Module 8

                                                                                         Module 8

I'm from Dominican Republic, a little island in the Caribbean, like you could imagine in a 3rd world country having a computer at home back then, I'm talking about 15 or more years ago, was a luxury that not everyone could afford. I was first introduced to computers when I was in middle school. The students only had one or two hours a week of computers class and we were not allowed to use the internet, just learn about the computer and how to use it.  I remember that computer class was the favorite class of most kids, mostly because we were all curious about computers or maybe because of the fact that after the lesson was over we could use paint until the hour was over.

When I got to High School computer class was more important, I was in an all girls school and the principal wanted to make sure that we got of school with some knowledge of technology so I remember having computer class 3 times a week for 2 hours. During this lessons we were thought how to type, use different computers programs and finally I was able to use the internet at school, but only for research. I can say that in School I learned all the basics skills of computers that I use so much today.  The skills that I learned back then not only helped me with my education today but also helped to get a job not only on Dominican Republic but also in the United States.

 After my first year in High School I remember using the internet a lot for my assignments, to have a little bit more information that what I had in books and to avoid going to the library. Today almost if not all aspects of school involves computers. Is not only used to research, we now use it to actually turn in our assignments and communicate with professors and other students. The internet has made possible for students to attend college completely online, making it easier for a person to set their own time to study and not having to go the campus.

I am one of those students who cant attend campus everyday, so computers are actually the most important factor on my education. I can take my classes online and they are a huge help on my research papers. I can find information from many sources and communicate with teachers and even with tutors to help me out if needed. I can say that I'm happy computers have taken such a great role in our education, I don’t think I will be going to School today if I didn't have the chance to be an all online student.

Module 7

                                                                    Module 7

For a long time some countries have been better then others  in different aspects of goods and trading. This is because of the location and resources that each country has, this means that if a country lacks of some products or good can still have success on another area. This is what its called Competitive Advantage. Every country has different levels of education and economic practices, the countries with most success or advantage are those who keep at par with technology and are better at innovation.

Competitive Advantage works internationally when countries produce goods separate and then are brought together to a market for the consumer.

Because of the internet we have what its called a self-directed consumers. Before the internet consumers had to buy in local companies and settle for their prices, there was not a way to compare the prices of the competition if this one was outside of your city or country. Now the internet has made possible for consumers to find the  best price and customization for them. They can search for stores nearby or stores In another country that might have a better price.  The consumer has a lot of power and feel in charge of their shopping experience, they can also let other consumers know if the experience was good or not. This is a big advantage for both, the consumers and the merchants. I am one of those consumers that, If I see something at any store I would look up for the item on the internet and try to get the most out of my dollar before buying it.

American culture has become a huge part of the global culture. Every day more and more countries are adopting American ways. In my home country, for example, I've notice that people not only include in our native language American words but also have adopted a lot of the way of Americans. I only noticed this after having moved to the United States, before that I never wonder why we did it.  Americanization is happening to everyone but we will always have countries that will want to keep their cultures the way it was.

Module 6

                                                                   Module 6

Free trade is the practice of international trade without interference of the government. This also means no taxes or fees for the goods that are being traded. The author of "The World  is Flat" tells about a English economist named David Ricardo who developed a theory on free trade that says that if a country only export the items in which it specializes then by doing that all the countries that export or import from other countries will make money and boost their own economies together. I think free trade its important because its allowing us to get products that maybe another country can make better at a better rate.

As is read in the book the new middlers are the jobs whose workers will create the new middle class. With the new technology a lot of jobs will soon become obsolete. The new middlers skills are important and some of this skills include being collaborators and orchestrators, being great synthesizers, great explainers, great collaborators, great adapters and being green. Having one of these skills is necessary but having all of them will get you success.

The equation CQ+PQ>IQ means that Curiosity Quotient + Passion Quotient is greater than Intelligent quotient. The author states that he would take a student with passion and curiosity over one with intelligence because of their ability to learn and create new outcomes. I agree with this statement, its very difficult for me and a lot of people to understand something or feel good doing it if they have no interest at all on what they are doing, It doesn’t matter if they are smart or not. Its not the same doing something that you like that something to get by. I also like how he says that with effort anything can be done no matter the IQ that a person has.

