Fall 2021 Student Snapshots

Has it really been more than three months since my last post? That’s insane for so many reasons!

Well for those that are curious, I am still alive. My days are jam-packed parenting a now 16 and 10-year-old. This summer, we remodeled the kitchen, which I wanted to post about, but it coincided with the start of the fall semester, so I’ve been preoccupied with getting ready for classes. 

And that’s why I’m here!

Before I get into everything though, check out my new office above. I’m on a new campus! It’s refreshing to have a workspace to call my own after, well, you know *waving hands vigorously* the last two years.

Anyway…

The Student Survey

Quick Links: Watchlist | Playlist | Student Questions

This semester I have honed in my orientation survey and have collected some really fun data about my students (all 116 of them!) that filled it out for me. For example, the three most popular apps this semester are Instagram, Snapchat, and Netflix.

I also give the students a chance to submit other apps they regularly use that weren’t on the list. This is the word cloud of those entries. I can’t believe I didn’t have YouTube on the list. That will be added next semester for sure!

In addition, I ask them things like what Operating System and browser they use. No surprise that Windows and Chrome dominated.

Oh! And iOS. These kids love their iPhones!

The Fun Stuff

In addition to questions about their tech usage, I ask them to submit a movie/show recommendation and a few songs for my semester playlist.

Movie/Show Recs from My Students

Pursuit of Happiness – Will Smith

On My Block

Saw Free Guy recently and enjoyed it greatly, Loved all the gaming references.

Psych

Superbad

Snake Eyes

The Hateful Eight Extended Version

Star Wars.

Loki on Disney+!

A Silent Voice The Movie

I recently watched Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time. It’s a very good movie, but you have to watch all four in the series to even have a hope at understanding it. The original anime is also good too.

I saw “Bridgerton” on Netflix recently and thought it was pretty awesome!

American Horror Story

The show Outer Banks on Netflix is pretty good

The Big Bang Theory

Grey’s Anatomy

Rurouni Kenshin

A great show is Manifest on Netflix.

The Blind Side

News of the World (watched on my flight to Cabo)

The Fosters

Collateral Beauty, found this movie recently and critics hated it– however, I thought it was pretty good.

Exit, It’s a movie about a man who does parkour that must escape poisonous gas using his skills to traverse buildings.

Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders

The walking dead

Demon slayer movie, Jujutsu Kaisen, If loving you is wrong

The movie Old Guard is really good as well as the movie Antebellum

If you haven’t watched “Aladdin” live-action I 100% recommend you to watch it.

The Punisher

Vikings, sex life and you

Black panther

Coraline.

I always like to watch horror movies and horror tv shows but currently, I have no time to watch any movie or shows because I take 4 classes also doing a part-time job, and also I have my small family with my 3-year-old girl, but if I get time I sometimes like to watch Family Feud by Steve Harvey and I like it when people gave the dumbest answers.

the chi

Gremlins movie

Sense 8, a Netflix show from 2015, is very TV-MA so if you aren’t into that then don’t watch it but is the TV show with the most profound impact on me.

Mob Psycho 100

Outer banks

Vincenzo King of Boys

My favorite show right now is “Criminal minds” I’m currently binge-watching it.

Money Heist

King of boys.

All American

EL- BADLA

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Snatch! It’s pretty funny.

Movie- 42 Show- Shooter

One-piece it’s an anime but there are 981 episodes.

Lucifer

Percy Jackson

One movie that I RECOMMEND watching is Snakes on the plane.

I really do not like to watch movie

Akira

blacklist

Gossip Girl, Dynasty

supernatural

Designated Survivor- show

The Dark Knight Rises.

The walking dead.

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Cruella. It is a very good movie.

tomorrow war

My favorite show is American Horror Story and season 10 just came out, as far as movies I really like Twilight.

I really like the tv show called You

Greys anatomy

Record of Ragnorock (not sure if that’s how you spell it) its in English subtitles but a good animated show about if all the gods of different religions and beliefs were to fight against the greatest humans from different eras

papillon, 4 star

It’s a Wonderful Life with JImmy Stewart

Ozark

Critical role. Its a DnD show that streams on Twitch, or YouTube

Strange but true (movie)

Not a movie (unless you really hate reading), but “Howl’s Moving Castle” by Diana Wynne Jones. The book is definitely better, but Hayao Miyazaki’s interpretation is also just pure art, so feel free to indulge in both! The book is amazing and easy to get into even if you’re not a big reader since Diana’s target audience was middle school aged children. But her work is timeless and she’s one of my favorite authors.

