Each year, PLP student take one to two extended field studies to enhance there learning. This year in PLP 8 we traveled to the Oregon coast, to learn and research advertising, and marine life.  For us the grade eights it was our final lesson on the advertisement unit we had previously started. When we first started the unit we focused on critique, and revision. Later in the lesson we focused on what makes a good advertisement. Our job on the Oregon field study was to make three advertisements, a advocacy ad on tsunamis, a business ad on a local business, and a tourist ad. The hardest out of the three was the business ad because we not only had to interview the people working there but also had to document the whole outing. For the other two ads it was easier because all you needed to do was take artsy photos of the areas and come up with catchy headings. These ads took a surprising amount of revision, because on the trip you were always homing up with new ideas or inspiration. Unfortunately we never got to completely finish and hand in the ads because once we came back we realized we didn’t have enough time to complete the project. Next time I think I would work evenly trough out the week so I didn’t feel so clustered when we came back. Even though we were not able to finish I still hade a fun time doing the unit. 

The Oregon field study itself was very interesting and exiting. Every day we would be doing something unique and new, that would inspire our learning.  Some examples are the Fort Stevens State Park Historic Area Ranger Tour, the Columbia River Maritime Museum and the Hatfield Marine Science Centre. Over the course of that week I felt like I learned almost as much as I had in the last month. One of the most obvious reasons is that I am a hands on learner and most of the activities we very interactive. One of the most hands on experience I had was when we were learning about different sea life and I was able to at the same time have two fingers touching the same specimen I was hearing about. One other key aspect of the Oregon field study was history. Most of our stops were based around the history of the Oregon, and Washington areas like Astoria, New Port, and Dash Point. One historic monument we went to was the Astoria Column. This beast of a tower is one hundred and twenty five feet high, and sits six hundred feet above sea level. It is also a key tourist destination and over four hundred thousand people visit it each year. One amazing opportunity we all had on the trip was going to the Hatfield Marine Science Centre. We not only were able to become citizens scientists for a day but also were able to learn from some of the best. We got a chance to learn relevant information about parasites and scientific research. The amount of inspiration and, learning from only this aspect of of the field study is tremendous.

Another ongoing project we had to do in Oregon was the Oregon iBook. This iBook was not only made up of our adventures but also different things we learned each day. We first started the I book on an app called Book Creator. The app let us download a outline of our Oregon book which was fully customizable. From then on every day we would add photos reflections and even a few audio notes. The best part about the iBook was that everyones was different so you could tack inspiration from other peoples work. Even though I enjoyed the project I would definitely do some things differently next time. The first thing would be time management, multiple times during the trip I felt like I had a work load of iBook on my lap were other times I felt like I had nothing. A way to fix this would be to make a time every day that I know is free to work on the iBook. Another major problem I had with doing the iBook was that some times I didn’t have the right pictures or videos to complete the page. Eventually I realized that I could ask others for the image from a friend that had the photo and they would air drop it back to me. On of the advantages of doing PLP is learning hands on in real situations. These field studies help me learn and also like learning at the same time. Even though this has been my fist field study I think that I have seen it all, but I know I haven’t. In the years to come I know I will have many experiences like these, though none with the spirit and the excitement, I cant wait for the next one.