Software Engineering:
This software engineering class has been one the hardest and most time consuming classes I've had. I have also learned a lot and gained many experiences that make me feel more prepared going out in the real world. I had been unsure of my programming ability before taking this class, but I now feel like I have the practice and the tools I need to overcome any obstacle.
Some of the things I think could have been improved in this course is the presentation of Wicket. I felt overwhelmed when given a book towards the end of the semester and having to learn something from scratch in a short period of time. It would have been less stressful if we learned about it earlier and more gradually. I also think the lectures given online could have been spread out more evenly as well. Having to watch three lectures in one day for one class was a little tedious.
Valuable Lessons:
I think the most valuable lesson I learned from this software engineering course was teamwork. Throughout my college classes it has always been about yourself. You and only you are responsible for the outcome of your assignments and your grade. You rely on yourself to complete your work and you do it in your way. However, this is not the case in the real world. There is always interaction with other people and most likely you will work in a team. This was my first real experience working on teams and it has been a great learning experience. Learning how to communicate effectively, the importance of doing your part, and helping each other out has been valuable lessons learned.
Learning More:
I will be taking the continuation of the course next semester and I look forward to the experiences that will come. I am interested in a career in software engineering and this class is a great way to get a head start. I recently did an internship and many of my coworkers said this was one of the classes they learned the most from. I hope to continue working in Java because it is my language of choice but I also would like to use other languages as well.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
GreenSmart 2.0
Version 2.0:
Version 2.0 of GreenSmart including fixes to problems that occurred in version 1.0 and adding new features. The system now includes three main pages: the Homepage, the GridInfo page, and the Stoplight page.
The homepage includes links to the other pages as well as a description and screenshot of the GridInfo page and Stoplight page to guide the user. The GridInfo page contains a chart produced in Google Charts that displays the carbon intensity of the users selected time period. The user can also select different sources and different intervals at which points to retrieve the data. The background colors of the chart indicate the threshold and let the user know if the carbon content was high, medium, or low at that time. The stoplight page shows a picture of a stoplight where the light indicates the current carbon intensity and gives suggestions about energy usage. There is also a contact page with information on how to get in contact with the Greensmart team.
In this latest version we made many improvements. We added links to all pages in every page to help users navigate the website more easily. The background was also changed to white to create a cleaner backdrop. Scott also redesigned the GreenSmart logo to make it more personalized.
Lessons Learned:
Now that the project is over I realized that I learned a lot from this experience. I learned how important communication is and how it leads to better efficiency and less headaches. There were times when people would work on a task and later find out someone else had already finished it. I also learned the consequences of procrastination and not starting on a project right away. It is a lot less stressful when you space out the work and not try to finish everything the night before it is due. Overall, I learned a lot from this project and I enjoyed working with my teammates.
Download: link
Version 2.0 of GreenSmart including fixes to problems that occurred in version 1.0 and adding new features. The system now includes three main pages: the Homepage, the GridInfo page, and the Stoplight page.
The homepage includes links to the other pages as well as a description and screenshot of the GridInfo page and Stoplight page to guide the user. The GridInfo page contains a chart produced in Google Charts that displays the carbon intensity of the users selected time period. The user can also select different sources and different intervals at which points to retrieve the data. The background colors of the chart indicate the threshold and let the user know if the carbon content was high, medium, or low at that time. The stoplight page shows a picture of a stoplight where the light indicates the current carbon intensity and gives suggestions about energy usage. There is also a contact page with information on how to get in contact with the Greensmart team.
In this latest version we made many improvements. We added links to all pages in every page to help users navigate the website more easily. The background was also changed to white to create a cleaner backdrop. Scott also redesigned the GreenSmart logo to make it more personalized.
Lessons Learned:
Now that the project is over I realized that I learned a lot from this experience. I learned how important communication is and how it leads to better efficiency and less headaches. There were times when people would work on a task and later find out someone else had already finished it. I also learned the consequences of procrastination and not starting on a project right away. It is a lot less stressful when you space out the work and not try to finish everything the night before it is due. Overall, I learned a lot from this project and I enjoyed working with my teammates.
Download: link
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