Real Steel – (2011)

A movie that stayed on my mind is “US”. It is a horror movie and the reason I like so much is the cause of the plot twist in the movie,it just baffled me so much.

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ON NETFLIX

To be honest, I don’t watch tv at all. I prefer listening to music than watch tv. I use Youtube for other things, not movies.

community on Netflix is a really good show

Get Out is probably my favorite movie

American Horror Story and Black Mirror, I have currently been watching Manifest on Netflix! I definitely recommend the movie, Beast of No Nation on Netflix as well!

Rush hour

Rick and Morty

Treasure Map(a Korean show)

American horror story.

The Boys

Euphoria

the hobbit trilogy lord of the rings trilogy

Harry Potter 1- 7.2

the end game

Something funny I recently watched was Clarkson’s Farm on Prime.

THEM on Netflix

Matilda

Shadow & Bone – Netlfix

Lupin (netflix)

The Wolf of Wall Street!!!(Best movie ever made)

Money Heist

One Piece

the originals

Real Steel – 2013

“New Girl” on Netflix

I really like the series called sense 8

criminal minds, manifest, outer banks, American horror story

Watch AOT it’s an anime, a really good deep storyline good plot, and a character build.

I like watching the Fast and Furious movies

Wandering Son

Avatar: The Last Airbender (show)

Vinland Saga

Netflix show called lucifer u should definitely watch it.

You

Matilda

Lion King

king of Harlem

Naruto

Manifest, Beast of No Nation, Black Mirror

Manifest on Netflix.

The Darkest Mind

Student Playlist

The playlist is my absolute favorite! I get exposed to so much new-to-me music, and it gives me something to play in the classroom when the students are working.

Spotify

Apple Music

Student Questions

One of the last things I ask them on the survey is if they have any questions for me, and I LOVE the variety. These are most of the questions and my responses. I removed some as there were duplicates.

Have you worked in the industry outside of teaching? Yes! And actually, you can see my professional experience on my Linkedin account.

What made you want to be a professor? I absolutely LOVE sharing knowledge and connecting with people.

What is your favorite video game if any? My favorite game of all time would have to be Resident Evil. Right now I’m quite enjoying playing Super Mario Party with my kids.

What are some helpful tips you could give me for taking this course? For all courses: Pay attention to the details, READ, ask questions. BE INTERESTED.

How long have you been teaching courses related to tech? Since 2003.

Which IT jobs will this class help me prepare for? It depends on the course but frankly, you will need more than one course to prepare you for a job in IT. Most of my courses are entry-level and set the groundwork for you to learn deeper and more advanced topics later that will prepare you for a job in IT.

What experience do you have in the tech industry/ what is your tech experience? It would be cool to know your favorite music and movies as well. See above for question #1. “Favorites” for me are hard because I like a lot of different genres and styles. That said, I’m working on a favorite playlist on Spotify and a much-watch movie list for my students. Both coming soon.

How many certifications do you have? None. My path didn’t really take me down the certifications realm. I have some certificates in things like QM and such, but I’m not a certificated person. I do hold a degree in Management Information Systems and Instructions Technology.

From a scale of 1-10, how difficult would you consider this class? I think all my classes are a 1 but I’m not sure my students would agree.

When completing this course, is it possible to get an entry-level job in web development? I am eager to start my career and want to continue learning more each day to become a successful web developer. Honestly, I don’t think so. You can’t take a 15-week course in HTML and expect to be job-ready. I would suggest finding an internship if you can or volunteer your tech services as you learn more.

Why did you make this a required question? Because then you will ask me something. And I find most of my students have questions that are either too afraid to ask me in person. I also like getting to know my students and part of that is seeing the types of questions they ask. Like this… this is a GREAT question and I love that you asked it.

What’s your favorite song and who is it by? My favorite song of all time is hard, the two in the running would be Going to CA by Led Zepplin and Landslide by Stevie Knicks.

Why do you think nanotechnology isn’t at the forefront of advancement and technological development? I don’t know enough to answer this intelligently at the moment.

I don’t know yet, but if I do I will ask. Great! That’s why I’m here.

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time? Lift weights, trail run, cook, play board games with my kids, watch movies, I keep myself pretty busy.

How long have you been in the IT field, if at all? I guess you can say since I graduated college so, 20-plus years.

What made you interested in your own subject? I took my first computer class in 1995ish and I was hooked.

