Program Language

 Week 1 Tec 101

   

My first thing I want to add to this paper is my project assignment link to our scratch assignment (https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1062528363).  This is the first time I have ever done anything on a computer.  The program looks like it is designed to help you understand coding and writing programs.  Even though the appearance of this site seems to be like a child created it, it sure did work my brain more than I have ever imagined.  I understand the assignment but some of the problems I encountered were foreign to me. 

The difficulties that I encountered had to do with me not understanding anything about programming.  While navigating on Scratch, I had to attempt to understand what I am supposed to do.  I was selecting the different codes or blocks, and nothing was happening.  In my mind I knew what I wanted to see for the project.  I had difficulties placing the program or trying to compute what was in my head on the program.  I kept it at a minimum to understand the functions of each block.  My theory was to have the bird chasing the balloon around the room.  

How I was able to overcome this mental block on programming.  I first had to select each block to see what it did.  This took time that I felt I did not have.  After I understood some of these preprogrammed blocks, I was able to attempt to make the character move.  I know there is a way to make the character do more than I selected, but as a beginner this is what I attempted.  

Comparing scratch to the section of coding on the textbook, is not the same.  If I had to choose what would be easier for me to understand out of our reading assignment would be machine language.  I understand that the binaries of 1 and 0 and the language used for computers are different combinations of 1 and 0.  It will take me weeks to understand the high-level language and assembly language.  I can see how the different formulas in an excel spreadsheet would use the different combinations of 1 and 0 to give us the output information.  Each different function we ask the formula to give us is combinations of 1 and 0.   Developers will develop a program and send it to the programmers, and they will develop the program to understand computer language.