We are learning how to code with the app playgrounds. We are using learn to code 1. It is a set of coding procedures we have to write to get past the obstacles. Here is how I beat Across the Board. For this level, you had to make a new function that consists of going forward and collecting gems. Basically all you had to do for this level was turn right, and use your new function. Look at the picture inserted below for full instructions.
These are the steps I took in creating my Tynker About Me project. First, I made my character. I am using my character to talk to my audience about myself. The way I did my project was, I made my character at start say, my name and to press the space bar to learn more. I then said more about myself once they pressed the space bar. I did this a few times until I was done with my project.
After watching the video, “Computer Science Changes Everything” I was fascinated at the part where it says that instead of animation they use coding in the movie, “Finding Nemo”. I was amazed by this because I have seen people animate on TV and this was so different! They were instead of using animation, using coding to make a scene in the movie. I can understand how they do this. They need someone to make all the characters. Then in there code they can tell them to do whatever they want them to do in the scene. Even though I know how it works, it is still cool that it is so different from normal animation.
Capstone is going very well for me. I have done lots of research and I have recently done my interviews. I interviewed two people for my capstone.
The first interview was with Sandy Jacobs, the producer of Hamilton. The second interview was with Travis Griesler, the director of The Cher Show. I interviewed them because they are experts in my topic and they have worked on famous plays. I got the interview with Sandy Jacobs because I know someone who knows him and they sent me a phone number. I got the interview with Travis Griesler because my mom found him on the internet.
They both gave me a lot of information and had such detailed answers that I didn’t have to ask all the questions I had prepared. They both used metaphors to help me understand their roles. Travis was very vocal and enthusiastic and Sandy was more serious. A few times Sandy asked me to repeat my question slower because I was speaking too fast. I learned to slow down when I am talking. We set a day and time with both interviewees and I called them at the specified time.
I faced some challenges when finding a person to interview. We knew people who knew people but we weren’t sure they were going to agree to be interviewed. We didn’t want to put people on the spot so we started looking for backups. But, luckily, both of them responded and agreed to be interviewed. Another challenge that I faced during my first interview was that I kept losing my place in my list of interview questions which caused a silent pause before I could ask the next question. I learned from this and in my second interview, I crossed out each question as I asked it so I kept my place the whole time.
I learned a lot, but the most interesting thing I learned was probably that 80% of the plays fail and it is very rare to have a successful play.
For Capstone, my topic is backstage at a Broadway play. My main inquiry question is “What are the most important jobs backstage during a Broadway play? My five sub-questions are:
My main inquiry question wasn’t too hard to come up with because I already have a strong interest in plays. Ever since I was little my grandma used to take me to Broadway plays. So naturally I wanted to do something about them for Capstone. It was challenging to figure out what my main inquiry question should be, though, because I knew what my topic was, but not how I would turn that into a project. My teacher helped a lot with the main inquiry question to make it more specific about how the different jobs work and contribute to the success of the play. Once we together came up with the main inquiry question, I made the sub-questions.
I’ve learned a lot about myself as a learner so far. One thing that I learned is that sometimes it is helpful for me to brainstorm with someone to come up with ideas, like I did with Ms. Edwards.
Over the last 2 weeks we have been working on rocketry. We have only researched and done our inspiration board so far but we will be doing much more. Read more of this post to find out.
First in this unit we did research. A lot of research. It was boring but we had to do it. If we didn’t we wouldn’t be able to do the fun stuff later in this unit. That stuff hasn’t even happened yet but still, in the future I wouldn’t be able to do stuff I will do in the future like the rocket launch.
Making the inspiration board was fun but frustrating. It was fun because you did art and printed put images and cut and glued them on but frustrating because there was one person in the group who wasn’t helping at all and some people kept deleting images and stuff
This week we have been working on identity bags and identity maps. I think they are both very fun and really interesting. In the identity bags every person gets to bring in 5 – 8 things that are part of their identity. We share them with the rest of the class and we learn a lot about others from them. The identity maps. In the identity maps we make some kind of design with a lot of shapes and in each shape we write one thing about our identity. We can do whatever we want as long as we have room to write in them.
In the identity bags I learned that I like donuts a lot. I learned this because I brought in a giant donut. (It’s a pillow) I learned so much about my classmates too. About their interests and siblings, friends, etc. In the identity maps I learned that I have a lot of great ideas. I used very creative shapes and drawings to write. I learned a lot about my classmates from what they wrote too.
On Thursday, June 13 2019, we did an ignite talk in our school’s computer lab. We had been preparing for weeks and finally, it paid off. Now, you will hear about my strengths, weaknesses and everything about the experience.
So, first, me strengths. I think the whole public speaking thing was my biggest strength. I have been doing plays at Random Farms since 3rd Grade so I have pretty much mastered speaking in front of an audience.
My weakness was remembering everything I had to say. I was 16th out of 23 students so I had time to think about my lines before I went up. I went over my lines A LOT before I went up. We had shortened it to 7 slides per student. That meant every student got 1 minute and 45 seconds to say everything they had to say. It wasn’t as much time as a real 5 minute ignite, but it was still enough time. And still, on the last slide I forgot my line “We also read a great book called King George What Was His Problem. It showed the funny side of the American Revolution,” Instead I said “We also read king george what was his problem. Um… Um… It was nonfiction um… but it was still funny,”
I thought it felt very scary to walk up there and see everyone staring at you. It felt weird when Mr. Casal pointed at me to start, but it felt great when I had finished.
Thanks for reading this post. If you want to see everyone’s ignites, you can! They are on Youtube! Search HeathcoteTech on youtube and you might just see them!
We went on a field trip to the Weinberg Nature Center. I thought it was kind of boring. My favorite thing was leaving because it just felt so good to leave that place!!!! I hated it. I think it was so boring.
I will probably not do anything in my life differently because of this because everything I learned about saving the earth and stuff, I already had known since preschool. (What we learned about saving the earth is two words. Don’t litter)