CST 300 - Week Three

Time Management

Helpful article on time management. Some of these tips are things that I’ve already become accustomed to doing. I do have a dedicated study space, but I could work on sticking to dedicated study times throughout the week. Additionally, achieving “stage one” is something I should push my self to do more often. Often, If I know I will not have enough time to complete the assignment in that session, I will not bother starting and instead push it off until the next study session. However, just starting an assignment and getting something done, even if it is not complete/perfect is a great tip in time management.

Study Strategies

One tip I explored in this article was figuring out your own learning style. This is a fundamental aspect of successful learning. I learn best in quiet and neat space. Additionally, working independently is often much more effective for me that working with a friend/study partner.

What Every CS Major Should Know

I loved the tone of this article. Very matter-of-fact and persuasive. The author also brought up some interesting points. While I’d agree that an online portfolio is much more effective in showcasing your skill, I have never heard someone come so strongly against a traditional resume. Some of the specific recommendations for technical skills every computer scientist should have are still on my learning list. With the help of CSUMB’s CS program I hope to master these skills soon!

Notes on Week Three

This was a full week with a lot of short, quick, and interesting assignments. Thinking about ethics in technology was a welcome change, and I truly enjoyed researching and choosing a topic for my ethics report.

CST 300 - Week Two

Learning Strategy

This was an interesting and informative piece.

Three areas of strength:

• Environment – Although I want to be part of the action at home, I choose to work in distractions-free areas to ensure quality learning. 
• Surveying – This part of the SQ3R method has been ingrained in my system from early on. Knowing what kind of work lays ahead of me is a crucial piece to my overall achievement.
• Highlighting – This little technique has helped immensely. It is my go-to method for memorization.

Three areas of weakness:

• Schedule – I do have a weekly learning schedule, but I’ve found it hard to keep to it amidst various recent personal events. I will try to improve in this area.
• Outlining – this is a technique I use often for teaching/giving information over to others. I almost never use this as a personal learning tool.
• Two small tips at the end of the article caught my eye. “Begin studying no less than 30-90 minutes after a meal” and “never study within 30 minutes of going to sleep” I think I my be a frequent breaker of these rules, but I’ll keep them in mind for the future.

Time Management Skills

Fun article. I chose to document five hours of my evening, from the time I returned home from work until I left the house to pick up my sister from the airport. During this time slot I had hoped to complete the week’s module. This didn’t go exactly as planned and I had to go back and finish the blog post later that night. While reviewing the activity log, I found that I need to cut back on extended family time. I took almost 2.5 hours but about 90 minutes a night total should suffice for the future.

Time (PM)	Activity	How I feel	Duration (min)	Value (1-5)
4:00	Arrive home, dinner	Subdued	45	5
4:45	Family time	Great	90	4
6:15	Check college emails and ilearn updates	Good	10	5
6:25	Connect with Eric Tao on Linkedin	Good	3	5
6:28	More family time	Slow	52	1
7:20	Fill up water bottle	Neutral	3	3
7:23	Prepare self-introduction video	Great	12	5
7:35	Film self-introduction video	Great	5	5
7:40	Post self-introduction video	Great	5	5
7: 42	Break, help nephew with homework	Great	27	4
8:09	Prepare for group meeting	Great	3	4
8:12	Log into group meeting	Great	14	5
8:26	Email team members	Great	2	4
8:28	Begin week two learning journal	Neutral	32	5
900	Leave to pick up sister from airport	Great		5

Project Management Basics

These were short videos covering the fundamentals of project management. Projects, as opposed to operations, are temporary, create unique products, and are closed after the initial objective is attained. The project life cycle consists of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing. Projects fail due to several reasons. Failure in time management, cost management, scope management, quality management can all lead a project to failure. A good project manager will me competent in leadership, communication, information technology, accounting, purchasing, and problem solving.

Survey Previous Capstone Projects

Smart Start, Blaze King

This was a web app to help low-income families in Lake County, CA access local, state, and federally funded assistance programs. The website gives people a simple way to connect with support programs such as food pantries, free childcare, medical treatment, and transportation. The site was built to be very user friendly and is available in both English and Spanish. I found this project to be particularly special because it helped real people in the Lake County and is still making a difference today.

Operations Production & Information System (OPIS), Danny Tran, Francisco Gutierrez, & Sergiy Zarubin

This group created a commercial application to replace outdated invoice software for small businesses. It was cool to see all the applications of their website and how they were able to build such a functional and user-friendly site for business operations. The thankful user testimonials at the end of their presentation showed how their project made a difference.

My Baby Jotter, AJ De La Costa, Christian Gutierrez, & Gabriel Quan Juarez

This group built an app to help new parents track feedings, naps, diapers, and medications. The video mentions that some of their group members were new parents and I love the way they were able to use their learning in a personal and practical way.

Week Summary

This has been a super-busy week! The project I worked on, and learned from, most this week was writing a first draft of my industry analysis report. This experience gave me an understanding of some steps I will need to take to secure a successful career in the software industry.

CST 300 - Week One

This week began a two-year journey to obtain a BS in Computer Science. After a short break from the world of college, it felt good to once again actively learn, complete assignments, and meet deadlines. I’m not quite sure how long how I have before this pleasant feeling of accomplishment shifts to one of bothersome pressure, but I intend to make the most of it!

Reading Material

Most if this week’s reading material dealt with proper citations. This is important information for any professional and was a nice segway into our first major assignment, the Industry Analysis Research Paper.

Assignments

Minutes from Team Meeting

Our team met for the second time this week and discussed a short video on “Mastering Online Group Work.” I am lucky to be a part of a capable and motivated team and l look forward to working together in the future.

Establish a Learning Journal

This is the assignment I am completing at the moment. These posts will serve as a nice way to reflect on what I have learned each week.

Industry Analysis Outline and Reference Page

This was the major assignment of Week One and took the most time. I chose to research Tesla and spent a lot of time finding creditable sources on the company. In this assignment we were able to put our learning to practice and create a sample reference page for our research paper.