Weekly Report #8: 10/20 - 10/27

Displaying Learning

This week, the focus was on three different aspects of the class: display boards, interviews, and research. Regarding point one, we were provided the opportunity to view various display boards from the past which were used for various presentations. Based on such, I was able to successfully create a foundational plan for how my display board will look, regarding the information it will portray, the layout it will utilize, and the overall color scheme and design it will contain. Thus, I was effectively able to create a foundation for what I will create for my Final Presentation Night. Furthermore, in regards to interviews, I wrote my first assessment of my interview with Mr. Don Blasingame. Overall, the assessment furthered my understanding of what I garnered from that experience for I delved deeper into the content of the interview and successfully understood more from the analysis of the initial conversation. Lastly, I conducted a research assessment in pertinence to the history of programming and how the evolution of computer programming occurs. I understood how the creation of computer languages as a whole was prefaced by the understanding that languages need to be developed in the future. This understanding drove the creation through the method by which it occurred, from a simplistic base and complex design standpoint. In essence, this week allowed me to further my knowledge and learning of my field and my compatibility with it, which is the overall goal of this program.

Weekly Report #7: 10/13 - 10/20

Assessing my Learning

This week, my work consisted of three main parts: post-business Symposium work, topic proposal, and research assessment. To begin with, after our successful Business Symposium event last week, I wrote thank you cards to professional who I found were extremely helpful in their feed back throughout the event. Furthermore, I wrote a Business Symposium assessment, which showcased my experiences in the event and overall how the my interactions and participation will benefit me in my future in the professional world as a whole. I found the assessment to be a source of revelation, as I was able to truly understand the true extent to which this event assisted me and set a positive foundation for me future. Furthermore, I completed my topic proposal this week as well, which basically considered my field of study and why I should be allowed to pursue this subject based on my past experiences. I wrote about my passions as a child and how my personality and experiences holistically prepare me for this field of study extremely well. Lastly, I conducted further research this week concerning the idea of big-data. It was a topic mentioned in many of my interviews, and was a concept which has major impacts for the future of computer science. Overall, I was able to understand how, though the technology of society is developing and becoming more powerful, the future of this field will still be driven by human analysis, creativity, and ingenuity, a process which computers will never be able to harness as effectively as the human can. This was extremely reassuring, as it provided me with the motivation to further the communications aspect of myself, as it will be truly quintessential for my future.

Weekly Report #6: 10/6 - 10/13

Business Symposium

This week was focused on the Business Symposium held by the Independent Study and Mentorship programs of the East side of Frisco. This Symposium was an event in which students of various Independent Study and Mentorship programs were able to collaborate with real professionals in various aspects of employment. The Symposium consisted of interviews conducted by professionals to help us understand the spectrum of our interview capabilities. It also contained a period in which we were able to understand the benefits of the ISM program through the lens of past students, who demonstrated and explicated their various positive experiences in the class during their tenure in high school. Moreover, another integral part of the Symposium was the aspect of networking. We started off the day with an hour of networking with professionals in various fields. Additionally, as the day progressed, we were able to meet students from different schools, which gave us the opportunity for increased networking and contact obtaining. This opportunity at the Symposium not only helped me increase my contacts for later usage in the program, but it laid the foundation for the skillset of networking within me, and helped me understand how to successfully introduce myself as an individual and strike up a conversation with a person who I have never interacted with before.

Overall, the experience of Business Symposium was phenomenal; it gave me real life experience and helped initiate the growth of tangible communication skills within me which can be utilized in the near future. This following week, I intend to focus upon assessing the knowledge which I gained from the Symposium, my past interviews, and research upon my field.

Weekly Report #5: 9/29 - 10/6

It’s All About the Research

This week comprised of the beginning of the research interview process. During this week, I was able to utilize the wide variety of skills I had learned these past four weeks to contact professionals in my field and conduct research interviews regarding their field and experiences. Overall, I have to say that the experience for me has been amazing. Not only have I learned so much simply by talking to these individuals, but also I’ve broadened my perspective upon the field I am pursuing. The computer science field has so many aspects to it, which tie into business and communications. Also, the necessary traits for a prosperous computer scientist go beyond knowledge. In fact, as I’ve learned this week, it requires analytical skills and problem-solving capabilities. Overall, there’s so much more to the technology I know of, and I feel as if this past week, I’ve begun the process of opening my eyes to the world around me and the possibilities within my field. In essence, I realized throughout this past week how much there is to know and grasp about the field of computer science, and how I’m only beginning to uncover the vast secrets which the field encompasses.

This upcoming week, I intend to further my research through interview assessments, research assessments, and overall just furthering my relationships with a wide variety of computer science professionals who can lead me towards the path of understanding the mysteries and constantly evolving future which lie ahead for technology.