Overview:
One of my key curricular learning experiences as a Husky was choosing to take the class INFO 200, Intellectual Foundations of Informatics. I originally took the class because it was a pre-requisite for the Informatics major, I was just interested in exploring majors at the time and wanted to get a better idea of what it was about. I thought the class would just be about technology but I quickly learned I was wrong. There were so many social issues brought to my attention and I feel I was awoken to this whole new world by taking INFO 200. Take a look at the information resource I helped put together for first-generation college students in Washington State!
gofirstgen.weebly.com/
Personal importance of task/work:
The experience was important to my Husky Experience in that it opened me up to a world of technology and using technology not just for simple messaging and social media apps. But I was able to see how these new emerging high-tech devices and software could be used to impact different levels of society in varying ways. It wasn’t just about processing speeds anymore or graphics capabilities, but it was about how access to ebooks could open up a world of knowledge to children without proper schooling and inspire them to pursue higher goals.
Tasks Accomplished:
Leadership Competencies Gained:
Motivation- I know feel more motivated to use technology in ways to improve others’ lives. My group worked together in order to gather the necessary information to create an information resource in the form of a web site for first generation college students in Washington state. I learned the process from brainstorming to wire-framing and deploying a web site. I used to think computers were just for games and media, but I now see that the access to information available to us through technology is going to set us up for a very bright future and I am motivated to help build and design those technologies.
Advocating For A Point of View- Everyone comes from a different background and in this class I was able to learn how to use statistical analysis and qualitative responses to fight for my passion for human rights and equal opportunities for education. By the end of the class, I helped build a website to assist first-generation college students in Washington State. I was able to advocate for this idea with my new skills and it led to the creation of the website! Any great leader must be able to advocate for their points of view, the first step to that is truly being passionate about what they're advocating for!
Inclusion- This class taught me how important it is to always be inclusive. Inclusion is a key characteristic every great leader needs because as leaders we will run into many different kinds of people who all have different needs and wants and backgrounds. Singling people out will only lead to solutions that assist a select few. The best leaders think of everyone.
Listening- We had numerous guest speakers in our INFO 200 course, including those from various minority groups. Although I came into the class not really understanding their perspectives, I chose to listen to what they had to say and quickly realized and learned a lot of new things. It is very important for leaders to always be willing to listen, or else they will never be able to know what is needed in their communities.
Empathy- This class had a large focus on marginalized groups and my newfound understanding of them allowed me to be empathetic towards minorities I was previously not even aware of. Leaders must be empathetic because no two people are the same and everyone is fighting their own battles. Once we become understanding, only then are we able to assist.
Positive Attitude- During this class I was able to move my previous biases out of the way and learn to give people the benefit of the doubt. Since this class was very social equity-based, I learned about many under-represented groups and the struggles they face, and how information systems we build can affect their lives and decisions. I used to prejudge a lot and had a negative attitude not just towards people but also society as a whole. I felt the world was out to get me and you and everyone was just in it for themselves. Now I see that there is much more love in the world and a lot more people just want what is best.
Empowerment- In this class I was able to learn how to work within a team but also lead one. I learned how to use various tools like Wix and Weebly and even some programming to create wireframes and mock websites, leading to our final product. I learned how to deploy a website live to the internet. These new technical and interpersonal skills gave me a sense of empowerment in that I finally felt I was making an impact and people were hearing my voice and looking into what I was helping to create.
Lessons Learned and Future Oriented Movement-
In the future I hope my new leadership competencies I gained from this class will allow me to grow even more as a person and as a professional, I may even pursue a graduate degree in Information Science just from this INFO 200 class. I was finally awoken to new minority groups I never knew existed or needed so much support and assistance. But I also learned that technology can help people a lot more than we can just play games and like pictures on social media. I now have a positive attitude towards the world and feel a sense of empowerment in that I can truly make a difference in the world with the technical and interpersonal skills I have developed.
