Blog #9 - Presentation reflect

1. Which presentation did you find most interesting? Why?
1. Honestly, I found my groups presentation most interesting. I say this because our group reported on each and every one of the groups that did research with big brother big sister and presented their findings. Within our group we were able to talk to each of the groups and discuss their plans to implement in order to gain funding for the organization. I really like the poinsettia sales, everyone loves flowers and you just can’t go wrong. Along with the bowling party that one group was going to put on, it is a great way to get kids and adults attention to become involved in the community with one another.
2. Which ideas do you wish your group would have incorporated into your project? 
1. In my group, I wish that we would have had more visuals of the groups interacting at the events with big brother big sister. There was some confusion with the organization of when the groups would be interacting with the big brother big sister; therefore we were not able to correlate a plan to meet up with everyone for a photo opportunity. Another idea that I wish we would have incorporated in the project is a personal interview with big brother big sister; if we had their view on the group project and what they expected I think we would have been able to help the other groups out if they were struggling with some ideas.
3. Talk briefly about the experience of preparing for a group presentation. 
1. When we began to prepare to give our presentation as a group, we all took a section of the proposal and brought out the main points of that section. Each of us discussed that we needed to have at least two minutes of talk time in order to meet the time limit. We stressed how important it was that we did not read the slides, but we were to know the information in order to impress big brother big sister with our professionalism and communication. When the day came, some of the group was a bit nervous but we reviewed our file once again and presented like we were prepared.

Complaint Letter

Nichole Filipiak

Imlay City, MI 48444

nfilipiak@email.davenport.edu

 

December 4, 2012

 

Joshua Smith

Supervisor

Verizon Wireless

Consumer Complaint Division

5054 Bay rd

Saginaw, MI 48602

City, State, Zip Code

 

Dear Joshua:

Re: (account number, if applicable)

On November 30, 2012, I bought an iPhone 5 from your store at 5054 Bay rd, Saginaw, MI 48602 from Representative Javier Gomez.

Unfortunately, your product has not performed well (or the service was inadequate) because the phone keeps freezing up and working slower than anticipated. I am disappointed because as being an android customer, and switching to the iPhone, I was guaranteed exceptional satisfaction from this phone, and I have received none of that. Instead I have had nothing but problems with this phone not working properly

To resolve the problem, I would appreciate your company reimbursing me for the iPhone as well as not charging me a restocking fee like most customers would receive, due to the fact that it was supposed to be guaranteed satisfaction. Enclosed is a copy of my receipt and the bill that shows my usage and how poor the service was.

I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem and will wait seven to ten days from the date of this letter before seeking help from a consumer protection agency or Better Business Bureau. Please contact me at the above address or by phone at (989) 780-6171.

 

Sincerely,

 

Nichole Filipiak

Enclosure(s)

Thanksgiving Blog

Since it is Thanksgiving in a couple days, I want everyone to know what I am thankful for. First of all, my job; not many people can say they have a full time job with benefits these days. Even though I would like more pay, I am still thankful for what I have. I am also thankful for my family; those who are especially close to me truly care and they show it. I am thankful for my dogs, I have 2 huskies and they know when you are feeling down, those are the moments that they just come and comfort you. Last but not least, I am thankful for all of my blessings, no matter what goes on in life, I try to make the best of it, and know that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes what we may consider bad is just a blessing in disguise.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Service Learning

What is service learning?

   Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, tech civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Young people from kindergarten to college students use what they have learned in the classroom to solve real-life problems. With applying their knowledge, they become actively contributing citizens and community members through the services that they are performing. Different settings where service learning can be applied include schools, universities, and community based and faith based organizations, Big Brother Big Sister being one example. Service learning offers all of its participants a chance to take part in the active education of youth while simultaneously addressing the concerns, needs, and hopes of communities.

What are your expectations along with any apprehensions you have about this project?

      I expect to learn a great deal from the staff at Big Brother Big Sister, mainly on how to interact with other organizations in my own community. Or even how to arrange for service learning organizations in my area; living in Imlay City, Big Brother Big Sister of Flint is the closest organization of this type. I feel that if there was more advertising for the programs or if more parents knew about it that they would definitely become a part of it. I think it is a great tool to teach adults who may have never done any type of service or interaction within a community, about the satisfaction from the organizations and how much it truly helps out.

                                                         

What skills will transfer over to your current or future career?

