by

The Wilderness Must Be Explored

No comments yet

Categories: Humanities, Tags: , , , ,

The Wilderness Must Be Explored!

 

Introduction 

Wow, it has been quite a year! So much has happened and school is almost over. Let me tell you about the project “the wilderness must be explored.” 

 

The Oregon Trip

So much happened on the Oregon trip and I had so many new experiences! For example, I learned how language inspires adventure, which I’ll talk more about later. I also gained a better understanding of what a PLP field study is really like. A highlight of my Oregon trip was weirdly the car drive! My friends and I had a sleep train and it was pretty funny and oddly comfortable.

 

 

My Adventure Book

On the field study we went to many new places and had lots of new experiences! To document all of our things down we put it in an adventure book. Even though at times the work became a lot, I ended up pushing through and having a lot of fun! I even created my own theme, to make the adventure book  more “me.” If you would like to check out my adventure book, I’ll put the link below!

 

My Individual Ad

Before the spring exhibition came along, everyone needed to create an individual ad. after many revisions I finally came up with this final draft! This is my Oregon ad I have created. In addition to making Oregon ads, my group and I chose a slogan. Our slogan was “No challenge, no change.”

 

The Spring Exhibition!

 

The Layout

since my group is number 5, we got lots of space to showcase our work, which I’m very happy about!

 

 

Our Food🌳

This is the food we made for our project! Since my group is Challenge and Growth we decided to make some growth themed plants. The brownie bites were the soil, and the cake pops were trees!

 

 

 

How it Went

The spring exhibition wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t good either. Before people started arriving it was a bit stressful making sure that everything was going to be set up on time. However, once people started arriving I would say our performance was quite good. Everyone was interested in what we had to say, and of course who doesn’t love food? Although, as the hours went by, my group as well as many others got quite tired.🥲 I was trying my best to make sure everyone stayed on task but near the end it got pretty hard! Overall I would say we did well, my group and I stayed on task as much as possible for grade 8’s. The spring exhibition was overall a great learning experience and I had a lot of fun!

 

 

My Group Members Blogs:

Make sure to check out my group members blogs as well!

Blog44/Emiliaw@seycove.ca

Blog44/robinc@seycove.ca 

Blog44/Carmynk@seycove.ca 

Blog44/Oliverf@seycove.ca 

Blog44/Sawerl@swycove.ca 

 

 

How Does Language Inspire Adventure?

Languages inspires adventure in many difference ways. For example, it allows us to share stories, understand many different perspectives and connect with our peers. Whether it’s through books, conversations or travel, language encourages your curiosity and desire to explore.

 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the Oregon trip and the spring exhibition were filled with adventure and learning. The Oregon trip showed me how language inspires exploration. Creating an adventure book and an ad taught me the importance of embracing challenges. Language drives peoples curiosity and helps us to explore the wilderness and all it offers. Overall this was a very fun project and I’m exited for future projects!

it’s officially the last week of school till summer!☀️ I most likely wont be posting till after September, so stayed tuned and have a great summer break!🕶️⛱️

 

 

by

My T-POL!!!

No comments yet

Categories: Humanities, Uncategorized, Tags: , , ,

T-pol

Introduction 

“Wow, It has been quite a year! I’ve learned many new things, some I enjoyed, some I didn’t. Although this year is coming to an end I’m exited to share my experiences with my friends and family later on. This is my T-pol, transitional presentation of learning, lets get started.  

Declaration of Learning (basically a cult speech) 

“Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.

My growth as a learner:

The first thing I’m going to be talking about in this section is humanities.

Humanities

Reflecting on my humanities class, I’ve experienced significant growth as a learner. The example I want to use for this this is the Oregon trip.  

The Oregon trip

Even though it was a very fun experience we had many things planned throughout the day. This isn’t to say thats a bad thing, however it was a lot! Our learning and trips needed to be documented on the adventure book and since we did so many things on the Oregon trip, the work piled up pretty fast! Iv’e always been good at time management but usually getting assignments done meant not taking my mental health into consideration. Through the Oregon field study I am proud to say I’ve overcome this! I had a great time and still got all of my worked done. None of it was rushed and I’m proud of the overall aesthetic and outcome. Of course, like anything, not all of the fun things were in the same spot, therefor lots of driving was happening!🚍 this is when I got most of my work done. On top of that, I still ended up sparing times for chats with friends, movies and naps on the car rides, so i’m pretty proud of myself! You should also know I NEVER nap so this is a big deal for me.

 

My Adventure Book:

https://read.bookcreator.com/649bnmuNfzYQ7EX98xwuds4pfFF3/x79my59MTKuSidyMpOYtYg

 

When we got back from the Oregon trip almost everyone had a revision, including me! That doesn’t mean we did a bad job though, there were just small details that could have been added. I have revised my Adventure Book based off of the feedback I received, and I’m waiting for a mark from my teacher! I was and still am extent, a person that doesn’t like revision and just enjoys getting things over with even if the grade isn’t the best. However, not just in the Oregon trip but being in PLP as a whole had helped me grow on that. I’m going to continue to work on accepting feedback And knowing that I won’t always get things perfect on the first try, because everyone learns by making mistakes! 

