October 28, 2006 at 11:01 pm (Weekly Journal Entry)
I am chagrined to say that I do not have anything to report concerning my research. I have entertained a few subjects, and I have even done research on some of them. However, I have not been able to narrow it down to one about which I want to write.
After some contemplation, I have concluded that part of the problem stems from my inclination to let my research sidetrack me. I become so engrossed in the subject matter I am reading, I forget that I am reading it to accomplish a particular goal. Sunday I will sit down, narrow my focus, and start my research in earnest so that I may be prepared to meet with Ms. Smith on Monday.
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October 22, 2006 at 12:35 pm (Weekly Journal Entry)
I did it. It was my fault and mine alone. I will not attempt to regale you with elaborate tales of hardship and woe. I will not try to justify or excuse my actions. Do I have reasons? You bet! Could I come up with some good explanations? I could, but I won’t.
When I started school earlier this fall I told myself that I would take my schooling very serious and never get behind. I agreed with the often-forwarded observation that my more advanced years would lend themselves to better study habits. I was wrong. Until about two weeks ago I had managed to keep up on all of my classes, but as mid-term rolled around I have found that my attitude has become somewhat lackadaisical. This became very apparent to me as I realized that I failed to post my journal entry for our week eight assignment. The truth is, I did the research, and I even started to compose my entry, but I allowed myself to be distracted and the assignment fell by the wayside. Now, I am working on the assignment for week nine the day after it was due. The true irony is that two weeks previous my wife and I were discussing the fact that so many people have stopped posting their weekly journal entries.
The argument could be made that I just don’t have the time. However, I find the time to take my wife out to dinner. I find the time to watch Hardball, Meet the Press and the other news shows that I enjoy. I even find the time to take my children on leisurely horse rides. I can find the time to do just about everything I want to do, so it would seem rather preposterous were I to say I cannot find the time to better myself.
It is quite unsettling to realize that I have fallen prey to the very attitude that Edmundson describes in his article “As Lite Entertainment for Bored College Students”. As students, we have a responsibility to put forth a valiant effort toward the assignments that we are given. We are obligated to our instructors to fulfill not only the letter of the assignments but also their spirit. By so doing, we can pay homage to our instructors for all the time and effort they put into our education, and for their dedication to us. We will find that by doing this we only improve ourselves.
I lack the ability to foretell the future, so I cannot say that I will never fall behind again. All that I can do is commit myself to improvement, and decide now that I will do my best to fulfill the assignments how and when they are intended to be fulfilled.
Addendum:
In reference to my advanced years, I am not over the hill just yet, but I can see the other side from here.
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October 22, 2006 at 10:41 am (Weekly Journal Entry)
In the article, “Early Concerns vs. Real Risks in Adoption of Model Driven Development” The author discusses problems both real and presumed. His background is in software programming and sale of software development tools, so he approaches the issue of Model Driven Development (MDD) from a personal perspective. This contrasts significantly with the scholarly article that I wrote on earlier. In the “Early Concerns” article all references were from the author’s personal experience, while the scholarly article “Model-driven development: The good, the bad, and the ugly” used many references derived from the work of other people.
The author does not raise any questions in his article; he is assuming more the role of an informer than that of an inquisitor. He is trying to clarify some preconceived notions toward MDD that he has come across during his time as a sales representative. His arguments were well-articulated and made sense. However, I do not think that the article affected me to any degree, as I have followed this subject for some time and there was no new information presented.
References:
John H. “Early Concerns vs. Real Risks in Adoption of Model Driven Development” Pathfinder Beacon; How to Put Model Driven Architecture to Work, Volume 1, Issue 2Feature Article; http://pathfindermda.com/resources/beacon_curr ent.php
Brent Hailpern and Peri Tarr “Model-driven development: The good, the bad, and the ugly” IBM Systems Journal http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/453/hailpref.html
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