Garrett Smith

Jenkins 2

English IV

8 May 2020

Senior Project Reflection Paper

As an underclassman at Northgate, I was looking forward to the prospect of doing

research and learning about something that I find interest in. My senior year finally came and the

Senior Project assignment was given. I had many ideas in my head and I had to try and sort

through and compile them to satisfy the requirements for the project while still allowing them to

be interesting to me. I finally settled on my question and research topic due to the prevalence in

my school and home life. How has YouTube and other internet resources changed the way we, as

a society, learn new things?

During the first portion of my research, I realized the topic was multi-faceted and was

just a simple question and answer. I first found out that I was definitely not alone in my use of

the internet for learning. What surprised me more was the fact that many third world countries

that don’t have the resources for learning and education oftentimes have the ability to access the

internet in some way. Another discovery I made is the harm and misinformation the internet

provides, however, it is by design that anyone can access and contribute which means users have

to filter what they know to be wrong and right.

In terms of my project, I set out to use YouTube and several other online sources and

primary ways to build and fix a non-running car, having little mechanical experience prior. This

was, as everyone warned me, much harder than I had anticipated due to the number of issues I
encountered on my vehicle of choice; 1986 BMW 325. The main issue I later discovered was

that it was actually a german model imported in the early 90s. This made sourcing parts and info

specific to that vehicle much more difficult. With that being said, however, I managed to

completely swap the drivetrain and transmission, adjust idle (no OBDII coding), wire lights and

speakers, paint old body panels, swap the brakes, and all fluids, and even fix the steering rack

and power steering. With all of that done I was able to get the car running and driving normally

and even got it to pass the dreaded California SMOG test. All of that being said, I believe I was

not only able to prove those around me wrong, which always feels good, but I was able to finish

my intentions for my Senior project.

In the future, I see this being applicable in many aspects of my life. I see this being able

to help me correctly use the internet to my advantage and learn outside of just the class

teachings. I also see this being a good way for me to further my hobby and possibly pursue an

even more complex car project that I use as a source of income. Overall I would say that my

Senior Project was a success in almost all aspects and I hope to continue my findings and

knowledge further into my career and future.