Science

I really enjoyed PLP 8 science throughout the entirety of this school year! There weren’t really any downs with science, and overall, I learned quite a lot! For example, in the project “Small but Mighty,” I gained a greater understanding of cell biology. I discovered how cells function and interact within living organisms, which was fascinating. The Small but Mighty project had a few assignments within it, but the one I would like to talk about revolved around collecting samples of places in the school I thought would carry germs. I collected samples from two water fountains in the school, both in completely different areas, to examine the difference in quantities of the bacteria.

 This project helped me appreciate the complexity of life at the microscopic level and how dirty the school actually is. Once my field journal was done (this is where I was writing my observations) I got some feedback and was able to accept it and revise based on the feedback I got! Like I said before, I think I’ve gotten better at receiving feedback and moving forward with the new knowledge gained.

 

Feedback Voice Note :

RPReplay_Final1718415501

In addition to becoming better at receiving feedback, I continue to build  upon my strong work ethics in completing assignments on time and using my time wisely without overworking myself. For example, when we had the in between car rides on the Oregon field study, I used that time to get my assignments done or at least get a manageable start on them. By taking advantage of this time, I was able to maintain a balance between my academic responsibilities while still enjoying the experience to the fullest of my abilities. Time management is a critical skill that will be very important as I move forward. This trip helped me gain a greater understanding and value of using the available moments I’ve been given wisely.

An area for improvement 

I’m writing about my area of improvement in this science section, but if I’m being honest it’s relevant in all my classes. Self doubt is something I’ve been trying to work on the past few months and is something I’m going to try and focus on next year. This topic is going to come up later since it’s a part of my everyday life. Even when I know I know the answer, I still don’t trust my judgement that I am correct. This has also been brought up by my peers and teachers. In the future I’m going to try and work on trusting my gut and knowing when I need to ask for help or when I can just believe in myself.

My Self Assessment For The Success Behaviours 

#1 Accepting Feedback

I’ve always been okay at accepting feedback. Not amazing, not horrible, just neutral. However, since a large part of PLP revolves around revision, i’ve gotten quite good at it! At the start of this year I DESPISED revision of any sort! I would have preferred to just get it done and over with even if the grade wasn’t very good. As this year has continued I realize how important revision actually is. I’ve handed things in before thinking they’re at the best of my abilities and gotten so much helpful feedback that I wouldn’t of noticed otherwise. In my previous school years the only feedback I would receive would be given after the grade was handed out, so there wasn’t much I could do about the outcome. I am proud to say, thanks to PLP, I’ve become an expert at accepting feedback. (not to say I’m perfect, because if I’ve learnt anything, its that theres always room for improvement. 

#2 Resilience 

Resilience or persistence is something I try to have constantly. It’s something I’m monitoring myself on. When I’m faced with more significant challenges or setbacks I tend to get overwhelmed and instead of seeing what I could do to fix whatever problem is at hand, I struggle to see the big picture and my brain is just clouded with doubt. Moving forward I’m going to try and work on this by breaking down challenges into smaller, manageable steps. I’ll focus on what I can control and take one step at a time. By setting small, achievable goals, I can build confidence and reduce feelings of being overwhelmed. I’ll also remind myself to take breaks when needed and seek support from others when I feel stuck. This approach will help me stay clear-headed and continue moving forward, no matter what challenges arise. 

#3 Contributions 

Throughout this year, I have actively participated in discussions and activities, both in and out of the classroom. I consistently contribute ideas to group work and discussions, ensuring that my input helps to drive our projects forward. I engage with my peers, listen to their perspectives, and collaborate to develop creative solutions. For example, in the spring exhibition I tried to make sure everyone stayed on task not only at the exhibition but also leading up to it. This ensured that the exhibition ran smoothly and everyone’s stress was lowered, even if it was just by a little bit.  My involvement has enhanced my own learning experience as well as positively impacted the outcomes of our group efforts.

Something I Succeed In

Something I succeed in is organization.  At the start of September we were introduced in an app called “Things.” This has helped me tremendously with staying on task with my work in or outside of school. When my life outside of school is “well organized” its a lot easier for me to focus on school. This could mean simple things like having a clean room or having scheduled times to get my things done. For example, I clean my fish tanks every week on Saturday around 11AM. I don’t plan anything at that time because I know thats something that needs to get done every week. With this routine, I’m able to have a less stressful life overall and still leave room for fun, like hanging out with friends.

 

My Intentions for September/What I can Improve on

As you may have remembered, I mentioned earlier something I wanted to work on. In September, I intend to trust my own knowledge and abilities more fully in my schoolwork. I often doubt my answers and seek help even when I know I’m capable of solving the problem independently. To improve, I plan to remind myself that I have the necessary skills, recognize when I’m asking for help out of self-doubt, and regularly reflect on my progress. By focusing on these actions, I aim to reduce unnecessary dependency on others, demonstrate my true potential, and strengthen my self-confidence!

