Technology:
Within
the four years I took part in the E-Communication Academy, I was taught skills
of technology. Since freshman year I’ve had my fair share of experiences with
video, animation or graphic design through out my time in E-Communication,
initially I really wanted to thrive in video, but the one strand I ended up
really enjoying was the strand of Graphic Design. Unlike some teachers in
common subjects like Math or Science where things you ‘should’ know are thrown
at you; our teacher, Mrs. Burdolski, took time to teach the basics of Adobe
Illustrator and InDesign before giving her creative, larger projects. In each
strand the teachers of the department make sure you know what you are doing,
they’ll make sure I know the scope of the projects, the shortcut in the
software the class is using and help you showcase your work. That’s why I am
leaving with valuable skills of technology.
Collaboration:
If
you would go to any other classrooms in the school and look for collaboration
in the classroom. You would find two scenarios, option one there would be a
group project where one person would be stuck doing all the work and the second
option where it would be nonexistent everyone would be doing their own project.
From the beginning in the freshman class, E9, we were first assigned group
project where we were taught to use each others’ strengths because everyone has
something that they can contribute to get the best outcome of the project. For
example, in E9, we’re introduced to each strand of E-Communication as freshman
and as you can imagine some had an eye for film meanwhile some students really
understood how to animate. Not all collaborations were the perfect ideal
relationships, some had very strong personalities but you had to remain calm
and collected to get the project done. Collaboration is vital to real life. I
will be collaborating with others for the remainder of my life not just in
E-communications.
Communication:
Communication and collaboration come and go hand and hand.
You have to have communication with collaborating with others. Communication
was a major key for graphic design during critiques. In graphic design we do
class critiques together, we print our projects out and pin them all on the
wall and see what direction everyone is going with that projects. It's amazing
to see how different everyone concepts are when Mrs. Burdolski gives everyone
the same exact directions. During these critiques, we can tell people what we
don't like politely as well as offer our solution to the issue. I learned communicating
in critiques listening to how other say things and pick up graphic design
vocabulary from others as well when I listen to their feedback it benefits my
projects. I learned that I also don't always know the solution and occasionally
leaning on others for advice is okay.
Project Management:
Project management played a major role in my
time in the 21st Century Program. E-communication is structure on deadlines, it
created on the idea of it's a workspace. I was very involved in clubs and
activity during my time at Olathe Northwest. I was involved in Yearbook,
Student Council and Raven Flight Corps on top of E-communication therefore
time management was a make or break when it came to projects. Learning
project management will benefit me in the future because it is a large aspect
to anything to everything from relationships with friends and family or a
jobs.
Leadership:
E-Communication can be very individualistic
when it comes to solo projects, but it did give me plenty of leadership
opportunities. One major leadership opportunity in E-Communication is when we
collaborate with all 5 strands as a whole department. In the scenario you
become a leader and representative for the graphic design wing. This is assist
me in the future, I have become a better leadership because I am comfortable
about what I am talking about and who I am talking to.
This
year my weaknesses from the beginning became my strengths. For example, as I
said earlier I am a very involved maybe over involved student for time and
project management was a challenge at the beginning; I had a hard time
producing quality work in that time frame. Now I manage to create projects I
like and am proud of in the time frame turning them in on time. I have also
improved on trying to make all my stuff look different from each other, because
I used to have all my projects look similar and it was obvious that I made it.
I
still want to continue to do and learn things about graphic design. It’s a good
past time for me; it relaxes me and I enjoy it now that I know what I am doing.
I’m hoping I continue to use it in the future whether it’s just me messing
around here and there or designing a t-shirt for a friend. I am majoring in
marketing at Kansas State University, I want to intertwine graphic design
somehow into that.
E-Communication
has been one of my constants of high school. I have had it every year and its
always something different I enjoy and have fun with. I found a lot different friends
within the this 21st Century program, students who are on even in my
class or even in my strand that I would probably not find otherwise. I have
loved how accepting the teachers and students this program. I have grown to
love almost everything about this program, I wouldn’t change anything about
E-communications. It’s a class I look forward to it prepares me for a job
within the graphic design fields and that’s something a lot of high school
class cannot do.
