Jason, Ray, Vincent, Next Step

Our group discussed our progress so far, and we discussed the type of research which we’re going to be doing.  The next step of our project is to finalize our game: we are currently working on the third level, and we should finish the fourth level in about two weeks which is also when we’ll begin making the user’s manual.

Today we’re going to try to schedule a face to face meeting, so that we can all demo the game in its current state.  We also have to schedule someone to take minutes during the next meeting, and before the meeting we will make an agenda together.  We’ll take turns taking minutes for every meeting.  We’ll also have another synchronous online meeting between today and next week, which will mostly be devoted to gathering more sources on the topics we’re already invested in, and perhaps new ones as well (we’ll discuss it in our next meeting).  For next week’s class session we’ll have all of our sources printed out and brought to class, and we’ll also have the first three levels of our game completed.  Jason will bring a laptop so that we can demo the game.

Summary on The Flight From Conversation

In the article The Flight From Conversation, the narrator Sherry Turkle discusses how technologies change how people communicate with one another.  Sherry Turkle states, “I’ve learned that the little devices most of us carry around are so powerful that they change not only what we do, but also who are.”(Paragraph 3) This statement by Sherry Turkle shows, that technologies can alter a person’s personality because they are so accustom with their individual devices. Sherry Turkle furthermore gives supporting details on how technologies change the personal connections with one another.  As she states, “In conversation we tend to one another. (The word itself is kinetic; it’s derived from words that mean to move together.) We can attend to tone and nuance. In conversation, we are called up to see things from another’s point of view.”(Paragraph 13) She expresses her concerns that technologies bring about on everyone because it disables the society to have an actual conversation and to have a connection with one another. According to Sherry Turkle technologies decreases one’s ability to know how to have an appropriate conversation in person. Sherry Turkle’s main message in her article is that everyone needs communicate and look out for one another rather than with technologies.

 

Citation:

Turkle, Sherry. “The Flight From Conversation.” The New York Times 21 Apr. 2012: n. pag. Print.

Instruction manual for Cisco Router Guide

For this particular assignment I will designate and get into details with the Cisco Router Guide. The Cisco Router Manual Guide talks about myriads of things such as Integrated Services Routers, Aggregation Routers, Compatibility of Routers and how Cisco routers differ from one another. The manual is written in a PDF form and it is easy to locate by any users.

The manual firstly describes an overview of different type of Cisco Series Routers and it can be found in pages 5-11 in the Series Overview. The Router Series Overview primarily describes the different types of Cisco Routers that are compatible with different types of locations in small offices and in big offices.  The different Cisco Routers like the Cisco 1800 Series (Fixed-configuration) and Cisco 1900 Series Integrated Services Routers  [page 5] are useful for small offices and businesses. Meanwhile, Cisco 3800 Series and Cisco 3900 Series Integrated Services Routers are used to medium-sized to large businesses and Enterprise Branch Offices. These Cisco routers have advantages and disadvantages in them such as the type of security they provide and their modularity (Manageability and reliability of Cisco IOS Software).

The most important aspect of the Cisco manual in my opinion is the Product Transition Matrix which can be found in page 13-50. This is important in my opinion because it gives the users useful information of the Routers such as the Ethernet speed, encryption, RAM, and security connectivity.  Many users are going to look for a better quality router that has a fast connectivity speed and the one that is always secure (Security Features page: 46). Cisco Routers do provide these things. Cisco Routers like Cisco 890 provides great security connectivity and firewalls are always updated which can be found in page 38. The Instruction manual shows the different solution for a Cisco Router if the wireless system is down. The manual also gives an image of the Cisco Routers on how they should be installed in a small and big location.

Moreover, the manual instruction shows which Cisco Routers are commonly used in today’s society. Cisco ASR 1000 Series are the most common router that big companies uses because it offers a lot of services that is helpful with LAN connectivity in the work place. The Cisco ASR 1000 Series Router works efficiently in way that IOS Zone-based Firewall are integrated with crypto solutions. Big companies who needs a service with Wi-Fi connections benefit from this type of router because its fast and offers security services with the encryption and firewall. 

Overall, reading the manual was very interesting because as a Computer Systems Technology major we actually need to know in depth with different types of routers and what their capabilities are. I’ve learned that Cisco is definitely one of the routers that are advanced and don’t have that many issues with their connectivity efficiency. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is getting a router to get Cisco because they offer great services. The Cisco Router Guide manual shows it all on what a user needs to know if he/she is planning to have a router and how to install it properly having fewer issues with it. 

Citation:

V.6, Summer 2010. “Cisco Router Guide.” (n.d.): n. page. Web.