 

Conclusion

In reflecting on this past year, it’s clear how much I’ve grown both academically and personally. From mastering time management and revision in humanities, to developing a deeper understanding of science, I’ve gained valuable skills and knowledge. The Oregon trip and various projects have shown me the importance of balancing work with well-being, and how feedback can be a tool for growth rather than a setback.

In terms of my personal development, I’ve learned to better accept feedback, build resilience, and make meaningful contributions to my group projects. Moving forward, my goal is to trust my abilities more and rely less on seeking validation from others.

As I step into the next chapter of my learning journey, I’m excited to apply these lessons and continue growing. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my presentation and for your support throughout this year. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead!

by

Small But Mighty!

No comments yet

Categories: Science, Tags: , , , , , , ,

Small But Mighty!

Intro

I know I haven’t posted on my blog for a while so I can’t wait to share what I did! 😙 (for all I know no one’s reading my blog and no one will see this but thats okay💀🫶) For this “small but mighty” project there were three main assignments. However, we weren’t just assigned 3 things and told to get it done, which I like. Instead, before assignments were introduced we learned some background knowledge surrounding the project or assignments as a whole. For example, getting a better understanding of germs before we dived into one of the assignments that surrounded that! This is something that I find quite helpful, and it contributes in making me succeed. the first assignment Im going to talk about surrounds the germs I mentioned earlier so let’s get started! (Before I ramble on to much)

The Three Assignments 

 1. Field Journal

 

I quite enjoyed making my field journal, it wasn’t my favourite though!(I’ll talk more about that later!) The first step of this assignment was to ask ourselves a scientific question about bacteria, involving a comparison between things in the school. I wondered if the water fountain on the main level of the school had more bacteria in comparison to the one upstairs, which is in a more secluded area! Throughout this assignment I learned how to conduct a well organized slide show of my progress observing the bacteria as well as learning how swab bacteria on a petri dish which is something i had never done before so it was pretty interesting!  

 
2. Character Cards

Now onto my FAVOURITE part!😏 

Below is the criteria for the character cards. 

This was a really fun assignment because for one, I could do lots of drawings AND make cute descriptions for them! I’ll show an example and time lapse of me drawing one as well as a picture of one of the other drawings! 🐱🧚🏼‍♀️

RPReplay_Final1717613785

3. Vaccine media campaign 

Lastly, the vaccine media campaign. The goal for this assignment was, with a partner, create 3 social media posts educating the public on the reality of vaccines! (These didn’t need to be posted on a real social media account though!) Eloise and I chose the talk about the myth of vaccines, specifically the covid vaccine, giving women infertility, which isn’t true! Here are our posts about that.  

The Driving Question

How does our Knowledge of Cell Biology Contribute to Public Health?

Our knowledge of cell biology is essential for public health because it helps us understand how diseases affect our bodies at the microscopic level. This understanding enables the development of effective treatments, vaccines, and diagnostic tools. For example, by studying how viruses like COVID-19 infect cells, scientists can create vaccines to prevent the disease. In addition to this, cell biology research can lead to new technologies for detecting diseases early, improving overall health outcomes.

Conclusion & What I Learned From This Project

The “Small But Mighty” project was a fascinating journey into the world of cell biology and its importance to public health. Through the field journal, I learned hands-on lab techniques and how to analyze bacterial samples. Creating the character cards allowed me to blend creativity with science, making the learning process enjoyable. The vaccine media campaign emphasized the power of accurate information in addressing health myths. This project showed me how a solid understanding of cell biology can lead to better health outcomes. I’m excited to apply these lessons in future projects and everyday life!

by

Echos of Colonization!

No comments yet

Categories: Humanities, Tags: , , ,

Echos of Colonization! 

 

Introduction 

Hello my little sunshine. 🌞I haven’t posted for a while because I have more interesting things to occupy myself with, so my bad. 😔 Although you probably don’t spend your time reading a children’s blog so it’s all good. For this project “Echoes of Colonization” we were put into groups, mine consisting of some phenomenal Homo sapiens, Eloise, Evelyn, Elsa and myself. Prior to starting a keynote presentation that would be presented to grade 11s, as a class we discussed and researched indigenous people, colonization and things that related to that. Once we had a good amount of knowledge to get started, we decided what topics we would each talk about in our presentation. My group and I chose to talk about gender roles and health within the indigenous communities.

 

Two things we talked about in the presentation

Unlike the other groups, mine had one extra person, therefore instead of presenting about one topic we talked about two. Elsa and I focussed on the health aspect of the presentation, whereas Eloise and Evelyn focused on the gender roles. Even though we each had certain aspects we wrote about, everyone had researched a bit about each others’ topic to get a better understanding of the project as a whole.

Health 

The health topics I focused on were the following:

  • Indigenous health pre colonization 

I mentioned the diverse diet, positive healing practices, spiritual beliefs and strong community relationships. Strong mental and physical well being.

