In this project, we learnt all about what crazy is, what it means to us, and why it takes a ‘crazy’ person to change the world. I found this entire project very interesting (and very eventful) so I think I’ll have a lot to talk about in this blog. Enjoy reading about this chaotic project from my perspective….

We presented our work in this project by using the presentation technique called a PechaKucha, which if you didn’t know is a 6-minute and 40-second long presentation. It works in a 20×20 format where you have 20 slides playing behind you but you can only talk for 20 seconds during each slide. Before our final presentation at the end of this project, we created our own mini PechaKucha. We started by choosing a famous ‘crazy’ person and I chose Bob Dylan. Here are the slides I put together and then presented:

I was surprisingly very happy with how this turned out. I say surprisingly because I was very worried when I first figured out what I had to do. I am not the best at memorizing lines but I enjoy public speaking so reading off a script is enjoyable to me. Although I like scripts, while doing a PechaKucha you are not allowed to use one for yourself, so I had to push myself out of my comfort zone. I ended up memorizing what I had to say, but a good public speaker does not memorize lines. A good speaker knows their material and what they want to talk about, then they just have a one-sided conversation with the audience. I did not have this realization until my final PechaKucha, but I’m glad I finally figured out how to do it in the end.

I had a lot of feedback after my presentation to create less crowded slides (I disagree but fine) and talk to my audience more without using a script (I did end up using key cards for this presentation, but I didn’t in my final presentation). I prefer more interesting-crowded-collage-like slides but many people say otherwise. I understand how it can be distracting so I do try to tone down my slides, but I also want to avoid making them boring! I hope my final PechaKucha slides were a perfect balance of interesting and simple.

The next step of this project after figuring out what a PechaKucha is, is figuring out what crazy means. We did a lot of research and small pieces of work on this but the main part was writing an essay! While most of the class was away in Seattle I stayed at school to write this essay, which I am quite proud of. I worked very hard with Susan and Kira and Mr May for a week in the library to come up with this essay!

I wrote about a ‘crazy’ person named Nardward. If you are interested in who this man is you could press the link and read the awful boring Wikipedia page about him. Orrrrr you could read my very intriguing and well-written essay about him down below!

Thank you for reading!! (If you read it…). That took a lot of revisions to get to and I’m quite happy with it. I had trouble starting to write at the start of the process but eventually, I got onto a roll. The last few days of writing this I suddenly found my rhythm and got very into writing it. I ended up having a lot of fun writing this and I hope you can see that in my work.

Eventually, it was time to start working on our final PechaKucha! I lucked out and got put in a group with Caden and Logan, who I knew I could communicate and work quite well with. I’m so glad my group consisted of people I knew well and were compatible with because I can imagine how hard this project could have been if I had a group with poor communication skills and dedication to the project. I want to give a shout out to my team and I hope they are proud of what we delivered on our PechaKucha night. I’m also proud of them for continuing to work with my perfectionist annoying nitpicky self without getting mad. I probably drove them insane (and the people around me) because I kept repeating my lines over and over and over again just to get as much practice as I could.

This relentless practice (although annoying) I think paid off in the end. I’m happy with how I presented and proud of myself. I think I spoke confidently and clearly which helped draw the audience’s attention towards me. Since my presentation was the very last one of the night, and I was the one speaking at the beginning/end I knew I had to go out with a bang. I tried my best to choose captivating words and phrases while also not being too wordy and talking for too long. I think my timing was pretty good and I ended strong.

In my next presentation, I plan on really hitting the mark about my topic. I mainly focused on how I was going to present, and the slides I was going to present, but not on what I was even talking about. Some of the feedback I got for my first mini PechaKucha was that although I spoke well, I was barely answering the driving question. In the future, I need to first really think about the angle I want to go at, the topic I’m doing, and what my answer is. Before I do anything else I need to write down the point I am getting across, and then focus on how I will get that point across.

Before I wrap up this blog, let’s look at some photos!

Here are some photos I took from our PechaKucha presentation night

Setting up the PLP room: 

Pamphlets, I designed to hand out to our guests:

Mini rehearsal minutes before the doors opened:

The first official presentation of the night!

