Growth from Beginning of Year

Since the start of the trimester, I have grown both in both technical skills and as a leader. At first, Java was a foreign concept and seemed much more complicated in Python, but now I have gained confidence and knowledge in undertanding Spring, Java objects, and OOP principles. Furthermore, leading the CS Portfolio Creation project taught me a lot about managing a team of 40+ students, setting a clear vision, and ensuring we reached our milestones. This trimester has cemented my understanding of core coding fundamentals, which just makes future challenges feel less intimidating and more like fun puzzles to solve

Development Focus What I Achieved
Java & Spring Proficiency I moved past initial hesitation to become proficient and genuinely comfortable using the Java language and its associated frameworks.
Leadership Skills Successfully managed the CS Portfolio Lesson project, significantly improving my ability to organize, lead, and guide a technical team effort.
Coding Fundamentals Cemented a strong, practical understanding of core coding fundamentals, building a solid base for advanced computer science concepts.

3-Sprint Review

Sprint 1: Tools Setup

  • Tooling Efficiency: Leveraged prior experience with GitHub Pages setup from previous work, allowing for a faster start to documentation and deployment.
  • New Environment Mastery: Focused on mastering the initial configuration and setup of Spring, which was a crucial new development environment skill.

Sprint 2: Fundamentals of JavaScript & Python

  • JavaScript and OOP Application: Developed a unique Solitaire game to practically apply concepts, culminating in the creation of an associated Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) lesson to reinforce knowledge of classes, inheritance, and encapsulation for CSP and CSSE students.
  • Python Proficiency: Created a functioning Snake game, which served as the basis for an introductory Python lesson for CSP and CSSE students, showcasing versatility in different programming languages.
  • Curriculum Engagement: Actively engaged with classmates to learn about CSA Big Idea 1 (Creative Development/Algorithms), demonstrating collaborative learning.
  • Teaching & Leadership: Taught “Calling Class Methods,” strengthening both understanding and instructional skills

Sprint 3: CS Portfolio Quest

  • Integration Skills: Achieved a significant technical milestone by learning and implementing frontend-backend integration using Java, connecting the application logic to the user interface.
  • Cohesive Project Delivery: Successfully developed and delivered a cohesive final project for the CS Portfolio Quest, integrating all acquired skills into a single, functional application.

Analytics

I contributed to both the Pages Frontend repository and Spring Backend repository.

I made several pull requests, issues, and Kanban boards during this trimester as well.

Reflection

I have grown substantially in both core technical proficiency and project management capabilities during this trimester. Commencing with the successful initial configuration of the Spring development environment (Sprint 1), subsequent sprints demonstrated enhanced technical comfort in Java and the principles of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). This foundational knowledge was immediately applied and reinforced through the creation of practical applications, including a Solitaire game utilizing JavaScript/OOP and a Snake game in Python (Sprint 2), which concurrently served to solidify essential coding fundamentals and instructional skills, such as teaching the concept of “Calling Class Methods.” The culminating phase (Sprint 3) was the successful execution of the CS Portfolio Lesson project, which critically developed leadership skills through team management and required the complex implementation of frontend-backend integration utilizing Java, marking the achievement of a cohesive and fully functional application and a comprehensive mastery of the term’s key learning objectives.