Ideas From The Radical Renaissance

Hello, and welcome to another blog post! In our latest project we worked learned about how ideas from Europe and Asia changed the world during the Renaissance. I learned how to use different photo apps to edit our images. We were working on creating triptychs, a popular form of storytelling at the time. In these triptychs, we had to include the new innovations that were popular during the renaissance (left), what they have evolved into during the modern era (middle), and the original ideas that were common before the Renaissance (right)

We started by creating drafts of our triptych, which were just sketches. These were meant to show the evolution of the ideas from the Renaissance, and answer the driving question. Below is a slideshow showing the evolution of my drafts.

Here is my finished triptych, and below is my explanation of my triptych.

Thesis: The innovations from Europe and Asia have had a much bigger impact on the world than just adding new gadgets to our arsenal of new tools by changing the social structure of the world and paving the way for even more new ideas.

During the renaissance, many new innovations and ideas were introduced to the world. These ideas changed the world and allowed us to be the society that we are today. However, there was a lot of trial and error in these inventions, and many of them were discredited at the time. In this historical explanation I will discuss the way that innovations from Europe and Asia changed the world.

New ideas in the Renaissance changed the Renaissance world by introducing new ways to create music, new ways of keeping time, and new theories about outer space. The Renaissance, which took place from the 14th to the 17th century, was a time when a lot of new ideas were introduced to the world from Europe and Asia, which have evolved into the gadgets and theories that we know today. These were incredibly important because without them, I wouldn’t be able to tell what time it was right now, and I would be late for school. We might not have a music program at our school, and the songs that I so often take for granted might not even exist if it wasn’t for the renaissance. If we still believed that the sun and the moon revolved around the earth, then we wouldn’t be able to explore space or understanding anything about what is happening outside of earth. To conclude, these original ideas are what drove the world to change, and are the reason that it was called the renaissance (renaissance translates to rebirth in English).

The origin of the innovations from the rennaisance sprang from the original ideas that were used before the renaissance, such as the idea that all of the planets orbited around the earth, the sundial, or even the basic instruments that were made by hand. Many new innovations may have started off as just ideas, but eventually grew into things that we use today. When a polish astronomer by the name of Nicolaus Copernicus first introduced the concept of how the sun was at the centre of the solar system, he was widely mocked, but this is an idea that is common knowledge now. Before the renaissance, there was no reason to measure exact hours, as the sun rising and setting could mark the days, and its position in the sky marked a more specific time. Even though instruments and music were a huge part of almost every culture before the renaissance, live performances became incredibly popular at that time, and still are today. To summarize, simple ideas that might not seem like much can become so much more if they are allowed to be tested.

The ideas from the Renaissance gave us a lot of inventions that we use today, such as the theory about the planets, which has evolved into the theory that we have today about the solar system, or how we now have digital clocks on basically everything, or even modern instruments like pianos and guitars. Today I can go onto my phone and see the exact time, anywhere. I can go onto the internet and look at different diagrams of the solar system. I can even go to a store and buy any kind of instrument that I want, if I have enough money. I can do all of these things because of the ideas from the renaissance, which evolved into the innovations that we have today.

To conclude, the evolution of these ideas is why we are able to do all of the things that we can do today. We only have these inventions because of the renaissance, which is why it is such an important time in history.

The Amazing Artbook!

Hello and thank you for coming to my blog! Today I have crated an artbook to show all of the new skills that I have gained in sketches pro! Below is my artbook, which I made through book creator.

I hope that you have learned something new things about sketches pro, and that you have learned a little bit about our PLP projects. Thank you for reading my book, and have a great day!

Winter Exhibition: Pandora’s box

Hello, and welcome to my blog post about the PLP winter exhibition! In this project we extracted themes from the movie Avatar, which were then turned into projects that we presented to the Seycove community. Alright, lets dive in!

When we first began our project, we were tasked with watching the movie Avatar, and were told to pay close attention to the theme of the movie. This was difficult because of how long and complicated the movie is, but in the end, we all decided on our themes. 

Next, we brainstormed ways that we could incorporate our themes, and the driving question (which was what does James Cameron’s fantasy world of Avatar teach us about our own world), into a project that could be presented at our Winter Exhibition. 

The theme that I chose to portray in my project was the disrespect of the culture and beliefs of the Na’vi. My original design included a box with one of their sacred trees on top of it growing down into the inside of the box, symbolizing how important it was to the Na’vi, and how the humans just took a huge bulldozer and killed it in the movie. I found it difficult to explain my work when I was asked about it, because it didn’t clearly show what I wanted it to. But after a lot of time spent creating, and a lot of mental preparation, was finally ready to present at the exhibition.

