Digital Essay

I think the digital essays will be very interesting. However, I am concerned with the idea of how to create one. I am not extremely adept with the computer. I would not know even where to start. I want to learn the programs that I will be able to use in order to create a digital essay. It will help me create an amazing project.

Besides the issue of not knowing how to create one, I would also be concerned about how to create the digital aspect of the project that would capture my audience. I want to make it interesting and entertaining as possible. Also, I need to find how to make the topic of my paper to be clear through the video to my audience. I want them to understand my creative design and see my topic through my eyes.

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Free choice

I realized that many people are writing about ideal workplaces and how they don’t want to work in cubicles. A lot of people want to work somewhere where they can travel and have fun. I also want to find a career where I can be creative and work in a place where everyday is different. However, I realized something depressing. Finding a “fun” career is very competitive. First of I’m at a business school, where the main majors are accounting and finance. These fields provide, I guess, “boring” jobs, in my perspective. How am I to find a satisfying career here?

My ideal workplace is somewhere that I can learn and grow everyday. Learning how to use technology is definitely a must. However, no matter how important technology may be, knowing your coworkers always comes first. Working in a bakery part time, I realized how important your relationship with other people is. I may not use much technology in the bakery but having a good communication with people teaches you more than a computer.

Imagine having a job without any people but just you and a computer. I can’t see myself nor my friends working in that environment. I would lose my mind. Technology has no emotions. You can’t relate to it. Unless someone comes up with a new computer that sympathizes with you, spending many hours with just your computer is harmful to your social life and health.

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Chapter 7

Linking to what we discussed in our previous class about our ideal work place, in chapter seven of Cathy Davidson’s book, she gives out some pointers of improving your working skills. When she begins with Tony O’Driscoll example of avatars, Second Life, and she wants to show that how we see ourselves is much differently than what the others think of us. This representation of  an avatar could be a whole different person from th real you. For instance, you might act shy and be kind in the real society, but act very lively and boisterously in the digital world. I think seeing ourselves as others see us is a way of improving ourselves so that we can be proud of who we are and interact with others on the same level.

Later on this chapter, she talks about where seeing talents where others see limits which means that people should feel and act more positve on the negative to get the motivation as well as the work environment to flourish. I mean for example if you think negatively, you won’t be happy but when you think positively the more possible chance that it will happen. I believe thinking positively is what we all need because it is a big confidence boost.

And the part four which was “seeing how and when we can work best together” means teamwork and cooperation.

I liked this chapter because it was linked to our discussion of our “ideal” working place and all these tips from Cathy Davidson of improving the working skills in the working environment are almost what recruiters seek for when they see your resume. It’s sad to think that way but I think its true that the resume you hand reflects about you and shows if you have qualified for the job.

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My Ideal Workplace

Going back to our class discussion before Spring Break, my ideal workplace is one where it is very fast paced and open. My dream job is to work in a hospital where I am a pediatrician and that kind of work setting is exactly what I look for. There are always patients in need of help in the hospital and tests that need to be run. The doctors are always rushing from patient to patient, making sure that everything is okay with them, but they still dedicate enough time to each patient. True, many people may consider a hospital to be stuffy because of all the commotion that is going on but I tend to disagree. A doctor in a hospital can go from wing to wing, room to room, to visit their list of patients. You are allowed some short-lived freedom while walking from place to place, but that is still some freedom.

I cannot imagine myself working in a cubicle, stuck to the computer screen all day. When I think of the business field, that is what I imagined (sorry if I’m being ignorant!). I met an intern working on his residency at a hospital that worked from 6 am to 6 pm. That is a 12 hour work day but he was still very enthusiastic about everything and willing to help each and every patient. That good feeling you get from treating so many people is enough to get over a long day at work.

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The Changing Worker

Chapter 7 was very interesting to read. It really brought many important concepts of working. The way Professor Davidson divided the chapter into parts helped me better understand her message in this chapter. Part 4 of chapter 7 talks about the advantage that exist when we work as team. Professor Davidson used the example of young man she came across at Duke University by the name Shane Battier. A very smart and athletic person, whose great influence on his basketball team led them to the NCAA Championship game. When I read this part in Chapter 7, I remembered when I was in high school and played for the baseball team at my school. We started the season 0-3 and game 4 was against the best team in our division. As a team we believe there was no way possible we could beat the best team in the division. We started the game losing 5 to 1. Nobody was surprise we were losing, but our 3rd baseman named Mike got up a gave us a speech about how he was sicking of losing games. He told us we were better than 0-3, that we could go out there and still win this game. He was really into what he was speaking about, he seem very mad more than anything else. He influenced us to play better. He knew we were great players and even though he was the best overall player on the team he wanted to make everyone around him better. Making a long story short, thanks to Mike’s long speech about how we could win every game if we wanted to and how good we were as baseball players. We went out back into the game and played harder and won 8 to 7. It was a team win, we all had each other’s back. Professor Davidson story about Shane Battier, reminded me a lot of Mike. Two man who influence those around them to be better. Some people are given that gift, the ability to influence others to perform to the best of their ability and even awake hidden talents.

