CST 300 - Week 7

 Part 1: Final Research Video Project Planning

The planning for our final research video was really quick. One of our team members is really passionate about the topic that was picked for us and wrote out a script. The script was shared over our Discord channel, and we were all given a part to record. Our goal is to record our part by Sunday and upload it to the Discord channel for our team members to put into a slideshow video about our topic. The process has been smooth so far. In our next large collaborative project, I would throw around more ideas about what our final product looks like so we can all contribute to its creation. 

Part 2: Reflection on Week's Activity

This week's activities were focused on TedTalk videos, presentation skills, and our last Module in OLI. 

The TedTalk I chose to watch was titled "All your devices can be hacked" by Avi Rubin. In the video, the speaker describes how the various wireless devices that use the internet can be hacked easily. One that stood out was how modern-day cars can be hacked in various ways. He describes how, by using reverse engineering, anyone can control the various computers that a car uses to function. This includes having contr
ol over breaks, lightning, FM radio, and Bluetooth. This is an interesting video because while our technology is growing at a rapid rate, developers need to take into consideration how easily this device can be hacked and take the appropriate measures. It is a scary thought that someone can simply use reserve engineering to hack about almost anything, but taking the necessary precautions can help minimize the threat. This video is one of the reasons I am interested in cybersecurity. 

I found the video "Life After Death by PowerPoint" to be quite humorous. I struggled with creating PowerPoints and adding some "extras" to them to make my presentation pop. It was not until my first capstone that I realized that my PowerPoint plays a very little role in the presentation itself. It is also the speaker's ability to keep the audience engaged by focusing on tone, body language, and words. My presentation skills only increased the more I taught. I developed more than just visual PowerPoint skills; I developed and perfected my public speaking skills, which have a greater impact on an audience than just providing something visually appealing. 

The last activity this week was OLI Module 10 activities. This module focused on conflict communication practice. Our team was asked to roleplay a group who is developing a video game. We had a good conversation for about six minutes. One of our group members attempted to start up a conflict, but everyone came to a consensus with his idea, so we ended on a good note. What was difficult about this was that we were trying to pay attention to our points and respond to others at the same time. It was also awkward trying to create a conflict to handle as we all simply came to a consensus.