Week 3 - Hardware

This week we learned that there is a lot of hardware used in computing systems. For example, the motherboard, (which is the main circuit of the system unit, sound cards,) the power supply, processors, and memory (RAM/ROM).  A user starting their own business, like me for this project, has a lot of options between choosing a variety of processors and memory capacities. However, the more intelligent and capable the hardware is, on average, the more expensive it becomes. Therefore, hardware is probably the most costly but rudimentary component in starting a business, especially for my entrepreneurship project which is run on the Internet and requires a whole cohesive set of computing hardware to function.

There are several hardware I need for my business. First of all, servers to access the hardware and software necessary for maintaining my website. This would let me support several thousand computers and users connected at the same time. Next, a mainframe, a powerful computer that also supports thousands of users, which will store all the information and databases my website will aggregate. I would need a supercomputer which processes tons of information per second because my website is large-scale and requires several calculations and designs.  I would need several computers for my web developers and designers: either desktop computers, personal computers with optimal memory storage, and workstations that supply a monitor, screen, keyboards and a mouse.  For these computers, the processors need to be high-intel, they have to allow a large L2 Cache to store temporary data and have the operating system works fast and smoothly. With that, a large clock speed cycle in the hard drive would be optimal so that fetching, decoding, executing, and storing can occur and the workers can program and run large software on their computers.

Finally, I would need networking hardware to connect to the internet such as routers, modems, wires, WAPs (wireless access points). And just to top it off, like any business, I would need instrumental hardware like printers, scanners, USB storage, external hard disks, and speakers.

Week 2 - Excel and Privacy

This week we discussed two polar topics: the greatest weakness of social media, privacy, and possibly one of the most helpful softwares, Excel. Both of these aspects can be applied to my idea to further enhance the performance of the application as well as its convenience and effectiveness. Paying special attention to privacy will assure users their information is safe from prying eyes, and the use of Excel can provide professors and students with quick and accurate data of grades and class statistics.

By ensuring privacy, more users will be feel comfortable using the application. Since GPA or grades in general is a topic some are very private about while others are open about, grades will remain private, and only private, much like on Blackboard. There will not be superfluous privacy options like on Facebook, where such options can get confusing and misleading. Grades will be private, personal messages will be private, and all other aspects such as assignment posts, daily to-dues (assignments due), etc. will remain visible to all who are enrolled in the same class as the user. Also, the user will have a username and password that allows them to access their courses. To ensure full privacy, the user will need to input their password after a certain period of time (ex. 4 hours), but they will not be logged out.

The other topic we discussed last week in class was Excel and spreadsheets. The obvious advantages can be seen in this software to be integrated with my app. It can be as obvious as using the spreadsheet and predetermined equations to calculate and keep updated the grades of each student. Functions such as the average function, and "if" conditions, can be used to easily calculate class averages and "pass" or "fail". Professors can also use Excel to organize and upload assignments and their due-dates, which the application and software will use to transfer the information to students in to-do form. All this can be combined into one Excel spreadsheet for easy organization for professors.

Week 1 - Social Media

Electronic technology has become an inevitable aspect in our daily lives. We use computers, combined with the internet, to do just about everything from paying bills to shopping to laughing at unfortunate pictures of famous celebrities. Recently, smartphones have managed to reach the hands of our instant-access-dependent generation, making easy-access even easier. So why hasn't this groundbreaking technology made a significant impact on our school life? Sure we can Google just about anything, email professors about projects, and upload papers so we kill less trees, but what about organization? Why is everything we do for classes so hi-tech, but the syllabus we receive at the beginning of each class still paper printed? Why not take advantage of all of this "instantaneous technology" we have to improve how students and faculties organize school work? I personally found it difficult to keep track of six different syllabi every semester and remember what assignment I have to complete each day. I thought of writing the assignments in a planner, but at times I would lose the planner, forget to read it, or forget to write it. Blackboard was helpful, but only so much since it did not allow me to see all my assignments for every class in one, easy, view.

My entrepreneurship idea is to integrate and intertwine the existing social media outlets we have with smartphone applications to help students, and professors, keep in touch with each other and, most importantly, keep track of the assignments due throughout a semester. Much simplified, my idea is an electronic syllabus. Professors upload assignments and instructions through the app, and students can access them from their smartphones. Like Blackboard, this new app allows constant and instant connection between professors and students, but in addition, this app will send notifications to students (similar to "push notifications" on Apple iPhones) so they can keep track of the assignments they must complete for the next day, and check them off as they complete them.

This week in class, social media and its growing importance in our society was mentioned, discussed, and explained. The whole point of social media and social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter (two major social networks with huge influence) is to keep people in touch constantly and instantly. Thus, it is no question that my app should also be integrated with said networks. With people checking Facebook and Twitter at least once everyday, they are possibly the fastest ways to get in touch with someone aside from a cellphone. My app will be integrated within these networks to further ensure students are kept notified of the assignments due. With our generation glued to the internet and phones,  paper syllabi just can't keep up. With my app, as long as a student has a phone or internet, there will be no longer be any reason for a student to claim, "I didn't know we had an assignment."