Computer Science BS Journal: Week 8

Part 1: Review Other Teams' final video projects

Review 1: Cyber Down - Metaverse - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpDBSmyqRQs

1. Yes the topic is well covered, the "What is the Metaverse" portion lays out a clear definition of the topic allowing viewers to understand what's to come.
2. The presentation is clear and the audio has a good pace, not too quick not too slow, making it easy to listen to and understand the information being provided.
3. The quality of the research seems to be very strong, the slides had good information and was well laid out.
4. The video production was done well, but since it was basically just slides I'd expect as much. The audio could have been improved but not everyone can control that so it did not bother me so much.
5. The video is definitely interesting, not so much engaging. After finishing the video I learned a lot about the topic.
6. I'm not so sure I can guarantee the teamwork is evident, as there was only one speaker. But since the group was comprised of only two members I'll just assume one did the audio and the other made the presentation slides.
7. I think the video is appropriate for the audience, like I mentioned above I learned a lot from the video and that's the goal of these presentations.

Review 2: Webcraft Solutions - Quantum Computing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xedIU8Ir14

1. The topic is well covered, the speaker does a great job preparing us for what to expect throughout the video. 
2. The presentation is clear and has a great outline. Each slide being covered has a very legible layout making it easy to scan ahead of the speaker if you want.
3. The quality of the research is clear as each slide has very in depth information for the topic.
4. The quality of the presentation was solid, again the audio is the only real thing to point out. Speaker 1 was talking very fast so it was hard to kind of keep a mental note of what was said, but he was clear. 
5. The video was interesting but not so much engaging, it's hard to be engaging through slides. Every slide though had enough new information to keep my attention locked-in.
6. The team work is definitely evident, there were multiple speakers as well as a note saying who made the slides. This group did a great job dividing the workload.
7. I believe the video is appropriate for the audience, there was so much great information in this video. I learned a lot by watching.

Review 3: Lutra - Brain-computer Interface (BCI) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHjqfArZh9c

1. The topic is well covered and produced, I like how there was video playing in the background as the topic was being explained.
2. The presentation is clear and descriptive. There is very descriptive information and the presenters give a deep visual description that allows us to visualize the information.
3. The quality of the research is great and shows that the group did their due diligence in collecting solid information. I think my favorite part of the video was when they were showing a monkey feeding itself grapes just by thinking of the arms movements, that example was a great demonstration of the potential of BCIs
4. The quality of the video is superb, like I mentioned above I enjoyed that the video has video in the background of the explanations rather than simple slides. It allows us to see some of the processes involved in the studies of BCIs
5. The video is definitely engaging, there is a good combination of information and visualization done in this video. By doing this we can easily see what's going on.
6. The team work is evident as there were multiple speakers throughout the video. Great job dividing the workload.
7. I think the video is appropriate for the audience. There was a ton of information in this video and they did an amazing job making it easy to understand by providing video examples behind their explanations.

 

Part 2: Keep Up With Your Learning Journal

Add in your video project and write one last entry about what you have learned in the class. How has your team communicated and/or collaborated? What can you do to make that collaboration more effective next time?

    My group and I did our final video project on AI deepfakes and disinformation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9j7lscWYRo). I had a great time working with my team on this project and in the process I was able to teach myself some valuable information about AI deepfakes and their potentials in the real world. 

Throughout this class I have learned quite a bit more than what I initially expected. I think the assignments that made the biggest impact on me were the AI assignments and the group projects. The AI assignments taught me how to ethically and efficiently use AI to help with my assignments as well as get specific information results. The group projects not only allowed me to practice team interactions but also allowed each of us to take up some type of leadership role. Early on we all agreed that it is going to be an important trait to have later on in our careers should we need to take a lead role in a project. So starting now and getting used to having that sort of responsibility was a great learning experience. 

My team and I collaborated through discord, we talk almost everyday through the chat and had weekly meetings on Saturday at noon. I think this was the best option for us because we are all in our late 20s with busy lives and schedules. I'm not sure how we can increase the efficiency of our collaboration, as I believe we did a great job in this first class. However maybe an extra meeting wouldn't hurt, perhaps on the day of a new assignment week so we can discuss the assignments and who might need help on a given topic so that we each know ahead of time if someone might need help. That would allow us to give constructive criticism and tips early on to assist one another. 

CST300 blew my expectations out of the water. The essays, like I assumed, were a headache and a chore. But the information I learned through my studies has left me smarter than yesterday. And I really enjoyed getting to meet and work with my team in this class. Looking forward to working with them in the next class and maybe the future.