Maker… the class where we learn iPad specific skills, and now apparently make a lot of videos. The video we just finished was a recreation of a short horror film RUN, we had to have the video that we produced as close to the original as possible, video length, shot angle, everything. We also had to create everything ourselves, soundtrack, filming locations, and more. The driving question for this project was; What technologies, tools, and strategies can we utilize to create short films? 

The first milestone for this project was to do a personality test, screenshot the results, and write down two strengths and two weakness that the website said your personality type has. Then we had to hand in the document we created to Showbie, our submission app. I decided to do the test twice because the fist time I did it the result didn’t seem one-hundred percent spot on, the second time I did the test I ended up with a different answer, I personally feel like I am am a combination of the two.

I would encourage you to take the test as well, link is here. It is not necessary to put your email address in, you will only get emails from the company if you do and it will not affect your final result or the information given.

Milestone two was to first watch the video that we would be recreating, RUN.

We then had to create a screen lay of the video.

A screenplay essentially explains what is going during a move/video. A screenplay includes the script, locations, background audio/music, actions, shots, and angles.

For the third milestone we had to create a storyboard. A storyboard is where the actors are animated or drawn to show movement, angles and location are also shown. Our story board was made using the app Keynote. Here’s my group’s storyboard.

Milestone four was to create a call sheet. Call sheets have all the information that you could possible need for filming; weather, closest hospital, location, actor availably, filming schedule, prop list, and more.

My group; Brenton, Alex, and Myself then had to film and edit our video. Here is draft one.

For milestone five we had to show our video to another group to receive critique. this is a screenshot of the critique we received.

We then decided to re-film the entire video in a different location. we also added and improved our background audio.

Overall I enjoyed this project because at the start we did a personality test which will be useful in the future, an we were able to go out on our own, as a group and find a location of our choice to film.

-Finn

During term 1 in PLP 9 the one of the main focuses in my Scimatics class was; How are correlation and causation different? There were multiple small projects that eventually led up to a final project, a presentation of our correlation findings.


Big Idea: Analyzing the validity, reliability, and representation of data enables us to compare and interpret. An example of how I used the this curricular competency is in analyzing the raw survey results we received and processing and inserting them into a proper spreadsheet.

Communicating and Representing: Represent mathematical ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms. A good example of how I used the this curricular competency is the graphs I created with our survey results.

Communicating and Representing: Use mathematical vocabulary and language to contribute to mathematical discussions. Personally I think I could’ve used this competency in my project to a greater extent to help show my understanding of the difference in correlation and causation.

Applying and Innovating: Contribute to care for self, others, community, and world through individual or collaborative approaches. I believe that I used this competency well as I believe I worked well with my partner, Alex.

-Finn

On my the PLP 9 Field Trip to Alberta, at times I would find it difficult to focus. However when I was interested in some of the things we were doing, it made it easier for me to stay on track. One of these places was the Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre. I have always found wolves fascinating. For example, we learned from a staff member that the usually the leader of the pack is the smartest, the strongest and the most well-rounded wolf. Personally I found the Wolf Centre was one of the best parts of the trip.

Video editing was another one of the things that I really enjoyed on the trip. When I was editing the videos I was able to stay focused for long periods of time, and in my opinion, produce good results. An example of this is, This Land Is Us,  the video I made explaining about how place impacts who we are.

Another thing that motivated me was that I want to complete assignments on time. A good example of this was the video that we had 15 minutes to film and edit at the Royal Tyrrell Museum. There was a lot of people in the locations that we wanted to film in, which made it more challenging to record the audio but in the end we managed to complete the video.

-Finn

During term 1 in PLP 9 the main focus in my Scimatics class was; Design a card game based on exponent laws and mathematical operations. There were multiple small projects that eventually led up to a final project, a card game that used 4 exponent laws.


The first project or “milestone” was to create a game in groups of two with: 2 dice, and paper hole punch bits. In the games rules we also had to include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.



The second milestone was to score 80% or higher on a khan academy quiz on exponent properties.


