4th Quarter Reflection
My 4th quarter project was exhilarating but fun. My group's product was called the Lingua, and it was a microphone that could translate languages accurately and quickly. Usually, it took us a while to get anywhere with our projects, since CERTAIN members of the group were always lollygagging, but we ended up doing them in the end. One of the big challenges I faced was that I was one of 2 people who were trying to take this seriously, and the one who declared himself the so-called leader of our team was always lollygagging and never got any work done. And while I did make very practical animations and designed the logo, things usually would end up devolving into chaos, as shown by how chaotic our commercial was:
However, I learned along the way that marketing something is pretty easy, and making logos is far easier than I thought. I also learned that making a good commercial is difficult, especially when you have 3 different people to work with (and in the case of one of them, working with him was like trying to herd cats). The feedback we were given was simple. While my work was greatly appreciated, others pointed out that our commercial was far too chaotic or something of that nature. Next time, I hope I don't get paired with people whose ideas clash with my own like that. But I guess that's how group projects are. Group projects are like a game of chance: you roll the dice and see who you get. Sometimes, you get a good group, other times, you get a not-so-good group. However, I believe that my work in 4th quarter was quite phenomenal. Here are some examples of things I did:
In this quarter, I was sure to use my time in class well. I made sure to make every minute count. Only when I was done with all that I needed to do did I look at funny pictures online. When I was done early, I'd look back over what I had and see what else I could add. Outside of class, I tend to use Photoshop a lot in order to explore what it can really do, so I can better my skills in this class.
As a student in e-Communications and as an employee, I have many strengths. One of them is my artistic talent and endless fountain of good ideas. I tend to think outside the box and see things more creatively, which helps me with projects like this. My knowledge of technology is another good point, considering my ability to use computers well is important in this class. I maximize my strengths by using them more and more, and that way, I can get better the more I do these things.
Areas I have in need of improvement include my ability to work as a member of a group. Yes, I CAN work with others, but when having to deal with someone like Mr. Lollygagger, I blew my top one too many times. I'm known to be slightly temperamental, and with him being the "leader" of our group and still not doing anything, I got angry to the point of crying at one point. However, my mom said that learning to deal with people like him is normal, and I think I should work on that.
This semester was an exciting semester. What I loved most was the Video Production we learned in Quarter 3, which was unbelievably fun. What I would do differently is fix the system of grouping used for our group project, because while you said you grouped us via our MBTI personalities, we were of completely different MBTI groups. I know that the intent was to have two introverts and two extroverts, but still. I have learned several things in this semester that I am most definitely using in the future, and I hope that next year, I can create more complex animations. As for my final thoughts? Well, in short, I'm glad I chose this 21st Century Program. It's well worth having to change schools for it, and it's definitely better than taking regular classes at East.
