WEEK 1 GENIUS HOUR: LEARNING PYTHON!
WEEK 1 GENIUS HOUR: LEARNING PYTHON!
via GIPHY
In my first week i accomplished an amount that i am very happy with! I learned all the basic concepts of Python (What is Python, Your First Program, Simple Operations, Floats, Other Numerical Operations, Strings, Simple Input & Output, String Operations, Type Conversion, Variables, In-Place Operators, and Using an Editor). I also learned many Control Structures (Booleans & Comparisons, if Statements, else Statements, Boolean Logic, Operator Precedence, and While Loops). To show that I have actually learned something I will give you an example of a simple module 1 question from the basic concepts final quiz.
The above example might seem quite confusing but it is just some of what I learned after taking just the first module.
Where do I go from here?
The minimum I am going to try to accomplish going forward is to finish a least two modules every week. No doubt they are going to keep getting harder but I will always try my best. The only thing I really struggled with this week was understanding the concept of loops perfectly. I don't believe I feel completely confident with them as they keep getting more complex but after some review, I should be fine.
WE-HOO, sorry to blind you with the fireworks but they express how I feel as I begin this journey in learning how to code in the language Python.
Why did I choose to learn how to code?
I chose to learn how to code because I have always been interested in technology. Technology is like my baby, I have been learning how to use technology since the Windows XP days. To some people that may not seem like a long time, however, to put that in perspective i started using a computer in Grade 3. I didn't just start using it, I wanted to master it and learn everything about it. That excitement spread into many other forms of technology and that exposure led me to be the person I am today. I have been holding back from learning how to code for a while now because I didn't think my math was good enough. However, that all changed when I took my first computer science class at Brock University. I was learning Java in that class and found the math to be rather easy! However, the way they taught the course, in my opinion, was very blunt, and difficult because there were so many deadlines. This Genius Hour is the perfect opportunity for me to be free-spirited with my coding and learn at my OWN pace. I am learning the Python coding language because it was highly recommended as one of the most useful and easiest coding languages to learn. I've always wanted to dive into machine learning (AI) and python is the language they use for that!SoloLearn the coding platform I could only dream of!
The app and website that I am using to learn Python is called SoloLearn. This app can be downloaded on iPhone, Android, and the website can be used on any computer with an internet browser. I have looked into many other coding websites and checked many apps and I found this one to be the most beneficial for me. It breaks down the aspects of Python into a series of lessons and quizzes and uses badges to reward you for your progress! A great part about it is that it is also completely free. Listen to this, a big reason it is so difficult to learn how to code by yourself is that you don't have a support team to help you if you're stuck. What SoloLearn does is it teaches you a quick concept, then immediately quizzes you on that concept. Now, if you are stuck on a quiz or need clarification on a concept, there is a comment feed similar to YouTube that 33 million learners can comment on. Comments can get up-voted or down-voted and the top comments will appear at the top of the comment section. In my experience, every top few comments have helped me thoroughly understand the concept if I got stuck and where I went wrong. Their website/app also has moderators to make sure there are no inappropriate comments as well as to help you with any questions you may have. Another thing I love about SoloLearn is that their android/iPhone app is so well optimized that I 'kid you not' you can learn how to code ON THE GO!
What have i accomplished so far?
 |
| The answer to this question is 73.0. This is because the variable (spam) is first being assigned to "7". The quotes around the 7 mean that it is not actually a number but is a string. A string is just a sequence of characters. The next line shows that you would add the string "7" with the string "0". Since these are both strings the output after that line would look like "70". To make this clearer if you were adding the two strings "Hello" + "World together it would look like "HelloWorld." The next line assigns the variable (eggs) to equal int(spam) + 3. The code (int) before (spam) stands for integer and is used to turn whatever (spam) is equal to (which is "70") into an actual number. Therefore, it is 70 + 3 which is 73. The final line uses the print command to display the answer. The float command turns the variable (eggs) into a float value, which is a number with a decimal after it. Making the final answer eggs = 73.0. |
The above example might seem quite confusing but it is just some of what I learned after taking just the first module.
Where do I go from here?
The minimum I am going to try to accomplish going forward is to finish a least two modules every week. No doubt they are going to keep getting harder but I will always try my best. The only thing I really struggled with this week was understanding the concept of loops perfectly. I don't believe I feel completely confident with them as they keep getting more complex but after some review, I should be fine.
 |
| The 9 modules look like this, there are about 10-12 + quizzes in each module making the whole course about 90-100 questions long. |
Comments
Post a Comment