The story of Louis Riel: The Riel facts

The story of Louis Riel: The Riel facts

Over time, the way we have perceived Louis Riel has changed. From being called an insane rebel to an Idealistic hero. Riel was born in Manitoba 1844, and died in 1885, but he lives on today through the province of Manitoba and its people. He grew up in a small town, with other Métis people. He started his education at the late age of seven when a school was established by a Christian Brother. He started his formal education at a law school in Montréal. But abruptly decided to go back to defend his people with his newfound knowledge.

Even today, there are people who still think of him in a negative way. There are three major statues of Riel that all portray him in different ways. The first statue made by Lemay and Gaboury was unveiled in 1973. This statue shows Riel as very frail, weak and bare. Somebody viewing this statue would probably think of him more negatively and this statue was how they chose to share that. The next statue, made by Miguel Joyal in 1996, is a much more positive depiction of Louis Riel, showing him fully dressed, standing tall, with a scroll in his hand. This statue looks proud, strong, and selfless. The final statue seems to be in the middle of the previous two, he is wearing a cloak, but nothing else and he is reaching towards where the moon is, as if he could reach out and talk to God.

The way we have looked at Louis Riel has changed over time with us taking a better look at our history and how everything actually happened. During the years that Riel gained infamy, the majority of white people viewed him as insane, and a lunatic. Many of these thoughts came from how much he believed that he was doing God’s work and that he was the messiah. The character of Riel is shown many different times, starting with him helping defend his cousin’s ranch*, and even helping make the town of Batoche, which he nicknamed the “city of god”. Even though Riel knew that defending the land of the Métis people as well as their rights would make his life harder, he did it without hesitation, showing his selflessness, and true dedication to his cause.

When Louis Riel was

*War stories. “Red River Rebellion: The Métis Nation’s Fight for Survival | Nations at War | War Stories”.

Metaphor machines!

You can feel the suspense in the air, will it work? Everything has led up to this moment, you push the first ball… It’s a success! Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog. How do ideas drive change? that was our driving question, and in this project we learned about revolutions, a lot of them. We also got to learn about Rube Goldberg machines and how they work. The project revolved around how revolutions affect everything, one of the first things we learned about were the stages of a revolution, and how eventually a system similar to the one before the revolution happens, we did an infographic all about that.  We also read Animal Farm, which I found interesting to read, albeit the ending was rather sudden. This was our project for the winter exhibition, unfortunately I was sick so I could not attend, but my group members did really well.  For our final product we had to build a big Rube Goldberg machine, that was a metaphor for a specific revolution! My group got assigned to the Haitian revolution. We also had to document the process of making the machine, its up on YouTube now! Metaphor Machines! Ideas can drive change by the people with new ideas and hopes for a better world, ideas make people motivated, and are the reason that we live in such a good place in the world. Overall I very much enjoyed this project, it really stuck out for me because it combined a lot of creativity, with video making, and learning about history. See you next time! 

Exploring the shadows, the making of “The Dark”

As you near the stairwell you feel a presence, as you peek over, you see nothing but a laundry basket, but when you turn around something is in front of you, you try to scream but you are already gone. Hey there! Welcome back to another post, this ones about what my most recent maker project was. In Maker 9 it’s all about Video making skills, and for this assignment we got to make our very own thriller! Before this specific project we had to recreate a thriller as close as we could from scratch, from the skills we learned doing that, we were assigned to make our brand new thriller! So me and three of my friends made a group, and one of them came up with a great idea. “A man goes to his therapist to try and solve his fear of the dark, the therapist recommends exposure therapy, when the man is home he needs to do the laundry, normally he would turn the lights on but instead he keeps them off, when he is walking back up from the basement he finds a monster right in front of him”.The Dark. Pretty good right? Well we all got to improve our video making and editing skills, looking back there are still things I would revise but that’s just more help for next time! Making this video took patience, sometimes we didn’t fully get along, or progress was barely being made, but in the end we persevered and worked together as a team, not a group to make a finished product we could all be proud of. This project helped me as a learner understand how we can use the moving image. I now know I can confidently and proficiently make small videos

The Loon lake experience!

