On Friday, Sue showed me how to fix some things by looking at my code and comparing it to the code of things that look the way I want them to. I'm certain that this is a no brainer for everyone else, but it was enlightening for me. Dr. Kilborn talked about reading code when she showed us Dreamweaver, but I didn't quite put 2 and 2 together. I wondered why someone would want to mess with something so engineer-like.
Today, as I sit in the Miller Center alone, I am happy to say that I fixed some things by looking at the code! I know- a no brainer for others - a milestone for me :-). Some of my code is so messed up because when something didn't work, I just did them over and over and hoped that somehow, doing the same thing would eventually work. Sounds like a seventh grade answer...
I just wanted to share my enlightenment with anyone in cyber space visiting my blog.
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What you narrate is really interesting on a few levels. First of all, I enjoyed your description of your "aha" reaction -- a reaction that often accompanies acquisition of a technology skill as a result of playing with the technology. It's tempting to call this a "no brainer," but actually the shift you've made is pretty substantial -- and to me a natural part of the process of learning technology. So I understand your desire to share your enlightenment. Nice going!
ReplyDeleteSecond, what you describe about the code being messed up because you did something over and over again to try to fix the glitch is a really common happening for someone learning the software. Since you've experienced this first hand, you'll know what to look for when students experience it. Also, you'll be able to narrate the issue with the authority born of direct knowledge AND to show students how to look at the code and fix it. Cool.
Jenn, I had the same problem with my code. When Judy first talked about code during our workshop I just sort of spaced out because I couldn't imagine myself doing anything with that gobbledy goop.
ReplyDeleteWhen I couldn't get my links to all be the same color I was sooo frustrated. I finally asked my husband to help. He knows all about code because he has had computer classes. Even so, it took him a little while to see the problem. But he was able to show me how the code is laid out and where the problem was and how to fix it. I feel a lot more confident now. I'm sure I would run into problems if I had to do anything very complicated, but I know a lot more now than I did before.