technology in the classroom

Technology has definitely benefited our group's communication throughout the year. With so many members in a group, its very hard to keep everyone updated on the latest progress. Email has been the answer. When there are days we all aren't in class, one of us will just email the group what happened, and what needs to be done. 

Since our group in particular needed to speak with Jennifer and the HEHD committee, email also was the perfect communication tool. Instead of trading phone messages for a week about meetings, we could establish a time we were free by just a few clicks of the mouse. 

Blackboard also benefited us with being able to access files by attaching them over email or printing them out. We were able to get to them anywhere there was a computer and internet. 

Ethical Lapses

Some of the examples given in class today about historical instances of ethical lapses surely gave me a reality check on the motives of a lot of people in this world. I've tried to surround myself with trustworthy people and I sometimes forget to be mindful that not everyone in society has the same ethical mindset as I do. The fact that a group of executives at Ford chose to let people die in order to save money blows my mind. 

Preparing to enter graduate school, I don't really plan to change anything from the ethical principles I try to live by today. When I first got to Clemson, it was a priority for the University to let the students know the type of ethical standards they expect from us. Coming from a Catholic private school background, it is no different than what was expected of me growing up. I expect to hold that same standard for myself in the future. 

Miscommunication

In high school, the biggest example of miscommunication I remember was in the state championship game in football. My friend was the receiver running in the play from the coach to the quarterback. Between the 15 seconds it took him to hear the play and dictate it to the quarterback, he forgot. Instead of admitting his mistake and going back to the coach to fix it, he decided to make it up. Well, as you could imagine, the play went horribly wrong. I've never seen a grown man so upset in my life. My friend didn't see the field the rest of the game. It could have been easily prevented had he just admitted that he forgot the play. Lesson learned. 

Online Portfolios

Our group missed the last class of presentations due to a meeting with the HEHD/LLC group in Mauldin Hall concerning the design opportunities for a new space. 

I haven't had much experience with online portfolios. The biggest issues I faced were when we were required to upload a portfolio to a website at the end of our semester in Barcelona. It became a really stressful process because we struggling to get everything in on time before our flight home. The internet is Spain was much slower, and it was a struggle to understand how to condense the size of our documents. It was also scary to think about my work being displayed on the internet. It was like I was opening my creative skills up for scrutiny. 

The only thing I need to know before the deadline for this class is just what is required. With all this craziness for classes the past few weeks, I feel like I'm a little out of the loop on what exactly is expected out of us anymore. I understand we have to roll with the punches, I just would like a little update on everything, especially since our group taking on this unique project. 

Presentations

My three favorite presentations over the course of the past week were on the sport of lacrosse, the best active athlete, and Coors Light being the best light beer. I enjoyed learning more about lacrosse because I have never understood the rules of the game. I have some friends from Maryland who have always talked very highly about it, and it is slowly catching on near my home area of Ohio. He did a good job with his presentation of understanding his audience, and starting with the assumption that most of us didn't know much about it. Brett's presentation on Coors Light was done very professionally. His arguments may not sway my opinion, but I definitely now have more respect for the beer. I especially enjoyed the explanation of the best active athlete. The way he presented was successful in how he interacted with his audience. He was also able to bring some comedy to his presentation. I thought the presentations were a great way to not only learn about random things, but also to gain a little bit more understanding of our classmates. 

Cover Letter Tutorial

One of the first things that struck me about the cover letters were they aren't actually ready until after your resume has been looked at first. I was always under the assumption that your cover letter always was read before anything else. When I was writing previous cover letters, I concentrated more upon myself then the company in which I was interested in. I will definitely need to change this in the future. I had never put much thought into the cover letter, and was not aware of all the important purposes it holds. 

Its important to focus on the company you are applying to. It should be personalized and time should be spent learning about the individual company. The best part of this cover letter tutorial for me was the example. I hadn't had much experience in the past on applying for jobs, so I didn't find anything that I strongly disagreed with. I think the tutorial was a great introduction to me starting to write my cover letter. 

