, and humorous! I didn’t know much about game emulators and these projects were a great introduction. The presentation is clear and quality of research and production is stellar. Each video is appropriate to its intended audience, with the longer video offering more details relevant to a technology professional. Your teamwork is evident from the credits slide. Well done!

Pet Connect - Michael Janes, Cristian Vazquez, Justin Thomas
Twitch

Short Video   Long Video

Cool piece! Your introductions absolutely catch the viewers’ attention and curiosity! The tone and style of editing is very apropos to the gaming society. The basics of Twitch are well covered with quality research and video production. Teamwork is evident throughout the videos and each video is appropriate to its intended audience. Well done!

Static Startup - Justin Mello, Nate Beal, Raul Sanchez, Melissa Graham
Computer Viruses

Short Video   Long Video

Good work! This was an informative piece on computer viruses. The videos clearly present what viruses are, how they work, and how best to avoid them. The videos are interesting with quality research and video production. Teamwork is evident throughout the videos and each video is appropriate to its intended audience. Well done!

Notes on CST 300

This class has been a great introduction back into college life. We covered a lot of material regarding overall student success and a lot of information about the nature of this specific program. At this point, I feel ready to take on the next two years!

I am lucky to have an amazing team with fantastic work ethics and capability. We communicate via our CSUMB Gmail accounts and utilize Google Drive to collaborate on assignments. This has been working well for us so far. I am confident that if we keep up the good work, we will reach much success as a team.