Programming Languages

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One of the things I have been learning in college is various programming languages. Recently, I had to learn how to use Scratch, a block-based programming language. Because this was my first time using Scratch, I first watched the tutorial on Scratch to learn how to use the program. I also watched some videos of what others had done, to get a better understanding of Scratch’s capabilities.

Link to my project in Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/711607052

Initially, I learned how to choose a background and a character. I chose the cat character, but I used multiple costumes for the cat’s sprite to change his appearance when it is clicked on. For that, I have moved around the body parts of the image. Also, I was able to tell the program to change the background, background colors, and added a sound effect, when the cat is clicked on.

I encountered some difficulties in Scratch, primarily because I had never used the program and did not know how to do certain things. For example, it was challenging getting the cat to move like I wanted him to. It was also difficult to get each sprite to only appear on certain backgrounds. I was able to overcome these difficulties through simple trial and error. If I had to become truly proficient in Scratch, it would be very helpful to have more tutorials.

I was impressed by how intuitive Scratch is to use. Although it is not necessarily easy, there is a lot you can learn to do just by exploring the program. This is different than Python, for example, where trial and error is not likely to help you learn to do new things. I found there is a lot of potential for using Scratch for things like animated music videos and games.

I have taken a Python course, so the exercises from the book looked familiar to me. The primary difference with Scratch compared to other languages like Python is that I would not have been able to understand how to use the other languages without being taught first. Compared to Python, I find Scratch easier to use, because of its intuitive nature and more graphical interface.

However, that is not to say Scratch is better for every scenario. It is certainly good for things like animations and games. However, Python is better suited for making other applications. For example, I previously created an employee database program in Python. I cannot imagine using Scratch for this type of program, as it does not seem well-suited for that task.

According to Brian Eastwood of Northeastern University Graduate programs, the most popular programming language is Python. Eastwood says, “Python is widely regarded as a programming language that’s easy to learn, due to its simple syntax, a large library of standards and toolkits, and integration with other popular programming languages such as C and C++ (Eastwood, 2020).” Our textbook concurs, saying, “Python is a high-level programming language, increasing in popularity due in part to being easy to learn, to being freely available, and to having powerful high-level data-processing operations (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019).” Another popular mobile language is Swift Nick Kolakowski, writing for Dice, states that Swift is rapidly becoming more popular, especially as it has recently achieved stability (Kolakowski, 2019).

 

References:

Eastwood, B. (2022, January 5). The 10 Most Popular Programming Languages to Learn in 2021. Northeastern University Graduate Programs. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/most-popular-programming-languages/

Kolakowski, N. (2019, December 4). 7 Programming Languages Vital to Learn in 2020. Dice Insights. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://insights.dice.com/2019/12/04/7-programming-languages-learn-2020/

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Section 2.11. Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. zyBooks. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://learn.zybooks.com/zybook/TEC101:_Fundamentals_of_Information_Technology_&_Literacy_(TED2227A)/chapter/2/section/11 

Hello, everyone! I am a new mom working on a starting a career in the information technology field. I just had my first baby a few months ago, and it is a challenge balancing work, family, and school! I am currently in the financial industry, but I chose to go back to school and complete my degree in Computer Software Technology. There are multiple aspects of the technology field I am interested in, such as software engineering and cyber security. Ultimately, I am looking for a great career that provides remote work so I am better able to balance my career and my family. I live in area with a lot of technology jobs, so I have plenty of career opportunities once I finish my degree. I am writing this blog as part of my Fundamentals of Information Technology class. This class is very beneficial to me because it is teaching me the foundation of what I will need in a career in the tech industry. In particular, I have really benefited from observing programs like Scratch, a block-based programming language that is simple enough for anyone to learn. I hope from this class to increase my basic understanding of information technology.

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