Presenter POV at the back, taken right before I presented:

And that’s about it! Thank you so much for reading my blog, I know I rambled a lot in this one. I truly feel like I learned a lot throughout this project, sometimes I might just say that but I genuinely took away a lot of new information from this that will help me in my next projects. I learnt all about how to write an essay, which in the end I’m very proud of. I also learnt how to properly present using slides to enhance my words not take away from them.

Then lastly I learnt to trust my group, this is a big one. I do not like working on group projects because I like making all the big decisions myself, I want to do the project my way so everything is how I like it. I do not like negotiating and compromising with people on who will do what work and how. Because of this I usually end up doing most of the work, that is how I prefer it but at the same time, it annoys me. Another reason I don’t like group work is because I feel like MY work isn’t fully seen and appreciated. If a group member does poorly that will reflect on the entire project, despite my efforts to make improvements and changes. This is all coming from my experiences and I do believe what I’ve said, but I also know that this is a bad mindset to have (especially being in a group work oriented-program). To create successful work I am proud of while in a group I need to work well with that group, and I need to trust them. Despite my opposing opinions my determination to do well hopefully outshines any resentment I have.

Throughout this project, I have had to let my group take hold of the wheel without me being a backseat driver. I trusted my group to learn their lines on their own and I could see they did when we practiced together. I also trusted them to help take over working on the slides when I needed it. I was very overwhelmed the day of the presentation because I was stressing about many different school assignments all at the same time, but I knew I’d be able to do it because my group had my back.

So once again thank you so much team for pulling through I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them! Bye for now

Hello!! Welcome back to another Brooke blog, but this blog isn’t like my normal blogs that happen at the end of my projects this one is at the middle.

We started a new project called “Cray Cray Yay Yay” where we study crazy people! This project has been quite fun so far and I’ve really enjoyed it. In humanities our job was to choose a “crazy” person who has influenced Vancouver. I chose someone named Nardwuar!

”Why does it take a crazy person to change the world”

This question is what my project centres around, and it should be answered through my essay. In my writing I talked about Nardwuar, who he is, and what he’s done. By learning about him and what he has accomplished in his life time so far I hope you can find my answer to that question.

My process of writing:

While most of my class was away on a trip to Seattle me and 6 other people stayed here. This week together was very fun! I got closer with Kira and Susan, and we became the dream team! We wrote our essays together and helped each other reading our essays over and giving advice. We started this process by putting together an outline of what we planned to write. To make this outline we had to do lots of research, and to do research we had to choose a person! I found many people who have lived in Vancouver and then impacted it with their “crazy” lifestyle, but when I read Nardwuar’s name I knew I had to choose him. I had no idea who he was but his name really drew me in. I

then ended up researching a lot about him and I became really interested in learning about him. I had never heard of this random guy named Nardwuar in the past but now I feel like I know everything about him! I started quite slow on my essay because I didn’t know exactly what I was going to write, and how I was going to structure it, but then I got on a roll! Once I started really understanding how to do this I had a lot of fun. I had all my ideas written down and planned out then all I had to do was fill in all the information. Filling in all the interesting juicy information was the fun part, and adding links just took a long time. But in the end once it was finished I was very proud of what I made. I really like my essay because I think it is clear and easy to follow, while also being interesting and eye catching.

Here is my final essay draft:

The History of Nardwuar in Vancouver

Throughout history people have been confined to social norms, fearful of being even slightly different. Because of this fear, people have hidden what defines them as individuals from society. The so-called “normal” binding that people are wrapped in so tightly is what has broken down the human sense of creativity, personality, and individuality. People are traditionally forced into a box that shapes everyone into the same form, but what if we had someone who broke through these barriers? What if there were someone who was unapologetically and proudly their weird out-of-the-box self? What if this person inspired others to be weird, go wild, or even… crazy? Luckily for us, there is a man named Nardwuar The Human Serviette. Nardwuar is a wacky, out-of-the-box thinker who has influenced Vancouver with his show on a wide variety of music, interviews, and commentary. He has been seen as crazy because of his bizarre sense of humour and quirky interviews. Nardwuar has brought people together many times, which in the end created a vibrant community inside of Vancouver, while also celebrating its diverse culture. 