      Skills that will transfer over to my current career include personal skills, organization, time management, future planning, and communication skills. Each of these skills is highly important in any career. In helping out Big Brother Big Sister, organizing events and other activities can take a great deal of time and a lot of planning is involved in order for them to be a success. Communication is always a major factor in anything you do, if you don’t communicate properly things could fall out of place.

Assembling Instructions

October 30, 2012

The instructions are showing how to assemble a charcoal grill; they appear in Spanish, English and French. Each language is presented in a different section. There are pictures showing what tools and pieces are being used in each step. Headings are bolded in each section to separate the steps. The document is in black and white with outlines of the parts showing which piece to assemble at different times.  There is also a section showing what and how many parts there should be altogether.

In order to improve this document, it could be printed in color rather than black and white. Although each language is in a separate section, it would be easier to know which language is being viewed, there is not a section showing the languages available. It needs a table of contents showing what the document includes as far as instructions. This would also make it easier to find a specific section of the instructions for one part of the item. Another recommendation for improvement would be having the option to view only one language at a time online, also listing a phone number in the instructions in case there is an issue while assembling the product would be very beneficial.

Getting Focused: Social Networking vs. Professional Networking

Interesting enough, there are entirely too many people on face book and twitter that are trying to claim celebrity names along with large company names such as Dell Inc. Imposters, as they say, are trying to make some form of profit off of taking these popular names, some have even been willing to trade the name for some benefit of their own. One celebrity states that they you have to hire someone in order to keep on top of the game, just so someone don’t steal their name/brand. All of this cyber squatting seems to be causing nothing but headaches and problems for celebrities and companies.

It is important to develop your business’ identity online; here are several reasons why: brand recognition, reach potential customers, customer retention, expansion, reputation, stand out from crowd, and consistency. Each of these gives your business an advantage to those who do not have an online identity, leaving you a step ahead of the rest. You want to be well known for what you do, and what you have to offer. By creating your online identity, you have the choice of what you want others to know about you and what not to share.

Although there are businesses and celebrities creating their online identity’s, there are also issues in cyberspace. For instance, online pedophiles create fake profiles on different websites that intrigue young naïve children who don’t know any better; this is one issue that I don’t think anyone will be able to change.  Anyone can go online and create a person who carries characteristics of whom they wish to be in real life, and not who they actually are. A good way to avoid getting involved with someone pursuing such behavior is to not associate with those that you do not know, keep your information on websites private and don’t put personal information on the internet if you don’t want others to find it.

Social networking sites are meant to be for individuals to interact with one another regarding their personal/social lives – not professional. Professional networking sites such as linked in are for professional purposes only, including job or employer searches. This site is not meant for personal information such as what you did this past weekend. Here are some dos and don’ts for social networking: Do join groups selectively, don’t badmouth your current or previous employer, do go on the offensive, and don’t mention your job search if you are still employed. Now here are some do’s and don’ts for professional networking: Do use a professional photo of yourself, do connect to your real friends and contacts, do keep you profile current and up to date, Don’t use linked in like face book and twitter, don’t sync linked in with twitter, don’t decline invitations, archive them.

Constructive criticism in the workplace

October 9, 2012

The role of constructive criticism in the workplace is to provide feedback to employees regarding their job duties; when done effectively, this kind of feedback provides and employee with a realistic appraisal of his/her performance and the information and skills necessary to do the job correctly. It gives managers the opportunity to address minor issues before they turn into major issues. The word criticism is usually taken in a negative sense; however it is defined as “valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments” (Webster’s online dictionary, 2012). As you can see, criticism in the workplace is not always negative; it involves both, the positive & negative aspects of your job performance.

I was previously employed by a nursing home in Saginaw; licensed as a CNA I was quite confident in my skills involved in assisting residents. Working with many other CNA’s I was able to view their skills on a daily basis. One night, working third shift, I witnessed another CNA attempting to transfer a patient without a gate belt. At that moment, I rushed over to help her finish the transfer. After she was done helping the resident, I took her to the side and discussed the proper way to safely transfer a resident from the bed to a wheel chair and vice versa.

The outcome of this situation was good; the aide took my criticism and applied it to her position every day forward. I never again saw her transferring someone without a gate belt. It not only helps the aide in the transfer but it also keeps the resident safer.

The only thing that I would do differently next time is request that all CNA’s have an updated training session on a yearly basis. This would prevent minor mistakes turning into larger ones.