Journal entry 3

Learning Skills

I’ve slowly come to realize how little I actually understand about how I learn best. I used to think I could just sit down anywhere and get to work, but the truth is, I get distracted so easily. Sometimes I need complete silence, but other times, a little background music actually helps me concentrate.

Something I have noticed, however, is that I actually study better at night as opposed to the morning. Most mornings I feel sluggish and have difficulty concentrating. I think it's because there is a lot of small noises that I can pick up on. Those are generally gone at night, simple things like the neighbors leaving, or the sound of the city in general, cars, buses, sirens. It is easy to dismiss those as non-distracting, but it just isn't true. I'd like to establish a good, solid study plan at night to enhance my learning ability.

Weeks Reading

After reading and reflecting on the reading, I started thinking about what the future holds regarding AI. It has somehow gotten to the point where some of the lines between reality and artificiality have been blurred. Advances in tech now allow for the replication of voices, the generation of artwork, and even the reconstruction of people who are no longer here...you know, dead. While this is really quite impressive, they also create a lot of problems, specifically with authenticity and consent. Especially intellectual property that is available on the internet, not for the benefit of training models, but to just showcase ability. Human life is nuanced; we're unpredictable at times, and the subtle imperfections are what shape our interactions. None of this is easily replicated by a computer.

At the same time, AI has the potential to increase problem-solving skills and productivity. That is undeniable. What used to take weeks can take hours now, due to how quickly we can delegate tasks to something like ChatGPT or Claude. The possibilities even now are unimaginable to most of us; however, this needs to be weighed against ethical considerations. For example, what does it do to individual privacy or autonomy? Just as people are using it for productivity and benign reasons, there are most likely individuals looking to use it for just the opposite. The challenge becomes to engage with AI thoughtfully, ensuring it serves to augment the human experience.

What CS Majors Should Know

I've come to realize a few things after reading the article or description of what a CS student should know. It's almost intuitive, but reading through this, it really outlines how much of CS there is. Algorithms, discrete math, and operating systems are all part of it. What really stands out is the emphasis he puts on really displaying what abilities a computer science student has via a portfolio or projects, and not just a resume. This somewhat hit home because I have been mostly focused on working on things specifically tied to school and not exploring outside of it. It made me realize I need to work on branching out, possibly trying new languages, or even building small projects, contributing to open source, to really get my hands dirty with real-world software.

Code of Integrity

The code of integrity document helped me gain a very deep understanding of what upholding academic honesty really is. It emphasizes collaboration as problem-solving exercises with colleagues or fellow students, but the actual code needs to be written by us at our machines. Why is it important? because the point is to grow as software engineers and problem solvers, not constantly rely on code written by others or code we find online.

A key takeaway is that plagiarism, copying code from other students or online sources without giving credit, is essentially claiming that work as our own. Though there are tons of resources one can copy from, the AI tools come to mind, or Stack Overflow, it is always good to practice. The interesting bit is that even if we receive help, we can simply cite our source, making the benefits of collaboration honest and transparent.

The article is a reminder to maintain integrity when working, and it also serves as encouragement to continue to improve. Maintaining integrity is crucial to continued learning and for building skills that will last for decades.