Vancouver’s culture has been displayed in Nardwuar’s videos for years. With his eccentric interviews and further knowledge of music, he has put Vancouver on the map in the music and entertainment world. Nardwuar has showcased our local references, artists, and landmarks many times in his videos. He has referenced local slang (such as K-Tel a record store), mentioned local music venues (which include The Cobalt and Commodore Ballroom), and brought up local landmarks (like Stanley Park, Granville Island, and Lions Gate Bridge). During these videos, he most commonly interviews local artists like Jello Biafra from the Dead Kennedys, and Bryan Adams. The publicity spotlight that was shone onto Vancouver because of Nardwuar has helped bring lots of positive attention to our city. 

Vancouver has not only been impacted by Nardwuar because of his exposure but also because of his community engagement. His involvement in events and festivals has brought people together, which created a bright and vibrant atmosphere. One of the events that he’s been to is the SXSW also called the South by Southwest. In Nardwuar’s own words “SXSW has taught me so much about Music, Culture and even Technology! Every time I go, I learn something new! Plus, people come from all over the world, so this ain’t your regular Festival” (source). He has also been to the Canadian Music Week festival, Juno Awards, and International film festivals. Eventually, after Nardwuar researched popular musicians for years, interviewed famous people in Vancouver, and went to so many events gawking at the talent on stage, he got his very own star on BC’s Walk of Fame. 

The unique persona that Nardwuar possesses has contributed very positively to his community. One of the ways his “weirdness” has brought us together is his celebration of quirkiness. Many people try to hide their quirks and real disposition but Nardwuar expresses it openly and encourages others to do so as well. In his interviews, he has been known to ask people “weird” questions to shed light on his own as well as other’s eccentricities. Some of these questions include: “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever found in your pocket?”, “Do you have any secret talents you’d like to share”, “Do you prefer crunchy or smooth peanut butter?” and “What’s your favourite kind of toothpaste?”. These questions have helped create a sort of interview that’s more of a friendly conversation than a formal questioning. He has also tended to give unique gifts to his interviewees. One time while interviewing Snoop Dog Nardwuar gave him the gift of his very first record Snoop Dog ever published. This record which was published with his high school band brought up many memories from Snoop Dog’s childhood. Old memories are what Nardwuar tries to get out of people, he does this by bringing up little-known facts, forgotten photos, and obscure records (like Snoop Dog’s). 

Overall Nardwuar’s ability to embrace his craziness and celebrate other people’s unique personalities has impacted Vancouver as a whole greatly. I am proud to be living in a place where I am not afraid to express myself however I feel. I can look around and see other people expressing themselves as well, which I love to see. Different forms of expression can be seen all around Vancouver, in the way we dress, act, talk, and even our artwork. A reason people aren’t afraid to make these things public is because we feel comfortable in our own skin and trust each other to not make judgemental comments or actions against us. As a community, we have to work together to build a safe and comfortable environment, with the help of Nardwuar guiding us along on a better path. We are fortunate to have Nardwuar locally to bring us a refreshingly unique approach to life in Vancouver. He has brought the right people together at the right time, to create a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere for all Vancouverites! 

After learning so much about this guy I really do think Vancouver is lucky to have him. He has shown us so much, on how to stay happy and carefree. I hope you enjoyed reading my essay and I would love to get any feedback you have on it. Thank you so much, and feel free to leave your feedback in a comment below!

The PEE project! This project (that I just finished) was centralized around the PEE formula:

• Point

• Evidence

• Explanation

This formula helps you create a properly structured paragraph. Once you learn how to do that you can write anything! And this is where our project starts… (kinda)

(Although it did take days, dare I say weeks, to learn all about World War Two, which included taking notes and doing a trillion little quizzes, I hated that part of this project so much!! I do try my best in school I really do and I find most subjects quite interesting but history and geography? I cannot. First of all it is nearly impossible for my brain to comprehend these subjects, give me a map and ask me where any place is and I won’t be able to tell you. Give me a timeline and ask me when some president was born, I will not know who this president is, what they did, and definitely not the date they were born. What i’m trying to say is that this project was quite a stretch for me, but finally after all the education and stupid little dates of every event were stuffed into my tired student mind it was time for the essay writing! I actually quite enjoy writing so this is what I hope saves me this project)

ANYWAYYSS

I started by practicing the PEE formula, on my new favourite app: Craft

I practiced by talking about one of the main causes of WWII (World War Two). Although this project involved history, I still enjoyed it because I got to learn about better ways of writing!

