Critical Reflection

It has been a pleasurable and fruitful experience completing Effective Communication with Ms Lim in the first trimester of university. Through the lecturer’s interesting and engaging lessons, I have improved my writing skills significantly and learned to write a formal proposal report. Before taking this module, I would not have imagined how difficult it is to write a good proposal report to persuade the reader to accept the proposal. From writing the letter of interview request to constructing survey questionnaires, the amount of preparation before writing an effective report can be really challenging. I feel that the most important part of the report is the executive summary as it represents the pitch to sell your proposal. It should be short and highlights the important points and benefits of the proposal to convince the reader that your idea is worth their time and money.

The knowledge I have obtained from report writing has aid me in other modules as well as we are required to write a technical report for our project. In a technical report, APA citation is important as there is a lot of information and data retrieved from the internet to support the findings in the report. This is when the lesson on plagiarism and citation comes in play as we were taught of the proper citation methods to use to prevent plagiarism.

All in all, this module has taught me the importance of writing and presentation skills in school and work. Being proficient portrays intelligence and knowledge which is beneficial to us when we are out to work in the near future. It has been a wonderful trimester with Ms Lim and I have definitely benefited greatly from her teaching. 

Presentation Reflection

The oral presentation skill obtained from this module has allow me to present more professionally and confidently. We are required to present in a formal manner which is different from what I have done in my course of study in polytechnic. I am the first to present in my team and was required to start with an opener to capture the audience before going into the main topic of the presentation. This was something I have not done before and the interactions received from the audience can be surprising and interesting to hear. Through the class presentation, I have learned to deliver my ideas better and adopt a proper stance which I lack previously in my peer teaching presentation.

I felt that planning of the slide and topic sequence plays an important role in delivering a good presentation. From our presentation, I notice that some of the slides, especially the slide with three possible solutions, has confused the audience on which is the main solution that our team wants to adopt. Therefore, it is important to review the slides and view it at the audience point of view upon completion to prevent such confusion.

One thing that I feel that I should improve on is the articulation of words when presenting. This can be done though more practice and dry run before the day of presentation. All in all, this module has improved my presentation skill and taught me the importance of delivering a good presentation. The knowledge and feedback received will definitely aid in my future presentations.

Reader Response: This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design

In the article " A living model of cost-saving sustainable design in Detroit" by Adele Peters (2016), Ronen Dan and his friends started the Motown Movement in Detroit to construct an easy and cost effective solution for sustainable homes in the neighbourhood. The living model recycles  building materials  in abandoned houses and produce renewable resources as well as educates the residents on reducing energy wastage.

The Motown Movement will make use of various modification methods that are easy to understand and adaptable internationally so as to allow it to be implemented globally. Collaborating with their university, they aim to expand this idea globally through a master’s program which educates students on sustainable living and create awareness about sustainability. (Adele Peters - “This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design”)

I believe that the sustainable initiatives through transforming homes to lower cost is a viable plan to improve life of the residents. However, with so many voluntary organisations providing similar initiatives, their plan may not be well received by the public.

From my research, I notice that there are countless sustainable initiatives from government and private organisation in Detroit City. It is unsurprising to see so many voluntary efforts going on in Detroit City as the city’s economy has been declining since the 1960s. All these setbacks have caused Detroit City to have an unemployment rate of 29 percent, one of the highest in the US (James Moreland, 2016).

What Ronen Dan and his friends proposed is a great idea to make homes in Detroit City greener and also more cost efficient. However, it can be a inconvenient for residents who do not drive to visit the model house as Detroit has a rundown public transit system with poor transit access. Detroit is the largest American metropolis without a surface rail transit (Henry Grabar, 2016). Hence, residents without cars staying far away from the model house will have difficulty accessing it. Working families with full time jobs and children to look after may not have the time available for them to visit the model. Through my research, I have found one organisation GreeningDetriot, came up with a web page on tips and ways to retrofit homes to be more sustainable. The tips they provide are easy to follow and products required for retrofitting are listed with provider directories. The initiative from GreeningDetroit provided a platform that is convenient and easy to reach for residents willing to retrofit their homes.

I feel what the Motown Movement can improve on is the accessibility of the project. They can create a virtual tour of the model house online through images taken in the house. These images can be tagged with appropriate information and procedure the residents can follow to retrofit their homes. By using the internet as the medium to educate the public, Motown Movement will be able to educate people across the globe.

