Blog # 14 - Jan 4 to Jan 8

This week we weren't able to go into the lab, so we spent most of our time planning out our projects. I met up with the rest of my house during the meetings and we went over what would need to get our projects done next week. The other members of our group on the soldier project house joust decided to work on the design, while I planned to go to the lab next week to cut it out.

In other news, I also received a job from a friend who was willing to pay for something that I would laser cut in the lab. This would count as a sale, but it needs to be done next week as he is leaving the following weekend. I received the designs and plan to use the laser for that once we finish the house joust. I also need to review the other parts of the project checklist, such as creating a quote calculator and a sales draft. Finishing this project and the house joust will help me finish both project checklists before the semester.

Blog#13 - Dec 14 to Dec 18

This week, we did not get much actual work done. Instead, we spent most of our time planning out our projects for when we return from winter break. We primarily talked about the soldier project and got estimates of the size for the final project. When we return, we only have about two weeks before the end of the semester, though, so my group for the project is aiming to finish the soldier project in the first week. This will allow us to work on the second project for the remaining time in the semester. My house has given some thought to the other projects and it seems that one group will work on the other house joust, the loop pin, and the other will create t-shirts with our logo.

In addition, my house has also began thinking about our strategy for tackling the projects in second semester. As it looks like we may not be able to return to campus because of the COVID cases, we will have to adapt to efficiently create products under the circumstances. I believe we are ready for this, though.

Blog #12 - Dec 7 to Dec 11

This week, I did not go to the lab, but I still spent time planning my design. Using the designs that I will receive from the other members from my group, I am going to make awards for the best film and medal of honor awards. We received more information about the house joust this week as well, such as the dimensions and stuff that should be included in it. For the project, posters need to be created as well, so we have to think about that. If I get the designs from the members of my group, I will visit the lab this week and use the laser cutter to create it. I have already chosen the material I will use and planned out the rest of it.

In other news this week, the other group that is working on the logo has some initial designs. This is good as we can use the final design for t-shirts and other things for a future project. There is also the other house joust, the loop-pin. My house hasn't begun discussion on that one, so it does not look like that will be one of our priorities. However, if we finish all of our other projects, we might work on it.

Blog #9 - Nov 9 to Nov 13

This week we continued preparing for the three projects that would be due this quarter. In class, we went over how we would submit the projects and what type of projects would be allowed. We also prepared for our return to the classroom by going over the safety procedures and the google form. I like the opportunity that D-Tech is offering us, as the possibility of returning to campus in January is diminishing every day.

During this week, we also met with our houses to figure out the logistics of the projects. Since, there is a maximum of six people per project, we decided to divide our house into groups of four. When we met with our houses, we also came up with ideas on what we are going to be creating. Lately, our house has been thinking about working on our own line of clothing, which would raise awareness for the fires, but now we are having some new ideas come in. We thought about making t-shirts for some other organization or working on hoodies for our own house. We are still figuring out the logistics, though, so none of the people in my group are going to the lab on Monday or Tuesday, so we don't waste other peoples' time in the lab.

Blog #6 - Oct 12 to Oct 16

We spent the majority of the time this week working on our business venture project. At the beginning of the week, we filled out the business model canvas with all of our information on our product. In my group, with Spencer and Chance, we came up with a tool that could promote cleanliness in public places during the pandemic. It took a while to think of the best possible idea for the tool, but we feel like we combined all of our different thoughts to create a working prototype. I had fun working on this project because we had to think from a different standpoint to see how our product would function in society with all of the problems facing it. It was also good to think up the logistics of the business and come up with our name and logo. Overall, this week, we spent most of our time working on our business venture project, which we are going to present next week.

We also heard a little more about how we are going to be returning to school, in addition to information about the machines we had ordered. I am excited to be able to use the machines and work with my house in quarter 2.

Blog #5 - Oct 5 to Oct 9

This week we started the project where we are prototyping a business. I joined a group with two other people and we have already started and decided on what product we want to create. The precursor to this project was a lesson on business intent and the factors of a business environment. I enjoyed hearing about what we should consider when working on our business prototype and I look forward to implementing our idea in a business environment.

This week, we also read through the book of ideas that we got at picture day. I found this book very interesting as it was filled with many ideas and tips on what to take into consideration when working in entrepreneurship. There were also designs throughout the book that made it even more interesting as we had to think from a designer's perspective. Also, there were different designs from the same logo and I thought that was interesting to see how different designs would resonate with different people.

We also heard on Friday that soon, we might be able to go back to the lab with our houses. This excited me because I can finally be back on campus and that my house can finish designs and products faster and more efficiently.

Blog #4 - Sep 21 to Sep 25

The majority of this week was spent on starting the business unit of the class. On Tuesday, we had a presentation about the various aspects of business vision and innovation. Here, I learned about desirability, feasibility, and viability, which are the three aspects to starting a successful business. I was interested when Tesla Motors was used as an example and how the necessity, practicality, and sustainability all merged together to create one of the biggest automative industries in the world. After this lesson, I started thinking about how my house could implement these practices. We also had an Entrepreneurial Discovery Chart, where we study various businesses, as homework, which I am excited to do so I can see how different business have become successful through their business mindset.

I also talked to my house this week about completing some of our early requirements. We are meeting this weekend to take team pictures. We are also starting to decide on our logo and a wildfire logo because of our vision, which is to raise awareness for the wildfires on the west coast. We will also begin work on our website soon to make everything as perfect as possible. I am excited for the future, when we can actually start work on our vision.

Blog #3 - Sep 14 to Sep 18

The biggest part of this week was talking to my house and coming up with a plan and a vision for our business. Because of the ongoing disasters on the west coast, we decided that we wanted to manufacture apparel, targeting, but not limited to, teenagers, that could bring awareness to the wildfires. That became our vision, so we have ordered two screen printers and a vinyl cutter for when we get to work. We are also working on updating the team website and logo and we are taking new house pictures. Hopefully, in the future, we are able to get started on our work so we can learn the basics of business.

This week, we also finished up the Entrepreneurship Essentials unit in our class and have started on business prototyping. We began with a lesson on startups on Friday. This lesson was very interesting to me because I plan on working in a startup or starting my own when I am younger and have just graduated from college. During this lesson, we learned key words, such as capital and startup ecosystems, that would be very helpful to me in the future, as well as the difference between a consumer and business market. I am excited for learning more about business and being able to work with my house for the first time.