Introduction:

This post serves as an opportunity for me to reflect on my learning in the Teach a Teacher project. In this project, we had to create a step by step guide that taught our teacher how to implement media (things like slideshows and calendars), into his blog post. I chose to create a section on analytics because it would be a helpful way to provide insight or statistics that were relevant to his blog. This project taught me how build on failures, how to take feedback, and how I can take charge of my own learning.

Why is this project relevant to me?

Richard P. Feynman once said that if you wanted to master something, you should teach it. Many teachers, coaches, and even my parents have also said: “one of the best ways you can get better at something, is by teaching it.” And it’s completely true! I have coached youth soccer and my understanding of the game improved. I have taught my sibling concepts in math, and I understood it better. By teaching something that you aren’t necessarily an expert on, it will flip the way you think about it and will provide a whole new perspective. This perspective where you are the teacher allows you to explain the learning rather than taking it in. And in my opinion, I understand things better when it’s in my own words. By teaching my teacher about how to add analytics, I got better at navigating my blog and I even would say it was somewhat enjoyable.

Feedback from Conference:

“Really liked the approach you took here. The portfolio post to demonstrate your learning was a smart choice! The analytics addition was intuitive, however as mentioned would benefit from a ‘clean up.’ The step-by-step process was a little long and could be adjusted to communicate more effectively.”

Conferencing with a educator is a textbook way to learn, develop, and improve your final product. There was some flaws with my analytic installation process but there was also some upsides and approaches I took that others failed to do. The feedback I received was both helpful and straightforward. I knew exactly what steps I needed to take in order to clean up my post. The first thing being to add a slideshow instead all the separate step by step photos. This would make it easier for the viewer to follow. The slideshow which is shown in my Teach a Teacher Post provides insight on what steps to follow when adding analytics to your blog post. Although I struggled with actually finding a way to install interactive analytics, I still found a way to add them but at the cost of higher maintenance. Meaning, I would need to manually update them every week as the statistics would change. 

Although my final product seemed unfinished, I still had some positives that I can look back on. I was the first one to introduce my Teach a Teacher project as a blog post. This is a testament to my Vision Mission Values that I speak about so much. In my VMV, I said that I wanted to take ownership in my learning and holding myself accountable, regardless of what my peers are doing. Another postive is my ability to stay motivated dispite failing. I spent hours of my time trying to figure out how to insert analytics to my blog to no avail. Still, I stayed focused and came up with a final solution that isn’t perfect. But I rest assured knowing that I put in my best effort.

How does my new final product relate to the driving question?

The driving question for the Teach a Teacher project was: “How can I enchance the storytelling present in my learning portfolio?” I could seriously answer this question with one word, and that word would be media. More specifically, digital media. Videos, links, slideshows, and audio is what elevates a good blog post to a great blog post. People don’t just want to see a block of text. They want content that is interactive and informative. If used correctly, digital media can communicate ideas and make the concepts that you highlight in your storytelling, more engaging.

How I managed to fail, and then fix my blog using feedback:

Failing isn’t easy, but once someone tells you what you did wrong, it becomes easier to fix and learn from. In this case, I turned a mediocre step-by-step guide into a simpler and more engaging slideshow that provides comprehensive information on how to follow the steps.

Before:

After:

What is the purpose of analytics? 

Analytics are intended to give insight on a certain topic by using graphs, information, and data to convey certain results. Analytics can be used to provide  intuition about an issue if the author wants to prove a point or provide some context. 

How can analytics strengthen a blog post? 

An example where it would be useful in a blog post is if I wanted to make a connection between a statistic today and many years ago. It can give my readers more context about what I’m talking about. It can also show where my viewers are from, what articles they read the most and more information that keeps my audience engaged with what is going on with my blog post. Analytics make blog posts look more professional and by relating them to the content I already provide, can elevate the posts to an extending level that looks polished. 

Step By Step Guide:

Introduction:

For our third video we couldn’t choose our groups which would mean that I would have to work with new people which is good and bad at the same time. Luckily I got people that I can get along with and we started to plan our video right away. We wanted something that is effective and gets the “sharpening the saw” message across but we also wanted it to be engaging and funny. 

