mattd56

Scratch is a very effective tool for showing how programs work using colorful visual blocks that have code built in. These blocks are then chained together to create scripts. I showcased this by creating a really-easy and flexible program that loops drawing a square over and over. The program is written so anyone can try it for themselves, as well as change the variables to create different shapes. For the collage, I used the Photoshop lessons to create new layers for each ‘step’ image. I did this by changing the window to tile mode so I could drag the screenshots of my program into the collage. Then I lined them all up using grids and scaled the images to fit in their spot on the canvas. Lastly, I added a text box to each layer containing the steps to create the program. Once I had everything the way I wanted I flattened the layers.

After receiving feedback from my classmates, I revised my collage based off their advice, in order to make my collage more visually pleasing. While my story was easily conveyed, it was not very eye catching, or creative. Then I followed my classmate’s advice and added a border around the pictures in order to make each one stand out a little more. Furthermore, I removed parts of the images that weren’t vital to my collage, such as the top bar in the web browser, in order to fit everything together a little better. All these elements and advice from my classmates work together to improve upon my simple step by step tutorial for anyone to learn how to create their own program.

My inspiration for this project is my background in programming. While I’m not a very artistic or creative person, I felt it would be better to create something instructive. Therefore, I chose to make my project a simple tutorial for anyone interested in programming. The program was created in Scratch, which is an online visual programming tool. Scratch is a very effective tool for showing how programs work using colorful visual blocks that have code built in. These blocks are then chained together to create scripts. I showcased this by creating a really-easy and flexible program that loops drawing a square over and over. The program is written so anyone can try it for themselves, as well as change the variables to create different shapes. For the collage, I used the Photoshop lessons to create new layers for each ‘step’ image. I did this by changing the window to tile mode so I could drag the screenshots of my program into the collage. Then I lined them all up using grids and scaled the images to fit in their spot on the canvas. Lastly I added a text box to each layer containing the steps to create the program. Once I had everything the way I wanted I flattened the layers. All these elements work together to create a simple step by step guide for anyone to recreate my program.

As a digital science major, technology is my passion. It began when i was younger after going to COSI in Columbus. At this science center I got the chance to take computers apart and destroy them. While i was too young to understand the complexities of technology at that time, it sparked a fire inside me that has continued to grow. Therefor I will be channeling my passion for technology into this blog.

I plan to share projects that I’m working on such as games, applications or websites, as well as new updates in the technological industry, and new things i learn along my journey as a digital science major. I will do this by sharing the source code of my projects and provide picture or video examples of the program in action, and if far enough along I may link the entire program for anyone to try and test for themselves. currently I am working on a few projects on scratch.mit, such as the example in the featured image, the main one being my own representation of the game asteroids. However, i also have smaller projects I will be sharing written in html, css, and js that i work on to keep lessons fresh in my mind.

While my main focus is to share my interest in technology, a side goal of this blog is to help others find interest in technology or just learn something new. I am not aware of too many sites similar to mine, however, there are a couple sites from which i drew inspiration for both this site and my passion. These sites include:

https://www.linusmediagroup.com/

https://www.businessinsider.com/sai

https://www.livescience.com/technology