The readings and responses listed here should take you approximately 65 minutes total.
To start this assignment:
- Click the button in the upper right-hand corner that says Fork. This is now your copy of this document.
- Click the Edit button when you're ready to start adding your answers.
- To save your work, click the green button in the bottom right-hand corner. You can always come back and re-edit your gist.
Learning Fluency by Turing alum Sara Simon (35 min)
- Your key take-aways OR how you're going to implement specific points (minimum 3):
Use Google to go find at least one online resource detailing keyboard shortcuts and/or features that are built into Slack.
- What resource(s) did you find? Paste them below:
- What are three Slack shortcuts and/or features that stood out? How will each contribute to your productivity?
What's the use of the staging area in git? on Stackoverflow (15 min)
The idea of the staging area is frequently one of the trickiest concepts to wrap your head around when you're first learning git. Read the question and answers (or do your own Googling on the git staging area). Then, create your own metaphor comparing the staging area to something in real life.
- Type your metaphor below:
If you have any questions, comments, or confusions that you would like an instructor to address, list them below:
Learning Fluency
I really connected with this article. I have a bachelor's in Psychology and a Master's in Social Sciences, but I taught an academic writing class at CU Denver. I also worked in the wine industry for most of my adult life. So, I've dipped my toes in quite a few fields but none have ever felt right or connected. This article helped me see that all of those experiences can help me in a way I didn't originally think of.
I also feel like this was helpful to understand the different ways I learn. I was always a good student in school, but I've tried to teach myself different languages and teach myself to code and it didn't go very well. The section about "fluency before understanding" and "discipline before imagination" was what stood out to me the most and made me realize the mistakes I've made in the past when trying to learn something new. I'm planning on putting this quote about my desk because it resonated with me the most: "Understanding does not always lead to fluency, and simply having an eager imagination does not always pass as a shortcut for putting in the hard work."
The first time I really felt like I was "bad at school" was last semester when I tried to take a graduate level Algorithms course (with very little background in discrete math and data structures). I wish I had read this article before I started that class because I think I would've approached my lack of understanding differently. Chunking, repetition, and practice were vital for Simon to learn Mandarin and later computer programming. I plan to keep this in mind throughout my experience at Turing and when things get challenging, I'll look back on all of these suggestions.
Slack Shortcuts
From using Slack in Mod 0, I think I will use the following Slack Shortcuts:
What's the Use of the Staging Area in Git?