Evan Samuels - Blog post #14

In my last blog entry, I said that this course wasn't the most engaging than some of my other classes and I stand by this statement. It was good that we got a lot of exposure to "playing the game" of HCI design, which was an effective teaching strategy. However, many of the projects we did weren't very analytical because we just focused on repetition of the same things. It would also been best to generate some discussion on usability tests. It would have been helpful to do more discussion with AIs and with peers instead of just doing things over again.

As for personal development, I always try to get the most out of my classes and my experiences in college. I am very thoughtful and analytical and always try for details and to seek as much knowledge as I can. Unfortunately, this class wasn't up to par except for a couple instances. One was when I was partners with Russell Conard for project 5- he was very detailed and great worker and leader. The other most productive moment was getting feedback from Will Ryan for our project 6 presentation- he brought up some very interesting details and gave good advice that we Could've thought more about in our project. Also, even though it was a lot of responsibility, I was team facilitator for project 6, which has been a useful resume builder and was an interesting teamwork experience. I think I can improve my organization skills and influential skills- I understand what needs to be done, but it is hard to get others to understand what I know needs to be done.

I will continue to take interesting classes in Informatics, CMCL, and HCI and I will continue to seek opportunities to analyze situations and learn with my peers and not just settle on the basics. I always try to give everything my best and take away as many positives as possible. Right now, it is a challenge to get an internship, not because of the lack of opportunities, but because I am so focused on school that I miss opportunities. When I do take advantage of opportunities, sometimes I am too detailed and spend too much time on it. I need manage my priorities and structure my ideas before I write/act on them.