For the third milestone we had to do a standard math test on exponents.


For the fourth milestone we were put into groups of two, my partner being Liam, we then had to come up with an idea for our game, then we had to create a first draft of the rules for the game.


Meme game

The fifth milestone was to create a second draft of the rules. At this point a problem occurred, my class went on a trip to Alberta, someone came on the trip when they were sick, by the end of the trip around half of our class was sick, I ended up missing the next 8 school days and milestone five and six of our project.
The sixth milestone for our project was to present our game to the grade 11 PLP class, but I was sick on that day so yeah.


Meme Game Final

-Finn


During term 1 in PLP 9 the main focus in my Humanites class was; How does place impact who we are? There were multiple small projects that eventually led up to a final project, a video on a predetermined group of people.

 

The first project or “milestone” was to complete an creative response on your own interoperation of the power of place in a creative format, and then to share it with a peer.

For the second milestone we were put in to groups of four, we then had to do a current event write up on a article our teacher assigned our group. As we read the article we had to analyze it with a lens: Economic, Social, Political, and Geographical/Environmental.

For the third milestone we had to create a pre-trip plan and research base on what our videos would look like and where we would film. At this point we were put into groups by my teacher’s favourite method the; spinning wheel of death, if your name was chosen you would be able to choose the  group of people you wanted, the options were: First Nations, Albertans, Artists, Students, Tourists, Business Owners, and Wildlife. I luckily was one of the first people chosen so I was able to get my first pick; Wildlife. The other three members of my group were Thomas, Ciara, and Emily.

Alberta Trip Video Plan

For the fourth milestone we had to do a daily note for every day we were on our Alberta trip.

The fifth milestone was to take some of the videos and photos we had taken on our trip an turn them into a first draft of a video. We then had to show our videos to each other in a small groups.

The sixth milestone was to edit, present, and reflect on our final video.

-Finn

In PLP we have two large presentations or exhibitions of our work per year, one in the early winter and one in early summer. We have now completed our second exhibition, the summer one. The main topic in our Maker class last term was, Blue Sky. For Blue Sky we were given time to create a project of our own. This project needed to be centered on a problem, answer a driving question, and contain a challenge. Other than that, it was up to us.

There were six parts to this project, Look, listen & learn, Ask tons of questions, Understand the problem, Navigate ideas, Create (a prototype), Highlight and fix. We had to do different Steps for each phase, they are all shown in a keynote here:

For the spring exhibition we were assigned groups with people wit similar projects. My group was the unique sports group and consisted of; Jude, Emily, two grade nine’s (they were doing this project with us) Fraser, and Nik. Once we met up as a group fort the first time and explained what our projects were, we then had to make a poster/sign for our group’s area.

My Blue Sky project was to make a quiver that could mount on both front and back. When I go to an archery range, I am not allowed to ware a quiver on my back, because if draw an arrow you run the fish of poking or walking someone in the face with the point, hence the rule is you can only ware a quiver on your hip. I find hip quivers extremely uncomfortable if you are doing anything other that shooting from one place, I prefer to use a back quiver for walking, because it and the arrows don’t move around as much as a hip quiver would.

photo more me doing archery:

Some of my favourite moments of the entire project was the fact that everyone was always happy to teach someone else about their project and also was intrigued about other people’s project as well.

I enjoyed and learnt a lot from my second PLP exhibition and the projects leading up to it.

-Finn

During term 3 in PLP the main focus in my humanites class was;
How can we use Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and the history of New France to stage dramatic tableaus that help an audience understand the lasting effects of colonization? There were multiple small projects that eventually led up to a final project, multiple tableaus that show the lasting effects of colonization.

The first project or “milestone” was to complete an Anthropologists Reflection paragraph, reflecting on hows and what you learnt.

The second milestone was to watch and think critically about each act of the play The Tempest and then fill out an active reading sheet.

For the third milestone we had to brainstorm, identify and select the events of the play and history that answer the DQ for the project.