  • The Haida indigenous group

For this slide I explained in further detail how this specific group was affected by colonization. These details include:

 

  • the Smallpox outbreaks

Talking about how it affected Haida Gwaii, and the losses they faced.

  • British colonizing Haida Gwaii
  • The challenges Haida faced and how their lives were impacted.
  • Haida belonging to one of two social groups (raven and eagle)  

marriage customs maintained balance between these groups.

Gender roles 

While this was not my main research topic, I’ll mention the highlights.

Past

  • European colonization introduced patriarchal structures 
  • Increased gender based violence against women because of colonial policies 
  • Indigenous gender diversity and non-binary identities were suppressed or erased under colonial rule.

Present

  • gender roles still uneven 
  • protest for gender equality
  • more freedom to choose your sexuality and gender

 

How the presentation went

My group and I, like my classmates, had a chance to present to two groups. I’m really happy that we got this chance because to be honest the first time we presented the keynote didn’t go very well. This is mostly because we had spent so much time working on the actual presentation and notes no one had much time to practice presenting. Therefore, when we got to present again, my group as well as myself did much better. We knew what to work on and conveniently unlike the other presentation, knew the grade 11’s we were presenting to!

Now for some reason the photo is SIDEWAYS AND I DONT’ KNOW HOW FIX IT. So I’m sorry about that.😔

 

The photo below is the feedback the grade 11’s gave us!

 

 

Some things I could work on

I find whenever I present in front of people I start talking very fast since I get lots of anxiety performing in front of others. To improve my presentation I’ll work on a few key areas. I can start by taking deep breaths before speaking to stay calm and centered. During the presentation, I’ll use pauses to gather my thoughts and allow the audience to process the information. I’ll focus on speaking clearly and articulating each word to slow down my pace. Lastly I can seek input from others which will also boost my confidence and presentation skills. Practicing these techniques regularly will help me speak confidently and effectively during presentations.

How I answered the driving question🏎️

For this project the driving question was “what were the consequences of colonization.” There are many consequences of colonization, some examples being loss of land, resources or people introducing new diseases. My group and I demonstrated our knowledge of the project and of the driving question throughout the presentation. In our

presentation, my group and I scampered into these topics,🤓👆 showcasing our understanding of the project’s driving question. For instance, our discussion of smallpox highlighted one of the significant side effects of colonization. Through both the presentation and extensive note-taking, I demonstrated a thorough grasp of the impacts of colonization.”

 

reflection on my individual keynote

For my individual keynote I believe I successfully demonstrated my understanding of consequences of colonization. I do agree with the feed back I got though, which was to look at the audience a bit more. It’s something that I’m going to try and work on in the future.

 

Success criteria 

This was the success criteria for the Echos of Colonization project! I believe my group and I did a good job over all!

Conclusion

In conclusion, I learned a lot in this project even though its not something I was ever passionate to learn about, I found myself-enjoying it! I’m exited to see what project I’ll be learning about next,(which I will definitely be posting about so stay tuned!)🫶

Shout out to my group partners, check their blog post out to!

Elsa❄️⛄️:http://www.blog44.ca/elsaw/

Evelyn:http://www.blog44.ca/evelyns/

Eloise:http://www.blog44.ca/eloiseg/

 

by

D.I Blog Post

No comments yet

Categories: D.I, Tags: , ,

D.I Blog Post

Intro/Recap

To start my blog post off, I should probably give a bit of a recap! If you didn’t read my previous blog post, it has a more in depth explanation so I suggest you check that out first. I’ll link it below!

 

Link:https://www.blog44.ca/brooklynw/2024/03/11/d-i-regionals-reflection/

However, I’m sure most of you won’t be checking it out so, I’ll do a quick run through. The previous blog post that I talked about before was about regionals D.I, and just a few days ago my team and I completed the tournament! 

 

What is D.I?

D.I stands for Destination Imagination and is a project based, kid-driven program that teaches kids to be innovative problem solvers. There were different challenges such as engineering, fine-arts, scientific and/or technical. My group was fine arts and our main challenge was mostly about creativity and props. There were also other components to the challenge that included using a moving piece. (For example simple machines) and then we incorporated it into the story that we needed to write and present. 

 

 

 

A week before, getting ready!

Since everyone in my group went away or was busy during Spring Break (including me), we had to complete all our tasks RIGHT AWAY because the tournament was only a few days away! Even though there wasn’t much we ended up wanting or needing to change, there was still work to be done! Over the course of a few days, we practised our performance quite a few times as   some of us had forgotten our lines.

 

Changes That Were Made

Even though there weren’t many changes we felt needed to be done, my group and I still decided to fix some things up. For example, a TV prop was redone and some lines were changed up. However the biggest thing we added was more in sync choreography to our song. In my opinion it created a better flow and was more engaging to the audience. Overall, even though there weren’t many changes, everything we did still made a positive impact on our overall performance. 