 

Vincent’s point of view on City Tech’s Education and Career Preparedness

The job adds research helped me envision the job requirements employers will be looking at in the workplace for my field as a Computer Systems Technology major. As a Computer Systems Technology major at City Tech I believe that our curriculum in our major will help us prepare for the jobs that our available in the real world.  However, I think that the curriculum can certainly be improved so that students like me will be more equipped, interested and become better at the field I am in.  Most courses that are offered in the Computer Systems Technology in City Tech department in my opinion are really more on theoretical and historical rather than practical. Based on my experience in City Tech, Computer Systems Technology field classes are more theoretical and historical. However, they do give an overview on the types of jobs that a student will be going into in their careers. In my opinion to be prepared in any career it is important to have the specific skill that is required for the career that we are pursuing. However, to be able to learn a particular skill in Computer Systems Technology, it is better for a student to have practiced hands-on with the field, as an example, creating cable wires, programming coding, troubleshooting, replacing parts in the computer and etc. Through hands-on experience students will have a sense and experience on what type of tasks in the workplace they’ll be working on.

I am now entering my fourth year in New York City College of Technology and I must say that the courses that they offer in the Computer Systems Technology field are similar to other colleges like Hunter College, City College, York College, Brooklyn College, Baruch College, Lehman College, NYU, Queens College, MIT, and Stony Brook College. Baruch College as an example doesn’t have a Computer Systems Technology major but they offer a similar major which is Computer Information Technology and the only difference is that they focus more on business area related in Computer Information Technology. Aside from that difference, the courses that City Tech offers in Computer Systems Technology field is very similar with Baruch College.  [Baruch College page 16]  Other Colleges like Lehman, NYU, City College, MIT, Queens, York, Brooklyn, and Stony Brook also have a similar courses  that City Tech offers; these colleges also have Computer Science and Computer Information Systems. Based on my research with these different Colleges City Tech isn’t so bad after all. The only difference I saw with other colleges is that they offer more hands-on training with students more in the Computer Systems Technology, Computer Information or Computer Science unlike with City Tech the courses are mostly theoretical not many courses offer practical where students can practice the skill.  Moreover, based on my research I also found out that the class size that City Tech have in Computer Systems field is similar to the CUNY colleges I have researched and also the private colleges mostly 20-35 consisted of students in each classes. The only big difference that I saw that City Tech and these colleges have are the electives that a student must take to complete his/her major. Overall, the skills that are required to be Computer Systems Technology in City Tech like programming, web design, networking and etc is the same to what other colleges are also looking for their students.

City Tech does offer internships for Computer Systems Technology field however, the department is not very good telling updates to student in my opinion, if there are any internship that are available. I think this is important because  as a student, I would like my College in this case City Tech to be more helpful and give rightful advise to any students that wanted to know how they are doing with their major and what steps should they take to be able to prepare themselves in the workplace.  To be able to be prepared with a specific field I would want to have a great experience with it before I graduate because that is the main motive why I am taking this major, which is, I want to learn skills that is related to Computer Systems Technology.

My suggestion would be to the department is that they need to have a better  advisement for their students. I feel like they aren’t very organized with handling the students especially with leading them to the right direction with their careers. As example giving advice on the internships and advice on the classes that a student will decide to choose. Lastly, the courses that are related in Computer Systems Technology should be more hands-on rather than just being taught theoretically because the skill in my opinion is more relevant than knowing the history of it and the theories.

Links:

City Tech

Hunter College

City College

York College

Brooklyn College

Lehman College

NYU

Queens College

MIT

Stony Brook College

Baruch College

Online Identity in a Networked World. How Is Social Media Affecting Our Lives?

Social media has renovated our lives  in the 21st century and how we communicate with others worldwide. There are positive and negative effects that social media has brought to our society. In the article that I found titled How Does Your Social Media Affect Your Next Job talks about the changes that social media has brought in our community. Moreover, it discusses how social media can be also used as a device in order to search a job that a person might be interested in getting into.

One example of a negative effect that social media has brought in our society is that a person can be easily be searched in the internet if you type his/her name example in google.  As an applicant in my opinion, I wouldn’t want my employer to go through my account to browse through my personal business because that is my privacy and it’s unethical in my opinion to judge someone based on what they saw on social media. According to both articles that were given to us in class Colleges Pay to Protect Students from Toxic Google Results and Employers scour Web for details on applicants basically stating that Job seekers must be aware of what they post in their social media because employers in the company will look through it and if ever they find any suspicious pictures of acts that an applicant has been doing, employers will not accept that applicant to be a part of their company if they have been caught doing immature things.  On the other hand, social media can be also  used as a positive device to anyone especially applicants who are seeking for a job. In the article that I searched How Does Your Social Media Affect Your Next Job, it posted different social media sites that people are accustomed to such as Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn site that people are not very accustomed to.  A social media called LinkedIn focuses on an individual’s personal life and career leading to job opportunities and job offers.  Similarly, to the article given to us, Colleges Pay to Protect students from Toxic Google results it talks about how social media can be useful in selling yourself to the employers and how to get  a job using a social media site.

