Annie's CS Journey

 This week we have to review our team's code for the Project 1: Legally Distinct Pocket Monster.  With whom did you work?            I worked with my Team members Edward Luna-Ortez and Manuel Caro.  What was your strategy for solving the assignments? My strategy was to first read and understand the project specifications before writing any code. I started with the easier parts; basic fields, simple getters and setters, constructors, and small helper methods. Once those were working, I moved on to the more complex logic such as elemental interactions, attack calculations, defense behavior, and toString formatting. I built the project in small steps, running tests frequently so I could catch mistakes early. I also used Git branches to isolate major changes and keep the history organized.           Did you start writing code right away? Did you plan it out on paper? I did some planning before coding; mainly ide...

During the past two weeks, I have been getting more comfortable with both the technical tools and the mindset needed for programming in Java. When we first started with Lab 00, using IntelliJ was a new experience. At first, I felt overwhelmed by all the windows and options, but as I followed the videos and built the first small projects, I started to see how the IDE actually supports my workflow. Code completion, automatic formatting, and instant error feedback made a big difference in helping me write cleaner and more efficient code. Learning Git in Lab 01 added another layer of understanding. Initially, Git felt complicated and intimidating, but as I practiced basic commands like add, commit, and push, it began to make sense. I now understand how branching and version control allow developers to experiment without fear of breaking things permanently. It was satisfying to see how Git can track every step of the process, making it easier to stay organized and recover from mistakes. Th...

 At the start of this course, it took me a little time to get back into the mindset of solving programming problems again. It had been a while since I last worked through CodingBat exercises, which I originally did in my introductory Java course, so this felt like a good opportunity to refresh and sharpen my skills. Once I got going, the familiar structure of the problems helped me ease back into logical thinking and steady problem solving. When I began working through the challenges, I focused on reading each problem carefully and studying the examples to make sure I understood what was being asked. I found it helpful to restate each problem in my own words and then think about which Java tools such as loops, string methods, or conditionals could help me solve it. At first, I sometimes jumped straight into writing code without much planning, just to see what would happen. That approach led to small errors or logic issues that I had to fix later. Over time, I realized that taking...