 

How The Tournament Went

Personally, I feel that my regional performance was better than my provincials. This is mainly because my lines were more memorized for the regionals. Also by the time provincials came by, my brain was pretty done with D.I. This is not to say the final performance was bad, the audience was laughing non stop and we didn’t make any major mistakes, but we could have done better. I’m okay with how everything turned out though and it was fun to work together with my team.  

 

Here’s a link to a video where we were just about to present!

Link:   f60ec0f4988440dbb92bb157a255931a

 

Awards

 My team placed fourth, a frustrating one point away from third place, which is what we achieved in regionals. We would have loved to be first but were still proud of what we accomplished! 

 

Conclusion 

I know I did complain a bit throughout D.I but I think it was a great overall learning experience. Despite the challenges my group and I faced, there were still times where I had lots of fun! I look forward to seeing what we do for Destination Imagination next year. 

Stay posted for more posts👍

by

M-pol

No comments yet

Categories: Humanities, Maker, Science, Tags: , , ,

Intro

POL Declaration

“Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.”

 

Transition:

“The first thing I’m going to talk about is some strategies and habits I will work on for the remainder of the school year.” 

 

Strategies/habits I will work on for the rest of the school year  

Mindfulness and Self-Care(self regulation)🎧

Something Iv’e noticed throughout the school year is that I’m not very good at is prioritizing my self care. When I get an assignment I try to get it done right away to get it off my plate, however I tend to overwork myself. As I work through the rest of the school year Im going to work on prioritizing my well-being by taking breaks when I need them, and engaging in activities that help me get into a healthy and comfortable mind set. Continuing to reflect on my overall health and well-being will help me maintain a balanced lifestyle and optimize my performance in school. 

 

 

Coming into tutorial more often

The second strategy I’d like to to work on is coming into tutorial more often. It’s a very helpful tool and I’d like to utilize it. By getting a head start on tasks before the day gets busy, I hope to create a focused environment for productivity. Coming in earlier could help me manage my time better, establish a positive routine. I believe this approach aligns with my goals of maximizing my potential and making the most of my education. In addition to this Im going to try and go to bed earlier so I have an easier time waking up for tutorial.

 

Learning Plan💪

At the beginning of the year, we got together and made plans for how we wanted to learn and grow. These plans covered a wide range of areas like taking responsibility, staying engaged, behaving well, being honest, getting ready for tasks, managing our time and actions, communicating effectively, and working as a team. Alongside these plans, we also wrote down our thoughts on what we hoped to achieve through our learning experiences.

 

 

Statement of learning intent

My learning intent is to comprehend all the information I’m being taught and be proficient or developing in my PLP classes. To do this I can actively engage in class by taking notes and asking questions. Second, I can review my notes regularly to reinforce the material. Third, I can seek additional resources like talking too other PLP students to deepen my understanding. Lastly, I can practice what l’v learned through hands-on activities or real-life applications.

 

Science Reflection🔬👩‍🔬

I quite enjoy science but there is one thing we learned in particular that I found very interesting. Using the microscopes has been particularly fascinating to me, revealing hidden worlds teeming with life. I loved being able to go outdoors with a container and pretty much pick up anything, seemingly lifeless, and examine it under a microscope. I also appreciate the regular breaks we take, which help me stay focused and refreshed. However, not every aspect of our coursework has been smooth sailing. The project where we created a science-based video game, for instance, proved to be quite challenging. Despite my best efforts, the website would become glitchy, which was frustrating at times. Nevertheless, I still valued the experience as it introduced me to new concepts and skills in game design and programming. It was a learning experience in itself, demonstrating the importance of perseverance and problem-solving in the face of setbacks. Beyond the occasional bumps, the collaborative learning environment has been an overall helpful learning experience, and at times I was able to help others with the video game knowledge I had learned. Overall, science class has enhanced my appreciation for the natural world. I look forward to continuing this journey of exploration, embracing both the successes and the challenges that lie ahead.

This is the link to my video game if you want to check it out:

Maker Reflection

For my maker refection I’d like to talk about my favourite project we did. This project is called “becoming a PLP learner.” Some things I really enjoyed about this project is that I was able to show my artistic side in assignment such as my me emoji. With projects like these I got better at having a good eye for what photos, shapes and colours look good together. However, something about this project that really stood out to me was how much I learned about myself. For example in Becoming a PLP learner presentation I realized how much of a nerd I can become when talking about animals, but in my defence, animals are very interesting. Overall, this project was both enjoyable and enlightening, leaving a lasting impact on my learning journey.

 

 

 

Humanities Refection:

This year has been quite a roller coaster! There were many ups and downs throughout this year. In particular, my humanities class stands out as a significant part of my school experience. It was a subject that not only broadened my understanding of various cultures, histories, and philosophies but also encouraged my critical thinking and creative expression. Similarly, when studying history, we didn’t focus solely on overarching narratives but also examined specific events, movements, and perspectives that played vital roles in shaping the course of history.  were encouraged to express our thoughts and ideas in meaningful ways. This not only helped to deepen our understanding of the subject matter but also fostered a sense of ownership and engagement in our learning process.

