During my time in high school I had a lot of expeience with Twitter. Our school provided a 1:1 MacBook program for each student and this involved a lot of assignments online and Twitter was one of them. Before we were told to make a Twitter account in high school I made one. I followed some various famous people but also some of the administration of the school I went to and also the Tech Coordinator of my school. I was very involved with the laptops at our school and following the administration and Tech Coordinator is a good way for me to keep up with what is going on in my high school. My Tech Coordinator, Tim Limbert, posts a lot of the problems that I am familiar with and he also posts some very interesting articles on technology. The Superintendent of my high school, Jeff Dicks, posts many links to educational valued articles and keeps me updated with what is going on at the school. I was using Twitter before this assignment so I am obviously going to keep using it because I see it very useful to keep updated on what is going on.
An article I believe is important about the uses of twitter can be found here. Some reasons they say you should use Twitter are for quick support, to keep up, to share you knowledge, and it sparks good ideas. Twitter provides support for me in the way that I follow my teacher for Calculus and Physics from high school and once again my tech coordinator. It is very useful to send a direct message to either one sending them a message about a problem I am having. It allows me to share my knowledge because I can share links to articles that I see educational and I have answered many questions from Twitter users from my high school having problems with their computer. It sparks good ideas because I have seen many Tech Coordinators ask questions on Twitter that end up starting a 1:1 with there own school.
You can find my Twitter page here. Feel free to direct me with problems you have with your computer and I will try my hardest to provide an answer.
Monday, November 1, 2010
A Business Case for Diversity
The diversity event I went to as you can tell was A Business Case for Diversity. Walking into this lecture I felt very awkward. Their were a few students and I recognized some Hixons but most of the audience was older adults in suits. I felt like I wouldn't learn anything and as the Dean of Engineering introduced the speaker he said that the previous year the main view of the event was aimed towards students, unlike this year. So all in all I wasn't looking forward to the speaker to begin.
As Scott Page, the speaker, began his lecture I became more and more interested. Page stated that it is important to have a group be diverse because with more diversity comes different point of views on the topic at hand. That a diverse group may not be as fun or socialized as a non-diverse group but a diverse group will be more productive and more accurate with the work.
I took a lot away from this presentation even though I thought it would be pointless. This just goes to show that even if you think something won't be worth your time, its definitely worth your time to check it out and give it a chance because it just might surprise you.
As Scott Page, the speaker, began his lecture I became more and more interested. Page stated that it is important to have a group be diverse because with more diversity comes different point of views on the topic at hand. That a diverse group may not be as fun or socialized as a non-diverse group but a diverse group will be more productive and more accurate with the work.
I took a lot away from this presentation even though I thought it would be pointless. This just goes to show that even if you think something won't be worth your time, its definitely worth your time to check it out and give it a chance because it just might surprise you.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Blog Post #2: A Time In My Life.
The time I felt I did my best is when I went to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The point of the trip was to attend the annual Space Settle Design Competition where we designed a plan for a space settlement using the parameters given by the judges. In my first year I was a part of the Automation team which was in charge of creating plans for robots that would clean and do various tasks needed for upkeep of a space station, and also to plan out computer systems and other technological things needed. I was a very important part of the team and that year we ended up winning.
For my second year I went I was in a group that had a lot of first year students and with my previous success and my seniority, I was chosen as Vice President of Engineering. For this job I had to go around and help each engineering group with what they were in charge of. I helped the Structure Engineers come up with an efficient design that was both cheap and productive. I helped the Human Engineers design rooms and living spaces because there are a lot of things that can easily get overlooked. I was a main part of the Automation team because the team was comprised entirely of first years so they needed a lot of guidance and had A LOT of questions. For this role I also had to set time periods for when things needed to be done by, I was in charge of making sure everyone was in-order and were on task. I helped present the information to the other parts of the group and talked with the other Vice Presidents of each area come together to finalize our presentation. I worked hand-in-hand with many NASA officials and went through some very high-level security clearance areas.
This opportunity helped me improve my leadership skills which are very important in any aspect of life as well as learning that when you step out of your bubble and volunteer for positions you are very much rewarded for your actions. My second year team did not win but our C.E.O, Jack Bacon, said it was one of the best presentations he has ever seen. I talked with the organizer of the Competition and have been invited to come back to the competition next year as a mentor due to my skills recognized by many people their. I made some very valuable contacts with people from NASA and the competition also helped solidify my choice of Major, Computer Engineering.
For my second year I went I was in a group that had a lot of first year students and with my previous success and my seniority, I was chosen as Vice President of Engineering. For this job I had to go around and help each engineering group with what they were in charge of. I helped the Structure Engineers come up with an efficient design that was both cheap and productive. I helped the Human Engineers design rooms and living spaces because there are a lot of things that can easily get overlooked. I was a main part of the Automation team because the team was comprised entirely of first years so they needed a lot of guidance and had A LOT of questions. For this role I also had to set time periods for when things needed to be done by, I was in charge of making sure everyone was in-order and were on task. I helped present the information to the other parts of the group and talked with the other Vice Presidents of each area come together to finalize our presentation. I worked hand-in-hand with many NASA officials and went through some very high-level security clearance areas.
This opportunity helped me improve my leadership skills which are very important in any aspect of life as well as learning that when you step out of your bubble and volunteer for positions you are very much rewarded for your actions. My second year team did not win but our C.E.O, Jack Bacon, said it was one of the best presentations he has ever seen. I talked with the organizer of the Competition and have been invited to come back to the competition next year as a mentor due to my skills recognized by many people their. I made some very valuable contacts with people from NASA and the competition also helped solidify my choice of Major, Computer Engineering.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Blog Post #1: Beloit College Mindset List
First the list of things that describe me from the list. I was born January 2nd, 1992. I have forgotten how to write in cursive but knew at one time. E-mail is becoming a pain to keep up with when you can use much quicker ways to communicate. Clint Eastwood has defiantly turned into a director rather than an actor. I use many ribbons to support different causes because I know a number of people going through cancer. I love Korean cars. I have actually used a corded phone and have played with the wire. I have not experienced the luxury of having a nice car. Letterman is much better then Leno. I see viewer discretion for pretty much every show I watch. I never used an Apple II as a kid but I did use one at my school last year. Second-hand smoke has actually started to deteriorate thanks to Iowa's no smoking policy. I worked at an assisted living facility in high school. I have had some bad experiences waiting for Domino's pizza delivery guy (didn't get it free either). Russian American space station? Since when did a toothpaste tube not stand on its cap? I wanted to name my dog Beethoven. What is Tab Clear? And since when did Wal-Mart not sell guns? NOTHING is ever on t.v. Congress is full of some people that need to re-attend College. I love SYFY.
For the few things that don't apply to me. I don't really get what the 3rd one is getting at. 4 5 6 7 8 and 9 for that matter. I never watched Beavis and Butt-Head. Doctor Death did have a license to practice when Al Pacino made a movie about him last year. I never collected beanie babies? I have used many computers that didn't have a CD-ROM drive. Who doesn't know how to spell potato? I've never tried to divorce my parents? I've never heard of anyone getting married in space? Who doesn't still listen to Nirvana!
And that's all I got.
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