One of the most recent things I have made was a flashlight in my previous tech class. I made it by myself and it was mainly made of pipes and a few wires. This project was to see what the best shape for a flashlight and how it could be used. I would post a picture of it but I sadly do not know where it is.
Capstone Share
Finally, Capstone is completed and we have done our Presentation! It is great to have completed the hardest part of capstone.
For the presentation, we first showed them to some of the other classes but the day after that we would be showing it to the parents a day after. For the other classes everyone was in the same room but for the parents everyone was split up into seperate places around the school. For the parents, I presented in the classroom with nine other people. I also went first for the parents which made it a little scarier.
For the presentation, my main goal was to not need to use my script. The main problem I was having with that was it was very hard to remember the transition sentences and a few statistics. I knew I was definitely going to use at least one part of the script because of a statistic that was impossible to memorize. When the presentation came around I ended up using my script for comfort but just to help me with the statistics and transitions.
What I’ve learned from presenting is that even if you are looking down at a script, you can still make it sound really good. I also learned that is wasn’t bad to use a script because originally I thought we had to memorize. Probably the biggest thing I learned from presenting is that it is really not as hard as it seems.
Overall, Capstone has been a really fun project and has helped me become a better researcher and presenter. Capstone was the way to end my elementary school career.
Working on our Final Product
With Capcon coming even sooner, Capstone has to be finished. Are final product is going to be due the same day as Capcon after all so are final products have to be done soon. This includes the script and the pictures for the presentation.
For my script, my main priority was to make sure it made sense and to not make it boring. I wrote as if it was a story because I didn’t want it as if each section was one of my sub questions. I wanted to do it so I have all my research mixed in with the other research from other sub questions. I also didn’t want it to be boring so I tried to make sound like a conversation the best I could. It was challenge but I was able to make some parts sound like a conversation.
For the actual presentation, I needed pictures to show what I was talking about. We were told to not make the slides to distracting so do just about one picture per slide. The first few pictures I had to do was easy because all I had to do was find the first sneaker and who made it. Once I got more into it, I started making timelines and things like that to put on my presentation. This was probably one of the easier things I had to do because I just had to find a picture that made sense with what my script said.
Probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do was memorize my script. The problem was that I had a lot of transitions so I would have to memorize them plus I have to memorize a lot of statistics. Most likely, I will be using my script for my presentation.
Overall, If I can memorize my script, I will be very satisfied with my final product of capstone.
Answering my Main Inquiry Question for Capstone
Sub Question 1: Who made the first basketball sneaker and what were the qualities of it?
The first basketball sneaker, The All stars were made by a rubber shoe company called Converse. The original was made in 1917. they were made because there was a growing need for basketball sneakers in the U.S with basketball becoming more popular. Even though they made the original, Chuck Taylor, a basketball player at the time came to them to give them so ideas on how to improve the sneaker. The biggest improvement he made was he added a patch to the ankle of the shoe to protect the players ankles. Converse was so impressed with his ideas that they put his names on the patch, making this the first sneaker endorsement. The sneaker was a high top, meaning it went up to your ankle. It was made of rubber and canvas, a type of fabric.
Sub question 2: How have materials and technology used for sneakers changed over time?
Ever since the first shoe, there have been many material changes for making a sneaker. The first sneaker, The all star was made of rubber for the sole and canvas, a type of fabric. While a few decades later, the first leather sneaker was made, the adidas superstar in 1969. Leather was used for a long time, the 70s through the 80s. Even though it was mostly leather, other materials were used too in the 80s like plastic for the air jordan 4. However, Some of the most famous sneakers were made out of leather like the Converse Pro leather, the adidas superstar and the first air jordan sneaker. As basketball has become more evolved, so have sneakers. With Players becoming a lot more high flying, the sneakers had to become a lot more cutioned for impact. They added a lot of cushioning to the bottom of sneakers and Nike started putting air soles in there shoes. An air sole is a pocket of air that they put as cushioning for the bottom of the sneaker. Even though Leather lasted a long time and was very durable, it was very heavy. Now, Sneakers are made of synthetic mesh and rubber for the sole, which is much lighter. It is also just going to keep getting better and better because when I interviewed Mark Smith, he says for each new shoe, they try to make the technology for making a sneaker just a little bit better for every new sneaker.
Sub question 3: How have sneakers changed in price over the years?
