Internship 2013 ~ THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

2. Describe your reflections on your internship project—what went well, what would you do differently, and what stands out to you?

Pictured: FUN

Looking back, my internship project went extremely well, although it's not over yet. It was a fantastic experience to be able to put my creative skills to use for a job. It gave me a great insight into what my future career could be. Programming the game was a fun challenge, and it's inspired me to learn more about programming. Working with code could be another possible career choice. I would love to start the project over with what I know now, because my mentor and I had some great ideas in the latter end of the project that we didn't have a chance to flesh out due to our looming deadlines.

3. How might you continue your internship experiences beyond the scope of the HTHMA internship? What ideas, skills, connections and so on will you bring back to the rest of your life? Will you continue working with your internship beyond January of 2011?

Pictured: My hope for the pitch

I will be continuing with my internship based on whether or not my project is picked up by their business department. My whole project up to this point has been a preview of a real app yet to be developed. Next week I pitch it to their head of business. If he likes the idea, then he'll start putting money into it, and I'll continue developing the project beyond what I've already done for it.



We're leaving together
But still it's farewell 
And maybe we'll come back, 
To earth, who can tell? 

I guess there is no one to blame
We're leaving ground (leaving ground)
Will things ever be the same again?
It's the final countdown.

The final countdown.

Oh, We're heading for Venus (Venus)
And still we stand tall 
Cause maybe they've seen us
And welcome us all, yeah
With so many light years to go
And things to be found (to be found) 
I'm sure that we'll all miss her so
It's the final countdown.

The final countdown.

The final countdown (final countdown).

Oh...oh

The final countdown.

Oh...oh

It's the final countdown.

The final countdown.

The final countdown. (final countdown)

It's the final countdown
We're leaving together
The final countdown 
We'll all miss her so
It's the final countdown (final countdown)
Oh, it's the final countdown.

Internship 2013 Week 3

3. You are probably more than half-way through your project. How is it going? What challenges have you faced? What have you learned? What are you doing to ensure a successful completion of your internship project.

My project is still exactly on schedule, and proceeding as planned. However, I predict rocky times ahead, as the next portion of the project involves a task I'm quite unfamiliar with: iOS video game development. It will be interesting to see what challenges arise as I proceed with this next step of the project.

OH NOOOOOOO!

5. Who benefits from the work that you do at internship? How and/or why?

The work i do at my internship may have a large impact on the business strategy the Rock takes once I'm gone. If I do my job right, then the Rock may begin work on an entirely new iPhone app designed for its younger audience, a massive undertaking to say the least.

9. Describe how experiences at HTHMA have prepared you for your experience at internship.

The projects I take part in at High Tech High are an excellent indicator of how real-life projects work. The HTH projects help me understand the amount of work required to complete my goals, how to pace myself in working, and how to communicate with others about the project's needs. These skills are all fantastic assets for me while I take on what internship requires of me.

Internship 2013: Week #2

5. How do you see your role at your internship?

I see my role as a farmer, laying the seeds for bigger things to come. The work I do here may not produce all that much just right now, but eventually it will grow into a fully-functioning iPhone app enjoyed by thousands of children.

I BEEN WORKIN ON THE RAILROAD
ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY

6. What lessons or experiences at you internship will you bring back to school to help you to further improve in your academics?

The biggest lesson I'm learning is actually to NOT work too much on things. As I work on these videos, I've found myself putting so much time into them that I've run behind schedule. I need to understand when to stop working something and move on, because with the work I do, so much of it can be finely tweaked pretty much forever.

7. What has surprised you most while working at your internship?

One of the most surprising things I've found is that time flies pretty quickly. I spend more time at work than I do at school, but frankly school felt longer. Maybe it's because I'm doing something I'm good at, and thus enjoy a bit more. Either way, it's something I need to adjust to.

AINT NO CLOCKS HERE

Internship 2013: Week #1

2. Describe the project you'll do at internship, including the skills and technology you need to do it and what you hope your project looks like as a final product.

My project will consist of pitching an app to go with the Rock's children's ministry. The app will consist of two games, a video gallery, and a collection of illustrated stories. The pitch, in addition to a mission statement and business plan, will include videos demonstrating each of the app's features, and a functional demo of one of the games. My work will mostly comprise of creating the videos and demo, though I will be contributing to the mission statement and business plan as well. I will use Flash for the videos, and Gamesalad for the demo.

6. What are you most surprised by during your first week of internship and why?

I was very surprised by how seriously the business aspect of the Rock Church is taken. The Chruch is extremely concerned with branding and professionalism. Of course, I knew they were doing something right in order to be so successful, but I didn't know how much they focused on it until I sat down with one of their business people.

Post Visit

Survival
* Where is your internship?
At the Rock Church.
* How did you get there?
Took the school bus.
* How long did it take?
Same as normal school
* What did you eat for breakfast?
Starbucks
* What food, coffee, or other survival options are nearby?
Entirety of Liberty Station
* What can you eat for lunch in a normal day at internship?
Trader Joe's, Vons, 5 Guys
* Where will you sit, stand, be, or work when you are internship?
In my mentor's office
* Where are the bathrooms?
Near the entrance

People
* Who is your mentor and what is he or she like?
Dan Brown is a really cool guy
* What stands out most or seems most interesting about your mentor?
He's really supportive of me and my creative work.
* Who are your other coworkers?
I have not met my other co-workers.
* What stands out most or seems most interesting about your future coworkers?
See above.

Work
* What is your internship project likely to be?
Putting together a transmedia outlet for the church.
* What skills will you use at your internship?
Creativity, drawing, animation, computer skill.
* What are you likely to learn at internship?
The process of working in a workplace setting.
* What will you create at your internship?
A cartoon and possibly a game.

Thoughts
* What might present a challenge at internship?
Censoring my natural tendencies to be church-appropriate.
* What is surprising about your internship?
How much freedom i'm being given to work.
* How will you stand out at your internship?
By creating a new media line for the church.
* What will you do to make the most of this opportunity?
I will work as hard as I ever had before.

And...
* Create your own question and answer it here....
** How cool will this internship be?
SUPER COOL!

Internship First Thoughts

During this internship, I am most looking forward to improving my animation skills and expanding them to creating a full-length cartoon feature. My goal during the internship is to conceive, animate, and edit an animated segment for The Rock's children's program. I hope that, given the extended time to work on the project, I will be able to produce a high-quality piece of animation fit for viewing, as well as progress my ability as an animator. During the site visit, I hope to discuss all of the aspects of the production of the video with my mentor, from the general concept behind the piece, to the means of animation and editing. By the end of the visit, I hope to have a basic idea of what my project will be about.

Semester 1, Blog 12

Post your thoughts about your partnership with an Explorer student!

While it got off to a rocky start, I feel I will be able to further develop the relationship with my student, and learn what he wants out of his book.

What are you excited about?

I am very excited about being able to use my unique talents to benefiet the project.

What are you nervous about?

I am nervous that this project may detract from other personal projects and slow them down.

What are your hopes for this project?

My greatest hope is that I am able to connect with my student and produce a book he will like.

What are your fears for this project?

I fear that I may not be able to connect with my kid on a level where I am properly able to produce a book rightly suited to him.

What do you think your story will be about?

My story will most likely be a "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" style slice of life story with intermittent illustrations. I may also incorporate some mythical creatures, as my student has expressed interest in such creatures. "Diary of a Wimpy Minotaur", perhaps?