Overview:
One of my key curricular learning experiences as a Husky was choosing to take the class INFO 200, Intellectual Foundations of Informatics. I originally took the class because it was a pre-requisite for the Informatics major, I was just interested in exploring majors at the time and wanted to get a better idea of what it was about. I thought the class would just be about technology but I quickly learned I was wrong. There were so many social issues brought to my attention and I feel I was awoken to this whole new world by taking INFO 200. Take a look at the information resource I helped put together for first-generation college students in Washington State!
gofirstgen.weebly.com/
Personal importance of task/work:
The experience was important to my Husky Experience in that it opened me up to a world of technology and using technology not just for simple messaging and social media apps. But I was able to see how these new emerging high-tech devices and software could be used to impact different levels of society in varying ways. It wasn’t just about processing speeds anymore or graphics capabilities, but it was about how access to ebooks could open up a world of knowledge to children without proper schooling and inspire them to pursue higher goals.
Tasks Accomplished:
- Became exposed to social equity issues
- Found an academic passion in informatics
- Learned how to make a website
- Learned project management skills
- Created a website for first generation college students
- Interviewed people from UW Dream Project
- Learned how to create and use surveys
- Learned about UX vs. UI
- Worked as a team to communicate and create multiple wireframes leading to our project
Leadership Competencies Gained:
Motivation- I know feel more motivated to use technology in ways to improve others’ lives. My group worked together in order to gather the necessary information to create an information resource in the form of a web site for first generation college students in Washington state. I learned the process from brainstorming to wire-framing and deploying a web site. I used to think computers were just for games and media, but I now see that the access to information available to us through technology is going to set us up for a very bright future and I am motivated to help build and design those technologies.
Advocating For A Point of View- Everyone comes from a different background and in this class I was able to learn how to use statistical analysis and qualitative responses to fight for my passion for human rights and equal opportunities for education. By the end of the class, I helped build a website to assist first-generation college students in Washington State. I was able to advocate for this idea with my new skills and it led to the creation of the website! Any great leader must be able to advocate for their points of view, the first step to that is truly being passionate about what they're advocating for!
Inclusion- This class taught me how important it is to always be inclusive. Inclusion is a key characteristic every great leader needs because as leaders we will run into many different kinds of people who all have different needs and wants and backgrounds. Singling people out will only lead to solutions that assist a select few. The best leaders think of everyone.
Listening- We had numerous guest speakers in our INFO 200 course, including those from various minority groups. Although I came into the class not really understanding their perspectives, I chose to listen to what they had to say and quickly realized and learned a lot of new things. It is very important for leaders to always be willing to listen, or else they will never be able to know what is needed in their communities.
Empathy- This class had a large focus on marginalized groups and my newfound understanding of them allowed me to be empathetic towards minorities I was previously not even aware of. Leaders must be empathetic because no two people are the same and everyone is fighting their own battles. Once we become understanding, only then are we able to assist.
Positive Attitude- During this class I was able to move my previous biases out of the way and learn to give people the benefit of the doubt. Since this class was very social equity-based, I learned about many under-represented groups and the struggles they face, and how information systems we build can affect their lives and decisions. I used to prejudge a lot and had a negative attitude not just towards people but also society as a whole. I felt the world was out to get me and you and everyone was just in it for themselves. Now I see that there is much more love in the world and a lot more people just want what is best.
Empowerment- In this class I was able to learn how to work within a team but also lead one. I learned how to use various tools like Wix and Weebly and even some programming to create wireframes and mock websites, leading to our final product. I learned how to deploy a website live to the internet. These new technical and interpersonal skills gave me a sense of empowerment in that I finally felt I was making an impact and people were hearing my voice and looking into what I was helping to create.
Lessons Learned and Future Oriented Movement-
In the future I hope my new leadership competencies I gained from this class will allow me to grow even more as a person and as a professional, I may even pursue a graduate degree in Information Science just from this INFO 200 class. I was finally awoken to new minority groups I never knew existed or needed so much support and assistance. But I also learned that technology can help people a lot more than we can just play games and like pictures on social media. I now have a positive attitude towards the world and feel a sense of empowerment in that I can truly make a difference in the world with the technical and interpersonal skills I have developed.