CST300 Week 2: Drafts and Peer Reviews

Part 1. Review and Reflect Learning Strategy

    The top 3 effective study skills that I am strong in are Surveying, Making and revising a schedule, and Recite. Anytime I am presented with a new set of coursework I carefully overview the material and create a study plan allocating the time that will be required to cover and review it.

    The 3 I am weakest in are Outlining textbooks, Where to study, and reciting. For one, I don't typically mark on textbooks, I also typically study at my computer which can often lead to distraction if I'm not careful, and lastly I can sometimes find myself reading through a section without fully grasping what I just covered.  

Part 2: Preview Time Management Skills

Part 3: Project Management Basics

    The three video presentations, Introduction to Project Management, A WNS Masterclass, and Project Management in Under 5, were all incredible resources in learns key aspects about project management. The first covered core concepts such as task organization and time management setting up a foundation to for success when facing large scale projects. The second went into detail about how to break down those large projects into smaller more manageable tasks. Finally, the last presentation video covered how to keep a timeline to help track progression to make sure goals are being met.

Part 4: Check Out Previous Capstones

    Capstone Project 1: OtterParsing

Type of project: OtterParsing is NLP based program, written in python, that scans resumes quickly for key information so that users can scout through numerous resumes effortlessly.

Was it well done: Yes, the presentation looked professionally put together and the information on thier software was well organized. 

How did you like the presentation: I enjoyed the presentation. The visuals were pleasing and the added touch of having a song lightly playing in the background made it feel more engaging.

Could it be improved: My only note would be to comment more of the code that's presented in the project. Having visual comments explaining the code helps the viewer follow along with the explanation of the project.

    Capstone Project 2: Security Scan Summary

Type of project: Security Scan Summary is a development tool designed to help communicate the security risk of code. It's design to help relay vital information to non-technical decision makers that otherwise could be missed.

Was it well done: Yes, the presentation was packed with great information information covering the core concepts of thier software.

How did you like the presentation: The presentation was good, though it was lacking somewhat in the visual department. 

Could it be improved: A few of the slides felt somewhat void of information that wasn't already covered by the speak as well as a general lack of visuals.

    Capstone Project 3: A Bird's Song

Type of project: A Bird's Song is a short video game which follows the story of a species of bird that has since gone extinct due to environmental destruction. Its meant to raise awareness of the ongoing environmental destruction that the islands of Hawaii are experiencing.

Was it well done: Yes, extremely. Both the concept and execution of the project were great.

How did you like the presentation: I greatly enjoyed the presentation as it was extremely engaging. Both information and visuals were top notch.

Could it be improved: While nothing is perfect, I don't see any stand out weak points in the presentation; very well done.

Part 5: Summarize Your Week on Your Learning Journal

    Two weeks in and my coursework continues smoothly. This week a majority of the focus was on finishing a rough draft of an industry analysis essay followed up with peer reviewing the drafted works of my team members.

    Academic writing has never been my strongest skill, but I believe I am capable. It's not that I can't write, more so that writing doesn't always flow with ease. I find myself often getting hung up on individual sentences, working and reshaping them repeatedly, like a smith forging iron, until they finally read and flow the way I want. Rephrasing and second guessing has me frequently looking back over sections, wondering if the progression of points feels natural or fretting over what might need to be cut. Paragraphs often take hours to polish, and papers themselves become multi-day endeavors. Despite this I push through, and in the end I'm left with something I can feel proud of. I've always believed that bettering yourself in the areas you are weakest is core to self improvement.

    While writing has certainly been the focus this week, it was not the only docket. An additional set of lecture readings and videos were assigned through Open Learning Initiative. The introduction and chapters were short, sweet, and provided some interesting insight into building a successful team. I am curious what topics or information OLI has in store for us in the future.

    All in all, week 2 has been very manageable. I look towards week 3 and what it might bring.