Reflection:

            The content of my presentation was to show to the audience how my part of the Simulated Horseshoe Crab Habitat project would supply the Horseshoe Crabs with saltwater as well as how it would keep the tank’s water at an acceptable oxygen level, temperature, and salinity. My focus was to point out the tank’s pump system and filter system, which were depicted in all of my alternate solutions, as the two systems are essential to the overall success of my part in this project.
             Although a large part of my presentation was hindered by my nervousness, I was still able to present some parts of the project well. My background information for the project accurately portrayed how I went about researching the information that I needed to design my systems for the project, and my introduction explained exactly why this project is so important. My design brief, both the personal and the group ones, properly depicted what the total project is all about, as well as how my systems fits in to this project.

            The strongest part of my presentation was when I showed the background information for this project. The background information is a crucial aspect of a project because without this piece of information, the reader does not know why the project is important. In my background information, I spoke about why my partner and I were doing this project and how the horseshoe crab population was steeply declining. While I said that the main reason for the recent decline was from humans destroying the habitats that the horseshoe crabs live in, I did not neglect to mention that many are also eaten by the Red Knot, a type of bird that feeds on horseshoe crab eggs to give them the nourishment that is required for their long migration. Due to the large amount of information that I provided with my background information, I believe this to be the strongest part of my presentation.

            Given the chance, I would definitely improve almost every aspect of my presentation. The rubric stated that I should be dressed to impress, however, I accidentally left my suit in the room from the day before, and did not realize this until after my presentation. I most likely lost points for not being dressed up, so next time I would make sure that I have my suit with me the night before I present. Another part of my presentation that I would like to improve are my alternate solutions. When I presented these solutions to the class, they resembled brainstorming sketches more than any kind of formal drawing. These drawings also lacked any detail regarding how I would control the environment's temperature, oxygen level, or salinity, which also took points off of the total grade. While watching the video that Reuben Keller took of my presentation, I also noticed a problem in the way that I presented. I kept my eyes on the projection throughout almost all of the presentation instead of making eye contact with the class,  and my speech was full of "Uhms", "Uhhs", and long pauses, including when I accidentally exited out of my blog. Overall, I believe that my presentation could have been significantly better had I taken more time to look over what had to be done.
            The weakest part of my presentation, as stated in the previous paragraph, was my lack of preparation. I believe that I was lulled in to a false sense of security by the fact that this presentation was not going to be graded and that I was under the impression that I understood by project well enough to present at any time. While I did know enough to talk about everything that was required, I lacked information on some of the finer details of the project, and my lack of preparation led to pauses in my speech and a flood of "Uhh"'s. Had I prepared more for this presentation, I would have practiced my speech enough to go through the whole presentation without pausing, and consequently would have realized that I lacked some of the finer details of the project.
            As I have mentioned in my previous paragraphs, I will be preparing much farther in advance for my next presentation. By preparing more than I did for my first presentation, I can learn from my mistakes and provide data for all of the areas in which I was lacking during the first presentation. I can also practice saying my speech in front of a mirror, so that I memorize parts of the speech and would no longer have to rely on pauses to get my thoughts together.
            From watching my presentation on the video that Reuben Keller took, I noticed one very important fact. Instead of standing confidently in front of the class, I tended to stand behind a desk or a chair, and lean on that. The way I was standing made my presentation feel significantly less formal, and made me look unprofessional. I also noticed that my hands tend to shake while I am presenting, so for my next presentation, I may choose to not hold anything in my hands, so that this is not as noticeable.
            Overall, I feel that this first presentation was a learning exercise for me. While this presentation could only be described as "decent", my failure in this presentation showed me how important proper preparation is for the success of a presentation. Had I not gone back and watched the video from my presentation, I may not have realized these facts for a while, and my next presentation could have turned in to a repeat of my first presentation. This reflection has given me the opportunity to fix my mistakes so that my future presentations will be better as a result.