Picking teams to research and read up on what Identity means for each of us was fairly easy due to Schoenborn's way of getting us to discover our own Big Questions. Sophie wrote a great question, "How does your past influence your ability to change your future". Sophie's question she generated sparked my interest, I could relate to it on a personal level due to my own experience with Identity and what I knew it should mean to me. I've always believed that there is more pride found in oneself when you're able to be who you want to be and be as successful as you already know you can be. Who you are is purely up to you and I think people get so confused about who they should be because society is constantly battling you, always telling you what you should be instead of allowing you to become the person you already know you are. I like the idea of this project because of the freedom it gives us to our own opinions but I'm slowly realizing that I should've worked on my own so I'd be able to take the project in my own direction with my own interpretation. This class has helped me with my organizational skills and I know in future years I'll still be using processes taught to us by Schoenborn in order to think deeper and come to more sophisticated answers to questions life throws at me. I think I can already see where this project is headed and unfortunately I'm not sure what I should do about it because it already feels pretty late to be questioning whether or not our group is working on our content enough. I think I'm probably going to be somewhat disappointed in the outcome but not because of our group, simply because we thought too much over the small details and didn't really use the skills Schoenborn was trying to get us to use in order to be somewhat more organized when approaching this project.
Memories are the architecture of our identity - unknown www.teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/390412/What-does-identity-really-mean/
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Having to do this project was somewhat frustrating for me which leads me to believe I probably did learn something. Having to pick whether or not we were going to do this project in a team or not was nice, I wasn't too sure whether or not I'd do well in a group setting but I decided to run with it simply because I wasn't too thrilled about getting up in front of the class to talk about stuff that I honestly wasn't super interested in at first. My thought process was probably much like everyone else's but the outcome for our group wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. The "we're gonna wing this shit" mentality, never works. That pretty much summed up how well our group worked together. lol. I ended up taking matters into my own hands, did the project like we should have to begin with and gave our group paragraphs to read to the class. We did pretty good all things considered so although it wasn't ideal it worked and I think this project can be used to demonstrate the importance of making a plan to execute. I tend to need to write things out and make a plan and I in no way am discrediting my group members, in fact much of what we said was their ideas, I just felt we needed something solid to present to the class. I'm proud of my group and the only thing I would change throughout this whole project is maybe try to be a little more excited about the topic.
"Your identity is your most valuable possession. Protect it." - Elastigirl, The Incredibles www.doctornerdlove.com/power-of-identity/ It's the first week back in English since first Trimester and I can easily say I'm excited for what's to come. I'm looking forward to learning new strategies and taking on new and hopefully exciting projects in the weeks to come. I'm feeling pretty good about where I am for this last leg of my High School journey and I can't wait to see what new experiences I'll have once college starts but for right now I'll keep my feet on the ground and focus on what's right in front of me. This first week of class has been both somewhat comforting to be back at the grindstone but also somewhat chaotic due to Schoenborn not being here for the first few days. I've learned over the past four years that sometimes we need to embrace chaos and so that's the mindset I've had and will continue to have all throughout this last leg of my high school journey. Picking a book to read this trimester has been pretty difficult, I don't want to overcommit to anything especially with how busy I know this trimester is going to be. It was nice knowing a lot of my work was cut out for me when it came to creating a website, just having to format my weebly for ELA 12B was really nice. I can't wait to see what's to come and I'm proud of the last four years, especially with this most recent one.
