Coming into this class with no prior experience with JavaScript, my first impressions of JavaScript were that it was very similar to, but simpler than my first programming language, Java. This impression was mainly the result of JavaScript having dynamic variables, where Java only uses static ones. It’s easy to see why this would make JavaScript simpler, since you don’t have to declare the variable type.
However, it is hard to tell any real differences at the moment, since we haven’t actually done anything with the language yet. I know that JavaScript is used a lot in web applications, but don’t understand why. I’m eager to learn more about it in the coming weeks.
The ES6 features seemed completely different, even though I knew they were also a part of JavaScript. I’m excited to use some of the new tools, such as the deconstructor, in my future projects, as they all seem really useful.
In my opinion, I think JavaScript is a very useful language to know. It seems much more fluid than Java, and is much easier to learn. There are also tools from ES6 that help both programs and programmers be more efficient. There doesn’t seem to be a reason why JavaScript isn’t a good tool (at the moment.)
In my ICS 314 class, the instructor mentioned the term, “athletic programming” as the method we will be using to train our skills. It’s similar to athletic training for sports; we practice over and over, with the goal of being more efficient with every rep. Personally, I really like this approach to learning. It really goes well with the “growth mindset”, the idea that everything you do in life can be improved.
In our class, we have to do practice Workout-of-the-Day (WODs), the implementation of athletic programming in our schedule. Compared to assignments from other classes, these are more helpful because it allows you to do continuous repetitions of a single task. Usually you only have to do an assignment once, but since there is a time limit, you usually have to try multiple times to get the best score. The timer also incentivizes speed, where traditional assignments don’t.
All in all, I’m very excited for this semester. I’m confident this class will give me a new insight to programming that I can use in future applications.