Final Blog Post-Rachel Legge

Wow! Where has the semester gone?

I can honestly say that when I walked into this class I wasn't sure what to expect.  I didn't walk in thinking "I'm going to__________(love/hate) this class!"

I really enjoyed starting each class by listening to music to help shut out the distractions of the day and get my mind ready for the lecture that would follow.  I now find myself doing the same thing before working on homework assignments, particularly those from classes whose material doesn't come easily to me.  I allow myself to listen to one song (often "Brave" or "Happy") to decompress from the day, and get myself ready to focus on the task at hand.  It has proven extremely beneficial!

When I walked into class the first day, and found out that we would be expected to use sketchpads instead of notebooks...I couldn't have been happier! I love to draw, sketch, and anything art related in general.  It was fun to learn to draw a bunch of concept sketches for a project, and once I found one I liked, to continue to iterate on it.  I had a blast determining which features I should add and subtract from a design in order to make it the best design I could.  Even though I  know that no design is perfect.

Building on the idea that no design is perfect, I have found that throughout the semester I became increasingly aware of the design of both simple and complex objects in my environment.  I often catch myself trying to figure out how the existing design of everyday products can be redesigned for the better.  Thank you, for opening my eyes and helping me gain a new understanding of the world around me.

Learning the Team Protocols has proven very beneficial in not only this class but other classes that involve group collaboration as well.  For example, I found that having my group check-in before we started our discrete math assignments, really helped to get everyone focused and on the same page.  Voting really helped when there were differing opinions on which method should be used to solve a problem. The protocols also helped make sure that everyone was heard, and that if someone was struggling to complete a problem, they weren't left behind as the rest of the group moved on.  The sentences above only illustrate one of the many ways that I have been able to apply what I have learned from this class.

I enjoyed this class far more than I could have dreamed, and gained so much from it!  I'm currently compiling all of this semester's i300 projects into the portfolio I am sending to a potential employer.  I truly feel that the experience that I gained from this class and it's projects will set me apart from the other internship applicants.  Thank you so much for a wonderful semester, and for potentially helping me land this internship!