 I’ve now said quite a few good things about Humanities but that doesn’t mean it was all perfect! There were many tough and stressful days throughout the year, and at times, I thought I’d never get through it! As you can see I am here and alive right now so clearly I did. I don’t want this to sound like an advertisement but the app “things” quite literally saved my life.

Growth

This brings me into my growth I’ve made this year. In September there we’re so many apps we were introduced to and so many different functions! However I made a lot of growth learning how to operate the apps such as Things which I mentioned earlier. Apart from Things another app I found worked really well with my learning style is Showbie. This is mainly because Showbie, like many of the PLP apps is very organized.  I’m the type of person that relies on writing down what I need to get done so I can have the satisfaction of checking it off. Despite the initial challenges, I’ve successfully learned how to operate essential tools like Things and Showbie. These apps have become fundamental to my workflow, providing organization and satisfaction as I tackle tasks. Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue leveraging these tools to further enhance my productivity and achieve my goals.

 

Conclusion

“As I reflect on my growth, I’m grateful for the support and feedback received. Moving forward, I’m excited to continue leveraging these experiences to enhance my learning and achieve my goals. Thank you for your time and contributions to my growth as a learner.”

by

AR Story Telling

No comments yet

Categories: Humanities, Tags: , , ,

AR Story Telling 

Intro

For this project we learned about storytelling and all the different and important aspects of creating one. We also learned how to operate an app called AR Makr! (I’ll just call it AR though, because it’s easier) You probably don’t know what AR is but don’t worry, I’ll explain everything in good time!

Learning  About The History

We needed to understand what we were talking about (historically) so as a class we would do readings and small assignments to show our understanding. 

We learned many things about European exploration. Technology that helped them travel, what motivated them to take such dangerous voyages, consequences of exploration and how does it still affected my world today. These were some of the things I learned during this project and it was so much fun!

 

Overview of What I Did

 

 

 

 

 

The Process

Playing Around With The AR App 

As a way to get used to AR we made a short easy story to understand how it worked! 

 

 

How to Work AR

 

1. The first thing you need to do is find a clean space like a floor or desk, but it can be glitchy at times. 

2. Once you’ve done that you create the drawings you want to insert into your story!

3.  After that is completed I would place my drawing where I wanted them and start filming! 

4. Lastly, you can either voice over your video after words or just talk while filming, and that about sums it up! 

 

My Thoughts on AR

To be blunt, I wasn’t really the biggest fan of AR. It was pretty glitchy and hard to operate but I really like the idea of it! It’s a fun way to express our creativity while giving cool visuals. 

 

Notes I Made

 Remember how I said we did some in class learning? Well these are some of the notes I made!

 

 

 

Learning About the Technology

At this point in the project we started to learn about the different tools Europeans used in general and to travel as well as the history of them. We did some drawings of a few different technologies and we wrote a bit about them. I’ll show a few below!

 

 

 

 

 

Something I Loved About This Project 

I really enjoyed that while we were in the learning experience of this project we hardly ever just read a website and were expected to remember everything. Instead, we were given fun templates or ways to remember what we’d learned. Like how we learned about the technology!   This also applies when we learned about the exploration and the causes and consequences of it.

 

 

  

Collaboration and Getting Feedback

This is something I’v done many times throughout school, not just in PLP and it’s a great way to improve your work! A few times in the project the class would get into groups and do “two stars and a wish” with whatever we were working on at that point.

What is Two Stars and a Wish?

Two stars and a wish is when you give two positive comments and one comment on what you could improve on. For example if I made a drawing my friend would say two nice things and one way I could improve.

 

 

 

 

My Final Story Draft+How it Went

Here is my final story draft, but it was no easy process. I believe I revised it three times!  Every time it was critiqued I got one step closer and had my friends and peers to help out along the way. These critiques were very helpful though, because every time I changed it, not only did it get better but I understood and learnt more about the project!

 

 

 

 

Answering The Driving Question

 

The Driving Question:

The driving question for this project is, “how can we use storytelling to investigate what sparked global exploration and understand its impact.

Storytelling is an amazing tool to investigate what sparked global exploration and understand its impact. To do this I used firsthand narratives, (in this case not a First Nation narrative because of cultural insensitivity) and even fictional stories set in that time period to get a deeper understanding. By analyzing the motivations, challenges, and outcomes of explorers, I could paint a vivid picture of how global exploration shaped the world. 

The One and Only AR Video!!!

 

Here is the video of my AR story. I really liked how it turned out, and considering that this is pretty much my first time doing something like this, I think I did well! 

AR Video: 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion 

Truth be known, I had lots of fun with this project! I learned so much and I got to incorporate my artistic side while doing so many drawings!  Even though there were some bumps as I progressed in the project everything turned out great. I hope to do similar things in the future! (Im sure I will)

by

D.I Regionals Reflection

No comments yet

Categories: Maker, Tags: , ,

DI Regionals Reflection

 

Intro

To start this off, I would first like to say that I won’t divulge certain aspects of new modifications or ideas my group will have in the provincial round at the start of April. We don’t want to give anything away to our competitors!

