Venturing Into Creative New Idea

In the 3rd week of lecture, Puan Rafidah started off the class by introducing main sources of new ideas and followed by some methods of generating new ideas from a person's creativity and innovativeness. She put them in plain words and gave a lot of examples so that we can get a better picture of what starting a new business is like. For instance, some companies promote their new products by providing free tasting to attract the customers' attention in public places. Hence, that is one of the ideas that can be generated from the methods that will be taught in this course.

Next, she talked about creative problem-solving techniques when she stressed about brainstorming, which is why she gave us some time after the lecture to brainstorm on "One Malaysia" iCAAP Competition 2009. After briefing about the poster she handed us, we did some brainstorming among our group members on the four multimedia applications available to be produced based on the selected theme, "One Malaysia". The applications consist of Animation, Virtual Reality, Game Design and Multimedia Design.

From this week's class, I've learned to work well in a group as it was interesting to hear so many different opinions from different members of my group and all the ideas are motivating and constructive. My concern is now to choose the best idea that is suitable for implementation and success.

Kick-starting a Business

In the second lecture of IT Entrepreneurship, Mrs. Rafidah explained about methods of generating new ideas. In depth, she showed us a video about Guy Kawasaki that mainly discusses about making a product that is beneficial to the consumers. With that in mind, creating a revolutionary product is actually creating a product that sells.

We were asked to form a group of 10 and our group is called the International Youth Company. A project that involves entrepreneurship will be assigned to each and every group. With no experience whatsoever in entrepreneurship, we were asked to start a business that will be conducted in the campus. I am really looking forward to this project and accepting it as an exciting challenge. In fact, I have some ideas already about kick-starting the business and would love to share it with my group members.

After that, she gave us a lecture on how to start a business and the importance of teamwork. These are some of the key elements in a company that will ensure stability and efficiency. With this in mind, we hope to make our project a success!

Workshop: How to Use Good Grammar in Spoken and Written Academic Text

Dr. Siti Jamilah Bidin started off the workshop by introducing herself and her education background. She also told us about her passion in english and other languages. She then asked if we have difficulties in writing and advised students to read more materials to improve writing skills. Examples are given to aid students' understanding. After presenting a few slides on why study grammar she gave us some texts and exercises regarding pronouns and contractions.

In this workshop, I have learned that language is very important in everyday life. I also realized that there are always somethings that I did not know about, and these pieces of facts give better understanding to the things I already know. In other words, there is always room for improvement and it is best that you learn to improve your understanding and command of the language.

First Lecture

In the first lecture, Pn. Rafidah has outlined the course objectives and outcomes. We were informed about the course assessments and projects that will be conducted in future. She briefed us on skills that involve communication, group process and self-management.

Course objectives were also explained to us for better understanding on how to apply the skills being taught. This will guide graduates who are interested in venturing into IT entrepreneurship as their career. She also discussed about her experiences dealing with life skills and habits of mind.

I have learned that one of the reasons why IT entrepreneurship is being taught is to allow graduates to go beyond the limit of IT careers. Some of the opportunities out there do not make full use of the graduates' skills and capabilities. There needs to be a realization where IT graduates not only function as human resources but also as entrepreneurs who venture in something within their capacity, skills and creativity. Some people have the ability to produce new ideas and inventions but are too afraid to venture considering the risk and lack of management skills. Some people would love to become an entrepreneur but do not know where to begin. But now I know where to begin and look forward to learn more and gain new experience in this course.