How long have you known how to program? I took my first programming class in 1996, I think. It was COBOL. I wouldn’t say I knew how to program back then but it set the groundwork, it’s a lifelong journey. I still have a lot to learn.

What are some stuff students should focus on to pass this course? You should always focus on what is being asked of you. I find most students don’t bother to read assignments or pay attention to the details. My courses aren’t meant to “test” you. Follow instructions and you should be fine. It’s all about the experience and exposure to technology at our level.

What is your favorite part in the CSIT class? Helping people be more comfortable with technology.

Is this field of study worth getting into in your opinion? Yes! There is a shortage of technical professionals!

Did you have a desire to learn about technology or did you use to hate it and learned to love it as time pass by? I had a desire. It was new when I first started so it was super intriguing. That said, I had a lot to learn and still do. You have to be the type of person who is interested in keeping up with the tech at some level as it is constantly changing.

Would you change career paths if you had the chance? Yikes, tough questions! I don’t think so. This is what I know and am comfortable with but sometimes I do get overwhelmed and burnt out because I am constantly learning new things.

Is there any other technology classes you wish you could teach besides web standards? I fought for this class, this is the one I wanted to teach! I also enjoy teaching Introduction to Programming and general Information Systems as well.

I really like you. do you teach all the CSIT classes? Ha! Thanks but no. I’m not ready to teach all of them.

Which coding language do you use most often? Right now I’m neck-deep in Python. I also tinker with PHP and I do a lot of front-end web development so HTML/CSS/Javascript.

How to learn new coding languages easier? Practice, play, challenge yourself.

How’s it going? hahaha It’s going alright. I’ll feel better a few weeks into the semester.

Will I pass this class if im not good with tech but im a quick learner? That depends on you! The point is for me to get you better with the tech.

Why are you a teacher? Is it fun? Do you get bored sometimes especially when some students don’t get you? As I said above I really like connecting with students and sharing knowledge. I don’t get bored. It’s not possible but I do get frustrated because I put a lot of time and energy into my classes and some students will just not take advantage of that.

Why aren’t other professors like you? If they were, life would’ve lot easier. Ha! Good question. Not everyone gets into teaching because they like it. I just happen to enjoy it and I’m pretty passionate about it. Unfortunately, not all teachers feel that way.

The question will be to make this class a very understandable class especially for those students who do not know anything about web standards and are willing to learn like me pls. That is literally my job and I’m trying!

What is your favorite song at the moment? So, this is a different question than the one above! At the moment I am obsessed with Hell N Back by Bakar

What is the easiest way that you get good at technology with? Use tech all.the.time.

What is the structure of object-oriented programming?

What is your favorite programming ‘tool?’ Sublime Text.

Did something initiate your passion for technology or were you just naturally drawn to it? After I took my first web development class I was super hooked. I just thought it was so neat that I could make a website that anyone in the world could access.

How hard is the final and midterm Not hard IF you read and take all the quizzes.

What high school did you go to? I went to a small catholic high school that no longer exists in PA.

What are we going to learn about? Did you read the syllabus?

How can I learn best in this class? Pay attention. Do the assignments. Read the book.

Who is your favorite Band (or what is your favorite genre of music)? 90s Alt Rock and my favorite band is Cake.

What helped you as a person to be successful in your life? Persistence for sure. I’m one of those people that can’t handle having something on my to-do list. As my husband says, I get shit done.

Can this class be passed without a personal computer? It’s possible using resources on campus.

What is your opinion on how much technology has advanced over the years? It’s mind-blowing.

How are you? I’m ok. I could be better but I’m doing my best.

How long did it take you to understand so much about computers? A lifetime and I’m still learning.

I will get back to you regarding this question. I like it.

Can you help a dolt? I don’t believe there are many true dolts, but yes.

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? I hope you get the reference.

Do you think Alexa is the police? Umm no.

Book/TV show recommendation for me? I just watched The White Lotus and loved it!

Is the schedule on the syllabus wrong? or will meet days change? I don’t think so! But I do make mistakes. I cannot change the days we meet.

what computer would you recommend for college? I’m a use-whatever-I-have type of person. I say get what you can afford.

WHEN ARE YOUR OFFICE HOURS? WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME? THEY ARE RIGHT HERE.

About my major. What about it?

What still drives you to learn/teach about technology after all these years? I’m still interested and I want to make sure I’m not obsolete but honestly, it’s getting harder.

