Reflection

Overall, my experience in IS101 for the Fall 2025 semester was one of much value. Not only did I learn more practical ways of formatting a word document, which now I use Word more than Google Docs because of the familiarity I achieved with Word, but also I learned how to use Excel to a respectable degree.

I would say that I gained perspective from my peers and instructor this semester. Being the youngest in the class, everyone had so much experience over me in the workplace/work environment. Therefore, I was able to hear countless different perspectives. Mr. Wu definitely taught me many things, but most importantly, Mr. Wu taught me that in the workplace employers will not coddle you.

I chose to do "6.4.3 Slide Design Facts". I would say that I have trouble expressing creativity digitally. I am a very practical sort of creative mind; I am an artist. However, due to this chapter I was able improve my designs using PowerPoint. I use what I learned in this chapter now by adding simple yet visually appealing changes that I otherwise would not have done.

Preservation and Application

I believe I did good in Phase 2. Excel was challenging at parts but I had fun and learned something new. My first attempt at the A6 assignment was rushed and lackluster. At first I wrapped my head around how I would present my work professionally, so much so that I had mistakes in my data. On my second attempt, I was much more level headed. I opted for a simple but visually appealing design and my data was more accurate, though I still had mistakes.

"5.7.4 The IF Function" is the text I decided to choose. I have experience using the "IF Function" more in a real life scenario rather than Excel. For example, say you have a ten dollar budget and want to buy some goods; "if goods are less than ten dollars I can buy them, If goods are more than ten dollars I cannot buy them". There is a plethora of examples but this one is simple enough.

I have recently applied what I learned in Phase 2 of IS101 to my Student Council class. It was about 3 weeks ago on Friday. On this day Student Council was hosting Friendsgiving and high school students could play games to earn points. The team with the highest amount of points would be awarded with gift cards. To calculate the total amount of points, a senior in Student Council made an Excel sheet that would add the points of each game earned by each team. However, there was an issue; the column for the game my partner and I were hosting was not added. So, I had to make a new column and include the first cell of this column into the formula that would calculate the total  points for each team. Then I used to fill handlebar to copy the formula into the entire scoresheet so that the points from me and my partner's game would be accounted for for each team.

I do plan on upgrading my habits/mindset to focus on highest achievement. However, I do know that things do not always go according to plan. So, I will just do what I try to always do, my best.