Skip to main content

Highlighting Life Lessons: Notes, Ethics, and Keeping It Real in Computer Science

Part I

I learned about Note Taking Techniques that can help me study better. Before, I just read the book and sometimes highlighted, but I didn’t remember much. This article taught me a better way to take notes and understand what I read.

First, I should look at the title, headings, and pictures before reading. This helps me guess what the topic is and remember what I already know. Then, I read a small part of the text—not too much at one time. After reading, I stop and write the main idea in my own words. This helps me think about what I just read.

I also learned that asking questions is important. I can ask, “What is this about?” or “Why is it important?” This makes me think more and understand better. If I see new words, I try to guess the meaning or look them up.

The last step is to review my notes. This means reading my notes again later, maybe the next day. If I do this, I can remember the information longer.

This method, Note Taking Techniques, really helps me to be more attentive and to be an active listener and reader. This could help me to remember things, which is my trouble every time. I will definitely try to apply this in my other courses.


Part II

From the learning materials, I learned that ethics is about knowing the difference between right and wrong and making good decisions that help others and avoid harm. It is not just about following rules, but about being fair, honest, and respectful in everything we do. The Internet Society talks about the importance of protecting privacy and being responsible when using technology. I also learned from the ACM Code of Ethics that computer professionals must avoid harm, be trustworthy, and always think about how their actions affect people and society.

For example, in an office setting, someone might be asked to share a coworker’s private project files without permission. Even if it seems like a small request, this action can break trust and violate company policy. A responsible and ethical choice would be to politely refuse and explain the importance of confidentiality. This kind of situation shows how everyday decisions in the workplace require ethical thinking.

These learning materials made me realize that ethics is very important in both everyday life and in my future career. I want to be a person who uses technology in a responsible and honest way. This knowledge will help guide me as I study and work in the computer science field.


Part III


Reading Matt Might’s article “What Every Computer Science Major Should Know” was very helpful and inspiring. The article explains important skills and knowledge that students like me need to learn in computer science. One important point is to build a personal portfolio. This shows your real skills and projects better than just a resume. The article also says it is important to have good communication skills. We need to explain difficult ideas clearly to different people. It talks about learning computer architecture, operating systems, and networking basics too. This article gives great advice for our journey in computer science. It helped me understand what important information and skills I need to focus on to do well as a Computer Science major. It shows that besides coding, making real projects, communicating well, and understanding the whole field are very important. This helps me plan my studies and encourages me to improve both my technical and soft skills. Overall, this article gives me a better idea of how to prepare for a successful career in computer science.


Part IV


Integrity is very important for me and for other students in the CS program. It means being honest and doing my own work. When I do my own work, I learn more and get better. If I copy or share answers, it is not fair to other students who work hard. Cheating can also hurt my reputation and the reputation of the program. The Code of Integrity says I can ask for help, but I must write my own code. This way, I respect myself and others. Following these rules makes the learning environment honest and safe for everyone. It also helps me become a responsible worker in the future. I want to follow the Code of Integrity to do my best and help my classmates do the same. 


I would like to share this photo from last week. I hope everyone is having a great week!





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CST462S - From Learning to Impact: My Service Learning Journey

What went well during my service learning experience was my ability to contribute meaningfully to the ASCENDtials web team. I was able to complete several tasks such as updating website pages, working on LifterLMS courses, and improving user experience through better layouts and navigation. I also communicated effectively with my team, asked questions when needed, and stayed consistent with meeting deadlines. Over time, I became more confident using tools like WordPress, WPForms, and course-building platforms. If I could improve something, it would be my time management and planning. There were moments when tasks felt overwhelming, especially when balancing schoolwork and service hours. I would also improve my confidence in decision-making, particularly when working independently on design or technical issues. Taking more initiative earlier and asking for feedback sooner would have made my work even stronger. The most impactful part of this experience was seeing how my work directly co...
Post a Comment
Read more

CST438: Hands-On System Testing and Cloud Technologies

This week, I worked on both system testing and understanding cloud and distributed system concepts. One of the main things I learned was how to build Selenium system tests that simulate real user behavior. I created tests in which an instructor enters final grades and in which instructor-created assignments appear in a student’s view. While doing this, I learned how important it is to have all parts of the system running, including the frontend, backend, and external services like the gradebook. I also improved my debugging skills by fixing issues with Selenium, such as incorrect XPath selectors, missing UI elements, and unnecessary alert handling. I also learned how to properly manage my code using Git and GitHub. I created branches, committed my changes, pushed them to GitHub, and opened pull requests for review. This helped me understand a more realistic development workflow and how collaboration works in a team environment. In addition to coding, I reviewed several key concepts i...
Post a Comment
Read more

WHERE I’m At: Midpoint Lessons in SQL and Beyond

 Halfway through this course, I can see how much I’ve learned and how it connects to both my past experiences and my future goals. One of the biggest takeaways has been understanding how SQL views work. I now know that a view is like a virtual table, useful for simplifying queries and presenting data, but usually read-only since it doesn’t store data itself. I’ve also learned the importance of normalization, which helps remove redundancy and ensures cleaner updates by splitting one large table into multiple related ones. Another valuable lesson has been comparing SQL with Java: SQL is declarative and focuses on the “what,” while Java is procedural and focuses on the “how.” This comparison helps me appreciate each language’s role in problem-solving. I’ve also seen firsthand how powerful SQL can be in real workflows compared to spreadsheets, such as enforcing business rules like course eligibility in a single query. Beyond SQL, I’ve grown as a programmer in general—planning better, w...
Post a Comment
Read more