CST 300 Module 4

Part One: Set Your Educational Goals

By the end of my time at CSUMB I will have earned by B.S. in Computer Science. I aim to learn multiple programming languages during my tenure, including Java and Python. I hope to expand my knowledge and learn more about front-end development specifically.

Part Two: Set Your Career Goals

Within three years, I will be a software engineer at a major company. I will be able to work with a passionate team on an interesting project that will help make the world a better place. The work there will be engaging and interesting, and I will be making a decent salary for my efforts.

Part Three: ETS Computer Science Test

After learning about the courses we are going to take during the program, as well as the subjects covered in the ETS Computer Science test, I will aim for at least a score of 90%. It appears that much of the subject matter in the ETS test shall be covered during the program, and thus I hope to do well on it.

Part Four: Keep Up With Your Learning Journal

This week we read up on goal setting, and how properly staging your goals can ultimately aid in your actual completion of said goals. It was interesting to learn about S.M.A.R.T. goals, and I look forward to implementing those in my life. In our writing module this week we learned about stakeholders, and how to identify who will be affected when decisions are made at various levels and institutions. We also looked into the 5 types of claims, Fact, Value, Policy, Definition and Cause, and how these various claims are formed and used. Our reading on bias was particularly interesting, and it was fascinating to see how individuals may still be biased, even if they themselves are completely unaware to it. Besides this we also covered Logos, Ethos, and Pathos, and how these will add and affect our papers. Finally we also covered what will be expected of our Ethics Paper, and began with our outline and summary. I am excited about my topic and look forward to researching it more.

CST 300 Module 3

I found the plans suggested in the time management articles very interesting, and some I already implemented and they are indeed quite useful. Preparing general plans that get more specific as you go to shorter periods sounds similar to our previous look into project management. I always enjoy breaking up my week into even daily schedules that help me to complete a given task in an orderly fashion. I often give a somewhat flexible daily schedule where I will block out specific times to both work and take breaks throughout the day. Choosing a specific location that is in a quiet and well lit area has always been important to me, as I find it much easier to work on projects when I have fewer distractions to impede me. I often work in the same place, where I like to keep things clean and well organized.

There was a lot of reading this week on ethics; it was quite interesting to learn about the various frameworks for thinking on ethics. I turned in my analysis paper on Electronic Arts this week, and began my work on the next paper. It looks like we will be covering a specific issue where we can argue both sides of the argument through an ethical framework. I personally chose to discuss whether or not the government should require phone operating system makers to include a “backdoor” through their security in order to access private data. We also spent some time reviewing a few of the key courses we will be taking through the program. It was particularly interesting to engage with the cohort in discussing Snowden, and his actions in releasing government documents. Using the ethical frameworks we had read up on previously, we argued with each other over whether his actions could be deemed right or wrong.

One of the most interesting parts of this article was the emphasis on a portfolio rather than a resume. It is interesting that one should focus on showcasing the skills learned and implemented now, while a traditional resume appears to have lost some of its significance. I especially agree with the section on programming languages, as I believe it is important to learn multiple languages in order to stay relevant and to expand one’s knowledge. Teaching the techniques on how to learn a new language would be a very useful skill. It was very useful as well for the author to briefly discuss different types of languages and specific examples of various languages that would be good to learn. Computer Architecture is definitely a must for someone who is serious about Computer Science, understanding what occurs from the bottom up will give an individual a more holistic view of their trade. Learning various compilers and Operating Systems, especially Unix, is an extremely helpful skill to learn that will definitely aid some in the future. Overall the article was interesting and somewhat enlightening. While I knew that the path to a solid understanding of computer science was long, seeing all the various specific skills and theories that are deemed necessary truly brightened the path so that I can now begin to see some of the goals ahead.

CST 300 Module 2

1.
Probably my three best items from the list at adprima are Answering Easy Questions First, Reading Multiple-Choice Questions, and Preparing an Outline and Writing the Paper. When taking exams I tend to read through the questions first, answering any I know for sure and cross-checking others. With multiple-choice questions I tend to eliminate the obviously false answers, making it easier to find the correct choice. When preparing for a paper, I tend to establish a fluid outline, one that I am willing to change, revise and add to as the need arises. From there I find it much easier to arrange my ideas and build a better paper.

