Great Tools for Computer Scientists

As a computer scientist, I have used many types of tools that help me program and study. They are text editors, an IDE, browser, debugging tools, social networking tools, and many more. I use each of the tools with a specific purpose. It seems impossible to obtain a one-size-fits-all tool. It is because a programming problem needs to be broken into smaller problems, which requires a computer scientist to combine different tools to find the solutions.

For example, in this semester, I worked with five other students for SJSU STEM Program. We took advantage of Google Docs to communicate and plan each sprint. We also used Google Hangouts and Skype to hold every meeting between team members and with students and teachers. These tools are free and work really well. In fact, thanks to Google Docs, we were able to put together the finest memos. The reason, Google Docs worked so well, is because it provided us real-time editing.

Besides Google products, our teams discovered Google Helpouts, which is a very promising tool for computer science students like us to help other people and get paid in the process. We did not have a chance to work with it but we would definitely like to explore it more in the future.

The other tools that we used were Adobe Photoshop and Prezi. Photoshop was used for our poster and it was just powerful. Prezi was new to us but the ability to animate slides and make them interesting really impressed us. We used Prezi, at the end of the project, to provide a presentation to our client. After the presentation, the client response was very positive. However, Prezi could be a lot more appealing to students if its group licenses were not that expensive.

 

At the end, Google Docs and Google Hangouts are my favorite tools. They are just easy to use and do the job well. Prezi seems potentials, but it price tags and complicated features make me less interested in using it for future projects.

Personally, another good tool for computer scientists is Linkedin. This is a great tool for networking. During the preparation for my Linkedin profile, I had to get familiar with business terms and learnt how to promote myself better.

I think computer tools are changing every year. People always strive to find new ways to do things. For my STEM project, we found out many cool tools for kids to learn programming. The website Code.org provides interesting and easy-to-learn education web apps. Code.org employs a new way of educating young students to learn code through game programming and simulated animation. Currently, it has a coding curriculum that teaches basic programming through video games like Angry Birds and hungry zombies. The web apps are just amazing and I think it makes students more interested in programming more than in learning a traditional programming language. (Richtel, 2014)

In short words, I would recommend these tools for every fellow computer science students:

1.     Google Docs: online real-time document processing apps.

2.     Google Hangouts/Skype: online group meeting.

3.     Prezi: online tool for making presentations cool.

4.     Photoshop: tool for graphic designs.

5.     Code.org: web apps for learning programming.

6.     Linkedin: professional networking for everyone.

References

Android Authority. (2013, May 15). Google Hangouts Logo. Retrieved from Android Authority's Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+AndroidAuthority/posts/2U3F5MFhbZj

Appraps. (2013, April 18). Prezi App Review for Ipad. Retrieved from Appraps: http://appraps.com/blog/2013/04/18/prezi-app-review-for-ipad/

Code.org. (2014). Anybody Can Learn | Code.org. Retrieved May 15, 2014, from Code.org: http://www.code.org

HTC Inc. (n.d.). Google Calendar Docs. Retrieved May 15, 2014, from HTC Inc.: http://www.htcinc.net/google-calendar-docs/

Linkedin. (n.d.). Linkedin - Media Resources - Logos. Retrieved 05 15, 2014, from Linkedin: http://press.linkedin.com/Media-Resources?SubjectID=644

Richtel, M. (2014, May 10). Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Lately, Coding. Retrieved May 15, 2014, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/us/reading-writing-arithmetic-and-lately-coding.html?_r=0

Shaw, A. (2013, 09 27). Skype Logo - Official Skype Logo. Retrieved 05 15, 2014, from

Skype Blogs: http://blogs.skype.com/?attachment_id=56273

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Photoshop CC icon. Retrieved 05 15, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Photoshop_CC_icon.png