The other article that I found interesting titled,  To Blog or Not To Blog talks about job search blogging and whether it’s appropriate for the employers to look through an applicant’s social media and judge them basing on what they saw.  This article mainly focuses on the things that a person can post in his/her blog and what not to post so that it will not be used by anyone in the future when you are applying a job.  In my opinion Alison Doyle who wrote the article To Blog or Not To Blog is making a point by asserting the things that should and the things that shouldn’t be posted in social media. It is very important in my opinion to think first before posting anything online because the posts that you put online might be something you’ll regret later on in your life. Writing a blog post in a hastily manner is not a good idea to put on social media because it affects how you look as an individual in the society that we live in.

Social media has advanced our society in several ways. But it also affected our lives the way we communicate with the society especially when we apply for any types of jobs. Social media is useful to everyone in our society because we can definitely communicate easier with one other with ease. I have nothing against  social media but we all should be careful on what we post online because it may be used against us in the future when we are applying to a job.

Links:

“World’s Largest Professional Network | LinkedIn.” World’s Largest Professional Network | LinkedIn. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.    LinkedIn  

“How Does Your Social Media Affect Your Next Job? -.” Infinity Consulting Solutions How Does Your Social Media Affect Your Next Job Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.  How Does Your Social Media Affect Your Next Job?

Doyle, Alison. “To Blog or Not to Blog?” About. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.                To Blog or Not to Blog?

Class Notes 09/17/14

Notes: [ 09/17/2014 ]

Main Topic: Correspondence

Free-Writing (15 mins)

  1. Reflect on how City Tech/department and major have prepared you for the types of jobs out there?
  2. “Dream Big”- given unlimited resources, what would you recommend to the college or department (in terms of overall education/ career preparedness).

Group Work and Discussion

  • Share ideas with your group members on what you wrote in your free-writing.
  • Take a look at CityTech’s courses/majors and compare it to other colleges.
  • Brainstorm ideas
  • mind-mapping/clustering

‘My Ideal Department’ [That we wished CityTech would offer to students]

  1. Classes size
  2. Internships
  3. Faculty
  4. Career
  5. Advising
  6. Mentoring
  7. Career Mechanics
  8. Spaces/technology

Group Work Discussion/ Research of other colleges

Issues/Problems:

  • Not enough professors/classes (lack of variety)
  • No labs, lack of software
  • More internship classes should be offered
  • More communication and feedback from companies
  • Professors must speak English clearly or can be understood
  • Unnecessary course requirements
  • Certification assistance
  • Better advisement
  • Job Center

“Dream Big”

  • More Professors and courses
  • Technical Works
  • Support from the library (assistance)
  • More resource
  • Extracurricular activities
  • Independent research
  • Field trips that relates to the field we are in
  • Wider usage of instruction technology (Blackboard, open lab)
  • Gym, recreational areas
  • Better elevators

CityTech Dept/Major

Colleges Searched

  • Hunter
  • Queens
  • Baruch
  • Brooklyn
  • Polytech
  • NYU
  • Harvard
  • MIT
  • Cooper
  • Stonybrook
  • Columbia
  • Howard

Closing:

Assignment 2 (discussed the task for the assignment)

Work/task for the next 2 weeks

  1. Blogs
  2. Memo Letter

For more information check schedule.

 

Vincent’s Job Search

During my job research I found out many job opportunities that a Computer Systems Technology major can actually get into. I did however, focus on three different specific job occupations that a Computer Systems Computer Technology major can get into and I am also interested with these fields I chose and hopefully I will be successful going into them.  The three pathways that I searched was on Computer System Analyst, Information Security Analyst and Network and Computer Systems Administrators. These three fields have different task that requires a person to have some knowledge on computers and how computers interact with the world that we live in.

