Senior: Semester 1 Blogs
Blog 12: November 30-December 6
Getting back from Thanksgiving we have realized that we are running out of time quickly for the first semester. We have planned on completing three projects for this quarter but as Mr. Li was explaining in the zoom we don't know if that will be possible. For the first project Gavin, myself, and others are working on our house logo. It has been difficult creating different designs that match our house theme, but we are still trying. I have created a few designs that involves Lions and crowns because that is the feel that we want to have since our house name is Imperium. Imperium means absolute power so we have to create something that matches that tone. Here are a few rough drafts that I was working on but one that I liked the most was created by Evan. It is similar to logos that other companies like Rolex use but it is simple and clean. We need to finish our logo soon so we can start making house T-shirts and aprons.
Blog 11: November 16-24
This past week before Thanksgiving Break we were able to go to the lab to finally work on some projects in small groups. Unfortunately the computers had a hard time connecting to the Wifi so we had to improvise. I helped out other D-Tech members with projects and tried to clean up the lab. We then took photos of different projects in the LED box to create good lighting for the artwork. The pictures turned out good but we had a hard time getting the glass box around the artwork to not glare from the LEDs. With some camera settings that we learned in Mr. Crouch's class last year we were able to make the photos look decent. We then ran out of time, cleaned up the lab, and was granted with the news that we were getting shut down again which was devastating. This was our first time going back to the lab so we were sad to hear this news. However I believe Mr. Li is finding a way to get us back into the lab so we will see what happens.
Blog 10: November 9-15
This past week was an exciting week for D-Tech. We finally got our machines that we ordered which is a huge step in the right direction. I got the silk screen and was able to put it together that day. The build was pretty simple with the online tutorial that I was able to find on how to put together the silk screen. The quality of the silk screen is really great and it is heavy duty, however I do need to find a place to mount the screen because the instructions suggest that you screw the whole machine onto a work bench or something that can hold it in place. But since the screen is pretty heavy I need to find a table big enough that I could mount the screen onto. I am excited that the machines are in and in addition to this news we found out that next week we can go to the lab in small groups to work on things. We can finally start using all of the other machines like we did in previous years. Overall, this was a big week for D-Tech so I look forward for what else the future holds for us.
Blog 9: November 2-8
This week we officially finished all of the big projects that were due in D-Tech. Now we can put all of our focus into finalizing our house visions and goals for this year. Finishing our website and logo is at the top of our to do list because soon we will have to start to make and sell products to make money. In order to make the best sale possible we need to have a strong foundation set up in our house. This includes that website and logo. In addition to this we need to keep thinking about potential projects to work on. We do know that creating a logo and a website fits in the project category, which we need 3 of by the end of the quarter, so working on that will be a good thing to get done in order to complete one of the projects. Next week we will hopefully get our machines that we ordered a couple weeks ago. I will be keeping the screen printer so I hope to get that set up as soon as possible.
Current Logo
Blog Entry Week 8 | October 19-23
The final week of quarter one is already over! To wrap things up this quarter we finished our Business Prototype project. In class we all gave our pitches except for our group. Due to other group members being on vacation and my untrustworthy mic, we decided to just record our elevator pitch and submit it through canvas. Along with this we also had to finish our slide deck. This was a more in depth version of the original sticky note board that we created. The job of this is to grab the eyes of a potential customer and show them why they need your product or service. In our case we would provide a service for other companies during Covid-19. We learned a lot about entrepreneurship and building businesses this quarter so I'm excited to see what next quarter brings.
After this project we also learned that after Fall Break we will be able to go check out the machines that we ordered. We have a date that we can go in to the school and pick up our things. After we can officially start producing products which is the most exciting part of D-Tech. First, we do need to figure out what supplies to order because it is important to buy things in bulk so it is cheaper. To do this we need to plan out the specific items that we want ordered, but all of this is a step in the right direction. Can't wait to continue with D-Tech after Fall Break.
Blog Entry Week 7 | October 19-23
To start off the week on Tuesday we had our normal zoom meeting and this class was mainly dedicated to working on our Prototype project. The Google Board and business intent was due Wednesday so we had to finish that up. I worked on looking at the four factors of business and actually began applying them to the business that we were creating. These four factors along with a little vision for the company was our business intent. And after that I began working with the rest of my team on finishing our Google sticky note board. We were able to submit everything on Wednesday but that wasn't the end of the project. On Friday we found out that the second part of this project would be the next step in creating a business. We now have to create a logo design for our company and an elevator pitch that we will present to the class. This will all be due next Friday so we have some time to think about what we are going to say.
Outside of this project, we just found out that most of our machines came in! We got in some crickets and silk screens which we will be using to make products from home during Quarter 2. Before this Mr. Li and Ms. Duffy must figure out the process for us to come to the school and check out these machines so hopefully we will be able to do this after Fall Break. Now that we have our machines in it almost feels like we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Doing zoom meetings for class ahs been very difficult on all of us and all of the teachers, so now that we can have a sense of normalcy things are going to get exciting. I am looking forward to what Quarter 2 is going to bring.