For the fourth milestone we had to create backgrounds and scripts for the final tableaus, since myself, Ryan, Felix, Malaika, and Rhiann were going to be away on the date of the tableau presentation, we couldn’t be assigned a part in any of the tableaus, so out teacher told us to create an animation about each tableau. The animation would play while the narrator was speaking. My two animations represent the beaver wars, and the Acadian deportation.

 

The fifth milestone was to present the tableaus to the public, but I wasn’t there… so yeah.

-Finn

For the T-POLs (Transitional Presentations Of Learning) we have to create a presentation for our teachers and parents that reflects on our growth and development in the PLP program. The main question we have to answer is: Why do you feel you are ready to advance to the next grade level? To do that I have answered the following questions.

5. Of your work completed this year, what are you most proud of? Why?

Of all the work I have completed this year I am most proud of Destination Imagination. I am proud of D.I. because I learnt a lot about Witzelsuch. I am also proud of D.I. because I showed a lot of initiative, and took leadership. A third reason is because of how well we did in the tournaments, more about that here and here.

-3. What problems did you encounter? How did you solve them?

Some of the problems I encountered in the past year was difficult group members. I solved the problem by talking to them and the rest of my group about the problem or talking with the teacher if it got bad or they weren’t listening. An example of this is my D.I. group.

12. What is the one thing you want people to notice when they look at your work?

One thing (really two) I want people to notice when they look at my work is my effort and commitment. A good example of this is: The deep cove ads.

7. What’s one goal you would like to set for yourself for next year?


one goal is to get faster at doing my homework can do this by using some of the skills I learnt in PGP.

-Finn

The big project we were working on in our term three PGP class was out Time Machine. The project was to recreate what we had learnt in our PGP course that we wish we could send back in time to our former self.

In early April our teachers sent us a pitch form and an outline for the project. We had to come up with an idea for our time machine     then pitch our idea to our teachers in the template they had given us, i was sent to revise once, the was given the go ahead.

The only guidelines for the project were: it can be digital or physical, it must be able to bring to our summer exhibition (knowing our teachers there will be a reflection post about that later), and it had to be original. In our time machine we also had to include what we learnt that we wish we knew before starting PLP, what I wish I knew was that productivity is an essential skill to be a successful student, if you use an organizing tool like Things it can greatly improve your productivity including homework organization, and prioritizing your tasks. This is my time machine:

Sorry about the bad quality if you zoom in.

So yeah that my time machine… now I’ll stop writing so I can go to bed and you can do something productive.

Or not..

-Finn

For the M-POLs (Mid-year Presentations Of Learning) we have to create a presentation for our teachers and parents that reflects on our growth and development in the PLP program. The main question we have to answer is: How are you going to progress as a learner before the end of the school year? To do that I have answered following five questions.

1. What project did you struggle with? Why?
The project I struggled with the most was the Student Blogging Challenge because I do not enjoy writing and found the weekly challenges repetitive and boring. For example, the post I struggled with the most was the Image Poem Post.

2. Did your goals for your work change as you worked on it?
Often at the start of the project I had many ideas I wanted to incorporate but then once I had started working on the project I found that either my ideas were too complicated and time consuming or that they didn’t fit the project, an example of this is the book I created reflecting on our trip to Oregon. Link.

3. When did you feel dissatisfied during the process of working on projects?
I was dissatisfied when I wasn’t able to use my original ideas for certain projects, for example; when I was working on the Scimatics children’s book I had several great ideas for the project, and I didn’t have time to accomplish them.

4. What did/do you find frustrating about PLP work?
I am still adjusting to the amount of homework and deadlines after being homeschooled. I imagine that this problem would be the same for anyone who transitioned from being homeschooled.

5. What are the goals you would like to set for yourself for the remainder of the year?
My goals for the remainder of the year are; to try and be less distracted by the things around me. I need to improve my prioritizing skills when it comes to using my time wisely. I want to become better at thinking and communicating with clarity and precision. Link.