Computer System Analyst’s job in the organization is to deal with computer systems and their procedures.System analysts design the organizations plan  in the organization and also provides better solutions to help the organization with their computer systems needs to become more efficient and effective.  I found out that as a Computer System analyst you will need an understanding of what an information technology (IT) does. As an example how systems in the computer work and how to troubleshoot the computer systems. Employers are looking for computer analysts who at least have their bachelors degree in computer fields such as Computer Systems Technology and Information Technology. Most systems analysts work full time based on my research and mostly people who are in it work 40hrs a week. Computer Information Security Analysts on the other hand, carry out the responsibilities to protect and secure the organization’s computer networks and systems. Security analysts provides security in the organization and help the organization to be more security against hackers. Their responsibilities are continually expanding as the number of cyber attacks increase. The work environments in which Information Security Analysts go into are companies, banks, business and financial companies. Mostly information security analysts must have a bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field and they also need some experience in the related field. Lastly, Computer networks are almost part of every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks. They do computer updates in the companies to help the companies to become more updated and efficient. Network and computer systems administrators work with the physical computer networks of a variety of organizations and they are employed in many industries because they are in need in companies. Employers are looking for employees who have at least certificates with networking, and they also require a bachelor’s degree in a field related to computer or information science. Employers will also look for an employee who can communicate well in these jobs because projects in the workplace are done in groups and as employee you need to be able to communicate well with others in order to get the task done.

My education at New York City Technology have helped me broaden my knowledge and gave me myriad of ideas on what these jobs in Computer Systems Technology are all about in the work place. Classes that I took such as programming and networking gave me a hands on experience that can be very useful in the work place. One thing that I found out very useful is that New York City College of Technology offers a work experience such helping students with their internship in their related works. In order for a student to graduate in City Tech from a Computer Technology field he/she must find an internship that deals with the modules that the student chose. In my opinion it will not only look good for the student but also it is a great experience to have a hands on experience with your field because companies will look for an employee who has an experience with the fields that they are in.

Here are the links that I used for my job search:

WWW.HIRE.COM

http://www.careercast.com

WWW.LABOR.STATE.NY.US

www.nycjobbank.com

WWW.NONPROFITSTAFFING.COM
WWW.GURU.COM
http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/proft43.shtml
WWW.CAREERJOURNAL.COM
WWW.NEWYORKJOB.COM/
http://www.careerbuilder.com

WWW.COMPUTERWORK.COM

https://efixmetrocard.mtanyct.info/internshiponline/StudentHome.aspx  [Used for my Cover Letter]

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm

 

 

~Vince here~ It’s My Turn…

Hey everyone! My name is Vincent Cornelio but you can call me Vince that’d be great. I was born  in the Philippines and my native language is Cebuano one of the languages spoken in the Philippines. My major is Computer Systems Technology and I am now entering my fourth year in City Tech. Before attending City Tech I originally attended York College for one semester and the major that I originally chose there was Education. However, I didn’t feel that pathway was the right one for me because since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to be a part in a major where computer technology is involved . Moving on, entering my first semester at City Tech as a Computer Systems Tech major was fun  because I love my major and even though some classes like programming, were very challenging to me it didn’t bother me so much because I’m having fun with it.

One of the best places to go in the Philippines called Simala.

One of the best places to go in the Philippines called Simala.

 

Now the good stuff. The things that I like to do. Well, I love playing basketball ever since. I grew up playing basketball with my cousins in the Philippines since I was 5 years old and I really have a passion in playing the game. When I was in middle school I played in our school as a point guard and even though I wasn’t really tall that didn’t stop me from playing the game of basketball since I loved it. But when I entered high school I stopped playing basketball because I wanted to focus more on my studies.  Moreover, other hobbies that I like is playing video games and computer games (video games:NBA 2K12, 2K14, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, Final Fantasy, Mortal Kombat.  //Computer Games: Fly For Fun, Counter Strike).

The things I don’t really like to do is reading and writing. I don’t  know why but I was never really  a fan of reading and writing and I have no reason at all on why I hate it. I just find it hard overall to sit down and read a book. However it doesn’t mean I don’t like to read a book here and there but the book just needs to be incredibly amazing in order for me to get into it and read it.Writing on the other hand is different, because I like writing but I just  find it difficult to write especially if the writing assignment is long and needs a lot of reading analysis in order for me to complete the task. Moreover, reading and writing are one of my goals to be better at and I know it’s not an easy task to accomplish but I am looking forward for the challenge.

I’ll end it here for now. I’m looking forward in getting to know all of you guys. As of now I don’t have anything to ask in regards to the class because I really don’t have an idea what we will be doing in the course. But I am excited to be a part of this class and I do hope I’ll learn new things  about technical writing throughout the course. If you have more questions for me don’t hesitate to ask me in person.

I went back home in the Philippines during the summer. I had such a great time for 3 months!

-Signing off: Vincent Cornelio

“There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth.” -Leo Tolstoy