Blog Entry Week 6 | October 5-11
This week in D-Tech I learned that the new name of the program is actually "CTE Cap Adv Design Studio". This is the official name that we should be using when applying to colleges now because it is a class that is actually recognized by colleges (as it should be). This is pretty cool considering that it wasn't too long ago when Mr. Miller posted the first lab tour of D-Tech. Back then there were just a few 3D printers and other machines, but now we have evolved by having available spots for interns, designers, and a wide variety of new machines and work space. My only wish would be for us to actually go back to school so we could use all of these resources. However, this week in D-Tech we began working on a new project that we don't need to use the lab for.
This project is called "Building your Prototype Business Venture" and the goal is to build a business that would be successful in a post pandemic world. Before doing this we learned about the different types of entrepreneurship which include small businesses, large companies, scalable start up, etc. This is something that we need to think about when creating our own business. Then we learned about the four things that we can't control when creating or sustaining a business. These factors include: Industry Forces, Key Trends, Market Forces, and Macro-Economic Forces. All of these are things that we will consider when creating our own business intent.
Blog Entry Week 4 | September 21-27
There wasn't too many things going on this week in D-Tech. We started off the week with a lesson called "Using Design Thinking to Understand Entrepreneurs". This lesson was about applying design and approach to business ventures. Design thinking can also be seen through three different lenses which include desirability, feasibility, and viability. Desirability is the human aspect of a business and involves who is actually going to want to buy your products. Feasibility is the quality of the products you are making and brings up the question if it is reliable or not. And finally viability is the sustainability of the company. These are all aspects that are at the core of every successful business.
Now we are beginning to work on a project using these same ideas. Once we can fully understand what makes a business successful we can use those same tactics towards our own business ventures in D-Tech. We already started thinking about some of these basic foundations last week and this week we did start to work on our website so we can have all of our information about our house in one place. It is difficult though because it's easy to put too much information on one site. I looks better when the site is clean and not too complicated. Throughout this next week we hope too continue to work on our logo, website, and vision.
Blog Entry Week 3 | September 15-20
We are beginning to get things rolling now that we are in our third week of our Senior Year. Throughout this week we talked about how the Seniors did last year in D-Tech. They learned a lot through some failure but also through many successes. We were able to see how many jobs they had completed and were in the process of completing before school was ended due to Covid-19. This was helpful to see what machine created the most revenue for every house and we were pleased to see that T-Shirts and stickers were a part of most of the jobs completed last year. I think that most of D-Tech wants to get rolling as soon as possible now but it is important to remember that we need a strong foundation if we can do this.
Our goals for this week is to take a team photo on the 27th at Arroyo Verde, vote on a new logo, and start creating our website. Doing this will get us rolling and allow us to focus on different things that need to get done in upcoming weeks. Overall, this past week was very motivating considering we are just starting out this year I already feel pretty confident in what we are going to accomplish.
Blog Entry Week 2 | September 8-13
This week we made some progress in D-Tech and discussed some big picture ideas for this year. First, we were able to do breakout rooms in zoom with our own houses. Personally, I really like having this time to be able to discuss updates with each other since we can't see them in person. The more time we can spend with our house the better because we will all be on the same page. In our breakout room we decided on the importance of having websites for each house. To do this we should create a new logo, take another team photo, and actually create a layout for the website.
Later in the week we started to talk about plans for manufacturing. Each house is allowed up to three machines that we are going to invest in so we can actually start making products this year. We found out that most of profits come from T-Shirts and stickers so our house got 2 Screen printers and 1 cricket (Vinyl Cutter). I am excited for this decision, but we do need to practice on the screen printer because we don't have too much experience with it. However, we are making progress and we will se what next week brings us.
Blog Entry Week 1 | August 31-September 6
The start of senior year! This year is definitely going to be different than in the years past, but it seems like we are figuring it out. I'm hoping we go back to in person school sometime soon because learning online is just different and not the same as actually being at school. The first two weeks of school included learning how to use Canvas and getting used to meeting in zoom classes. First impressions of zoom was not as good as I was hoping because it's hard for people to participate when they are attending class from their bedroom. It should get better as people get more comfortable with each other.
In D-Tech however things are as normal as they would've been for the first quarter of our Senior year. We will be learning about the basics of entrepreneurship which is actually pretty interesting to me. Learning about entrepreneurship opens your eyes to so many potential businesses and job opportunities that were right in front of you all along. The most impact piece of advice we learned from Mr. Li this week is that entrepreneurs all have certain characteristics that make them so successful. For example, having the drive to pursue new projects and jump on short windows of opportunity. Overall, I'm excited for next week and to see what this year turns into.