My first and last DI just finished, let me tell you all about it!
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For those new to PLP (performance learning program) blogs, we, PLP 8 to 10 has the yearly tradition of participating in Destination Imagination otherwise known as DI. DI is an interschool event in which we work together in groups to complete a certain challenge based around our topic. Incidentally, I was part of the technical challenge and I got the honor of working with Dries, Randy, Erin, Nate, Elliot and Ryder (Click on their names to access their blogs).
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But what exactly did we do for this years technical challenge?
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In summary, our goal was to create two “daring devices” that overcome 3 “hazards”. Ultimately we would have to perform a skit no longer than 8 minutes to special DI adjudicators that showcase these “deliverables” (items we present) and participate in a instant challenge.
Now you know our challenge requirements, lets talk about how our group solved it.
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First off, we had one difference between other standard groups, our group was BIG. This meant that the workload could be split resulting in less work individually but this also meant more opinions to take into account during the planning phase. In the beginning, we were very indecisive due to the fact that it was very to find a topic we could work around and all approve of. Ultimately, it took multiple weeks to agree on a topic and our next step was to draft and create.
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We decided to make our interpretation on the challenge as a game show. We would have contestants be randomly assigned “devices” to cross an obstacle course with various “hazards” to block their path. Due to the recent popularity of the international sensation “squid game”, our team name and game show was named “lobster game”.
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For our two daring devices, we thought it would be hard to transport an electric powered item across a course so we made two mechanically powered devices. Our devices were a trebuchet and a ballista, two medieval siege weapons and we had a barrier, uneven terrain and a tunnel as “hazards” to obstruct the contestants.
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Besides the main deliverables, we also two team choice elements, a part of our performance that showcases a skill or talent. For our first team choice element, I wrote music to go over the show and for our second, a choreographed danced made by Erin to go along with my music.
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After the creation process, we began rehearsing and then came the day of performance. We had also designed our set to be transportable as we would be preforming in a far away school (St George) and after set up, we began our show! Here is our final video:
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What I have learned:
DI taught me various skills from collaboration to problem solving to thinking. I think one main take away was the idea of having a big group. In general, people assume having more people is better and easier but as the number of more people increase, the more opinions have to be taken into account and the more resources we have to use. In the end, it was a fun experience that I will always remember but as I am in grade 10, this was my last chance to participate.
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Ultimately, I hope to continue learning like I did in DI and see you in another post!