Over the years, Sneaker price has been very inconsistent. You were probably think that it becomes more money every year, but it doesn’t. Each sneaker is different and so is the price. An Example of this is the Chuck taylor which was made in 1917 went for $55, while 78 years later The first Air jordan went for $65. That was about the same price as a lot of the other sneakers at the time. In fact, the first ever $200 sneaker came in 2002, not very long ago. You would probably also think that since one sneaker was $200, the rest would have to be as much or more than $200 but that isn’t true. In fact the same year, Stephon Marbury, an all star at the time made a shoe that was no more than $15! Can you believe that? Right now the average sneaker cost about $100 which just goes to show that just because there was one $200 sneaker, it didn’t make the price for a sneaker increase.
Sub question 4: What are some of the biggest sneaker contracts over the years and how has that affected the players?
Have you ever bought a basketball sneaker? Well most times out of ten it was made by a basketball player. They have made a contract with a sneaker company to make the players own signature shoe. This is called a sneaker contract. A sneaker contract is where a sneaker company tries to get a contract with an NBA player (usually one of the better players) and get them to make a sneaker with that company. Usually if you are a good player, your sneaker contract is in the billions. The biggest contract was Michael jordan’s contract with Nike worth $110 million! Can you believe that? He made $110 million just from making sneakers. Plus the next biggest sneaker contract isn’t even close to that which is Lebron James’s contract also with Nike worth $32 million. This also shows that the money one company can spend on sneaker contracts is limitless. Nike has the four biggest sneaker contract with Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. This also shows how it affects a player in popularity and in profitability. For companies like Nike who have some of the best players signed with them, being signed to them could boost your popularity being signed to a company with the best players. Also if you have a sneaker, the company will give your sneaker commercials usually with the player in it. It also helps by obviously betting the player a lot of money. Sub question 5: Why have certain basketball sneakers become so popular?
Sub question 5: Why have certain basketball sneakers became so popular?
Let’s start at the very beginning. Since the All Star was the only sneaker for awhile, it had to be the most popular. Even if it wasn’t the only sneaker, all of the best players were wearing them like Celtic legends Bob Cousy and Bill Russell. There were many other ways for a certain sneaker to become popular. The biggest one was known as the “brand wars”. This is where shoe brands would try and fight to get the best players to sign with their shoe company. Converse ruled the brand wars of the 70s and 80s by getting some of the games best players like Julius Erving, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. However, once all these players retired, Nike had the best players and arguably still do to this day. Another way they could get famous is if they were the first sneakers to do something that has never been done before. The biggest example of this when Penny Hardaway made the first ever fome sneaker and they are known as one of the most popular sneakers of all time. Other examples of this are the Adidas superstars which were the first sneaker to use leather and are iconic in pop culture. They could also become popular if someone famous wore them. When Converse made the Jack Purcells (their second sneaker), photographs of a famous actor at the time James Dean showed him wearing them and they became famous. Finally, the last way a shoe became popular is if it got banned from the NBA. This has only happened once and it made this shoe the most famous of any of the other shoes in the brand. In 1985, The Air Jordan 1 was made. One of the colorways was black and red and this is the one that Michael Jordan would play in. These shoes were a dress code violation of the NBA so every time Michael wore them, he was fined $5,000. Nike took advantage of this and used it in their advertising for the sneaker. They would basically say in their advertisements that even though the NBA banned them, it doesn’t stop you from wearing them.
Main inquiry question: How have basketball shoes evolved over time and how have they impacted the sport?
First, we must start at the very beginning. With Basketball becoming a more popular sport, the need for basketball sneakers were increasing. So in 1917, Converse, a rubber shoe company made the All Star. It was a hightop sneaker (meaning it would go up to your ankle) and was made of canvas (a type of fabric) and rubber. After a few years, a man by the name of Chuck Taylor approached the company with some fresh ideas on how to make the sneaker better. Chuck Taylor was a basketball player and salesmen and ended up making very important edits to the sneaker. The biggest being he added a patch to the ankle area to protect players ankles. The founder of Converse was so impressed with him that he put his name on the patch, making it the Chuck Taylor All Star. This would be known what is called today as the first endorsement deal for a basketball player. An endorsement for a basketball player is when a basketball player gets a contract and makes money from something besides basketball.
