CST 300 - Major ProSeminar - Week 2

Module 2 - Lecture (75 Minutes) 

For Module 2 lecture, we had to watch two videos and read an article.

The first video, titled "The Future Is Faster Than You Think," discusses recent technological advancements. These advances have made our lives easier; for instance, creating heat using a candle used to be hard work, but now it's cheaper and simpler. The video also mentions four types of abundance: computation, time, capital, and communication. These abundances help save time, enhance intelligence, and increase lifespan, among other benefits. Technological progress is excellent because it improves our lives.

The second video, "Introduction to Project Management," explains the project lifecycle, project leadership, and how to ensure a project's success. A project has a start and end time, a defined goal, and may arise from various factors like market needs, business requirements, technological advancements, customer requests, legal mandates, social needs, or ecological considerations. A project proposal is necessary, presented to stakeholders, usually the board of directors. Projects are investments, and the project manager acts as the project's CEO, responsible for time, money, and agreed-upon goals. The video emphasizes that planning benefits the team by reducing time and minimizing costs.

The article, "Trends in Computing and Software," highlights AI as a powerful tool, citing GitHub Copilot, which aids users in writing code faster. The article also mentions Python and JavaScript as top languages, according to the survey presented.

Module 2 - Collaboration (by OLI) 

This week in OLI, the first video discusses collective intelligence research, focusing on building effective teams. The presenter argues that many companies prioritize hiring based solely on intelligence, but this approach is flawed. Several key factors determine a team's performance. For instance, hiring an extremely intelligent individual without considering the intelligence of the rest of the team can lead to struggles with workload and potential team conflicts. Additionally, hiring a lazy person can result in challenges completing tasks on time. The video emphasizes that creating a great team involves factors like including more women, ensuring equal participation, and promoting high social sensitivity. The remaining videos covered strategies for building great teams and highlighted the benefits of collaborative work on projects. The session also included a test on reading people's eyes, and unfortunately, my score was below average.

Week 2 - Learning Journal Post

Review and Reflect Learning Strategy: After going through the document "Effective Study Skills," I observed that I excel at taking and organizing notes. Recognizing my time constraints, I make a conscious effort to document my learning sessions, ensuring that I can easily recall information when revisiting my notes. I am also adept at maintaining a specific and clean study environment, fostering better concentration.

However, I identified areas for improvement. Establishing a study schedule and deciding when to study pose challenges for me. Additionally, I struggle with preparing an outline when tasked with writing a paper. The abundance of information overwhelms me, making it difficult to know where to begin. Furthermore, having a fixed schedule proves challenging, leading me to study whenever I find some free time. 

Preview Time Management Skills: See below for my current study plan. Study time will change depending on how busy I am with work or if something else comes up. 

Project Management Basics: In the videos, I learned that projects differ from operations as they are temporary and unique, closing upon completion, while mass production represents an ongoing process. The project life cycle involves key phases, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring/control, and closing. The videos highlighted common causes of project failure, emphasizing issues in time, cost, scope, and quality management. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) emerged as a crucial tool for defining and organizing work to achieve project deliverables. Additionally, the concept of a Gantt chart was introduced as a visual representation illustrating the start and finish dates, offering an effective way to organize complex projects.

Previous Capstones: In the first capstone project, the team created the 'Oceanside Public Library Home Delivery System' app, a handy idea during the pandemic. The presentation was good, but some terms were confusing. Improving clarity could help viewers. The second project showcased EZDashboard, converting data into visualizations on a webpage. Although good, the presentation could better convince users/investors. Despite being a great idea, it didn't fully convince me. The third presentation featured the Mirrored Fantasy game, a multiplayer online battle arena. It was well-done and impressive, with no apparent need for improvement. The presenter's knowledge and explanation of complex concepts left a positive impression.

Summarize Your Week on Your Learning Journal: This week, I learned about technology advancements, like how they make life easier. The second video was about managing projects, where planning saves time and money. An article talked about AI tools and popular programming languages. In OLI, we explored building effective teams and working collaboratively on projects. A test on eye-reading highlighted areas for improvement. Overall, I gained insights into tech, project management, and teamwork.