                                 

The winter exhibition is a time when all of the learners in the PLP program get to showcase what they have learned throughout the past semester to other students, parents, and community members. We all had to bring out own supplies and decorate the rooms ourselves. It was incredibly stressful and difficult, but in the end, it was worth it for the final result. I had to do a lot of explaining, and after a full day of school it was a lot, but it was still a lot of fun to do with my friends!

After the exhibition, we had to clean the school so that classes could continue normally the next day. The next day went about as normal, which was a relief. However, on the last day of school, we got to do something really fun. It had been over a decade since the first Avatar movie was released, and the second movie was finally coming out! We all got to watch it together which was really fun, and our semester ended on a happy note! Thank you so much for reading, and have a great day!

Making Interesting Images.

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog post about the Making Interesting Images project! For this project, we learned how to take different types of photos from different angles. I really loved the way that we were allowed to take photos of whatever we wanted to, which allowed for a lot of customization. 

The point of this project was to let us play around with our camera app and photo editing, and also to make us better photographers. Our task was to create still images that could tell a story, and really immerse the viewer into the photo. We had the opportunity to take portraits, landscapes, and even just pictures of everyday objects. The difference was the angles. We took everyday things and got to turn them into interesting images, which was then assignment.

The three skills that I learned that I found the most useful were probably learning how to use photoshop, where to place your subject on your screen, and how to create emotions through taking meaningful photos. I think that photoshop is an incredibly useful tool when it comes to PLP, because it really lets us work on our projects to the fullest degree. Learning how to be a good photographer is important because taking pictures is something that everyone does, no matter the reason. Learning how to take affective pictures is not just a skill for school, it’s a life skill.  Learning how to show emotions through your work is something that is very valuable, as it lets the audience connect with your creations.

Finally, I would like to talk about how the project really played out. We mostly spent the whole time trying to figure out what to take pictures of, and how to adjust our camera settings. In the end, it was a fun project that we all got to spend doing with our friends. Thank you for reading, and have a great day!

Reflection: A Nerd At Heart

Hello everyone and welcome back to another blog post! In this post, I will touch on some of the things that I enjoyed throughout this project. Alright, let’s dive in!

I personally had a lot of fun with the blogging process and was super excited about the topic that I had chosen, which was the Umbrella Academy, my favourite TV show. I think that I really connected with this project, which allowed me to do a better job.

Writing something of this nature was totally new for me, but I have no regrets! I love talking about all of the nerdy things that I love, but I usually have no one to talk to them about. But now, you can listen to me! It totally changed the way that I wrote because I was talking about something that I was really passionate about.

I learned some things about myself through this project. For one, I am a total nerd. It’s true. I love gaming and watching TV, and get way too into both. But you know what? That’s OK! I’m still happy with this project.

The hardest part for me must have been finding a topic. I like a lot of things, so it was hard to decide, but in the end, I was able to choose a topic with no regrets. It turns out that I chose right. The easiest part for was likely the writing part. Once I sat down, I was prepared to totally geek out because that’s the kind of person that I am. And you know what? I’m fine with that.

Finally, I think that I am going to keep posting about my nerdy interests on this blog. Why, you ask? Well, that’s simple: You’re the only ones who will listen. Well, thank you for reading, and have a great day!

A Show For Nerds (And The Socially Elite)

For this project, I have chosen the Umbrella Academy. It’s a tv show based on a comic book series. It’s a comedy/action adventure about a group of thirty year old siblings who are burdened with the ultimate task: Find out how to save the world in ten days. 

Number five, the eldest sibling, has the ability to travel through space. When he was still in training, he decided that he was going to do the impossible: travel through time. However, despite achieving his goal, he got stuck in a post apocalyptic future for decades, left with only the knowledge of the date that the world met it’s end.

The story is set in 2019, in which the rest of the Umbrella Academy are living their lives as usual, despite the sudden death of their father, Reginald Hargreeves. Number five disappeared when they were kids, so they have stopped worrying about him, and have accepted that he has been lost in time, never to return. But when he suddenly appears, seventeen years after he went missing, they understand that something is coming. They must band together, despite their differences, and find out what causes the apocalypse, or everyone they know and love will die.