“Part 4- Renewal” and “Sharpening the Saw”:

Renewal is all about me time and that it’s good to take a break once in a while so you don’t tire yourself out. I agree with this because it’s all about balance and you can’t succeed if you don’t take breaks. You also have to take care of yourself in the four main areas: mentally, physically, spiritually, and your heart.  

Video planning:

We decided to focus on the different aspects of taking care of yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually. We did different things for each of them. For example, we filmed us working out at the gym for the physical training part and meditation for the spiritually part. We took time out of school to film and edit to make sure it was the best it could be. We made sure to emphasize the importance of “me time” and the balance in between working hard and relaxation. 

Filming the video:

We had to work together and all do our part if we wanted to do a good job of this video. Luckily we were able to do so. We made a few mistakes when filming, like in landscape by accident which meant that we would have to re-film those clips.

Our video:

Reflecting on Habits 1-7:

What I learnt from each habit:

Habit 1: It can help you get along with your parents, Overcome addictions and self-destructive habits, Define your values and what matters most to you, Get more done in less time, Increase your self confidence and help you to make smarter decisions.

Habit 2: Being pro active can lead you to get more things done, be more efficient with your time, and overtime you can accomplish more.

Habit 3: Putting first things first will lead you to be a active member of society because you are able to focus on what matters and get more things done faster than anyone else.

Habit 4: I learnt how to collaborate with others better and this is because now that I realize that helping others doesn’t just benefit them, but it can also benefit me.

Habit 5: speaking first to understand then being understood taught me how to listen to other people and see things from their perspective. 

Habit 6: I learnt that synergizing is important because if you do it right, I can make hard tasks way easier and quicker to do. 

Habit 7: Sharpening the saw is important because you have to take time off to reflect and relax because if you don’t, it will lead you to burn-out and get tired.

Conclusion:

In conclusion I think that sharpening the saw is one of the most important out of the 7 habits because it’s important to take breaks every once in a while so you can take a step back and regain your energy. It was interesting making the video because we tried to include many different interpretations of what sharpening the saw meant.

Thank you for reading my blog post!

Introduction:

Welcome to my first post about Sean Covey’s seven habits! In this blog post I will talk about habit 4, 5, and 6. After that, there is a video that I made with my group that display examples of each of them with explanations. Have fun reading!

explaining the habits:

Habit 4:

Win-win. It means that everybody can do well and succeed if they both collaborate with each other. If they both help each other and do favours for each other then they’ll be stronger and succeed. Our video example: Sven is helping sawyer with his math homework. This is an example of win-win because Sven understands the concept better by explaining it and sawyer learns how to do his math

Habit 5:

Seeking first to understand then being understood. This means you have to actively listen to what someone else is saying and then trying to see it from another persons perspective. Our video example: Sawyer is explaining an idea to Sven. At first he disagrees then he understands. This is an example of seeking first to understand then being understood because he is listening actively then he expresses his own opinions.

Habit 6:

Synergize. Synergizing means to complete a task with more than two people that makes the end result better than it would’ve been with only one person. Our video example: Oliver tries to lift a bench but can’t so he asks Sam to come help out. This is an example of “synergize” because they complete a task using teamwork that they couldn’t have done by themselves. 

our video:

CONCLUSION:

What I learnt from each habit:

Habit 4: I learnt how to collaborate with others better and this is because now that I realize that helping others doesn’t just benefit them, but it can also benefit me.

Habit 5: speaking first to understand then being understood taught me how to listen to other people and see things from their perspective. 

Habit 6: I learnt that synergizing is important because if you do it right, I can make hard tasks way easier and quicker to do. 

Thank you for reading my blog post!

Driving question:

“How might I tell a story about who I am and where I’m going?”

My answer to the driving question is I can tell a story by making a video that shows my goals in relation to my hobbies. For example: I like playing soccer so my goal would be to make BCSPL. My goals also have to be S.M.A.R.T goals and they have to be timely and specific in order for them to tell a story about where I might be going.