When I said that they were made out of fabric, you were probably thinking, how would they make a sneaker out of fabric? After all, fabric is not so durable and imagine it being used as a shoe. Fortunately it was not used for many more sneakers. Leather would be used for sneakers even to this day. The first sneaker to use leather was in 1969 and it was the Adidas Superstar. This would become one of the most famous sneakers of all time. Some of the most famous sneakers were made out of leather. Like the Pro leather, the Clyde and the Air Jordan 1. The other similarity between these sneakers was that they were all made in the 70s and 80s. The 70s and 80s were considered the peak of the brand wars. This is when sneaker companies would try and get the best players to sign with their company. Converse had the best players in 70s and 80s with players like Julius Erving, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. However, it did not stay that long after the 70s and 80s. With all those players retired, Nike became the best sneaker brand and is arguably still. Nike has done a lot in sneaker history. They were the first ones to put air soles in sneakers. Air soles were air pockets and Nike would use them as a cushioning system and still do. Nike is still also trying to make sneaker technology better. When I interviewed Mark Smith, the executive for sneaker design at Nike, he said that for each shoe they make, they try and make the technology just a little bit better. However they didn’t just revolutionize technology, they affected sneaker history. Their sneaker made for one of the most famous stories and one of the most famous sneakers of all time. I am talking about the Air Jordan 1. When it was released, a certain colorway of the sneaker was a dress code violation of the NBA. This meant every time Michael Jordan wore them on court, he was fined $5,000. Nike took advantage of this and used it as advertisement. Basically the slogan was even though the NBA banned, they can’t stop you from wearing them. Nike also affected sneaker contracts. They had the first ever $100 million and gave it to, you guessed it Michael Jordan. This also shows that endorsements have no limit because Nike has the 4 biggest endorsement contracts. Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. While we are on the topic of money let’s talk about sneaker pricing and how unusual it is. You would probably think that as the years go by, the price of sneakers increase a lot, but they really do not. The Chuck taylor went for around $55, while 68 years later the Air Jordan 1 went for $65. You probably also thought that all sneakers in the same time were about the same amount of money, but no again. The same year the first $200 sneaker came out (the Air Jordan 17 in 2002) one of the best players at the time, Stephon Marbury released a sneaker for less than $15! Overall, sneaker have changed dramatically and had a big impact on basketball.
Doing my Site Visit for Capstone
For capstone, it is required to go to a place that has to do with your topic and take pictures.
For my site visit I was having a lot of trouble at the very beginning . When we first started coming up with site visit ideas, I found the sneaker museum (my topic is sneakers). It seemed like the best place to go. unfortunately, it’s in Boston which is to far. My mom suggested the Nike store which seemed like a good idea. The Nike store in New York City was more a museum than store so it would be great. Plus, one of the main basketball players I had to research, Michael Jordan, had various sneakers with Nike.
Since it was in the city and I didn’t really ever have time to go, it took me a long time to go. I ended going to the city the Friday before all our research is do. Unfortunately, when I got to the city, we found out that the Nike store had closed a month before! Since I left school early, I still had time to go to one more place.
I ended up going to one of the foot lockers where I live. When I went, I new what I was going to look for and take pictures of. What I mostly focused on what was the difference between the most expensive and least expensive sneaker.
In the end, I was still able to get good information even after that big obstacle.
Doing My Interview for Capstone
For capstone, it is required to interview at least one person. For my interview, I new it would be hard to find someone on my own. To make it easier for myself, I tried to make some rules that would pull me away from trying to do someone I probably won’t be able to interview. For example, the owner of Nike or any of the other big shoe brands. It took me awhile and it was really getting frustrating. I wasn’t finding anyone who I could possibly interview and when I did, I couldn’t find any way to contact him. After little while I started to ask my parents for help and they suggested asking my uncle if he new anyone. Fortunately, he new someone who was in charge of all the sneaker designers at Air Jordan! His name is Peter Falcone. I was able to contact him and he said he would give me someone to interview. In the end, I was able to interview the innovation & Design Executive at Nike, Mark Smith.
For the actual interview, I new I wasn’t going to be able to interview him in person because my uncle only found them where he lives. I though that the best way to do it was to do it by e-mail so it doesn’t take a lot of time out of there schedule.
For coming up with my questions, I tried to lean more to asking questions about designing because I new that that was what his job is. I also wanted to ask about other things that I didn’t have a lot of research for like the pricing of sneakers because I thought if he is one of the main people at Nike. I asked questions like:
- What is the process of designing a sneaker? (meetings, designing the actual shoe etc.)
- In your opinion, what have been some of the biggest changes in shoe design over the years?
- Do they present an idea for a sneaker or does someone else and who?
For most of these questions I got helpful answers but a lot of the ones that weren’t about designing I didn’t.
In the end, I was able to get a lot of helpful information that would help me with my project.
The lion, The witch and The Wardrobe #2
In the Book “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S Lewis, Edmund is the brother of the main character Lucy. As the book goes on, he becomes more mean to Lucy and the rest of his siblings. I think that Lucy and their other brother, Peter are the reasons he has become a lot more mean.
When Lucy first found Narnia in the wardrobe, all of her siblings didn’t believe her. This made Lucy want to show her siblings Narnia, but when she showed them where it was, it wasn’t there. This made Edmund want to tease Lucy about it because there was no proof of it being real. However, when all of them found out it was real, they made Lucy the leader to show them where to go, since she knew it the most. This shows how Lucy made Edmund how he is right now because he thought that he should be the leader.