Module 5

                                                                                         Module 5

In chapter three of the book the Author talks about what he calls "The Triple Convergence". This basically tells you how all of the flatteners by getting together flatten the world even more.

The first convergence is the merging of flatteners or  technologies. Around the year 2000 they started to combine and worked together.

The product he describes called the Bizhub is a great example of this . This is a new platform or playing field that gives people the opportunity to collaborate with other in many different ways.

The second convergence explain how business are taking advantage of this new platform and using it effectively. The smaller the supply chains the more products companies can make that are in demand. The southwest example explains it really well. I've used this company and could not be happier for the process. I get to print my own boarding pass, saving me time in lines at the airport and for the company they save money not having to pay an extra employee to work overnight for people like me that like to have a seat on the A section.

The third convergence explains how more players are added to this field or platform. How this open a lot more concepts to do business.

This triple convergence is happening fast and as more players are added and more forms of collaboration are made available the ones that will lead the way will be those who have learn the process, habits and skills most quickly.

How ironic is that in the case of India and Indiana they were going to pay an Indian company to upgrade the unemployment department of Indiana. In this case it seems that India was going to be the exploited one but I'm not sure, they bid lowest than American companies and they were willing to hire some American workers to help out but also the Indians tech workers will be benefited from this contract which also it was great for business. The American company even expressed that the Indian company was great to work with. This move was going to save American tax payers millions of dollars that at the end might have been useful to hire more state workers.

When talking about intellectual property we can understand that refers to any product, it can be software, art, images, trademarks, etc. The point is that is property and it needs to be protected. There are laws to help protect this, copyright and patents are an example. The way I see it the owners or creators of a product should have protection, not everyone wants to collaborate and help with good intentions, someone could use your product to copy it or claim ownership of it to get the benefits. There is nothing in the market that cannot be copied or counterfeited. The intellectual property might be the key of a business and the inventor of the business should have the benefits from it. 

Module 4

                                                                                      Module 4

This week our assignment was to conduct a research on a job connected to computers or networks. I decided to talk to my Friend Carol. She works as an I.T. support specialist for a private company. She is from Dominican Republic, like me and we've known each other for years. Every time I've needed help or want information on a new software she is the one I call. Because I'm living in Utah and she still in Dominican Republic this interview we did it over Skype.

I talk to my family and my closest friends almost everyday, over Skype while using the computer or just text messages, we never go over 3 days without talking to each other but usually we talk about other stuff, not details about our jobs, so it was a little different this time when I had to make my friend sit and explain me her work over the video chat. We got out of context during the whole interview but she help me get the information I needed.

The first thing I asked her was to explain me why she decided to be an I.T. specialist, she told me that her first computer was used and every now and then will come up with some problem, she had someone fix the computer for her  a couple of times but they didn't do a good job so she decided to go on Google and find step by step information on what to do instead of paying someone to do it wrong. She said that there was nothing to lose with her trying to do it herself because the computer was going to die sooner or later anyways. After that she got fascinated with knowing how the computers worked and how to solve any issues with them.

After that I told her to explain me what she does everyday at work. She gets to work at 6:00 am everyday and the first thing she most do is verify that all tickets or problems from the day before are solved, she has to check the daily performance of all the computers systems, she also has to go and personally check that all employee computers have the appropriate software and that it works like its supposed to. She told me they keep records of data and they can access to see everything that has been downloaded to any computer in the company. They have to check to make sure employees are not downloading anything that is not work related. She also has to keep herself at par with training and/or manuals for new software and if there is any problem they have to create tickets, keep a record of it, give a report on how they solved it or what the problem was and also follow up to make sure the problem was completely solved.

She really likes her job and anything that has to do with computers. after this interview I know that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to and I.T. specialist job and it actually sounds really cool being able to know what to do with computers and how to fix them.