 

What Went Well

Below I’ll list my top four favourite successes in our presentation.

The Comedy

Out of everything, the comedy was probably one of my favourite aspects of our overall performance. We would always have the audience laughing and engaged or interested in what would happen next. I’ve posted the full video to my YouTube channel so I’ll put the link to that below!

 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O35sXmUaw7U

Teamwork, Communication and Collaboration 

My team worked well throughout the process of creation and completion. Everyone helped and did their part as well as listening to others ideas. At no point was anyone left unheard or their ideas pushed aside. At one point or another, we all gave a good idea and contributed to the final solutions.    

  

 

 

 

Props 

Probably the biggest and most impressive prop we worked the hardest on was the leaning Tower of Pisa. This was what our whole presentation was about so it did have to be pretty good. When the group made the 5 foot tower of awesomeness and radicalness, (that doesn’t sound grammatically correct, but just go with the flow) it also came back to the group work, as we all contributed and helped out with the tower. Thou was burnt by a ferocious glue gun in the process, but this did not deter me from creating a jaw dropping piece of art.   

  

 

 

 

 

Being Prepared 

As the tournament started to come closer, we definitely picked up the pace, practising every day we could and even working on it in our own time, for example long weekends and Saturday and Sunday. Everything paid off though, because once the presentation day finally came, we had it 100% down. Seeing how stressed other groups were, made us realize how ready we actually ended up being. I feel it showed in our overall performance and the fact that we WON SECOND PLACE! 

 

 

What I’d Like to Improve On 

Now, there isn’t a whole lot I can say here, however, I can give you the gist of things. The things I would like to improve on are a redesign of our TV prop and making sure we have a total success rate of the flow of some parts in our presentation. If we put our minds together I’m sure we can work something out!

 

 

 

 

How I Contributed and What I Learned in The Process

While we were great as a group, we each had specific things we excelled at. For example, my two biggest contributions I made for the group were prop making since I was the most artistic, and creating the scripts.This isn’t to say that I did these 100% on my own but I was a leader in these categories. Although, the one thing that I contributed 99% to was my leadership skills. I was the one to create schedules, and to-do lists for each member as well as get the group back on track when needed. I never sought out to be the “leader” if you would call it that, but it just happened. Overall I feel the leadership role was, and usually is, a natural fit for me.

 

 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, I think that this tournament was a great overall success and I am excited to see how the assessors rate us in provincials. Stay tuned for an update!  

 

Shout Outs 

For my shout outs, I would like to thank my team, of course, Daniel, Gemma, Madeline and Emilia. I will add links to their blogs if you want to check them out!

 

Links:  

Gemma:  http://www.blog44.ca/Gemmak/

Madeline:  http://www.blog44.ca/madelinej/

Emilia:  http://www.blog44.ca/Emiliaw/

Marcus:  http://www.blog44.ca/marcusr/

Danny:  http://www.blog44.ca/danielj/

by

Mind Over Matter!

No comments yet

Categories: Science, Tags: , , ,

Mind Over Matter

 

Intro

For this blog post I’ll be talking about my most recent science project, “Mind Over Matter.” I’ll be going into depth on how I built and learned how to make my video game about atoms, as well as some of the challenges I faced making it. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get started!

 

About the Scratch Website 

To make this video game we used this app called Scratch. The fun thing about Scratch is that you can learn and make so many new and different things! Scratch is a free website that anyone can access. Another interesting fact about this game is that people all around the world can publicly post games they’ve made and you can try them out! 

 

 

 

 

 

My First Impression 

If I’m being completely honest when I first tried out Scratch, I didn’t like it one bit! It was glitchy, confusing and a completely new experience. There were so many options and codes to make a video game, it was pretty overwhelming. I found ways to overcome this though! 

 

Learning About Scratch  

Learning about Scratch was a bit of a process, but once I got the hang of it, everything became so much easier. Since there were so many things you could make on Scratch, they couldn’t possibly create a tutorial for everything, now could they? So I had to resort to YouTube! (It is very helpful, you should try it sometime.) YouTube wasn’t my ONLY helpful source though, I could always rely on my friends, classmates and teachers, too!  

 

 

Project Criteria

Now, for this project, yes, there was obviously a criteria but it was pretty wide ranged. What I mean is that we needed to make a video game that showed our knowledge of atoms but we  could choose what we wanted to do from there! For example, a friend of mine made a game where your goal was to catch an atom. Throughout their video game, my friend demonstrated their knowledge about atoms and a few other science related topics that surrounded this project.

 

 

 

My Video Game Proposal + What My Video Game is About 

My Video Game Proposal

Below is the criteria for making MY video game proposal

 

 

Here is the proposal I submitted for my video game. (note that SOME things in this proposal may have changed since I made the proposal a while before I finished my video game)

 

 

 

My Video Game

 My game is called “Atoms Trivia” which is pretty self explanatory so you may have already guessed what it’s about.  

