Week 2 Learning Journal Post

 Week 2 Learning Journal Post

Part 1: Review and Reflect Learning Strategy

    For Part 1 of this assignment I read an article about effective study skills and reflect on our top three and bottom three areas. The first item I feel that I am relatively good at is "Getting the Main Idea".  I am confident in my ability to understand the overall idea of a topic when studying. I find this helpful as it reminds me that each paragraph is trying to support the main idea. This helps me to connect the ideas in my head and internalize what I am studying. This ties into my second strength in "Extracting Important Details". I find that when I am able to understand the main idea, I am looking for the important details that support that main idea. The third strategy I feel confident in is "Answering Easy Questions First". I like to use this as a study strategy to help build momentum and feel more confident as I work through the assignment. 

    The first study strategy I can improve on is "Make every hour count". I do make schedules but I find that at times I can compromise too much and get off schedule. I believe in having flexibility with the schedule but there should always be a focus on executing the schedule as written. The second strategy I can improve in is "Reviewing the topic". I find that I am the type of learner that needs to study something over and over again for it to stick. I think with consistent review of the material I will be able to retain it better. The third study strategy I can improve in is "Taking notes". I tend to rely heavily on my memory and think that I will not forget anything, but I inevitably do. I also tend to take really vague notes so that when I go back to review them I am unsure what they were about. Taking clear and concise notes will help me improve in studying.

Part 2: Preview Time Management Skills

    Below it a screenshot of how I spent my time this past week

Part 3: Project Management Basics

    I learned about three main ideas from the content assigned this week. In the first presentation I learned the difference between a Project vs Operations. Projects are intended to be limited in time and produce a unique deliverable, such as designing a prototype for a new car. Operations are on-going and repetitive which would be like the mass production of the new car. 

    The second presentation exposed me to work breakdown structure. I learned that a large project can be broken down into sub-projects that in themselves have a deliverable that contributes to the overall project completion. This helps teams to focus on one component at a time while still working toward the main deliverable.

    The third presentation discussed Gantt charts. Gantt charts are used to visually show duration of the project and when individual sub-deliverables are due. The Gantt chart is a great visual representation of a project and can be used to track progress and ensure the work is being completed on schedule.

Part 4: Previous Capstone Projects

    The first project I looked at was "EZDashboard". What I really liked about this project is that it was solving a problem that one of the developers was dealing with. The EZDashboard provides users with information about their data and allows them to customize the dashboard to keep the most important data as needed. I really think the project was well presented.

    The second project I looked at was "Mirrored Fantasy" a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena). I think the project was well presented and I really appreciated the break down of both the graphical user interface and the backend game controller. I also liked how the presenter touched the challenges they faced and their responses to those challenges.

    The final project I looked at was "SimpliFit" an iOS application for strength and conditioning. I liked the presentation and the demo of the app. The features in the app seemed very useful and I think including the ability to view the exercises on YouTube will help those who are unfamiliar with the exercises.

Part 5: Weekly Summary

    This week was loaded with information on studying and project management. I learned about what makes good teams in the OLI Module and that social sensitivity is one of the most useful traits in successful teams. I also learned more about the specifics of project management and how to effectively plan and use my time. Finally, I was able to look at some of the previous capstone projects to get an idea of what the expectations are and start getting inspired for my own capstone project.