What I would consider to be my three weakest items from the list are probably Knowing the Ground Rules, Using Correct Punctuation and Grammar, and Don't Read Aloud to Yourself. I sometimes have trouble keeping up with requirements for individual projects, and making sure I pay attention to all the details regarding formatting, requirements, and submission. I also may find myself spending more time than I would like revising my work for improper punctuation and grammar, that I should have corrected when first writing. Besides these two I also often find myself reading aloud, this can indeed slow down my pace of reading, and doing so means I will spend unnecessary time going over the material that could be used working on assignments.

2.

Activity Log for peer review:

3.

Part of the job of a project manager is to attempt to defuse any would-be issues, while at the same time taking care of any issues that do arise during a project's lifetime. At the same time the project manager must ensure that timelines are kept, cost is restricted, the scope of the project is focused and maintained, and that the appropriate quality is reached. Some helpful tools for a project manager include Work Breakdown Structures and a Gantt chart. When working on a Work Breakdown Structure the goal is to Deconstruct a large-scale project into even further deconstructable units or goals, or mini-projects, until eventually reaching a manageable task size, which is often known as a “work package”. These structures aid in the guidance of a project, allowing an overview of large projects that at the same time makes the different subsets easier to accomplish. A Gantt chart is a type of timeline which allows you to breakdown a process into multiple steps that can either work in conjunction or only after other tasks are completed. This is useful when working on a project as you can see how long the estimated total time will take as well as which tasks must be fully completed before work on other tasks can begin at all.

4.

Tiffanie Ly’s project designing the graphic logo for the school professional attire service, Otter Outfitters, was very interesting. The way she presented the information was clear and engaging and I felt she did a very nice service to the CSUMB community. Tiffanie did seem slightly nervous at first, but seemed to get more used to presenting as she continued. It was interesting to see how she was able to work with her client to produce an aesthetically interesting graphic design, a unique introductory animation, as well as a mobile app for the Otter Outfitters program.

Zane Harvey’s presentation for his work on behalf of the Museum of Natural History was very interesting. His presentation was very engaging, and I could tell he cared a lot about both his work and the museum itself. Zane did at times speak a little too quickly to understand, and I was glad I could rewatch some parts to fully comprehend his message. The 3D animation itself seemed relatively detailed, and it was interesting to hear about the custom textures and maps he created for the project. Overall, a very nice project.

Steven Barnett did an interesting service to his client by making an animation on traditional Chinese health concepts, which include the art of acupuncture. The goal of the animation was to inform and somewhat demystify an audience with less understanding about traditional Chinese health practices, thus opening up the market for his client. His presentation was interesting and engaging, but it seems, unfortunately, that the animation itself was too long to show during the presentation.

5.

This week I spent time getting to know more about my teammates while also preparing for the program ahead. Part of this was finishing up my introduction video, as well as touching base with the course instructors. I was able to work on my Industry Analysis draft where I focused on Electronic Arts, and the video game software developer career. After turning that in on Sunday, I was able to spend time working on reviewing two of my teammates drafts for the project. Andrea focused on Tesla and the automated vehicle field, while Alejandro focused on Pixar and animation. Both were interesting reads and I learned a lot about the two fields and companies. 

CST 300 Module 1

This week marked the first Module of my CSUMB journey.

Team Meeting:
I enjoyed meeting the members of my team, Silicon Bay, and am looking forward to working with them to complete our goal of earning our CS degrees. During our meeting we decided on how we would work on group projects, choosing to use a rotating manager position on the specific projects. We also discussed various tools for working on projects together as well as discussed this week’s assignment focusing primarily on the Industry Analysis Paper Outline. After completing the meeting we submitted our team minutes for grading.

Writing Lab Module 1:
In Module 1 we took time to study the particulars of plagiarism and studied the APA style of formatting. Types of research sources, such as primary, secondary and tertiary, were explained and an emphasis was given to paraphrasing and quoting from sources. Examples for one of our assignments of the week, Industry Analysis Paper Outline, were also given, and the requirements were gone over.

Quiz on Module 1:
I completed a 10 question quiz on the Module Lesson. It was a good way to review the content that we learned in the Writing Lab Module 1. I look forward to more quizzes to help me review the lessons.

Industry Analysis Paper Outline:
I submitted my outline, summary and reference page this week for our Industry Analysis Paper. My focus for the paper is the video game software engineer career, while specifically looking at the gaming company Electronic Arts. I was very excited to talk about my future career choice and hope I can follow my goals.

Journal Entry:
Finally, I uploaded my first journal entry for my journey to my Computer Science degree. I am looking forward to many more entries to come and am excited to document my journey.