 

 

 

 

This single player game starts off with a character introducing the rules. In my game, you’re asked 10  yes or no questions, all relating to atoms.  

If you’re interested, this is your “teacher” in my video game. 

 

 

 

 

 

Your goal is to get as many points as possible by the time you’ve reached the end of the game. I tried to incorporate some humour into this game, so if you do play it and get some answers wrong, don’t be offended by the teacher’s negative responses. Something to note is that some of the questions you’re given are very easy, while others are a bit tricky.  Overall, this game is a great way to test your knowledge about atoms, and if you don’t do well the first time, you’re always able to try again!

 

 

How I Answered The Driving Question 

There were many ways I showed my knowledge of an atoms in my video game. For example, Since it was a trivia game, I demonstrated my understanding of atoms by having the correct responses when the player answered “yes” or “no.” In addition to this some of my questions were quite in depth and specific, which showed I knew what I was talking  about.  

 

How I Showcased My Creativity In My Scratch Game!

 I showcased my creativity in my video game in a few ways. For example, I would say I had a creative video game idea (my trivia) and I really enjoyed the answers I coded into the teacher. For example, when you got a question right sometimes she would say “awesome sauce” or “splendid”, which I found pretty funny!  

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, even though at first Scratch was challenging to learn, I used the resources available to help me along the way! My hard work paid off though because I am very happy with my video game result! If you would like to check out my game, I’ll put the link below.

Link:https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/970985741/

 

by

My Radical Poems

No comments yet

Categories: Humanities, Uncategorized, Tags: , , ,

My Radical Poems

 

 

My Radical Poems

 

The driving Question

The driving question for this project is “how might I write poetry that I enjoy and show who I am?” The book above is all of the poems I learned how to put together!  

Before I continue, I’ll show some of the criteria for the “e-book” so you have a bit of an understanding about it.

 

 

Intro

Throughout the past few days we learned how to do many poems, some of which I had never even heard of! Although we did have a few setbacks, like the snow days (I’ll talk about that later) we did as much as we could in the time we had. Keep in mind, poetry was never something I liked to do in the past, it was always something that I would dread doing in school. So I wasn’t very ecstatic about this unit, although you may see my opinion change through the poems I did. I have found it interesting to read sometimes but it was never something I wanted to do myself. 

Sometimes you are expected to find so much more within the poem instead of just reading it for enjoyment. 

 

 

Throughout the many poems styles we created, there were some I liked and others that I wouldn’t want to do again. For example I really enjoyed the “found” poem. It was fun just being able to pick up a random book and make a poem out of it. 

My Favourite Poem

 I selected this book from the LAC room, not really knowing what I was looking for or how it was going to end up. If I had chosen a book from home, I would have flipped to my favorite page, and it would have been good BUT I wouldn’t have put much thought into it. By choosing a book I had never seen, the outcome of possibilities was endless. I had no pre-mindset of what I wanted. The end result was a poem that I’m quite proud of, as it has a lot of meaning, mood and emotions. This poem shows a lot of who I am because it feels like the things I enjoy and is relatable. 

Found Poem

The Ocean Breeze

Stood quite still, listening

The lights glowed

The books were neat and orderly in their cases

The bay stretched dark and silent

It was late September, the night was breathless

Summers dead hand still lay heavy on the land

The tiny spark hissed and went out

In the dark, the moon alone at night

The loneliness, starlight

The other poem I really liked making was the imagery poem. This is probably because I’m a very visual person and I like to paint a picture in my head of how the words turn into a story. 

For example when I was writing about my fish tanks, I felt like I could really picture them as I was writing. There’s DEFINITELY a mood to it. It’s a very bubbly and light hearted poem in my opinion.

Imagery Poem

In a glass oasis, fish dance and shimmer,

Plants sway, creating a watery glimmer.

Bubbling streams, rocks and caves to explore,

A hidden world, a serene place to adore.

 

The Poem I Didn’t Like so Much

Haikus

Although it is an unpopular opinion, I’m not fond of haikus one bit. What could be easier than writing three lines about nature?? However, I find it irritating when I get a good idea, write it down and it’s not the right amount of syllables. It’s just annoying… not much else to say. 

How May I Write Poetry That I Enjoy and shows who I am?

For me personally, I write poetry better when there are less rules, for example a free verse poem. With a free verse poem you can say just the right words without having to worry about if there are the right syllables or a rhyme scheme and what not. I like poems that are more personal and don’t just say exactly what they mean. That way it reaches the right audience. The poetry I enjoy is creative and about the things I can relate to. 

When I go to write poems the mood and the tone are probably the most important piece of it. How I’m feeling in that moment definitely impacts how the poem ends up and what audience it’s going to reach. I’d say it’s probably one of the biggest pieces of the poem. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, even though I still don’t ADORE poetry, I do feel my perspective on it has changed. I’ve gained a greater understanding of what it really means to be a poet and that there are so many different poetry styles out there. I believe this project was a good learning experience for me.

1 2
Skip to toolbar