Mrs. Taricco teaches computer science.
Our computer science course begins with web design: we learn about the qualities of an effective website, develop personal websites using HTML and CSS, and maintain our websites throughout the year. Following our web design unit, we transition into coding using java, during which we explore a variety of topics such as data types, iteration and recursion, graphics, and algorithms. Additionally, throughout the year, we have three major projects. The first is, as previously mentioned, our personal website. The next is the development of a software product, and the final one is our project to develop a mobile application that addresses a need in the community.
Background
The Apps for Good project is a project in which we work together in groups of two or three to identify and address a need. My teammates were Donovan and Kweku. After much deliberation, our group decided to create an app, VolunTour, to connect volunteers with local volunteer organizations. We chose this project because we had a shared passion for volunteering and community service, and were thus aware of several areas which could be improved upon.
Problem
The main issues we hoped to address were the challenges concerning communication between organizations and volunteers. For example, we observed that most volunteer opportunities were found through acquaintances and word of mouth, which limited both the amount and types of organizations volunteers were exposed to and the extent of an organization's outreach. Additionally, we found that a key struggle most organizations faced was keeping their volunteers informed of events and keeping track of volunteers.
Minimum Viable Product
A central feature we implemented in our app was the ability for organizations to create events, which volunteers could then search for and see the information of. Users would first select an option to become either a volunteer or organization admin. Afterwards, the volunteers could select skills and interests and search for matching events within a certain distance of their zip code. Meanwhile, organizations would be able to make, view, and edit events for volunteers.
More information can be found in the poster below.
AWT Graphics was a lab we did to learn more about methods in the Graphics class. It had us draw circles, lines, arcs, and filled-in shapes to create four given images. Predictably, there were challenges to overcome along the way. For example, it took me some time to make shapes tangent to each other in one drawing and figure out how to draw filled-in arcs for another. However, the challenges I faced while coding this lab only made it all the more rewarding to work through issues and see each image come together. Below are my images and the code for them.
I found the Line Art lab very satisfying to do. In it, we were challenged to make an image using only straight, evenly-spaced lines. What we had to do was straightforward, though keeping the code simple took some trial and error. I like the pattern the lines make in the end. It looks complicated, but it's only comprised of some lines following set rules. Just like how this program uses simple lines to make a complex drawing, a few lines of code can produce wonderful things!