Week 2 Learning Journal Post

 Part 1: Learning Strategies

When it comes to learning strategies, three areas I feel I am good at are creating an adequate study space, establishing study habits, and taking notes. Before I study, I make sure to clean my desk area and have drinks and snacks nearby for easy to reach replenishment. Then when I study, I make sure to add my notes in OneNote along with my assignment and quiz due dates so I can make sure to highlight and organize details based on when something will be needed for either. As for study habits, I make sure to set a timer so I don't sit down for more than 2 hours at a time so I can make sure to move around or give my brain a rest.

Additionally, three areas I believe I am weakest in are writing papers, answering easy questions first, and not reading aloud. These all have a tendency to make me take longer doing assignments than I should have to. When I am writing a paper, like our industry analysis paper, I get so stuck on the words I am choosing and whether or not I am saying something that needs to be said or is completely unnecessary that more than half my time writing an essay is me writing paragraphs that I just erase and start over. Similarly, I struggle to move on from a question if I am having a hard time answering it, usually to the point where I am spending three to four times longer than is necessary to answer it. I could definitely benefit from working on easy questions first. Lastly, I read aloud all the time, and it always slows me down, but I've began to use a read aloud feature on my computer to keep pace.

Part 2: Time Management Skills


Part 3: Project Management Basics

Projects are planned to be executed in such a way that they will be temporary and will achieve desired result. Projects are defined as unique, so they typically have different circumstances and/or results than those from any other project. Project managers are held accountable for making sure projects are done within a designated time while using an ideal number of resources. They must also make sure those working on the project are doing what they're supposed to and when they're supposed to. For product management, it is essential to implement a work breakdown structure, or WBS, which will layout the various levels of deliverables, or end results, which can be used to plan and assign tasks. Lastly, a Gantt chart illustrates the schedule of a project by allotting time to different tasks and placing them in order of dependence on one another. The chart helps determine whether project tasks are behind, on, or ahead of schedule.

Part 4: Previous Capstones

Project 1: Otter Parsi
The project was to create a user interface that acts a parser for resumes intending for use by recruiters. The results of the project were really impressive, and the demonstration was executed effectively. The presentation was informative and organized. I think the presenters could have used some more enthusiasm and consistent pace between them to limit the need to adjust to their volume level and dictation. Something I think helped the team stand out was the blend of graphics and font choice because it kept my attention while refraining from distracting me from its content. 

Project 2: Drive Diary
The project was a tool that would track gas usage and maintenance of vehicles. The presentation was a quite plain because their PowerPoint was bland and consists of minimal information and graphics. The results were adequate and effective. In my opinion the style of it seemed to fit something a little more of a lifestyle design rather than a utility. They may have wanted to consider the attitude the website was meant to give their users.

Project 3: A Bird's Song
The project was a video game that raised awareness for environmental destruction. I would say the results of the project were pretty good considering the challenges the team faced. The presentation was really thorough explaining the process that was taken to complete the project and the fact that they explained the challenges they had faced and overcame helped understand the team's journey, which I thought was a nice touch. I think the capstone presentation could have benefitted from some of the conclusion information being said earlier. 

Part 5: What I have learned this week

This week I learned quickly that I am out of practice when writing essays. Rather than focusing on who my audience was, I was constantly worried that I sound like I knew what I was talking about. It has always been a struggle for me to remember how to structure essays, including formatting and progression. I wasted an entire day trying to get the first page right when in I should have been willing to make mistakes and wait to perfect the content for my final draft. I definitely spent three to four times longer on my essay than the assignment recommended I should spend on it. Other than having a refresher course on writing an essay, we also learned about developing our other skills like time management, team efficiency, studying tools, and projects.

Comments

  1. ASFebruary 2, 2025 at 11:15 PM

    Hi Thomas, your schedule is well-organized, especially how you balance school and work. The days set aside for studying are structured logically. Allowing some flexibility is excellent for extra study time or adjustments to your schedule. You will do great sticking to those plans.

    ReplyDelete

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