Summary & Reader Response Draft 2

In the article, "This Detriot House Is Being Turned Into A Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design", Peters (2016) acquainted us with a project named "Motown Movement" which was an initiative by 3 architecture students aiming to achieve sustainability through affordable means. Through the house the 3 students bought in Detroit, they planned to use it as an example to the community of Detroit on how to transform broken-down houses into sustainable buildings. In their house, the lower level will be a “training centre” while the upper level houses a family in need. In-house systems included a roof veiled with solar panels, a “greywater system” and a “septic tank” as sources of renewable energy. Lukkes, one of the 3 students, hoped that through collaboration with their university, their project can become universal and reach out to other countries. However, the article fails to mention the emotional aspects of the project which I feel is key to the project being a success in Detroit before it can become universal.

Firstly, the article failed to bring to our attention the thoughts and feelings of the community in Detroit. This lack of emotional aspect in their project could affect the success of their project even before the students can contemplate about making it universal. The article never mentioned whether the three students immersed themselves in the culture of Detroit to truly understand what the community needed. All the article mentioned was how they visited Detroit and found many improvements required by the community of Detroit to improve sustainability. The three students only focused on technicalities such as what the community in Detroit could improve on. Research studies showed that understanding the culture of the community is so important as it affects them in so many ways. It is stated that culture is a strong part of people's lives. It influences their views, their appraisal, their amusement, their hopes, their loyalties, and their feelings. (Axner, 2016). It is also mentioned that very slight forces, sometimes individuals, can destroy very big ideas and projects (Cohn, 2015). As such, it is very important for the students to focus on the emotional aspects of their project, "Motown Movement" in order for it to be a success in Detroit even before they start thinking about making it universal.

Furthermore,  the article only focused on the technical aspects of their project such as turning the house into a "training centre", where a "greywater system" and "septic tank" were to be installed. The article only vaguely mentioned about the emotional aspects of the project by saying that " the people were much more positive." The three students should have paid more attention to the feelings of the community and let them be the centre of their project. Peters, 2016 was making assumptions such as, ""We thought we should create a sustainable example."" The students should have gone around the city of Detroit and surveyed the residence to get a clear idea of what they desired. A similar article by Olin College stated that they have a program where the over their semesters, their students worked closely with senior citizens to identify their needs and helped to develop concrete solutions to address these needs. "One project resulted in a team building a device to help elderly people get out of a car more easily" (Olin College of Engineering,2016). We can clearly see that by understanding the needs of others through effective communication, projects can be very well received, which the article failed to address. As such, the article should have discussed the views of the Detroit community and what their real needs are instead of their own assumptions.

In conclusion, though the article was very detailed in the technical aspects of the project “Motown Movement”, more focus should have been on the emotional aspects of it. It is important to note that the focus of the project is the community of Detroit as they are the key to its success. As such the article should have catered more towards them. I believe the emotional aspect is key to the success of the project as it helps the community of Detroit to embrace "Motown Movement" and be open to changes and improvements. Through this relationship which they can forge with the community of Detroit, the students can ensure "Motown Movement" becomes a success which would open the door to it becoming universal.

References:

Axner, M. (2016). Understanding Culture and Diversity in Building Communities. Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/culture-and-diversity/main

Cohn.M.(2015).The Importance of Community Relations. Retrieved from http://www.evancarmichael.com/library/martin-cohn/The-Importance-of-Community-Relations.html

Peters, A. (2016, July 7). This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into A Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design. World Changing Ideas. Retrieved from https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s

Projects That Help Others. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.olin.edu/projects-research/help-others/

Reader's Respond Draft 1

In the article, "This Detriot House Is Being Turned Into A Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design", Peters (2016), 3 architecture students through their project, “Motown Movement” purchased a house in Detroit. Their aim was to achieve sustainability through affordable means and transforming broken-down houses into sustainable buildings. In their house, the lower level will be a “training centre” while the upper level houses a family in need. In-house systems include solar panels, a “greywater system” and a “septic tank” as sources of renewable energy. Lukkes, one of the 3 students, hoped that through collaboration with their university, their project can become universal and reach out to other countries. However, the article should have discussed the emotional aspect of the project which is key to its success.

The first reason why the lack of emotional aspect in their project could affect the success of their project is because they did not really spend time with the community in Detroit. The article failed to talk about whether the three students immersed themselves in the culture of Detroit or spent time understanding what the community really needed. All the article mentioned was how they visited Detroit and found that there were many improvements required by the community of Detroit. The three students only focused on technicalities such as what the community in Detroit could improve on. Research studies showed that understanding the culture of the community is so important as it affects them in so many ways. It is stated that culture is a strong part of people's lives. It influences their views, their appraisal, their amusement, their hopes, their loyalties, and their feelings. (Axner, 2016). It is also mentioned that very slight forces, sometimes individuals, can destroy very big ideas and projects (Cohn, 2015). As such, it is very important for the students to focus on the emotional aspects of their project, "Motown Movement" in order for it to be a success and be well received by the community of Detroit. 

Furthermore,  the article only focused on the technical aspects of their project such as turning the house into a "training centre", where a "greywater system" and "septic tank" were to be installed. Peters, 2016 only vaguely mentioned about the emotional aspects of her project by saying that " the people were much more positive." The three students should have paid more attention to the feelings of the community and let them be the centre of their project. Peters, 2016 was making assumptions such as, ""We thought we should create a sustainable example."" The students should have gone around the city of Detroit and surveyed the residence to get a clear idea of what they desired. A similar article by Olin College states that it has a program where the  over their semesters, their students work closely with senior citizens to identify their specific challenges and help developed concrete solutions to address these challenges. "One project resulted in a team building a device to help elderly people get out of a car more easily" (Olin College of Engineering,2016). We can clearly see that by understanding the needs of others through effective communication, projects can be very well received, which the article failed to address. As such, the article should have discussed the views of the Detroit community and what their real needs are instead of assuming.