Now that I’ve finished with the plot summary, I’d like to talk about why I like the Umbrella Academy. It’s incredibly funny and does an amazing job of showing what’s going through the main character’s heads at any given moment. It shows how their powers interfere with their daily lives, and what paths they have gone down after their time at the academy. I love how the plot twists and turns and keeps you asking questions, and is the most engaging show that i’ve ever watched. 

There are three seasons out right now, and I won’t mention the second or third seasons, mainly because I don’t want to confuse you too much (I also like to add that the third season is terrible and can disappear for good). The first season of the show was released in 2019, which is a very important landmark throughout the show, as they are constantly trying to find a way back to their original timeline. 

People often ask if it’s really as good as people say it is, and I would definately say yes on that one. Here are some questions that I will answer for you:

-Is it really worth it to watch this TV show? 

Yes. It’s unlike any other show that exists, and is absolutely one of a kind. It’s funny, clever, and a little dark at some times, but never stops being amazing.

-Isn’t it a little bit dark? Is it really age apropriate?

It can be dark, but it’s meant in a funny way. You have to be ready for a little bit of content, but in the end, it’s all worth it.

To summarize, I am a total geek who loves to watch TV. However, I have no issue with this, as my self esteem is practically non-existant. Thank you for reading, and have a great day!

My learning portfolio post

Hello everyone! My name is Monica and I am a PLP learner! PLP stands for performance learning program, and is a special  program designed to give us the best learning experience that we can have! But now for the big question: Who am I as a PLP learner?

I am a very positive person, and I like to put all my effort into my work, whether it’s in a classroom, playing sports, or even doing chores! I don’t really enjoy talking about myself, as I am not really ever sure what to say, but I’ll do my best!

Before I tell you who I am as a PLP learner, I should tell you who I am as a person first! I love to play sports (as previously mentioned), go for walks, play with my dog, and do a number of other activities that I will spare you, for your sake. Still, I am very passionate about the things that I enjoy doing, and am very excited about PLP!

Now, to reflect on some of the projects that I have done previously. Some projects that we have done so far include the Big Life Journal, our User Manuals, and our laptop Memojis. Our Big Life Journal is a project that really lets us express what our hopes, dreams, passions, ambitions and plans for the future are. It is a very customizable project that I really enjoyed, and spent a lot of time working on. Some things that I really enjoyed from this project was the dream board, which let you showcase what you are passionate about, and what you want to accomplish! Another one that I would like to mention would definitely be the bucket list, which, if I’m going to be honest with you, was amazing. It let me put down whatever I wanted, and it really let me be myself and include a bunch of humour (another thing you should know about non-PLP me: I think that I’m funny)

Our user manuals were a project in which we wrote user manuals for ourselves, as if we were a piece of machinery. We began by talking about what we liked, what functions we came with, and some things we did not respond well to. We also included Settings, which was definitely my favourite part of the project. We got to talk about what different settings we included, and really got the chance to personalize them however we wanted. And finally, we wrapped it up with some things that we really enjoy. I said many times that I love to have interesting conversations, and it’s true. Again, I really loved the personalization that comes with doing this kind of project, and I think that it’s very important to do this kind of project in school.

And finally, our Laptop Memojis. Even though the Big Life Journal was definitely my favourite project, this one came as a close second. The Laptop Memoji project was something where we could create our own emoji and personalize it to look like us, and then use the laptop emoji to create our own personalized computers!  We got to add stickers using a number of different techniques, including grabbing pictures from the internet! It was really fun because we could put whatever we wanted on our laptops, as long as it represented us! I put some of my favourite things on it, which included a book, a character from one of my favourite tv shows, and a picture I took. Overall, it was a super fun project and I loved the part about letting us add whatever we wanted to (if it was school appropriate). 

Before I wrap this up, I would like to talk a little bit more about what PLP means. To be a PLP learner means to that we get to experience things that you wouldn’t get from a typical education, and to work on things that have real world connections. It’s a great way to learn about having a growth mindset and being ready to do anything. We get to do things that will actually help us when we graduate, as apposed to the typical school experience. Overall, I think that it’s a great approach to learning, and I am very excited to grow as a person and a learner through this wonderful program!

Looking back on all my projects, I think that my journey as a PLP learner is off to a great start! Even though I don’t really have a perfect idea of what kind of a student I am now, I know that through enough experience, I will be able to look back on this and know exactly what kind of learner I am! I am really looking forward to what projects are to come, and how I am one day going to look back on this blog post and laugh. Well, that’s all for now. Thank you for visiting my blog!