What interested you in becoming a college-level instructor? I never thought about teaching college before I started teaching college so that’s a hard one!

Where are you from? I moved a lot as a kid –born in California, raised in Pennsylvania for the most part, and most of my family is from New York.

How much or often should I use or practice with Alice? Well, we’ll have a project a week for the next 15 weeks so, a lot!

What type of music do you listen to. All types! Except for modern Country.

Not necessarily a question but if you like playing Catan you should check out Warhammer, would be an awesome weekly thing to do with the family. Will do! Thanks for the tip!

Have you ever programmed a game? I have! But in a dead application called Flash.

What fiction and non-fiction books would you recommend? I’ll be honest. I am not the biggest fiction reader, but my son has gotten me into the One Piece Manga and I’m hooked. I also am currently reading a book about foraging that I love.

I don’t have a question at the moment nor can think of any at this moment. Cool. I get that.

Is this course interesting? I think so.

What piqued your interest in technology? Frankly, one of the first things I used to do on the computer was play with MS Paint. I just thought it was so cool that I could use the computer to make art. After that, I just started exploring more and more computer things.

What other courses or resources can be used to improve web development knowledge after the end of this course. Great question! I should start to build a list of resources but don’t have one right now. I’m usually overwhelmed with teaching students the basics that I don’t always have time to stay on top of trends. One of my favorite resources is the MDN Learning Area.

What made you choose your current career path and what are your future plans? I answered the first part in other questions already but the second one… my future plans are to teach for as long as I can and then I’d like to travel more, cook more, and get back into online content creation if I can. I like sharing my passions.

If I have a question, it would be where did you get all this love for this field? (computer and programming) I’m not sure where it comes from and sometimes I fear I’m losing it. Everyone gets burnt out. That said, I truly think understanding technology is important to navigate the world.

No questions (so far) Cool. I get that.

Why technology? Why not? It’s all around us.

. I love that you used this to get away from the required question. That is problem-solving at its best. lol

Do you have any pets? I do! A cat and a dog.

What is the most difficult thing about being a teacher? Not being able to motivate everyone. There will always be students who just don’t care and that’s hard when I put so much time into my classes.

How has your teaching experience been for you at CCBC? Overall, fantastic. I actually resigned years ago and then fought to get back in. This is a great place to work. It has some issues as will any large organization but for the most part, the people I work with all care about what they do, and the students are fun to work with.

Why did you decide to teach this course? Unfortunately, I don’t always get to decide what courses I teach but I do fight to teach the courses I do because I want to help people understand technology better and I like to share my passion for the internet.

Favorite thing about HTML? I love this question! I love HTML. It’s simple yet powerful. The idea that you can mark up content for meaning and give it hierarchy. That it’s literally ground zero for any information you see online. It’s elegant in its power and it literally changed the world.

Honestly, I’d probably be most interested in asking about your hobbies as you mentioned we share many of the same ones. But, regarding the course, I’d probably ask why you chose to go into the field of CS? I love that I get both style questions! And I think I answered both of yours through other questions from students.

How do you think the constant evolution of technology affects the learning landscape? Great question! I think we are completely scatterbrained in academia right now. Especially with the changes that were brought on by the pandemic. Everyone loves to throw new tools into the classroom but no one takes the time to evaluate them and the tech constantly feels like a moving target.

What is the most important skill programmers learn? Problem-solving.

Is this class going to be hard? Nope. I don’t think so but you have to do the work.

What do you love about your job? I love interacting with and building confidence in other people.

What made you gain interest in the tech world? Interacting with computers for the first time as a teenager.

If a mind reader and someone who can see the future played chess against each other who would win?

How difficult do you think this class will be for someone getting back familiar? All my courses aren’t difficult and just by the nature of what I teach they are designed for complete newbies or those getting re-familiar.

How valuable is the knowledge of Alice when it comes to programming in other ways? There is no value in knowing Alice as a program. There is a value in the way you approach problems in Alice and how fast you are able to adapt to new technology and explore it to accomplish your tasks.

What are your thoughts on the state of the country right now? *sigh* I think times are strange but then again, times have always been strange. When I start to feel like the country is falling apart I remind myself that there have always been moments in history where it felt that way. Yet, here we are.

Can I improve my grade by doing this survey? Well, it’s part of the first graded assignment of this course. So, there’s nothing to improve yet but you are earning a percentage of your orientation assignment by filling it out.

Phew! That was a lot. I’ll be back soon. I just need to get my head above water this semester and find my grove.

I hope you are well!