When Lucy originally talked about Narnia, Peter asked the professor if Lucy could be telling the truth about Narnia and he there was a possibility it was real. I think this made Peter more protective of Lucy because Edmund was teasing her about it and Peter now knows that Narnia is real. So whenever Edmund would bully Lucy about it, Peter would always tell him to stop. Peter got most angry when Lucy took Edmund to Narnia but he said Lucy was lying. I think Peter made Edmund most mad when all of them were in Narnia. After all, it was mostly Peter’s idea to make Lucy the leader and not Edmund. All of this shows how Peter made Edmund more selfish than usual and mad because Edmund also talks about when he is king of Narnia, he will make all his siblings pay. He even said “especially Peter”.
In the book “The Lion, The witch and The wardrobe” by C.S Lewis, Edmund has a very big change in personality over the book and becomes a lot angry. I think that Lucy and Peter are the main reasons he has changed here are some examples to show this.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
In the book “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” by C.S. Lewis, Lucy falls into a wardrobe that takes her to a place called Narnia. Narnia is ruled by the evil White Witch who makes it always winter there. I think that the White Witch has the most power so far in the book and here are some reasons to show that.
The first reason is that the White Witch enforces her power on the other creatures in Narnia. Mr. Tumnus the faun (the first character we meet in Narnia) tells Lucy all about her. He tells her about how he works for the White Witch and has to kidnap humans like Lucy or else he will be punished by her. He also talks about how he is ashamed working for her but can’t quit or else she will torture him or possibly kill him. This shows she has power over others because Mr. Tumnus talks about how he thinks he is the worst faun in Narnia because he works for her and she must really have power over him if he doesn’t quit his job even though he hates it. Even after this she enforces her power and arrests the faun for not kidnapping Lucy.
The second way the witch shows power is what she does to Narnia. When Lucy meets Mr. Tumnus he tells her that the White Witch has made it an everlasting winter for a long time now. The fact that she made it always winter and for a long time is very important because she shows she has power by making it always winter and if it has been winter for a long time, that means no one has been able to stop her from making it winter which is how she shows her power. If no one has been able to stop her from making it winter, that means that they have either failed to stop her, or no one has tried to stop her.
These were some examples that show that the White Witch has the most power in Narnia.
Choosing a Main Inquiry Question and Sub Questions Capstone post #2
Now that we have picked our topic, it is time to pick an inquiry question and sub questions. For Capstone, you need to have a question about your topic that you will be studying. Since my topic is sneakers, I had to choose a specific type of sneaker for my question. I chose basketball sneakers because they were the ones I wanted to focus on and I almost even just made it my topic.
For coming up with a question, I thought it was going to be really hard because if it was too specific, it wouldn’t be fun to research, but if it was too broad, there would be too much to research. Knowing this, I wanted to focus on the evolution of basketball sneakers and the effect they have on basketball. I chose these two things because they are not too broad and things I wanted to study. I would also be able to fit in how they are made because I can show how they were made back then and how they are made today.
For my sub questions, I tried to change some of my inquiry questions and make them more of a sub question so I would have some sub questions right away. The problem I was having with this technique however, was that the inquiry questions I was turning into sub questions had to be related or similar to my main inquiry question. When I wasn’t using that technique, I was thinking of types of sneaker topics that I could word differently to make it an acceptable sub question for my big question.
In conclusion, I think that my sub questions will really help guide my inquiry question and will be fun to research.
Choosing a Topic
Finally, the biggest project in Heathcote is here, Capstone! I first found out about capstone when I was in first grade when my brother did his on the New York Jets. Since then I haven’t really thought of it until the beginning of this year remembering what cool thing we do in 5th grade.
Going into this year I wasn’t really thinking on what to do for capstone until people started talking about a few months ago. Even though I thought people already “new what they wanted to do,” I didn’t think I would be behind because we were talking about it very early.
When I did start thinking of what to do for capstone I thought of:
- Not making it so broad (example: football, basketball)
- Doing something I liked and having fun learning more about it
- Doing something I might want to do in the future
In the end, I came down to two options. Being an NBA general manager, and sneakers. Both things I didn’t think were to broad, both things I think I would like researching, and both I would wan’t to work with in the future. To decide, I decided to do pros and cons of both.
In the end, I chose sneakers because I thought that I would find a lot more information, there are a lot of different types of sneakers, and they are one of my favorite things.
In the end, I think that I will have a lot of fun doing the capstone on them and I think I will not regret my decision.