Ian+reflection+3

Ian's home page 
 * //__ Ian reflection 3 - __////__ Due Feb. 12, 2010 __//**

Ian, good insight into your year and with budgeting time. This reflection will not only help you finish out the year with your priority based system, but will definitely help you in life! Mrs. Melin

1. How are things going  with your Senior Project? · Falling behind schedule · Having some trouble with certain pieces · Making Great Progress · Moving Along Fine · Stuck and need help
 * I am making great progress on my senior project. ||

2. How and when are you working effectively on this project? If you had the last month to do over again, what would you do differently? Why?
 * I am working on my project after school and Monday's during SLC. The majority of my time is spent out of class. If I could do the last month again, I would have contacted the Senate Youth Program Director months ago to arrange transportation much earlier rather than waiting until February. This would have saved me a lot of trouble in the past month, and allowed me to have my project planned much earlier. I would have been able to be confident in my plans much earlier rather than struggling to arrange everything in the last few weeks. ||

3. What kinds of decisions have you found yourself making recently? Have they been good decisions? What are you learning about how you make decisions and what kind of effect these decisions have on your learning?
 * I have found myself having to prioritize tasks in order to complete them. Because of my priorities for next year, I have had to make decisions as to how to allocate my time to fulfill the obligations entailed by gaining entrance into college and completing my senior project. For the duration of the school year, I have prioritized gaining admission to college and seeking out scholarships above everything else. As a result, I have not been able to give other obligations my full attention. Considering my successes so far, I do not regret this decision. However, I wish that I had known what all of my obligations for my senior year of high school so that I could have made wiser decisions at the beginning of the year when electing to take on responsibilities that I find difficult to maintain now. I've learned that when deciding how to spend my time, I must account for tasks taking more time to complete than I initially would have thought, and plan my schedule accordingly. ||

4. What did you learn about yourself—your working style, your interests, etc? One of the most important lessons I have learned this year is not to stretch myself too thin. I realize now that I cannot attempt to participate in every activity and attempt to succeed. Instead, I must choose what extracurricular and academic activities are most important to me, and focus my attention on them. If I try to do everything at once, I end up being unable to devote all of my energy towards any single task, and give mediocre performances in all of them. ||
 * I have learned about the importance of time management. In order to complete the variety of tasks I have on my plate, I must organize my time and utilize it effectively. I cannot afford to waste time, and much wisely use any time I have to fulfill my many obligations.

5. What did you learn about your topic/subjects that you didn’t know before? What connections among the various things you have studied and researched do you see? Have you had any “aha” moments? What were they and how did they affect you?
 * Continuing my research on the future of journalism, I have learned that a consensus on the future of the industry does not exist. The book Newsonomics says that, while the internet offers the prospect of a journalism renaissance, the industry must first get through a chasm of pain. Through conversations with journalists, I have learned that even regional papers like the Casper Star Tribune are cutting jobs, making journalism a difficult industry to gain employment in the years to come. Through conversations with journalism students, I have learned that journalists in the future will have to be true renaissance men, capable of handling all aspects necessary to reporting including writing, editing, and recording. I will evaluate whether or not I feel schools in the Washington DC area are giving journalists the full range of technical skills they require to be successful. ||

6. How have you used your advisor or mentors feedback? How have you implemented their suggestions into your project?
 * My advisor has been pushing me to move forward on my project. This week, I made great strides toward the completion of my project, taking definitive steps to ensure my successful completion of the project. ||