Update about last day of class celebration 12/18/07

Greetings!

We have an update on our end of the semester and birthdays celebration on Tuesday, 12/18/07. Development #1: I can't find a good, nearby Chinese restaurant that is open early in the morning and that will supply us with our menu items in time for our class. Development #2: We can't have Chinese food in 403. If we want Chinese, we need to go to the cafeteria. But, we don't have enough time to do that on Tuesday.

So, as a result, Tuesday's celebration is just an end of the semester celebration. The good news is that we'll defer the November and December birthdays celebration to January, and have a bigger combined birthdays bash. The better news is that we'll have Noah's bagels as my treat on Tuesday to celebrate the end of the semester. I'm picking up our chocolate chip, cinnamon raisin, and blueberry bagels at 7:00 AM. So, they'll be fresh to smear with cream cheese.

ICA-CP: 12/14/07 - Quia #2

Good morning!

It's quiz day!!!! (Hmmm, I don't hear everyone cheering . . .)

Before you take your quiz, please take the Food Vote survey (see previous blog entry) to decide about food for our class party next Thursday. An announcement about how much it will cost us each will be at the end of today's class along with survey results.

The quiz . . . It's 10 questions long. Each question is worth 10 points. Use the class diagram here to answer the questions: http://lesson.taskstream.com/lessonbuilder/v.asp?LID=ukhwhdzizpzyhcfp

When you are ready, your quiz is here: http://www.quia.com/quiz/1205410.html The password is: spartans
Oh, and yes, you may take the test more than once if you don't like your initial results.

Week 7 & 8 (12/10/07-12/21/07) Question of the Week

The question of the weeks spans this week and next week. Since there are 3 meetings this week and 1 meeting next week, this Question of the Week needs to be at least 400 words and is worth 40 points. It is due by 5:00 PM on Friday, 12/21/07.

Here's the question: Since the Sony Reader and the new-for-Christmas Amazon Kindle are on the market for ebooks, do you think we still need books made of paper?

Some background: Electronic books are now accessible with the two electronic book devices that are currently on the market. The Sony Reader retails for $299.00 and includes 100 book downloads. The brand new Amazon Kindle costs $399.00. They are compared here:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/ebook-faceoff/amazon-kindle-vs-sony-reader-sizemodo-and-interface-comparison-gallery-326590.php

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9820409-7.html

Info on the Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Device/dp/B000FI73MA

Info on the Sony Reader: http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/assets/itpd/reader/reader_features.html

Here are some thoughts to consider as you fashion your response: Is there something intrinsically satisfying about sitting in front of a fireplace sipping hot chocolate with your favorite paperback novel? What happens when you need a battery charge for your book at a critical moment? Wouldn't it be nice if our backpacks didn't have to be sturdy enough to carry 50 lbs. of books? And how about our backs? Are all the books you might need or want available in electronic format yet? Are pencils and pens soon to be obsolete? Are there advantages for those who are sight impaired with ebooks?

Finally, for Will the eBook finally replace paper? see http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/oct/05/guardianweeklytechnologysection4

Food Vote

Good morning!

Please vote for food choices for our 12/18 celebration before taking your quiz today. The vote is online at Zoomerang. The link is:

http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB2279H85YZ2V

Results will be announced at end of class 12/14/07.

ICA-CP: SweetToothFactory class for 12/14/07 Quiz

If you would like to get a headstart thinking and studying for our quiz on Friday, 12/14/07, below is a link to the Java class we will be using:
http://lesson.taskstream.com/lessonbuilder/v.asp?LID=ukhwhdzizpzyhcfp

ICA-CP: 12/12/07 - Javadocs

Good morning!

Today is a review Q & A opportunity before your quiz on Friday. We also try Javadocs today. Javadocs is one way to explain how your program works to users.

To make Javadocs, you use a new multi-line comment. It is: /** my comments go here **/. Javadocs recognizes these symbols and puts the information you type in them into a Java document. Here's a link to more info on Javadocs: http://www.javapractices.com/Topic60.cjp

To see how BlueJ creates a Javadoc for your program, create a new class. In BlueJ, click the New Class button, and name the class myJavadoc. Open the class to edit. In these two lines,
* @author (your name)
* @version (a version number or a date)

replace the info with your name and today's date. Now, compile it. Once compiled, go to Tools --> Toggle Documentation View. You will see the Javadoc that you just created. To get back to editor, go to Tools --> Toggle Documentation View again.

ICA-CP - 12/10/07 - Eliza and Willie Wonka

Good morning!

Today we are reviewing comments in Eliza and a new class, Willie Wonka Works. Reminder -- we are having a quiz on Friday.

ICA-CP: 12/6/07 - Flow charting and Inspiration

Good afternoon!

We are going to review flow charting symbols today, and then do a refresher on Inspiration. The flow charts for your Eliza programs must be done in Inspiration.
Here's a flow chart web reference: http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/faculty/wolfe/book/Readings/Reading13.htm

Now that we've gone over the Parrot program, here are some hints from it for your Eliza program.

Stage 1: Someone types one word, and Eliza responds. This uses KeyboardReader = new KeyboardReader(); and userInput = reader.readLine();

Stage 2: This adds the while (finished == false) loop. So, the user can keep typing emotion words over and over. When the user types "Done", the program exits.

Stage 3: This adds the StringTokenizer loop. So, now the user can type whole sentences.

Week 6 (12/3/07-12/7/07) - Question of the Week

(This week's question should be at least 200 words since we have two class meetings.)

Here's the question: Will laptops be replaced by cell phones in 3-5 years?

Background: In Japan, college students have dropped laptops from their "want" list in favor of cell phones that are Internet, MP3, Bluetooth, and GPS enabled. Here's an article on the cell phone versus laptop debate: http://www.technologyreview.com/InfoTech-Hardware/wtr_16279,294,p1.html?a=f
Here's another link: http://blogs.business2.com/business2blog/2006/01/the_500_phone_v.html In Japan and Europe, you can use your cell phone to dial a number and buy vending machine items or a car wash. Want a coke? Dial the number for the vending machine in front of you. (We in the USA are behind the rest of the world in cell phone sophistication.)

ICA-CP - 12/4/07 - Review Quiz and Parrot Program

Good afternoon!

I'm passing back the re-take of Quiz #1 today. Here's a heads-up: we're having Quiz #2 on Friday, 12/14/07. It will be 100 points, and will cover concepts in the Parrot Program, Eliza, and the concepts we're having trouble with understanding from Quiz #1.

Here's what we're doing between today and the end of the semester:
1) Today, 12/4/07 - Go over the Parrot Program. You will need concepts in the Parrot Program to finish your Eliza program.
2) Thursday, 12/6/07 - Flow charting requirements for you Eliza program and a quick review of Inspiration
3) Monday, 12/10/02 - Putting comments in your Eliza code
4) Wednesday, 12/12/07 - Using Javadoc and documentation for your user plus review for quiz
5) Friday, 12/14/07 - Quiz #2
6) Tuesday, 12/18/07 - Eliza due today plus November and December birthday celebrations

Remember: Your Eliza program is doubled to 150 points allocated as follows:
90 points for your Java program
20 points for flow charting Eliza
20 points for comments in your code
20 points for user documentation

Birthday celebrants are:
November
Katherine
Ricka
Michaela
Ashley

December
Courtney
Rafi