Semester 2 Web Design Reflection

Technology

This aspect of e-Comm is huge. We are constantly using technology throughout our entire lives, and when working on projects for e-Comm we are always utilizing this technology. It wasn't something we had to "learn", because it comes natural to my generation, as we have grown up with it. Technology is so vital to everything in the world today. We use it to communicate, use it for commerce, use it for negotiation, to spread ideas. There is no part of our lives where we are not surrounded by this tool we use in our everyday lives.

Collaboration

As with technology, we must utilize this skill in order to both succeed academically and professionally. This is a skill most people grow up with, but for some they must be forced to collaborate in order to master it. It is important the same way that technology is important to our lives. Without it, the very world we live in would fall apart. Collaborating with each other allows us to spread our ideas, shape them, and perfect them, until we get a final product that is beautiful. The human mind is so complex, full of ideas, all it needs is a little coaxing to get the best ideas out. The only challenge to this is when people are stubborn and do not want to collaborate with others. They just need a little motivation, a little push, to get the ball rolling.

Communication

Communication, I feel, goes hand in hand with collaboration. In order to collaborate you must communicate, and vice versa. In e-Comm we must always communicate with each other to accomplish a common goal. We have to communicate with our peers, mentors, and ourselves. Like all of the guarantees in e-Comm, communication is vital to keep the entire process moving, to keep the wheels of creativity spinning. Like collaboration, communication only becomes difficult when people fail to communicate with each other. Also like collaboration, they must become motivated to communicate, as it is the only way everyone succeeds. 

Project Management

This can be individual or collaborative. With individual projects it is important to monitor yourself and stay on task. Too often do I find myself tempted to become distracted, but I must remember that in order to accomplish my goals, I have to stay on task. Learning project management can be difficult. It can be hard to motivate yourself to get the job done, but once you have incentives that you can achieve, it becomes much easier. 

Leadership

Leadership is not learned, at least I don't believe so. You are either born a leader or a follower, but that is not a bad thing. Without leaders, their would be no one that the followers to look up to for instruction. The world may fall into anarchy if there were no leaders. At the same time, if we were all leaders, it would be chaos. Everyone would attempt to gain control of each other. That isn't to say that people who are born followers can't move into a leadership position. Some people think they are followers, but they are actually leaders who have never been put in leadership positions so they never learn their true potential. As for me, I like to think I can be a leader, but often times I am too timid to move into the leadership position.

Strengths/Weaknesses

I have learned so much this year in Web Design, and I have learned that writing code and finding the problems with it are a huge strength for me. I know what all kinds of tags are, what they do, how CSS works, how you can change and manipulate CSS so many ways. My greatest weakness would have to be keeping on task. I find myself drifting off into oblivion at times, and having to find my focus again.

My New Knowledge

I'm not yet sure if I want to go into a job with Web Design in it, but I plan on continuing to build my website and portfolio with my skills. My uncle has a business that uses a lot of web related things, so I might work for him in the future. I am still unsure what I want to do in my future.

Changes

I wouldn't change much about my year in Web Design except for my desire to learn more about web. I have learned a lot about designing websites, but I have and itch to learn more. I feel as if my focus had a large part on why I didn't learn more, so I plan to pay full attention next year in my e-Comm class. I also plan to take coding classes online, so I can further my education on HTML and CSS coding and designing. 

Summary

I enjoyed my year in Web Design very much, and hope to continue to learn about web. I understand that web design is a more individual class and subject, but nevertheless I still enjoyed making friendships with people in class and growing my web design knowledge. Overall, this was a great year for me!