CST 300 - Week 7

Hey everyone!
    This week was the 7th week of my online journey! It was quite fun and stressful at the same time. We finally submitted our argumentative essay. We also reviewed our peers' resumes and cover letters, which helped us learn a lot about different types of work experience and skills our classmates have gained and how they have helped them in their lives.

Part One

    In planning our team's Final Research Video Project, we collaborated effectively by using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools. We used Google Meet for virtual meetings, which facilitated real-time discussions and decision-making. For ongoing communication and project management, we relied on iMessage and emails to maintain a clear and organized flow of information. Google Docs and PowerPoint were useful for sharing documents and collaborating on scripts, while regular Canvas reminders helped us keep track of tasks and deadlines. Overall, the process was relatively smooth, though we encountered occasional challenges with coordinating schedules. Next time, we would implement more regular check-ins and possibly use a dedicated project management tool to better align our progress and deadlines, ensuring everyone is consistently on the same page.

Part Two

    This week, we learned quite a few things through our lecture readings and videos. Firstly, we learned about the rubric of our video presentation. It clearly shows us what is expected of us, regarding each category, including content and organization, audience engagement, audio/video editing, collaboration, audience appropriateness, and Q&A, if applicable. 

    Next, we watched some Ted Talk videos. These were highly inspirational and interesting, especially the one about how computer systems work. Between a mouse click and a video playing, something captures your intention and makes it real. It's not gremlins, but rather a complex system. Shrinking to the size of an electron and entering a mouse click, you'd see a simple machine with buttons and a system to detect motion. When you click, it sends a message to the computer, handled by the basic input/output subsystem, which interacts with the environment and prevents the CPU from being overwhelmed. The CPU, the brain of the computer, fetches and executes billions of instructions per second. Programs for every task are written in human-readable languages, compiled into binary and stored in memory. The CPU fetches instructions for the mouse click, then for the button on the screen, involving multiple programs and memory requests. Thus, a simple mouse click engages all critical computer components: peripherals, BIOS, CPU, programs, and memory.

    We also learned about presentation props. One thing that I found really helpful was the page about visual aids and props. Some things that could be used are diagrams, maps, graphs, charts, maps, PowerPoint slides, lists, handouts, photographs, and physical props. This helped our group decide that we could use PPT slides for our final video project. 

    This week was a short week, and therefore a fast-paced week. The next couple of days are the last of this course. We need to work on and submit our final video project. I really enjoyed this class, especially the course structure and how the work load was well-balanced and spread out. I am a little nervous but more excited to move forward to the next class, where we start programming!

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