The Book

The book was called “What do you really want” and it was about how to set a goal and how to go for it. I first saw this book and thought “how is a book going to help me set goals and do the things that I’ve always wanted to do?” But the advice and steps that I did in the book turned me into a goalgetter.

Managing Myself Video

The first assignment that we had, was a video on how we use apps like Things and our Calendar to help us stay organized. I talked about what strategies I use and what the result of these good habits are. I was more organized, better focused, and I was able to focus and get my goals without any distractions getting in the way.

Goal tracker

We had to create either a notebook or a craft document where we would track our goals and our activities. So what was my goal? It was to make BCSPL and improve my confidence on the pitch by the time I play U17. I made sure it was attainable and timely and it was something that was meaningful to me.

The steps I can take to accomplish this goal:

• • Practice touch on the ball and shot everyday I don’t have practice
  • Get 8 hours of sleep each night
  • Eat healthy 
  • Limit screen time and other distractions 
  • Go to the gym for strength training and go on runs

What help do I need to reach my goal?

Motivation from my coaches, and parents will definitely help. But the main thing that is driving me closer to my goals is myself. Encouragement is always helpful and will drive me to complete my goal. My parents have always supported me with my goals and have fed me healthy food, drove me to practice, encouraged me to do better and to stick with my goals, helped me with practicing and so much more.

Three people who will help me reach my goals:

My dad and mom will obviously be two of my biggest helpers. They know who I am more than anyone else and they know my limits. The third person who will help me reach my goals is Sven, who I practice with many times a week and we push each other to our limits to reach our goals.

Who is my role model or mentor?

I have three role models, my mom and my dad are my first two. I have always looked up to them since the day I was born and I always will. They have always been watching over me and they have had some incredible accomplishments and I thrive to live a life like they have. My third role model is Zinadine Zidane. He is one of the greatest players to ever play football and I try to replicate his playing style.

My Rewards:

Because of my hard work I have noticed that I am quicker on the ball, I have a more powerful shot, I am playing with more confidence, I am faster and stronger, I have made a U16 European Travel Team, and I have gained my D1 teams trust.

My measurement system:

I measure my goals my tracking my daily running and strength goals on my phone or watch and I time my practices and make sure I am practicing with intensity the whole time. At the end of a week, I make sure to review the statistics and reflect on my results.

One Powerful Quote:

My favourite quote is

“I once cried because I had no shoes to play football with my friends, but one day I saw a man who had no feet, and I realized how rich I am.” -Zinadine Zidane.

This quote talks about how you should be grateful for what you have and I always think that when I feel like I won’t reach my goals and I’m unmotivated that there is someone praying for the opportunities that I have. It always makes me feel grateful for what I have and the amazing opportunities I have.

Unboxing Me Video

In my unboxing me video I focused on the things that I needed to improve on but I started off my video by talking about my accomplishments and then going on what I want to do and about my goals. I addressed the problems that I had that prevented me from succeeding and what strategies I used from the book and what apps or other reminders I used to stay focused. I compared highlights of me before setting my goals and me after. Here it is!

Project overview

For the past month or so, our PLP 9 Maker class has been working on recreating a video called “RUN!” 

We were put in groups of 3 or more and we had to recreate the video using our own props, screenplay, locations and editing. This task proved to be very difficult and challenging and I had to take the role of leadership and ended up organizing times to work on the video which showed my initiative and leadership in this project.

This is the original RUN! Video:

Screenplay

Our groups first task was to take apart the video and plan everything out, I started doing this by creating a screenplay and dividing up the roles my group members. We collaborated and looked over the video and noticed how many shots there were so we planned out each and every one of them on a pages document. There were also many other things that I noticed that we would have to recreate such as:

• Camera angles
• Sound effects
• Editing and cuts
• Acting 
• Costumes

How does the driving question: (How might we learn video skills by recreating a short film?) relate to our final product and what did I learn?

I can answer this driving question because while editing it I was able to break apart the film and see what it’s like for a professional film writer or a director to make a film because we did a similar process that they did and I was able to learn and build on skills such as acting, cutting clips to the right length, how to create a sense of suspense, and how to collaborate with my group to make a film. 

Our video:

Without further delay, here is our RUN! Remake video: