Reflection Report

I have learned many different skills throughout the computer technology

course this semester, with skills ranging from programing to correct note taking. I
believe the skills I have learned in this course can benefit me in different aspects of
my life, be it educational or recreational. One specific skill that was stressed by our
former teacher was note taking; this can benefit me in my education as I now
properly know how to take effective notes. Another valuable skill learned this
semester was hyperlinking; this skill can benefit me should I choose to work in a
field that requires proper citation. As the semester continued I realized that many of
the things Ive learned in the course such as proper work ethics and learning how to
manage my time properly can positively influence my personal life. Outside of
school I play rep soccer, learning time management skills this semester has been
essential for me as I wouldnt have been able to keep up otherwise. Finally, the skill
I learned which I feel is most useful for my future was working in a team. This skill is
essential for my future as the field I am looking to work in requires good team skills
to be able to work on projects, it also will help me with my peer-peer interactions as
I will have learned proper social etiquette. In conclusion the things I have learned in
this course have positively affected me throughout the multiple aspects of my life,
in education, socially, and have helped me prepare for my future.
Throughout the course my strategies for success have drastically altered. In
the beginning of the semester I often relied on theory to understand different
computer components, for instance, when we conducted the computer glossary
assignment, I was only able to read up on the various computer parts and attempt
to comprehend how they functioned. This was also evident when we created our
computer poster advertisement; I felt that it would be better to read on the
specifications of my computer rather than trying to understand how it functioned.
Towards the middle of the semester I felt that doing extra reading outside of class
would benefit my knowledge on the topics we were discussing in class. This was
evident when we conducted the networking unit as I would read my fathers old
networking textbooks to see if I could connect what we were learning in class to
what I was reading. Finally, nearing the end of the semester I successfully
attempted to learn through a hand on experience. The ability to create my own
working network cable really interested me and I felt I was more involved in school
than ever. This also proved true in our summative project where we had to program
LEDs to create a light box effect. The building of the light box and the wiring of the
breadboard really allowed me to understand different electrical components and
how they work in a circuit. Overall the course has realistically allowed me to explore
the multiple ways to learn and will hopefully benefit me in future courses.
The first unit we explored in TEJ201 was computer hardware; needless to say,
I was thrilled by the multiple hardware components we learned about. We first
started the unit by learning about the basic computer components such as a mouse
and keyboard, however we learned more about more complex parts when we

crafted our visual glossaries. The visual glossary assignment was very helpful in my
opinion as it gave me a visual dictionary to relate back to when working with
computer parts outside of school. It also allowed me to converse with my peers on
different computer parts and the ongoing debate on which technologies are better
and why. Overall computer hardware knowledge is a necessity for a potential future
computer hardware engineer and I felt that I learned enough throughout the unit to
consider a potential job in the field.
The second unit we explored was computer networking. This was personally
my favourite unit as I was able to easily connect to it, this is due to my father being
a network specialist and it allowed me to have in depth conversations with him
about the multiple network topologies and cable types. My favourite aspect of this
unit was when we created our own network cables, I remember the frustration when
my wires didnt line up in the RJ45 connector, however the feeling of
accomplishment that I experienced when I finally finished the cable was unmatched
by any other experience Ive experienced in school. Another aspect I enjoyed from
this unit was creating a network topology design, I feel that this can benefit me in
the future should I choose to wire my own house or go into the networking field. In
conclusion, this unit was especially cool as it allowed me to have a proper, hands on
experience, as well as the unit was very realistic and could be helpful for the future.
The third unit we delved into was careers; this unit was the biggest eye
opener for me as I had a glimpse as to how the real world really works. A
documentary we watched in class regarding the education and job situation in
Canada was a good example as to how the world functions. I was astonished as to
how difficult it is to get a job in Canada, let alone Ontario and also learned that
sometimes more education doesnt always mean better jobs. For instance one man
that was filmed had a Masters degree and yet he struggled to get a job, this
intrigued me as I thought that jobs would be easy to come by with better education.
Another aspect of this unit that interested me was the careers assignment as I was
able to explore multiple fields of work and establish which careers I thought would
be best for me. It also allowed me to explore tuition fees and understand the
expenses associated with advanced education.
The fourth unit was data representation/ digital logic, this unit was my
personal favourite. my favourite part of the unit was creating a circuit with the
different gates to turn certain LEDs on and off, this allowed me to explore the
different ways to build circuits and got me interested in different electrical
components. Another part of this unit that I enjoyed was learning about Boolean
logic, I found interest in the fact that the basis of computer logic was George Booles
number representations of emotions. All in all, this unit really interested me and I
feel it may be something I would like to explore in the future.
The final unit we investigated in the course was electronics/circuits/Arduino
interfacing. This unit was by far the most entertaining unit, it was also had a very

satisfactory feeling when codes would work. The unit was based off our summative
project which was to create a light-box with changing colours through a program
named Arduino. Building a functioning circuit for the project was very challenging as
it was difficult to tell if the LEDs werent working because of the code we created or
the wiring. Eventually we realized that it would be easiest to troubleshoot our code
by toying with the different wirings, in the end we got a working code which we
were very proud with and felt looked very cool. Therefore, despite constant
frustrations with this unit, it ended being the most satisfactory.
In conclusion I feel that this course has been essential to my growth as a
student and as a person. It has allowed me to connect electrical components and
frustrations to real life scenarios and has allowed me to learn to cope better with
real life situations. At first I was not too optimistic on the potential credibility of the
course and wasnt sure if it was worth it to take, however at this point in time I am
very happy with my progression with technological knowledge and my success has
made me want to take TEJ301. Finally, I would like to personally thank both the
teachers Ive had this semester for truly providing a safe learning environment
along with unforgettable experiences.