Almost there is the title of this blog post. Why? Well because I am almost there, almost at the end of grade nine, transitioning into grade ten. I feel like I haven’t even been here a full term it’s felt so short. It’s like just yesterday I was introduced to my teachers, the rules and all the other things you learn on the first day, and now we’re approaching the last. Throughout the year, I have worked on various different assignments ranging from creating special documentaries on roller coasters, writing and presenting speeches, keynotes, posters, you name it. It’s the time of year that I reflect on the year, and talk about it in my Transitional Presentation of Learning. Otherwise known as why I should move on to grade ten.
I feel the work I produced this year was quite good. Most of the projects I did I worked hard on them, with or without a group. Individually, projects like the Fantasy Disney video and Blue Sky felt as if I achieved a lot during those projets. In group work, like Destination and Imagination and Metaphor Machines, we all collaborated and created things that would turn out to be great projects. It was a blast working on some of the projects this year, and let’s look at a few that I thought stranded out to me the most when I think about good work I’ve done this year.
Lets start with the Florida Fantasy Videos. Going to Florida with the PLP 9 class was probably one of the best experiences of recent memory. Going on rides, learning about space ships, and just hanging around the people I enjoy hanging around the most. Eventually, we all got tired of each other but it was still amazing to go to Florida with your class. One of the things we had to do down in Florida was create an imaginary worlds video, where each student had to compile a video using footage gotten from Disney World and talk about a ride at Disney about how it attracts people to the imaginary world. I thought this project had a great concept and idea, and it worked well with the entire class. I know most people did a fantastic job on this project, and I feel the same about mine, too.
The next project I would like to cover is Blue Sky. Blue Sky for me is one of the most creative projects I have ever seen. It’s when you get to virtually design, create and plan whatever you want. This year, it was a little bit different. Instead of designing anything we choose, the class had to each individually, or as a group, design and create a product that would help a certain age category. My idea was to create a wearable device that will help kids with autism or a cognitive disorder make it easier to communicate with other children. I created three different prototypes and a final product, as well as a poster board explaining my information. The final product was a wearable wristband, with three different colours representing different emotions. The “Emotion Cuff” was hand sewed and was noticed by a few different adults as a great idea. I thought that my idea was a fantastic idea, and that I executed it well at the exhibition.
With group work this year, it was a struggle at first, adjusting to some new students, new teachers, new concepts and new units. I feel as if we weren’t ready at the beginning of the year, especially me, but I think this was the first group work we did that really got it going. I’m talking about the Metaphor Machines. The Metaphor Machines were Rube Goldberg machines, which are essentially large devices with multiple, simpler and smaller devices inside of it which trigger the device to do certain things. In this project, we had to research a revolution and create a machine that would metaphorically represent Our revolution. Our group was chosen the Irish Revolution, a short revolution but with a lot of events. This revolution is what created Ireland to what it is known as today. We also had to create a final video explaining all of the events in the revolution. I thought that we worked well as a group, creating our machine and the video. I don’t know what happened to them after our teachers marked them, but I know that project will forever stay in my mind, for it’s originality and uniqueness among all classes.
The last group work piece I want to talk about is Destination Imagination. What a roller coaster this project has been. DI has been one of the most stressful, yet fun experiences this year. Every class member had to do it, and after our groups were chosen, there was no turning back. DI was definitely a huge part of Maker Time this year, taking up almost four months to complete and present. The first event was the regionals. In regionals, our group did not perform the best. Our machine wouldn’t work, the audio was muffled and it was not the best performance. Somehow we go first and qualified for Provincials. Before Provincials my group revised our presentation, adding a few different things like dry ice and a new storyline. This revision prepared us for provincials and we performed well in our Provincial Presentation, winning first out of two groups.
For me, school is a huge stepping stone before adulthood. Focusing in class and producing good work is vital for success. This year, I feel like I did do that, but not enough. Distractions from peers and outside apps including social media have drastically affected my grades and overall appearance. Staying up late to do homework is not the best ways to use the night, especially when you could be having a nice sleep preparing for the next day. Instead, I tend to do homework late which causes me to be tired throughout the day, making me not productive as the day goes on. When I hand in stuff late, I feel as if I haven’t achieved anything, haven’t surpassed expectations, which I want to fulfill and do. I really want to succeed, and it has hurt me throughout the year that I haven’t.
My goal for next year is to focus. I need to focus in class and at home. I’ve been having trouble focusing for the duration of the year, and it has been bugging me the entire year. I also need to maintain a good schedule for the future. A good schedule and setting goals for the day are huge for my success for the year. Another thing I did poorly was ask questions. I’m not the most talkative guy and not asking questions if I’m stuck has put a mark on my learning. I need to figure out how to ask these questions, and use the, to my full advantage.
This year has been quite tough on me, having to balance between homework, friends, family and sports, but in the end, I did have time, I just didn’t use it wisely. For next year, I am choosing to commit to school much more than the previous years. I’m going to try hard, and use the time I have to revise work or ask questions. The year I’ve had needs to pass and now it’s time for what’s ahead of me. I believe I’m ready for grade ten, and after a summer of relaxation and work, I think I can be ready for grade ten. Everybody on life makes mistakes, it’s a part about growing up. Next year, I will learn from my mistakes, and utilize my skills to not make those mistakes again.
This is has been my Transitional Presentation of Learning, so thank you for listening, see you next year.