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Chapter 7 Blog Post

After our discussion in class last week about how people feel about what a work place should look like, I was surprised that some people wanted to work in an office someday, and have that 9-5 job. Even working in a cubicle didn’t sound bad to people as long as they didn’t have to sit there the entire day. Their ideas have still not changed mine. I will be disappointed with myself if I ever wind up in a boring office job. That is just not me, at all. I need to be running around, constantly moving and doing something. As a waitress, I am standing up for 8 hours at a time, sitting only rarely. That is what I am used to and that is what I like.

I could also never imagine myself working from home. To me, that just sounds like  a way for people to become lazy. They don’t even have to get dressed to work. They do not leave their house, and they have no way to network and meet other people, unless its through a computer screen. While this might appeal to some people, I could never do this also. Going to work is like getting away from your house and things that go on inside of it. How can you escape that if you are just in a different room? If you have family in the house with you, you will probably constantly be distracted. I don’t think that that could work for me.

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Free Choice

In order to succeed in my job, i must have the ideal working environment. My ideal working environment is a private office, away from my home. If I worked at home, I would not get anything done. Home is a place for relaxation and comfort. I cannot mix work with relaxation. If I were to work at home, I’d want to go to my couch and just watch TV. If i worked at an office,  i wouldn’t be able to go to a couch and relax; I’d have an incentive to finish my work and go home to relax.

Although you may not have a choice of who you co-workers are, I think that surrounding yourself with positive and intelligent people helps you succeed in whatever you do. Hopefully, my office is in a successful company that has driven and hardworking employees. If i am surrounded by hard working co-workers, I would be motivated to do my work just as well as them.

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Wish I had an iPad earlier….

Spring break was a very relaxing time to finally take a break from school work and just relax but I was having a hard time in math so I needed to study and I also needed to redo a paper. Since doing a paper doesn’t require studying, I decided to start studying for math first while doing other activities like watching tv or a movie so I don’t get bored. I have a copy of the textbook on my iPad so studying wasnt a troublesome task. This reminded me of my time in middle school and in High school where if I had to study, I needed to drag a textbook along with me. It wasn’t easy studying with a book out so I always avoided studying even though I knew that I had to else id to poor on the next exam. Looking at myself now, I wish I had a tablet or an  ebook reader because then I would have done much better in high school.

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The cubicle

The cubicle is a trapping device in my mind. The cubicle means you are just any other worker where you work. Your importance to the company is probably very small. The idea of a cubicle to me is working for someone else. Doing this one can never reach their full potential. They are limited by the confinements of their cubicle and their potential in that cubicle is just about the size of the cubicle. I certainly will never work in a cubicle all day long for any job I ever have.

College plays huge into this. College trains people to work for someone else. Why do you think most college dropouts start their own business because they have ideas and the passion to make it work. Most people in college work hard for the dreams of working for a huge company. Thats the point where everything is wrong for me. If america is a country where you can be anything why would u settle for a good job at a company when u can be the CEO.

Another interesting point tht relates to the whole course is the idea of how electronics play a role on humans. I am currently doing my response paper on my iphone. After scrolling up I realized i used “u” for you and had no clue . I find it interesting that just holding my phone makes me want to write u instead of you.

Moral of the blog is to be yourself. And strive past the cubicle job be your own boss!

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Reading Blog – Chapter 7

As I was reading chapter 7, “The Changing Worker”, I learned that workers play an extremely important role in the workplace. If the workers are exceptional, the company will become exceptional. We have to learn how to make the workers the most productive in order to achieve great things in the workplace.
In Lawanda’s case we learn that workers need to see themselves from a different point of view and reflect upon the choices and decisions people make. This will help people understand the strong points and their weak points. They will be able to learn from their mistakes and be sure to either correct it or make sure it doesn’t happen again. This will lead to a more healthy workplace. In Sonne’s case, his son was autistic. He wanted to find away where his son can get a job and be are productive member of society. He realized how to use their skills effectively. Sonne started up his company called Specialisterne where he employed: NTs, autistics and people with Aspergers syndrome. Auties and Aspies perform better in areas that NT’s don’t perform well in.  Sonne was “able to understand what gifts his son might have and where those particular gifts might be useful.” Sonne was able to make every worker efficient in his company no matter what their restrictions.
There are a few more cases where we see the impact of changing workers. Regan started her own company and made it in a way where she thought about the work place in the future. Regan said, “The workplace of the future had to start taking into account the life desires, not just the work ambitions, of workers.” Regan decided to make the schedule around the workers needs, not necessarily the companies. She found this to be very effective to her company because people were able to perform their job better. She took the best of the best and adjusted her company around the workers needs. Her company as a result was very successful. In Battier’s case he was able to see everyones special attributes and made each of these qualities worker together in order to benefit his team. He was able to make the team better and more effective. As for Wales, he was one of the creators in Wikipedia. He wanted a place where “every single person on the planet hsas free access to the sum of all knowledge.” Many thought he would of had failed, but he had succeeded. In Quaintance’s case he wanted to be able to make an eco-friendly building. He created one of the best green hotels. Quaintance had an idea that he wanted to take an action upon and he was very successful. He learned about the environment and what he can do about making his hotel eco-friendly with his team members. Together they were able to make the hotel possible. All these examples show how changing the way we treat workers can change the way we work in general. Without the changing the workers, we cannot change the workplace.

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