Screen Pic of my digital portfolio

1.            My main role in the CyberARTS Zazengo Project was Group Leader for one of the 3 teams. My role was important to the team’s success as I was responsible for organizing and putting the team on track, as well as resolving any issues along the way. In the first day of the project, I had to introduce my new team members to the project. They were really enthusiastic (making my job easier), and as a result we successfully came with an issue, a name for our group, a goal and even a logo. We called our group NEC, short for "Northview Energy Conservation", focusing on conserving energy in the school. We managed to brainstorm some practical ways which could be easily implemented and bring major reduction to the school's energy consumption. We decided to assign each group member a task according to their ability, while making sure everyone contributed equally. Xiao was in charge of all the art work associated with the group. She designed the logo, and helped me, David and Andre with our jobs. We were in charge of the planning, and technical work in the group. In the beginning, we spent time researching the school to find out how our ideas could be implemented. We made sure to record all our findings, and take pictures for future reference.

            This was where the "Zazengo" website came into play. My team created a group on the site, filling in all our goals, etc. When we made progress with our research, we would record all the findings on the site, making sure to include any pic.s or data. This was an easy method for us to share our work (although we did experience difficulty posting images), and communicate between each other. In the end, our team was successful at devising a plan for saving energy, which could be implemented as soon as the school approves of it.

            On top of the group project, I had some other jobs along the way. Me, Maxim, and Kiril were assigned to make an animated tutorial for the website. For this task, Zazengo was again our means of communication with Mr.Ford. We were also in charge of setting up the video conferencing and file sharing equipment. Also, the "Inconvenient Truth" presentation and contest were all done using the website, with successful results. My job was to update the website, keep track of any negative comments, and give several classes a presentation on how to use the website.     

 2.
          When starting the Zazengo project, the website was still being development, and it was easy to point out its weaknesses (Ie. navigation, communication etc.). With the introduction of the updated www.zazengo.com, a lot of these issues have been addressed. Navigation has become generally easier, and the overall ease of use has become more users friendly. If I were to start from scratch, there would be elements which I would keep. For example, the colour scheme and layout are attractive and distinctive. I think that with time, people would become accustomed to it with everyday use, just as facebook and youtube. In order for people to bookmark this website and check it out on a daily bases though, I think that it has to be targeted more towards the user, rather than the actual projects the user is part of. The reason for this is simple. Right now, the website has a single page where the user can fill in their personal information. If the user is not part of any group/project, they cannot communicate with anyone, and overall, have limited access to the sites features. By expanding this page (a zazengo wall possibly?), people will have a means of communication even if they are not part of any projects yet. This will open the site to a wider audience increasing the number of users. Besides that, I think that the current version has a solid base, and a very important purpose.

            A Zazengo facebook application would defiantly increase the number of users. It would have to feature the predominant feature found on zazengo, the metric icons. The information recorded on zazengo will be shown in this tab for the person's friends to see. Not only will this show the impact that person is having on society, but it will encourage other to sign up. The tab should obviously have a link to the zazengo, and depending on the space available, a slideshow of the projects that person is part of. The layout should resemble the zazengo website, and possible have the "Z" logo as the center piece.      

 

3.

Updated profile : http://www.zazengo.com/users/vlad

Sample portfolio work is above…

 

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Hand this form in with your project!

Application form

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Take a look at some examples projects made by CyberARTS students

Northview Energy Conservation

Turn Off the Taps

Re(Use-Duce-Cycle)

NHSS Anime Club

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Bio

<font>Bio – Anne Parker - April, 2007</font>

In August of 2006, Anne Parker saw Al Gore’s documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”, and found it to be a life-altering experience. Up till then, she knew very little about global warming. But after seeing the movie, she had a clear picture of how overwhelming and urgent the climate crisis had become. “Some truths are so powerful and so inescapable that you have no choice but to deal with them.” A

nne knew that she personally needed to do something significant, but wasn’t sure what that should be. Then, on the movie’s website, she discovered that Al Gore wanted to train 1,000 people to present his slide show in their communities, to spread the message about climate change. She filled out the application and waited.

Two months later, she received the email confirming that she had been selected for the second training session that would take place in Nashville. The 2 _ days of training were exciting, intense and very encouraging. The group of 200 participants were of all ages, from all walks of life, and from many different countries, and they all shared the same passion and commitment to doing whatever they could to help save the planet. Our global problem is now being dealt with in some very innovative ways by The Climate Project, and Anne feels it is a great honour to be a part of it. This opportunity came along at a time when she was looking for a new direction in her life.

After almost 10 years of working in Marketing at a major Canadian investment bank, she felt overworked yet under-challenged, and left the bank in March of 2006, seeking balance and a new perspective. It was during this hiatus that she saw the film, and her focus became clear. “It is vital to help people understand the climate crisis, but it is of even greater importance to work together on finding and implementing solutions.” A psychology major at university, Anne has been fascinated by behaviour all her life, and realizes that a lot of what she has learned will be particularly valuable at this point in time. “Once we understand the science behind the climate crisis, we then need to understand what we do and why we do it, in order to adjust our ways and adopt a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.”

Anne has known since she was a child that other generations have sacrificed a lot when called upon to do so. In her teens, Anne’s mother trained to be a nurse in a hospital in London, England, and dealt with the physical and emotional traumas of air raid casualties, that were part of daily life during World War II. Anne’s father was an engineer in the Merchant Navy, and after his ship was sunk, spent 4 years in a German prisoner of war camp. For services rendered to his fellow prisoners, he was awarded the Member of the British Empire from King George VI.

Anne has always wondered if she too would be able to “step up to the plate”, if circumstances required. The slide show of “An Inconvenient Truth” will look at what global warming is, the signs of change, how those changes will affect us, and what we can do. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A, and a discussion of the actions being taken and our ideas for new solutions. (FYI – There are 21 trained presenters in Canada.)

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some info we found

On top is a chart of Northview Height's energy consumption, in 2006-2007. As you can see, the school uses a lot of electricity over the school year, and there's a visible trend. More is used during the winter season. Also the actual energy consumed, each month, is above the target. We think that with our ideas we can significantly decrease the school's energy consumption, and go below the school target!

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