Client Visit

Jennifer Goree, our client from Redfern, came in and began to explain our group project for the semester on Monday. I think our group wants to take advantage of our creativity and computer skills and make an entertaining video. With a few architecture majors and a graphic design major, I think we will be able to think of some clever ideas. 

I'm pretty confident with how our group has been interacting with one another so far, and don't see any problems as we move into the beginning phases of the project. We have all been getting along great, and our first meeting at Bojangles last week went smoothly. Everyone has agreed to take on a specific role in the group. I'll make sure to inquire if I have any questions in the upcoming weeks. 

Interview Mistakes

I have to agree with the article regarding the interview mistakes. It seems like some of the most simple things can make a big difference. Because the company has such little experience working with you, the interview becomes the primary focus for how you would conduct yourself in the future. 

I think the biggest thing for me beginning to interview for jobs and graduate school is to just stay relaxed. I tend to get really nervous, and its easy to see. Practice and just more experience doing it will help me become more calm and relaxed. The three interviews I've had for my past summer internships had been really relaxed and to the point. I haven't had any with tough questions and required some thought beforehand like my biggest flaw or my best attributes. When I was a sophomore, I did have something similar to that when I was trying to get on the IPTAY student board. I wasn't prepared and froze a few times, and didn't end up getting it. I think I just need to take some time and think a little bit about everything and I'll be fine. 

blogging to blog

hmm...So I guess since this week is an open topic, I'm going to blog about what has been on my mind a lot lately. With the last semester of college well under way, I'm starting to wonder what life will be like a year from now. I'm sure going to miss much of the freedom and opportunity that comes with the college life in a small southern sports town. There won't be any random Wednesday nights where I drive home from studio to my house on Lake Hartwell at 5:30 to find all my roommates home ready to start a night of drinking. No more waking up at the break of dawn on Saturdays to celebrate game day with 100,000 of my closest friends. And when else will I be able to live in a place that is so densely populated with so many beautiful 20-something year old girls? 

Oh, Clemson, you will be missed. But I am excited at the opportunities of tomorrow. I'm ready and anxious to put these last 22 years of learning to use and make some money of my own! Everyone has to grow up sometime, and May 8th, 2009 will be that day for me. Until then, I'm going to try to live that Tom Petty quote to the fullest. 

ten years down the road

It's hard to imagine where I will be in ten days because I don't even know where I'll be a year from now. I just finished applying to graduate school to four schools all around the country. I do hope to be living in a big city at least for awhile. After spending some time in Washington DC, and then Barcelona, I have really come to enjoy all the resources and opportunities at your grasp in a big city. 

If I had to guess, I hope to be happily married working for a real estate development company. Eventually, I would like to start my own company, but it may be a little later in my career. I have a desire to see as much of the world as possible before settling down, but I've always wanted to have a family some day. At the age of thirty two, I would guess I will be living somewhere in the midwest where I grew up. But I'm up for the possibility of anything, and I'm excited to see what opportunities present itself. 

the machine is us

That video really made me realize how far technology has come in so little time. It seems like the topics of discussion about our current time are always negative, whether its our economy, the war, or the gas prices rising. One things for certain though and that is our advancement in technology is fantastic. 

Web 2.0 is affecting everyone. We have more resources and communication techniques then ever before. Its allowing us to become more creative in everything we do. I just got done ichatting with my brother, and got to see and talk to my grandparents. They were blown away at the capabilities. It does come with consequences though. We must rethink everything we do online because it could come back and hurt us. For instance, facebook pages have been used to kick people out of school and even caught criminals. Its a new era, and everyone must adapt. Get on board or you'll be left behind. 

About Me

Hey Class---

I'm Joe Broerman and am entering my last semester in college. I'm in the process of applying to different graduate schools for real estate development. Until college, I lived in Cincinnati, OH my entire life but hope to move away for awhile after I graduate. 

The CD currently playing in my car is Taylor Swift. I'm constantly told I look like a more handsome version of Donald Trump....You're FIRED! And I've lived in Barcelona for five months. Only one of those past three comments weren't true.