Blog 1

 

  • Do you have any prior experience with open source? If so, what is it? (It’s okay if you don’t have any at all!)
I've had the opportunity to engage with open source. During the summer of 2022, I undertook an internship with the Student Software Developer's Team (SSDT) at Berea College. This collective consists of ten students who are all aspiring to pursue careers in software development or within the tech sector. Their focus revolves around managing various websites for the college. A notable project among their responsibilities is the maintenance of the CELTS website. Over the course of that summer, I gained exposure to the concept of open source development.

When I initially began the internship, my familiarity with web development was quite limited, and I wasn't well-acquainted with many of the associated terminologies. I distinctly recall an incident at work one day when our supervisor informed us that an individual from Asia had contributed to resolving an issue within the repository. This puzzled me, as I had believed that special permissions were necessary to access the repository itself. This instance marked a turning point for me, leading me to genuinely comprehend the essence of open source collaboration. The specific project I participated in can be found in this repository: https://github.com/BCStudentSoftwareDevTeam/celts 
  • We will be contributing to Runestone Academy this term. Which of the projects in Runestone Roadmap 2023 seem interesting to you? Explain why they are of interest.
I went through the list, and some of them do sound interesting and I wanted to learn more about them but I was unable to find more information. For instance, there was one project called 'chatGPT tutor', but when I clicked on the repo no more information was provided. Just by reading the title it does peak my interest, and makes me want to learn more about it. As we know chatGPT has been a hot topic ever since it came out. Working on this project would allow me to learn more about the chatGPT, and gain useful skills as I am trying to be the tutor. In order to be a tutor one must be able to understand the topics themselves which is why I think I would be able to learn a lot more about chatGPT through this project. Another project that seemed interesting is 'Allow small bits of custom content#276.' I would be able to learn more the runestone through this project. I believe it is important to be as accommodating as we can so that each user gets a good experience while using the project. At my summer internship, I learned about how each page on the website has to be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)  compliant, and it didn't even dawn on me that there are others that also use the same product with different background or needs which is why it is important to be as accommodating as we can. Working on project 276 would allow me to help contribute to this cause. 
  • What do you think is the strongest skill or characteristic that you can bring to your work in this course this semester?
Throughout my time in school, I've taken on leadership roles in various situations. Even back in middle school, I used to volunteer for community events, and as I've grown up, I've taken on even bigger leadership responsibilities. In the tech world, I'm still pretty new, but I've been working on skills that aren't about coding. I'm a pretty outgoing and social person. I find it easy to talk to and connect with others. This semester, I think I can use my people skills to help our class. Also, I've got experience with open source stuff. For about a year now, I've been part of SSDT, working on projects that are open for anyone to help with.
  • What skill or characteristic would you most like to improve upon? What can you do this semester to help in that endeavor?
A skill I would like to improve on is being able to effectively delegate tasks and improve time management. I have this feeling of thinking that I can complete everything on my own, and often forget that I have useful resources that are readily available to me. I want to work on being able to take my time to learn the topics within timely manner, so that when I do bump into barriers I am able to resolve it by reaching out for help. I have peers, a TA , and a professor that would be willing to help me. 

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