Weekly Report #15 (1/5)

This week in ISM has mainly been about the winter research showcase. On Tuesday, I attended the showcase and shared with others what I have learned in ISM so far. I really enjoyed the showcase as I was able to meet new people and tell them about ISM. As well, I was able to see the work my peers have done in ISM so far and was thoroughly impressed. Lastly, from the showcase I was able to think about what I need to improve upon for our final presentation night. I think for final presentation night, I want to have some type of food at my board and also I need to smile more. In class this week, we wrote thank you notes to all our teachers who came to the showcase. As well, we reflected on our showcase experience. Overall, I would consider this week a success as I felt the showcase went well. Over the break, I plan on doing another research assessment and also starting on my S.M.A.R.T. goals. By making my S.M.A.R.T. goals, I will be able to set up a frame work for the second semester of ISM. Finally, now that I have found a mentor, I look forward to working with Dr. Lao after the break to continue my studies of optometry. 

Weekly Report #14 (12/15)

This week in ISM I have completed another interview assessment and have also finished my board for the upcoming winter research showcase. As well, I have made my portfolio showcase ready by making sure all the fonts and formatting matched. Through my interview assessment, I reflected on my interview with Dr. Quach and the things I learned. From the interview, I learned about the pros and cons of optometry as well as the skills all optometrists must have. Finally, I received advice on what I should do in college in order to become an optometrist. In class, we prepared for the research showcase by asking each other potential questions that we might be asked the day of the showcase. As well, we went over what to do if we can’t answer a question or get stumped. Overall, I would say I was successful this week as I was able to finish my board and prepare for the showcase. I feel well prepared for the showcase and am sure that it will go well. Next week, I will be gathering some final materials to help create an optometry related atmosphere around my board. As well, I will do another research assessment and may even start on my original work.

Weekly Report #13

This week in ISM I have completed an interview assessment, original work proposal, a presentation board, and handed out invitations to our upcoming research showcase. Through my interview assessment, I reflected on my research interview with Dr. Lao and learned about what a typical day of an optometrist is like and the causes of vision loss. For my original work, I am planning on conducting a survey to determine if there is a relationship between your lifestyle and your vision. I specifically want to know what effects diet, sleep, and time spent on electronics have on your vision. This week I have also created my presentation board which I will showcase at the winter showcase. In class, I received critiques on my board and will work on implementing the suggestions that were made on my board. Next week, I will also be working on writing up my fifth research assessment and preparing for the winter showcase. As well, I will work on finalizing my portfolio and making a few stylistic edits. In the end, I would say I was successful this week in that I was able to complete all my assessments on time and create a rough draft of my display board.

Weekly Report #12 (11/24)

This week in ISM I have completed a research assessment, call log, guest list, and research speech self-evaluation. Through my research assessment, I was able to learn about the causes of vision loss. Apparently, vision loss occurs because either our cornea, lens, optic nerve, or retina becomes damaged. In class, we did a team building activity in which we passed around notecards. Each notecard had the name of a movie title or TV show, and it was up to us to guess what movie it had based upon the pictures our classmates drew. Through this activity, we learned about the importance of communication and how oftentimes miscommunication can occur. This week in ISM, I also made a guest list to invite people for our upcoming research showcase which will be in December. The research showcase will be an opportunity for me to showcase what I have done in ISM so far. The last thing I did was evaluate how I thought my speech went. Overall, I felt my speech went well and I just need to work on making my movements more purposeful and reducing my filler words. Next week, I will be working on finishing up my last two interview assessments and may even start putting my display board together. 

Weekly Report #11 (11/17)

This week in ISM I have given a research speech on optometry, made comments on other student’s speeches, and have also thought about who I want to be my mentor. Through my research speech, I was able to share with my class what I have done in ISM so far. I shared with them the research I have done on LASIK eye surgery as well as on eye dilation. I also talked about my research interviews and my experience at the business symposium. Overall, I really enjoyed giving the speech. The things that I need to work on are polishing my movements, using more inflection, and using less fillers. By watching other student’s speeches I was able to see the good things that they did and hopefully include them in my future speeches. The third thing I did this week was think about who I want to be my mentor. I really want to find a mentor who is patient and willing to teach me about optometry.  I would consider this week a success as I was able to complete all tasks and deliver my speech. Next week, I will be working on completing another research assessment and interview assessment. As well, I will finish my interview visit log.

Weekly Report #10 (11/10)

This week in ISM I have completed my third research assessment and have continued to prepare for my upcoming research speech. In class, we have mainly been watching other ISM student speeches and learning about what they have done during their time in ISM. From watching other speeches that were given, I will make sure to practice staying within the 12 minute time limit for my speech. I will also make sure that the text and pictures for my PowerPoint show up well on the projector. On my interview assessment, I reflected on my experience interviewing with Dr. Sylvester from Crystal Clear Image. Through the interview, I learned a lot about what a typical day of an optometrist is like, what optometry school is like, and what technological innovations are being made in optometry. I would say I was successful this week in ISM in that I was able to learn more about optometry and complete all my assessments on time. Next week will be the end of the second six weeks and I will put together my portfolio of the work I have done this six weeks in ISM. As well, I will be giving my research speech on Wednesday and share with the class what I have done for so far in ISM. 

Weekly Report #9 (11/3)

This week in ISM I have completed my fifth research assessment and second interview assessment. In class, I have received feedback for my display board plan and have also reviewed the mentor handbook. For my research assessment, I researched how to conduct an eye exam and learned about the different tests that optometrists perform. This information will be useful as it will help me understand what my future mentor is doing during an eye exam. For my interview assessment, I reflected on what I learned from interviewing Dr. Amy. From that interview, I learned about the essential qualities an optometrist, the pros and cons of optometry, and advice for what I should do in college. In class, the advice I received for my display board plan was extremely helpful. In order to make my display board standout, I will try to include a large 3D prop in the center of my board. As well, I will change my color scheme to something more optometry related. Overall, I would consider this week a success as I was able to learn about eye exams and also reflect on my second research interview. Next week, I will be writing another interview assessment and will be preparing for my research speech that is coming up on Wednesday (11/12).