A521.1.4_SeabournBeau

I've tried to think of a specific area or story that circulates in the air traffic organization and I've come to the conclusion that there is not ONE story there are many. What I'll focus on is the stories that mean the most and have the highest implications. The biggest area of concentration lately is safety at the federal contract tower level. Air traffic controllers area always talking about the endless people they've saved or assisted with. Actually, this past week a controller at my facility really did save a father and a daughter from crashing. So what I would say is, the implications of the "saving stories" is that every controller should being helping and assisting pilots and other people. By sharing these stories withing the controller community, it makes other controllers want to be the person who helps with the "greatest save" or saves countless lives. The safety implication is huge. It not only promotes awareness and willingness, it makes controllers more safe and reliable at work. The overall culture promotes a healthy story telling environment, focusing on embellished stories. The air traffic control community is very important to safety and efficiency. The fact that controllers share safety stories goes to show that controllers care about the saves and not the loses. This absolutely shows "stand for" mentality in the business. The controller provides the last or first safety measure to those people in need. If stories weren't shared, there wouldn't be people trying to out do their fellow controllers. It's almost like a controllers ultimate way to show their also capable of being an asset to the team. In a way it could also lead to a mentor or admiration situation too. Such as "did you hear about Bob, he helped save a huge flight that almost crashed today?". I think that stories are important to the culture of any business. People need a way to relate and get to know one another. Stories allow people to connect and work together through similarities. 

A500.9.4_SeabournBeau

This class has truly opened my eyes to a lot of things. First, I have learned that there are many different perspectives in any scenario. That means that people aren't always thinking the same way I am. It is interesting now to be able to look at a situation, think about it and think about how others perceive it, and then make a more informed decision or assumption about it. I've learned to listen more and to not assume people are always thinking the same way I am. I find it interesting to think about thinking while we're thinking it. I don't quite rush to judgement about anything like 9 weeks ago. It means that in the future I'll be able to be more calm in stressful situation and rationalize with whoever I'm dealing with.

I think that Dr. Watkins was a great teacher. Her insight and knowledge helped our class and myself ten fold. The topics covered were very interesting to learn about. unlike lower lever classes, I felt more engaged and like I actually learned some substantial insight. It would have been beneficial for me to spend more time looking into some class topics more. I find that I did the course work to the best of my ability but learning often requires going outside the class materials and finding things on my own. Overall, I loved this class. I found to to be engaging and refreshing! I would love to work with this teacher again and I'll always think about thinking!

A500.8.3_SeabournBeau

I learned a lot this week, looking into these new and interesting formats in which we can present. With all the technology now, a person is really able to get creative with presentation design. I found it interesting that there are actually so many different versions and formats to help presenters out. I happen to use Prezi's website. It was incredible and very easy to use. In order for a good presentation to be effective, the reader must be engaged and interested in the topic matter. In my presentation, I tried to use a variety of colors and shapes. I tried not to over do anyone color of theme because in past presentations I've encountered, there was just way to much going on and I felt lost. Having the ability to organize useful information easily is important to users. Presentations need to well constructed, professional and to the point. To my "fluff" can really kill the presenters ability to hold onto an audience. Designing a comprehensible, slowing presentation is important to the successful passing of knowledge to the audience. Presentation design can make or break someone's success in the real world. A well presented design can really reach out and grab the audience and get them involved. If the design is lacking or poor, you could loose people instantaneously. Overall, presentation design is interesting. It is a true art to master. People will either look forward to your presentations or they'll dread them!