Day 2-National Seminar

USeP-UP IT Symposium 2010

October 5, 2010

NISMED Auditorium

UPITTC

I thought we would never have it. I thought we would never learn from it. I thought we would never experience it. That’s what I’ve thought and I was totally wrong. We went to the place and they brought us the event. The transaction is deal so we had the mini Y4IT exclusive for both USeP’s Information technology and Computer Science students.

We were oriented to have our national seminar at the University of the Philippines campus. From the past experiences that I had, when it talks about seminars and workshop it generally talks about boring stuff and somewhat like a sleeping pill that makes every participant fall asleep. I thought that as we arrive there we would just sit and start listening until we loose close our eyes. Shocked as I was, the things that are seem bound to happen in every seminar got forfeited and by this time I personally experience an exactly different thing. The moment we arrive there, we were handed by a kit filled with lots of notes and books good for our seminar. Just like a tool for us to read to help and guide us. Again, shocked as I was, as I scan those notes I’ve got to discover that it is a “remains” from the previous Y4IT.

I am really glad having those stuff because at least even though we’re not in that exact event, its not been too late for us to experience the same good thing. I know that from the very start, everything could be possible with GOD guiding our mentor Dr. RSG.

From the arrival, the kit, until setting ourselves to the auditorium, everything is just well prepared and satisfying. It only proves the positive attitude of doing the best in everything may it be in the field or to any kind of task handed to any individual. See, from the very first quarter alone there is really no regrets of sending myself to this field trip and seminars. As for personal testimony, the moment that I let myself be settled, I was actually looking for the UP IT/CS students. They were not around. Just as I remember that there would be an unconference between the two state universities. It’s not that I am urging then nor I am worrying for the dignity of our school. It’s just that I wanted to see the kind of student living in a premier and standard university like UP. We already had a hard time in USeP that’s why we had this haggard looks. I wonder of what they could haveJ. (duh?)

After a few moments, the battle begins and our eager minds are widely open for a new package of knowledge. Quoted with a line “Y4IT Energy” our emcee energized us the same thing as they did during the first convention. Now, it is our time to privately know and enhanced ourselves with the aid of the topics to be discussed and generally with the kind of attitude that we should have as we continue our voyage in the field of IT industry.

As convenient as we are, the seminar started. We had the first session in the name of Miss. Rose Ann Sale. She had a short discussion to us regarding on Writing a Winning Thesis. Since we are all third year and sooner we are to have our thesis. It is indeed an advantage to us to have a lecture like this for us to effectively write and pursue our chosen topic in our own thesis. From the session she handed us the five stages in making a successful thesis. These stages include the thinking stage ,proposal stage, burning your eyebrow stage, the nerve wracking stage and lastly the I did it stage. Applying all of these tips and stages she let us view the final product of her own thesis. We really had a fun learning out of her specially that she’s not boring in giving discussion. She bade us farewell ending with the quote “Bright ideas made brilliant”.

Visualizing Wikipedia Article Evolution with Stream Graphs. This was our second session with Mr. John Boaz Lee. Now, let us start it by segmenting the topic. If we are to talk to what is visualization, it talks on how we capture data. He quoted, “The problem is not on the availability of data, but it is understanding the data”. As neophytes, it is an efficient tool to research, find data and play with it a little. Internet access is indeed an advantage already for advancement. Second is through answering with a question, what comprises good data visualization. As brilliant as he is, he point out these three important factors. One is to keep data as few dimensions as possible. Second is to use color to your advantage and the third one is to use symbol and graphs. After sometime as each of the student raise question, we got it to a point of talking on the maintenance of Wikipedia and he gave as a very meaning full passage that goes like this, “Wikipedia article are like biological system, they evolve. They change and is developed.”

A faculty of Computer Science Department- UP Diliman Campus, Miss. Michelle Lee Moscatel shared her knowledge about Design and Implementation of Cloud based Personal Learning Environment. As we go along our discussion, PLE is mentioned for several times already. What is PLE? It is basically a personalized learning plus technology. Through the PLE, it innovates ideas and involves creation and communication. It also makes use of portfolio instead of grades depending on the learning as well as in making use of the internet through web based applications. The session also talks about UPITTC which advocates of continuous education helping each student build a solid IT career. They also conduct training programs such as Applications development, Network and Embedded Systems.

“Forget About the grades!” she exclaimed and suddenly all of us yell and clap for joy. Then afterwards, there was a complete silence the moment she continues her topic. Who would never want to listen to a very interesting topic like Animation? She gave it to us crunchy and was just perfectly great for a young technological artist like us. She made us crave for all of those designs that she had been producing and some that she is still working. Also, she had given as some tips on how to animate a word or objects. I was actually interested to the topic, its just that my artistic way is of the other path. She said that it is of good foundation if the animator himself is good at hand stroke. But on the other side of the story,  she said that its all about the quality after all, its all about marketability and its all about gearing yourself towards that dream job! That was so amazing. Its just sad since we already had her on a short span of time. But anyway, a big thanks to Miss. Len De Gracia.

               

                From among of all the line up, it is only on the topic of Mobile Device Game Development that we had our first foreigner speaker in the person of Prof. Carlos Bott. From his topic, he discussed about games and he definitely gave us techniques in game development and it includes the following:

§  Gaming platforms

§  Online

§  Software

§  Flash

§  Web based programming

He generally talks about software tools as frameworks and even shares some of it which offers free game development framework for 2D games. For what I have been stated is just a sample from all of his discussion.

The seminar is almost over. But Ferdinand B. Pitagan, PHD provide us a talk regarding in Empowering the Nation through Educational Technology. From the topic, it clearly says the power of technology in helping the advancement strategy in educating others. When we talk about technology, it does not only talk about the computers and mobiles but more preferably in information and communication, online whether it is web based and assistive. Dr. Pitagan , shared to us that through empowerment, it could help in increasing of the spiritual, political, social and economic strength of individual and community thus saying that technology is really vital in achieving this empowerment in every life’s category. That is why some of the recommendations nowadays the inclusion of educational technology subject or courses in basic and higher education but it must be cost effective and efficient policy and implementation. In this way, there would be an early learning for each individual not making it hard for his own self as he or she step up for a new and higher form of technology.

                Even though we had just spent half day sitting and listening to different topic, with different speaker of different attitude, it seems like our brains are about to burst that it can’t no longer take hold of it. Everything in the seminar are all jam-packed and something that is worth of the attention.

                Aside from all of the technological learning’s that I’ve got, our speakers keep on inspiring me and never fail to lift me up. I just don’t know but all of them are so inspiring especially the ladies. It let me think and imagine that someday, in so many ways, I could also be like them, that all of us could be like them. Such an inspiring people like them should continue to inspire others and continue to speak and share the knowledge they had given by our Almighty. I now that it will for God’s greater glory.