Although I have been “functioning” in the PR field for quite some time now, I did not fully realize how much I owe to the codes that make up the foundation of my everyday work. However, the IT revolution is a fact, and we are surrounded by a whole range of electronic devices. Each of them is programmed in some way; therefore, it is significant to know how they work. Such an understanding increases the chances of professional development, without the necessity of becoming an expert. Regardless of the industry in which one works, we spend more and more time using the Internet. In my opinion, knowing how it is created can one day help me in the future.

This week’s readings present that programming is omnipresent. If you drive a car, you must have some knowledge of how the mechanics behind it. That is why I have a similar approach to learning web development and programming techniques. As a result of my work this semester, I can not only become better at my job, but also create higher quality projects for future clients.

Learning the language of programming can also be helpful in acquiring the knowledge of other useful skills. Logical thinking, the ability to create and examine solutions step-by-step as well as anticipating consequences are just a few of the benefits of gaining coding-related knowledge. Also, it is a kind of mental exercise, thanks to which I will be able to communicate more efficiently – since the organization of thoughts and ideas in a logical way undeniably helps in this process.

Moreover, after completing three lessons on Codecademy’s platform, I have a better understanding of web development and its significance in the field of communication. Thus, I am looking forward to this class and all the exciting things I will learn.

The internet has been grossly been interpreted by many and has hence created the idea that, its nuance and supposedly complex nature  are solely designated to a few tech-savvy professionals who somehow have special skills to demystify these complexities. The readings, from how the internet works through the various philosophies of the software companies, allayed my fears as a not so tech-savvy type.

It was particularly refreshing to note that many in the tech industry are acutely aware of the general perception about the internet and have been working on simplifying our view and experience on their systems. That was a huge sigh of relief for me, especially having held the notion that this area of study is a reserve for a few.

My ultimate take aware is that the internet is, and will always be, a continuum. Understanding and working the internet is an unending enterprise that requires frequents updates of information, just as applications and software do.

As I began watching the YouTube video for one of week 0’s assignments, I got excited when I had many “aha moments,” due to my experience in information technology on the military side. However, as I got my eyes on the reading assignments, I had a mixture of anxiety and ease.

In all honesty, programming seems like it is a giant puzzle that takes a lot of effort to solve. I have always had an interest in teaching myself the basics of coding, but I got extremely overwhelmed when I made the interesting choice of starting off with JavaScript as my first language. I used to feel extremely discouraged when people’s response to me expressing my love for public relations and interest for programming was “they are completely unrelated.” The blogs regarding computational thinking & journalism part one and part two granted me some ease and made me feel like it can be one of the most marketable skills a communications professional could have.

In the “Timeline of Software Languages” reading, it conveyed that coding languages are always changing. It was interesting to read that there are so many languages out there that serve different purpose, yet have the ability to feed off of each other. In the technology realm, programming and devices are constantly evolving. I predict that in the future, there will be many professions that will be valuable if they have at least some exposure to programming. The “Timeline of Computer History” is a great example that computers have never stopped changing from the 1930s.

Overall, I am happy to learn that programming isn’t so much a new world, but a part of ours that many professionals haven’t taken the time to get to know.

Is this a whole new world or is this a world I never took the time to see?

Welcome! Our first class session is Tuesday, Jan. 15 from 5:10-7:30 p.m.

Be sure to review the syllabus before the first class.

The readings, site registrations and software installations below must be completed by Sunday, Jan. 13 by 11:59 p.m. The analysis post is due by Monday, Jan. 14 by 11:59 p.m.

Pre-course assignments

• Required: *** Complete this survey before doing the readings and analysis post ***
• Required: Reading/watch
  • How the Internet works
  • Timeline of software languages
  • Timeline of networking and the web
  • Computational thinking and journalism: part 1 and part 2
  • WordPress software philosophy
  • GNU free software philosophy
  • Unix philosophy
  • The Zen of Python
  • The Pragmatic Programmer Quick Reference Guide
• Required:
  • Download and install Sublime Text (all platforms)
  • Create a free GitHub account
  • Download and install GitHub Desktop and connect it to your GitHub account
• Required: Write analysis post that includes why the ideas in the readings matter, what you found most interesting and your main takeaways from topics discussed. Also, email your GitHub profile link to the instructor. Due Monday, Jan. 14 by 11:59 p.m.

Required free software to install:

• Sublime Text 3 (Mac and Windows)
• GitHub desktop (Mac and Windows)
• MAMP (Mac) or XAMPP (Windows)

Notes on required software:

• These three programs must be downloaded and installed before the first class to be sure you can hit the ground running.
• If you have problems installing that you can’t resolve by searching online, please contact the instructor as soon as possible.
• After you install them, you don’t have to start using them before class starts, but you’re encouraged to explore what they do and why we’ll be using them.
• Important: Don’t change any MAMP or XAMPP settings.

Be sure to subscribe to the blog to get all the updates posted here:

Analysis Posts

Everyone will receive an individual login for this WordPress site so you can submit the analysis post. If you haven’t used WordPress before, please see the first section on how to post. Be sure to:

• Add a title that briefly describes the content, themes, etc. of your post
• Under “Categories,” check the box for “2019 Spring class”
• Under “Tags,” add one called week0 — with no spaces between week and zero (it will be one of the suggested options when you starting typing “week”). After that you can add other tags that are relevant to what you discuss in your post (e.g. history of programming, computational thinking, etc.)
• If you don’t want your post’s content publicly viewable on the course blog, please change the “visibility” to “password protected” in the publish box (top-right of the post edit page; see instructions) and enter the password I sent by email. That way everyone in class can read it, but not the wider web.
• Under the “Notifications” section, always check the “instructor” box, which notifies me your post is ready.
• Change the status to “pending review” and save

The weekly analysis posts don’t need to touch on every single thing covered, especially this time because there was such a variety of material. Ideally, in the case of a reading/video, a post will explore a particular theme or topic you found most interesting. Choose one (or a few) things and go into more depth.

In the future, if most of the work assigned one week is skills-based or project-based, you can reflect on that experience. Also, as mentioned in the syllabus excerpt, those assignments will be when you want to talk about progress you’ve made and any hurdles.

Some brief explanation can be ok, but definitely avoid summarization for the analysis posts. The only exception is if you’re doing an explainer of something you learned while working on your final project.

The point is to do one or more of the following — or something along these lines:

• analyze the materials
• find connections between the materials within a given week (or, in the future, between weeks)
• relate something to your experience (how it could help you, how it enlightened you about something, etc)

Also, be sure to link back to the materials you reference in your post.

Please let me know if you have any questions by email or in the comments below. I look forward to meeting everyone at the first class session!