In conclusion, though the article was very detailed about the technical aspects of the project “Motown Movement”, more focus should have been on the emotional aspects of it. It is important to note that the focus of the project is the community of Detroit as they are the key to its success. As such the article should have catered more towards them. I believe the emotional aspect is key to the success of the project as it helps the community of Detroit to embrace "Motown Movement and be open to changes and improvements. Through this relationship which they can forge with the community of Detroit by being on the ground, the students can ensure"Motown Movement" takes flight and becomes a success.

References:

Peters, A. (2016, July 7). This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into A Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design. World Changing Ideas. Retrieved from https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s

Axner, M. (2016). Understanding Culture and Diversity in Building Communities. Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/culture-and-diversity/main

Cohn.M.(2015).The Importance of Community Relations. Retrieved from http://www.evancarmichael.com/library/martin-cohn/The-Importance-of-Community-Relations.html

Projects That Help Others. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.olin.edu/projects-research/help-others/

3 Things to Improve on for my English writing this trimester!

1. Using the correct verb form
2. Inconsistent Verb tenses
3. Reduce my writing error by reviewing my post before posting to reduce minor errors such as accidentally using the same word twice.

Summary & Thesis Draft ("The Detroit House")

In the article, "This Detriot House Is Being Turned Into A Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design", Peters (2016), 3 architecture students through their project, “Motown Movement” purchased a house in Detroit. Their aim was to achieve sustainability through affordable means and transforming broken-down houses into sustainable buildings. In their house, the lower level will be a “training centre” while the upper level houses a family in need. In-house systems include solar panels, a “greywater system” and a “septic tank” as sources of renewable energy. Lukkes, one of the 3 students, hoped that through collaboration with their university, their project can become universal and reach out to other countries. However, the article should have discussed the emotional aspect of the project which is key to its success.

References

Peters, A. (2016, July 7). This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into A Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design. World Changing Ideas. Retrieved from https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s

Formal Email Writing

Subject: Self-Introduction

Dear Brad,

My name is Frankie, 21 years old. I am a student from Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering(SIE) Group 1 of your Effective Communication class. I am writing this email to formally introduce myself.

Currently, I am pursuing a degree in SIE(Building Services). Prior to studying at Singapore Institute of Technology(SIT), I was studying Mechanical Engineering at Singapore Polytechnic(SP).

Growing up, I always enjoyed drawing during my free time as well as watching engineering programmes on television such as "Megastructures." I always found it very fascinating to witness engineers overcoming the odds to construct seemingly impossible feats such as the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

All these engineering marvels are the reason why I decided to join SIT's SIE(Building Service) degree programme. I feel that this programme is specialised and teaches me cutting edge software like Building Information Modelling(BIM). Most importantly, I feel SIT focuses on helping us be ready for the working life with the Integrated Work Study Programme(IWSP) as well as modules like Effective Communication. Through these modules, I feel that I learn skills that equip me to face the challenges of being a structural engineer.

My goals are to one day be able to achieve my aspirations to help build and construct an iconic structure that is known around the world. I find it really rewarding and inspiring to see your own creation come to fruition and I hope to achieve it. Thank you very much for reading this email, I hope it helped you to know me better and I am looking forward to learning more valuable skills from you.

With Regards,

Frankie (Group 1)

Commented on Kevin's blog post on "The Importance of English to Me." 15/9/16

Commented on Ali's blog post on "The Importance of English" 18/9/16

Commented on Chris's blog post "Formal letter to my instructor" 18/9/16

Revised as of 17/9/16

My English Learning Journey

It has been a rough journey for me learning the English Language. Growing up in a Eurasian family, my family conversed in both English and Chinese. Thus I always felt that I had a good command of both languages. However, that was only my own perception.

Whenever I spoke in English, my friends were always laughing at me. I had no such problems whenever I spoke in Chinese. However, when it comes to the English language, it became a disaster. As a young boy, I had no clue why people were laughing at me and I often felt distraught and detest speaking in English. My teacher approached me one day and gave me a letter to recommend me to go for speech therapy as she was worried that the way I spoke would affect my oral examination.

It got me thinking what I had done wrong. When I went for speech therapy, the therapist assessed that I spoke very lazily and the placement of my tongue caused my pronunciation to be unclear. I spent many months undergoing therapy, constantly reading books and reciting tongue-twisters to help me speak better and clearly.

Since my therapy sessions, I have paid more attention to the way I spoke. It has greatly benefited me and helped me both in my command of the English language as well as speaking confidently. Even now, I often spend time reading newspapers or tongue twisters to ensure I speak properly and never be teased by others for my English again. I made it a point to never laugh at anyone who spoke broken English because of my bad experiences. There is so much more to the English language and till this day, I am learning different ways to learn and speak properly in English.

Revised as of 15/9/16

Opening Address

The purpose for this blog is to share my experiences with regards to my learning journey. By reflecting on these experiences, we can get a better picture of how we can improve and grow further in our journey in life! Please do comment on my sharing, all feedback are greatly appreciated! Thank You (: