Blog 1 - My start at Bedford College

Since my last post I have learnt all sorts of things. When I first started my course I didn’t know a lot about computing as I had only done ECDL ICT at upper school so I have really taken in all the information so far.

Unit 1 communication and employability skills

In this unit I have learnt all sorts about communication and skills valued by employers, this unit has taught me all about concepts such as Physical and mental barriers, body language, correct choices of language and interview skills. Although I’m already employed i now I feel a lot more confident if I was trying to get a job and had an interview.

Unit 2 Computer systems

Computer systems had been a great lesson other the months, in this unit we have learn a lot about computer systems within hardware and software, The practical side of things was daunting at first but after a few lessons we all got the hang of it, to begin with we were learning all the different parts that we would be handling and of course we also learnt about health and safety when building a computer. At the start of our hardware lessons we were learning the basics such as taking the computer apart and rebuilding it to a working standard. The software side of things in computer systems mostly consists of learning about the different parts of a computer, although I prefer the hardware side this is defiantly still interesting.   

Unit 16 Procedural Programming

Procedural programming can be very difficult as I have had zero experience before this course, I have less of an interest towards procedural programming but it is still interesting to see how this stuff works. Our teacher isn’t the best at explaining things as it is a difficult unit and sometimes her example code doesn’t work, this is probably the case as I remember her saying that “I’m not a programming teacher” during our first lesson.

Unit 9 Computer networks

Computer networks can be complicated at first but once we have gotten used to the terms and processes of computer networks it becomes a little easier to understand. The concept of topology and such can be a little unclear but I think I am making good progress in this unit. Our teacher is great at explaining things and he relates them to real world things to make it easier for the class to understand.

Unit 32 Networked system security

Networked system security has a lot in common with computer networks, I feel keeping networks safe is fairly easy and that I am doing okay in class, our teacher is good at explaining things and makes the lessons enjoyable but implementing things like Kahoot.it. In this unit we have learnt about the different types of viruses and malware. All of this information we learn could also come in handy with protecting our computers at home on our home networks.

Unit 18 database design

Database design was very hard at first as almost all of the class had never used Microsoft access to make databases, when going through the power points on oracle I learning I was very confused but after making our first database it is starting to make a little more sense but I still wouldn’t feel confident making my own one just yet. Although it’s challenging I’m still enjoying it as I learn a lot from each lesson. 

Unit 13 IT systems repair and troubleshooting
IT system repair and troubleshooting has been a lot like computer systems due to the hardware side of things, many skills learnt in Computer systems can be transferred to IT system repair and troubleshooting as having general knowledge of computer systems can help when fixing or upgrading computers. IT system repair and troubleshooting has been a great lesson and has been very interesting. in IT system repair and troubleshooting we will firstly learn about how to fix a certain fault and then we will often try to fix that fault ourselves in a pracical activity.

So far i honestly think everything is going well, sure there is definitely room for improvement but i feel i have made great progress since i knew almost nothing the about the unit before college as all i did was ICT ECDL at upper school which was very basic. In particular i feel the hardware side of things has gone well as I previously had zero experience in the field of computer hardware but now i am able to build a computer from scratch and fix any basic issues i may come across. On the other hand i feel that Procedural Programming has not gone as well since it feels like another language. coding is very hard and on top of that I do not have any experience in programming so it is a little difficult to learn to begin with but i feel i will be able to get the hang of it after some practice.

Since the start of the course i have felt very motivated as i am able to learn my preferred subject instead of being forced to do things like geography,math and English at upper school. Everything i am learning is interesting and this course is the stepping stone to my future career or education. i would like to good in this course to be able to choose which ever path i may choose to take and to be able to compete with people who will have the same qualification as me by the end of the course.

There are many ways that i can improve such as, self study, practice questions and assignment work, doing these will help expand my knowledge on the different units on my course. It is really important to revise and self learn as if i do not understand something during class i can always do some extra work on it to help myself catch up on the topic.

I feel that college has helped my communication skills to develop as i think communication is a big part of bedford college, some of the things that has helped my communication is peers helping and explaining things each other,  group tasks and the fact that all teachers and students feel approachable and friendly. Bedford college has also helped with my English skills, although i passed my GCSE English i have always thought my English and writing was not that great but my weekly English and Math workshop helps a lot while still being able to focus on the other units on the course.

Overall i do not feel there is any issues that are affecting my motivation or ability to achieve the teaching, i am enjoying my time at Bedford college and i am learning a lot so far.