Reflection

What i've learned over the past 4 years-

When I was little my friends and I would hangout and make funny little videos to upload to Youtube. This is where my interest was peaked. Video making was something I wanted to do in my free time. I had my own little editing system on the family computer and I loved watching other Youtubers because they inspired me to make the videos I did. Then in Middle school my mom brought up the e-Communication program. It sounded so sweet because I would be able to do what I loved and also go to school with my brother. I then came to northwest and since i wasn't from a feeder school it was hard, I was brand new. A fresh start, a new beginning, a chance to start over and redesign myself. Middle school wasn't the best for me for many reasons and I was looking forward to bring something i did in my free time to my school education. Over my 4 shorts years here at Olathe Northwest in the e-Communication program I was able to learn a lot about my field of study and also about myself. I got to learn a little about animation, web design, graphic design, and video. I remember being so frustrated in some of my lower level classes because I knew animation wasn't for me and I knew web wasn't for me. Then I got to my sophomore year and I got to focus on the two subjects I really enjoyed. This project has given me so many skills and helped my make so many friends and I'm very thankful for that.

With the guarantees I learned a lot of individual skills and collaborative skills. Each of these guarantees help build the structure of what e-Communication is and also what the students in these classes are like/value. Here are some in depth details about what I learned.

Technology- From freshman Amy to senior Amy I have advanced so much technically. When I came in freshman year I didn't know anything about Illustrator or Final cut pro or any of the computer programs we use in eComm. Now as a senior I can edit any type of video using Final cut pro and I can design whatever comes to my head on my computer. eCommunications has taught me how to take nothing and make something beautiful. I also learned a lot about cameras, how they work, and how to make sure you get the best audio/color saturation. These skills are important because I have these skills and I can apply them to future jobs. Even though i'm not going into this education field I can still use these skills down the road for whatever path I take. Some things that challenged me where the web and animation computer systems. I also had some trouble with sometimes getting stuck in illustrator but it can always be fixed by asking someone or watching a tutorial.

Collaboration- Collaboration is important because in jobs it is crucial to work with others and be able to make a combined effort. I often struggle with this one because I have a tendency to work by myself. In eComm i learn that collaboration in projects is important because if you didn't a single project would take a very long time. Also if someone is really good at filming and someone is really good at audio then it ends up as a better quality project if you utilize both people.

Communication- I learned that it is important to say your ideas and be able to talk openly to your peers about what you think because all ideas are good in the process of creation, even if you don't use them you can use them to advance your thought process forward. When talking to others you can see more points of view then just your own. It's important to be able to communicate with others because you can't always do things on your own sometimes you need help. Being able to communicate allows everyone to be heard. Some challenges I face with this is that I tend to like to keep to myself and hold my tongue but eComm has taught me how to speak up.

Project management- I learned that it is important to keep a schedule and stay on track otherwise you'll fall behind and your work won't be as good as it could've been if you had taken the correct amount of time on it. This year was really hard with this because of senioritis and procrastination in not only this class but every class.  

Leadership- Leadership is important because it initiates action, motivates others, provides guidance, creates confidence, and helps create a sense of collaboration. eComm has taught me how to utilize these skills and leader others not only in the class but outside of it. I had the opportunity to be a leader on our schools dance team for the past two years and it taught me a lot as well. I learned that not everyone is gonna have the same opinions as you and that's okay because creating individually helps everyone further there sense of self and what is important to them. I face the challenges of thinking people don't listen to me and don't value my work but it's important to not take that to heart.

Some of my greatest strengths are that i'm very respectful to others and I am disciplined in my work. I am a determined individual and I know when something needs to be done and how to best attack it. I'm an honestly individual. Some of my weaknesses are that I am too critical of myself, I try to please everyone and that is extremely difficult, and I haven't figure out what i'm passionate about. I've improved because I realized that personal happiness is more important then trying to please everyone else because there is always going to be someone who is unhappy. I've been finding things that make me passionate more recently and that makes me so excited because being passionate is the best thing. Also i've learned to love myself more and stop criticizing things I can't change and encouraging myself. I still need to allow myself to complete allow myself to become happy and not hold onto things so much (grudges etc)

With the skills i've learned here through eCommunication i'm going to allow myself to continue to grow and use the guarantees to help push my further in my education. I'm going to use product management to help me be a more scheduled person so my days aren't as crazy as they have been recently. Im going to use collaboration and communication to help me make strong relationships with future employers and friends. The only thing I would've change wold have been to not have so much on my plate so I could fully enjoy everything high school had to offer. Overall i'm so grateful for the opportunities ONW gave me and everything I have learned here because of it.