To conclude, the Motown Movement is a great initiative to improve  live of residents in Detroit City. Although there are many other organisations with similar initiative available, the Motown Movement will still definitely provide great help to residents who are interested in this initiative. I hope that through all these sustainable efforts, we will soon be able to see a better Detroit City in the near future.

References

Henry Grabar. (2016, June 7). Can America’s Worst Transit System Be Saved? Retrieved from Slate:
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/metropolis/2016/06/detroit_has_america_s_worst_transit_system_could_the_regional_transit_master.html

James Moreland. (2016, August 13). Can Detroit Is an Example of Everything That Is Wrong with Our Nation. Retrieved from Economy in Crisis:
http://economyincrisis.org/content/detroit-americas-war-torn-city

Adele Peters. (2016, July 7). This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into A Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design. Retrieved from Co.Exist: 
https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s

Greening Detroit - https://www.greeningdetroit.com/

Reader Response: This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design [First Draft]

Ronen Dan and his friends started the Motown Movement in Detroit to construct an easy and cost effective solution for sustainable homes in the neighbourhood. This actual example helps save building materials and produces renewable resources as well as educates the residents on reducing energy wastage.

The project will adopt various modification methods that are understandable and adaptable internationally. Collaborating with their university, they aim to expand this idea globally through a master’s program and create awareness about sustainability. (Adele Peters - “This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design”)

The sustainable initiatives through transforming homes to lower cost is a viable plan to improve life of the residents. However, with so many voluntary organisations providing similar initiatives, their plan may not be well received by the public.

By doing a simple search on the internet, we can see countless sustainable initiatives from government and private organisation in Detroit City. It is unsurprising to see so many voluntary efforts going on in Detroit City as the city’s economy has been declining since the 1960s. Not too long ago, the city has also filed for bankruptcy on 2013. All of these setbacks have caused Detroit city to have one of the most unemployment rate in the US. Many fled the city leaving numerous run down and abandoned houses scattered across the city.

What Ronen Dan and his friends proposed is a great idea to make homes in Detroit City greener and also more cost efficient. However, it can be a inconvenient for some to visit the model house as there is currently only one model example built. Working families may not have the time available for them to visit the model. Through my research, I have found one organisation ‘GreeningDetriot’, created a web page on tips and ways to retrofit homes to be more sustainable. The tips they provide are easy to follow and products required for retrofitting are listed with provider directories. The initiative from GreeningDetroit provided a platform that is convenient to access for residents willing to retrofit their homes.

I feel what the Motown Movement can improve on is its accessibility for the public. They can create a virtual tour of the model house online through interior images linked together. These images can be tagged with appropriate information and procedure the residents can follow to retrofit their homes. By using the internet as the platform to educate the public, the project will be able to reach people around the world, not limiting only to the residents of Detroit City.

To conclude, the Motown Movement does have its advantage by having a model example built. People will have a better understanding by looking at a live model rather than from images where some details might be missed out. I hope that through all these sustainable efforts, we will soon be able to see a better Detroit City in the near future.

Summary: This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design

Ronen Dan and his friends started the Motown Movement in Detroit to construct an easy and cost effective solution for sustainable homes in the neighbourhood. This actual example helps save building materials and produces renewable resources as well as educates the residents on reducing energy wastage.

The project will adopt various modification methods that are understandable and adaptable internationally. Collaborating with their university, they aim to expand this idea globally through a master’s program and create awareness about sustainability. (Adele Peters - “This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design”)

The Importance Of English To You

The Importance of English to you

English language is one of the most important language one should learn in the current society as globalisation is rapidly changing the way we work and communicate. It is the most common language spoken which allows people from around the globe to communicate in the same medium.

I feel that being proficient in English opens new opportunities for us to broaden our knowledge as majority of the research and media on the internet are written in English. This is especially useful for us when doing projects as it allows us to search from a large pool of information. Most international studies and research are also published in English.

Since English is a common tongue spoken between countries, it will be a powerful tool in my career as it allows me to communicate and build relations with foreign clients. Big companies will usually prefer people who are good in English as they work at an international level.  It will be much easier to convey my ideas through a common language rather then through a translator where some key points might be lost when translating.

In my experience, English has allow me to make friends from different racial background especially living in a multi racial society. It has also connect me to the rest of the world either through online games or forums where I discuss a burning issue I have.

In conclusion, English has made the world stay connected as one where we exchange information easily. We should always further improve our English skills whenever possible as it will definitely benefit our daily life. I hope that those unaware of the significance of English language will start learning today. They will not regret benefits they will reap from it.