"If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living." - Gail Sheehy thoughtcatalog.com/corinda-katz/2014/06/its-less-about-growing-up-and-more-about-growing-into-yourself/ This past week has been more eye opening than I had anticipated. I never really liked listening to people recite poems or even write them myself. I always felt like there was just too much structure when it came to what I wanted to write versus what the structure said I should want to write. I never really gave much thought to the idea of poems because I already knew a song with rhythm was basically a poem and it was the only type I'd wanted to hear. Writing about yourself can be difficult because instead of writing your personality into a character you have to directly write about you and your hopes or your failures and this can be and is pretty daunting most of the time. I guess there's just nothing to hide behind when writing about yourself and it's always hard for me to be so honest about me. Creative writing has always come pretty easily to me and I think it's in part because I like to use my experiences to portray character development and story but instead of using what actually happened in my life I like to most of the time use what I would've wanted an outcome to be or an outcome that could've happened rather than what actually did. This week has honestly just given me new perspective to story telling and I kinda like poetry now, especially after being able to write some of my own. Poems don't have to be as structured as I thought and I think that's been a huge relief to me. I hope that as this trimester continues, I'll soak in as much as I can, I've found a greater appreciation for writing throughout this school year and I can't wait to see where it ultimately takes me. Poetry is Language at it's most Distilled and most Powerful - Rita Dove www.creative-writing-now.com/poem-structure.html So, although this is extremely late to post this, I thought that getting a grade for week seven's blog was a little bit important and that maybe reflecting a tad bit might also do me some good. So on the week 7 lesson plan it says that we started our introduction into google presentations. I remember thinking that although it would make me have to stop my reading quite a bit, it would ultimately help me finish a paper with all of my ideas still somewhat gathered. Although I didn't necessarily think it would help me any more than not taking notes, I went for it and I was pleasantly surprised at just how much more information I was retaining when I stopped in my reading at places I thought were more significant than others. This really helped me gather my thoughts more linearly, previously when reading I would try and remember as much as I could but I kept finding myself forgetting about the smaller details that helped paint the bigger picture. I really enjoyed the Alchemist and I think part of why I really enjoyed it so much was the fact that I was stopping more often to appreciate the more impactful parts of the story. Taking picture notes ultimately helped me realize where I wanted to take my project and even though I had my doubts at the beginning, I will admit now readily that without the picture notes, I wouldn't have gotten too far in my paper. This new way of reading generated a lot more critical thinking for me and for that I'm grateful.
www.best-books-for-kids.com/benefits-of-reading.html "A book is a gift you can open again and again" - Garrison Keillor Although I wasn't here the day we had the 'switching registers' lesson, from talking to friends and having a group discussion in class, the topic has really sparked my interest. So many times throughout the course of a day I change my mannerisms and speech to tailor to people, discussions and interactions with people of all generations. Being adopted by an older couple at a young age gave me an advantage to interacting with others. It helped me learn to interact with people from any generation, being able to distinguish between when it is appropriate to say one thing and do another has been one of the most valuable lessons I've learned so far. So many people constantly tell me how able I am to fit into any social situation, although I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a social chameleon, I have been called this many times by more than one person. The saying "don't bullshit the bullshitter" doesn't necessarily apply to me although most people automatically think that being overly charismatic instantly makes you someone who can't be trusted. I would go as far to say that I'm quite the opposite. Most people that know me would tell you I'm a terrible liar, although it typically doesn't really go along with having a social personality, I pride myself in being as honest as I can be and I think that reflects in everything I try. I've always subconsciously known that I have social registers but never was able to put a label on it or start that conversation with others. I wish I could have been there for the class activity but at the end of the day, it's nice having my thoughts confirmed after years of always questioning myself on why people tend to change the way they speak around certain people.
tinybuddha.com/blog/what-it-means-to-just-be-yourself-and-how-to-do-it/ "Whats wrong with just being you?" - Anonymous This past week, like all of the ones before it, was a new experience for each of us in this class. Some of us may not have taken it as seriously as others might have, due to interest in class in general but overall, we all experienced some kind of 'aha' moment. Starting the year off with reflecting on something we have experienced, then generating a statement paper really got everyone thinking more intently on what it is we believe in. Using these newly learned principles, we transitioned into reading someone else's experiences then generated Big Questions that we later used to reflect (from the characters perspective) on what they experienced, leading into answering and writing about what they believed in. Beginning this week with a new look at a different style of writing at first didn't seem to follow the same pattern. Although I've never been super excited about presenting information in front of others, - especially when it's about something I don't quite understand - I am curious to see how this project is going to work itself out. Knowing that we're going to be generating another Big Question, it's easier to look at this daunting task with more comfort, knowing that this project will in some ways mirror the two previous projects. I'm excited to see where this new project takes us and I feel that although I'm not too enthusiastic about presenting, I know I'll be much more comfortable knowing that this project is somewhat similar to those before it.
