Semester Reflection

Written by an IT support – Tech Team member about our progress during the first semester.

What are some things you have learned and/or tasks you have accomplished this semester? (Use videos, pictures, upload materials etc. as evidence of learning in your blog)

For the this semester, I have accomplished the same tasks I previously done years before: managing the WAVE during mornings and spare blocks; and collaborating with my team to post about events and news, and encourage students to see social media as a educational tool.

What aspects of your work are successful? Explain why.

Step 1 was introducing ‘rapidevent’ to the school community; step 2 was keeping it going, which took more creativity and organization than believed. But within the team, we have successfully created different ways of attracting attention to our page (as a school news source) beside just posting news, like: Teacher Throwback (guessing who is in the posted photo); just recently, senior shout-outs and a short Wednesday morning talk show made by the leadership group; they overall, help draw in students’ curiosity and show them more of our school community.

What aspects of your work is challenging? Explain why.

Having no material to post with is a tough issue to get rid of. Our social media team is usually reliant on students and staff to supply the information and sometimes photos we specifically needed.

What steps did you take to overcome these challenges / what adjustments did you need to make?

Therefore, we keep track of events and keeping our schedule open , therefore there would be no pressure for missing certain post deadlines. There are exceptions, but we gave a wider berth of time between each deadline: like Teacher Throwback; posting the activity every 2 weeks, therefore there can be time to contact teachers (usually with busy schedules) and gather photos.

Is there anything you can do improve? (with your approach to the project, or altering the project)

Using other tools and programs for creating posts, because so far, I had been using one application and its starting to become limiting to use. So, it’ll be interesting if I start using more short videos or animations to make the page on social media more engaging to our audience.

As Riverside continues to immerse itself into innovation and technology, what do you think Riverside can do to provide support and help for teachers and students? (Provide specific examples)

I have this idea to make time for different seminars to teach about resources they could use like, classes for streaming videos and youtube etiquette. The idea is the same as the micro-bit classes to introduce computer coding, but I thought expanding this is a good way to inspire students to try something new, potential use in their projects or start a new hobby.

Do you have any feedback or suggestions, as we move forward, that could help the Tech Team meet the needs of our school and staff / be more effective? (Provide specific examples)

So far, nothing comes to mind on what should change or improve. Everyone is doing great.

Motivational Video

Another week, another video.

Don’t Quit gave an intense tone to express the seriousness of being motivated; to strive for success after graduation, before graduation, or for that upcoming exam. Though, it hit me hard when they mention phones; its completely true. I have a hard time getting off my phone since it became my main communication/education tool, especially in quarantine; I manage an organization’s social media, speaking to teachers and students, handing in work, etc. It became so involved with my life that I got pulled into YouTube, and the app store when I’m taking breaks and pulls me to put of other tasks. I realized this before, but this video turned it into a pressing issue for long term goals.

Its pretty tough. The guy goes explaining if you want something so bad, sooner, you had to make sacrifices; but that sacrifice could be anything: your hobbies, sleep, food, maybe even friends or special plans (but TV shows I get since they don’t disappear for a few decades). So, besides teaching how to work to be successful; it made me realize that I have to be sure what I’m throwing myself into, as currently, I don’t have a goal that I want so much to throw away everything.

I assume this post is more for people who watch and get slightly discouraged because they didn’t try hard enough. But that is okay if you don’t want something enough. The effort doesn’t have to be 110% for everything.

They expressed so much in this video that if there is a goal, a line, a dream, anything that you want so greatly, so bad (like you need air) – you need to work for it. Its definitely not good if you slack off since the only real person your letting down is yourself, and you get in a bad place. That is the point.

I’ll leave it here before I start again

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Here is the video

Note:

Not sure if this is new, but I posted the URL for this video here and got it embed automatically.

Does that work for anyone else?

Motivational Video – May 13

I thought sometimes, and experienced about failures and its stinks, since time and time again I mess up and confirm that I’m not perfect and its an impossible, unachievable goal (unless with some comic-book twist). But this isn’t a comic and that author can’t be relied on.                                   So the question is: how to keep going?

I know I’m late with this post (ha, this is an example of a failure), so after I cringe and taste the humiliation, I might just stop posting in shame; but its the only thing stopping me from gettin’ it done. If I didn’t want this enough, I wouldn’t keep posting; I might even stop going to class if I didn’t care enough. But I do, I do care because I still learn. I like to learn and forgetting one assignment isn’t going to make I huge difference if I get better at posting on time.

Elon Musk –  Against  All  Odds  is a video that addressed this. Featuring Elon Musk; one of the major players in leading the world’s advancements in technology, and we all assume that he got there in one shot; until he recounts his life story before he begun building Tesla – the electric energy company we all know; and the set-backs with his second company – Space X.

The video was a fresh reminder for me that people who seem successful, weren’t born or given something successful and didn’t have to go through any trouble; and then they broke the ice with Musk. Since its inspiring and encouraging to see that no one is hopeless at achieving success. After watching the video; there is with out a doubt, at least once in peoples lives, did they think they can’t do something because they aren’t rich, famous, seemingly talented like those they idolize or so stuck that they gave up. But really, the only difference is the time and place. Successful people are where they are because they worked, they kept trying; they cared enough to achieve their goal and understood what was necessary to get there.

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Here’s the video if you wanna see

Motivational Video – May 6

“No Excuses” was intense. It was well used in showing the urgency and making the audience engaged. In order to start their topic, they mention that one would get in their own way from achieving their goal; and that there should not be any excuses for it, which I agree on mostly. It can be seen in a harsh light, because it may seem they’re giving the notion that saying excuses makes you a loser, or similar, but its not. At least, I don’t think it does.

Someone might say or think that they’re not good enough or they can’t follow their dream, and they start to think of every reason while watching this video. They’re either afraid, or worried, and they use excuses instead of admitting the truth. Which is hard to say without some understanding of why they hide, I’ll admit.

In my personal opinion, I see excuses as a way to avoid being blamed and feeling hurt but its also a way to bring more self doubt. I’m not saying you can’t use excuses, sometimes you need them; but in certain cases, you reap what you sew. And that’s why people should try to be aware of the situations they dive into because if that project deadline is today and your not done, you showed yourself as a failure for taking a huge job you couldn’t handle yet. It’s okay to start small, if you need to take a step back, do it, if you need help, get it. In the video, they say you have what you need, you have access to the resources, always. But yeah, its difficult to admit your faults and loose pride, but it shows more that you are willing to work hard. You are serious about the goals you set. And when you reach there, people will see you as an achiever. You shouldn’t worry if someone nit picks on your mistakes because they themselves want to bring to down to their level of commitment. Deep down, you want to see yourself as a the best, so try to feel your best first.

Its difficult because (from what I think) people are stuck in the mindset that they owe it to someone to be amazing without trying, to strike the ball off the bat without practice. That someone is out there, judging you and disliking you.

But they’re across the globe and can’t hurt you. So, get rid of that mindset (in my opinion).

If your tired of hating yourself after every major fail, just admit it, no excuse. Because your gonna walk out of that office and get working again since sure, you may fail again, but with a smaller chance.

(But that is just my opinion, feel free to make an argument about it)

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I’m done, peace.

Thanks for making it down here.

Here is the video in question >>