Eventually we started adding historical significance into our project. (Each of my answers are answered with the PEE formula!!!) Here’s another acronym for ya ‘NAME’. This acronym helps us understand if something is historically significant or not. As you can see in the document below I rated every part of WWII to see if it was historically significant or not.

I already knew that this massive war was historically significant, but why. In my document you can read why I think it is. Do you disagree with any of the numbers I chose?

Then this is when I started getting excited during this project. I started to brainstorm ways to answer the driving question, the DQ for this project is:

Why is it so important to learn about Canadas involvement in WWII?

I started narrowing down my ideas to three main points I wanted to highlight in my essay at the very end

The first thing I knew straight away I definitely wanted to shine light towards was the rights women gained due to the war. I am a major feminist and I love talking about women’s stories and the things they have had to endure to get us to this point in life. I also just finished a feminism collage I was working on in art class:

Then I decided on choosing invention’s and social programs made during WWII. I chose these because I figured out I wanted to focus on the positive side of this global tragedy. I’ve been told very often I am quite the pessimist, but not in this project! Everyone knows that WWII sucked, it killed millions and ruined the majority of our populations lives. Despite this there was also great things that came from it. I narrowed down the three of these things and then eventually turned that into an essay.

This was a document where I planned out what I would say in my essay, I started by making a thesis! I had to revise my thesis over and over and over again. Did you know once you make your thesis statement it goes to the end of your essay? I didn’t know that.

After I made my thesis it was time to create the foundation of my essay, the three topic sentences! This was easy for me because all I had to do was write the main idea in one simple sentence.

Then after I had came up with my thesis, and topic sentences, it was time to write out more details. I enjoy researching topics and creating a paragraph from all the different pieces of information I find so this was also pretty easy.

Then it was writing time!! My essay centred around the driving question:

Why is it so important to learn about Canadas involvement in World War Two?

I highlighted in my essay the positive effects of WWII and how Canada played a role in the war. Not only did Canadians assist many neighbouring nations but our scientists created many important innovations we still use today (such as: Anti fog windshield fluids, artificial fur made for militants clothing, and we also played an important role in the developing of synthetic rubber).

The first draft I made was not very good. It was short, dull and lacked a lot of the necessary information

After a lot of revision and expanding on my ideas I was finally happy with my essay. I learned a lot of new ways to structure an essay properly and not only edit but revise it. I feel more prepared for the next time I get to write an essay.

Let’s swing back to the driving question, Why is it so important to learn about Canadas involvement in WWII? I think the main reason it is so important to learn about our involvement in the war is because we made a lot of progress that day as a society. Our inventions and mini revolutions advanced our country beyond what we had ever imagined.

I really do not like history but in this project I tried my best to find the small things I find interesting. These events and facts that I found, I weeded out, and wrote my paragraphs on them. I tried to focus on the more fun and fascinating parts of this project and I think thats what carried me through, always look on the bright side of things! Thank you PEE project

Every person has their own unique story to tell. Learning about different peoples stories is a great way to advance our concept of a just society. I think it is very important to know how other people live their lives, which can be a complete polar opposite life time to your own. Each individual has different experiences, struggles, achievements, passions, and much much more. I think everyone should better their understanding of diversity, by learning about others lives, in order to help create a more inclusive and cohesive community between us.

Now how do you do this? By making a ‘Human Library’!!

 

 

Click HERE to see a video I made with a human book named Jupiter. Tom, Keaton, Ronan, and I had a conversation with him about his disease and moving to Canada. I hope it gives you a sense of our Human Library experience.

 

I thought this was a very interesting project and I enjoyed learning about different peoples lives. Using conversation and different human interaction is extremely important to advance our society as a whole. I hope to continue learning more about the people around me.