www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Your-Fear-of-Public-Speaking "To know how to scaffold is to know how to teach" - Kathy Walker After finishing The Alchemist, I realized that throughout reading the book I learned a lot about myself that I never really focused on before. My life so far has been full of big adventures and without them I definitely wouldn't be the person I am today. Dating has been one of these great adventures for me, the time I've put into other people usually doesn't affect my adventurous spirit but lately I've realized that I've set what I want to do on the back burner. Reading this book has really helped me see how important life is and how truly short it is. Although we're still in high school, we shouldn't give up on our adventurous spirit even at such an early stage in life. An adventure doesn't have to be something you'd watch in a movie, it simply has to be something you enjoy doing. I wish that I would have realized how detrimental I've been to my adventurous side lately, maybe I wouldn't have missed so many great opportunities. Regretting your past doesn't change your future and I'm a firm believer in this. Rather than living my life wishing I would've done things differently, I choose to embrace my decisions because without my mistakes and missed opportunities I wouldn't know as much about life as I do now. I guess what I'm trying to say is that life isn't always going to be fair to you and that's okay, what we do with what life throws at us is what determines whether or not we're happy and so we determine whether or not we're happy; I guess now that I know that after reading The Alchemist, I'm okay with that.
www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_don_t_regret_regret "Life is only a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see" - Anonymous Starting the week out by looking at trails wasn't what I had in mind and yet it wasn't all that uncomfortable. It was interesting to see that there were forums dedicated to pictures of what people were calling 'Desire Paths'. Learning that although it seemed completely unconnected to what we were learning, the paths themselves were a literal representation of our own individual desired paths. This was key to discovering our own big questions and although it seemed silly at first, in the end, the activity really was pretty fun. The book I picked out, The Alchemist, turned out to be like the best book I've ever read. I normally hate books like that but wow it was amazing. Every single page seemed to give more insight on what life is and how each of us should pursue our dreams. It felt like everything in life was becoming more clear for me through reading the book and as crazy as that sounds, this book, it has wisdom in it that is beyond anything that I could ever comprehend. The complex simplicity of it really gets to people and it was actually pretty cool to see other people in class getting just as excited for the book as I was. I can't wait to see what kind of this I believe papers are going to be written after everyone finishes their books.
primility.com/5-lessons-i-relearned-by-rereading-the-alchemist/ "A prudent question is one-half of wisdom" - Francis Bacon This week felt just like last week but way more chaotic, organized, but chaotic. I'm sure most of us felt the pressure this week, to finish telling our digital stories, for me though I felt the pressure and the stress of it but also the giddiness of getting to create something that other people might see. I loved this project and I hope that it shows when people start to watch it. I learned a lot through this project and I'm so appreciative of the experience. Unlike my Digital Media class, this project helped me develop a real storyline and I can't believe how fluid it felt, difficult yes, but so organized. This week has really helped me realize that each of us has our own way of learning, although some people didn't finish their projects, it's not my place to judge. In fact, I believe that those who didn't finish weren't simply being lazy, but instead just don't excel in this area. I've had conversations with a few people in this class and although they didn't appreciate the digital aspect of this project as much as I did, they did say they enjoy reading, that they enjoy writing and even drawing and telling stories other ways. I can't discredit these people and in fact I think in some ways this project has helped more than one person find out something knew about themselves. I probably sound like a broken record by now but man I loved this project and I can't wait for what's to come, who knows, I'll probably struggle in areas that others may excel in and I'm okay with that. Without struggle how can one learn?
www.nde-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Learning_Styles.htm Live as if you were to die tomorrow - Learn as if you were to live forever - Mahatma Ghandi |
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May 2017
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