Hey there, welcome back to my blog. Recently the whole of PLP 9 went on a retreat out in Maple ridge, more specifically, Loon Lake. When we arrived, I was a little bit unsure, but very quickly I realized this was all to help us improve ourselves. We started the very first day off with a variety of different outdoor activities! I got to do archery, which gave me more confidence in myself, both physically and mentally, over the next day as well I continued to do Rock climbing, low ropes which promoted team building and planning. During these outdoor activities we also did indoor sessions with the head of loon lake retreats. In these indoor sessions we were taught how to find good things about ourselves. Some of the things we did however can’t really be talked about on here because they are private and shared between PLP 9. This retreat has helped get to know my fellow classmates that I spend the majority of my weekdays with, I got to bond with many of them on a closer level as well, I think that one of the reasons for this, was the energy and the sense of accomplishment everyone shared, we all supported and cheered each other on, we encouraged and helped others if they were unsure. All of this helped us to really bond, and I know that I left that trip better of than before. There was a driving question “how do the choices we make set our future path?”. I now know that we all have to be thoughtful about what we say and also take into context as to how it might affect others, the choices we make will alter our future and shape who we become, so we need to make sure the right ones are made.

– Ps no photos, WordPress wasn’t working when I tried to add photos, sorry!

Make your kid work day!

Just kidding, November first was Take your kid to work day, an event for grade 9s meant to show them what some jobs are like, as well as to teach them what their parents do everyday. I got to go to work with my Dad, who is a firefighter for the City of North Vancouver! But what was really cool is that all the kids who had parents working for the city got to go on a tour! It started at the town hall.then after we went to the police station, we got to see the all of the cells and how they were cleaned, the garage and where stolen vehicles go, followed by the briefing room where we got to see all the different types of jobs there are in law enforcement, such as a pilot, a bomb specialist, a media specialist, and much, much more! Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to film anywhere other than the lobby.

After the Police station we got to see the library. Sure, it might not be as interesting or cool as the police or firehall, but there are people out there who love doing what they do for their community at the library! And we shouldn’t discourage them from that. While we were there we got to see behind the curtain and see the innermost workings of the library. I got to see how books are sorted after someone drops them off, how different libraries are all linked, and how different jobs at the library work!

After lunch I finally got to go to the firehall, this is where I got to learn about different types of fire, A fire(woods and normal combustibles), B fire, (combustible liquids and chemicals) and C fire (electrical) as well as the different types of fire extinguishers to use on them. I had to make a video on how my day went, I am pretty pleased with it, but hey, how about you see it for yourself!

Magical YouTube link. They also had a demonstration on fire safety, where they would talk about flash over and back draft. As well as an example of how smoke is unburnt fuel for the fire, which is why wherever smoke goes fire will follow. This means that you should always keep your door shut at night and if you are trapped in a building with fire blocking your exit, close all doors and any windows or places smoke might get through. My absolute favourite part of the whole day was operating the ladder truck, I got to go 110 feet in the air! It was pretty wobbly though.

My take your kid to work day was a great learning experience and I truly think that I learned quite a bit, it was really fun, and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to do it with.

How has the geography of the west shaped who we are?

As I got onto the school bus I had no idea that I would soon be amongst sky blue lakes, giant majestic mountains, and crisp fresh air. I went to Alberta with 23 other PLP learners, we went there to learn about geography and how it can impact us. We first stopped at Chraigellachie, where the last spike is. The last spike is the place where the Canadian Pacific railroad was finished, it is a historic place because it is where two sides of Canada were connected by a railroad. Our next stop was at Three Valley Gap, where we went into a ghost town and learned about the history of the surrounding area, we also stayed in a hotel right beside the ghost town. On the second day in we got to go on a few much smaller hikes that really introduced us to the breathtaking views of Alberta. Later in the day we got to learn about rogers pass and how the engineers of the CPR had a difficult time with getting through the mountains. The next day we woke up bright and early to go on the longest hike I have ever been on, I really liked it, just walking through the mountains for hours on end, where everything is so peaceful and quiet (aside from the 24 kids being loud as they made their way up).

The next day held one of the coolest experiences I have had. We got to go onto a glacier and learn about how it was formed and how much it has decreased because of climate change. I even got to do an interview for my maker project! (See Story finding in the Rockies!) during this trip we got a book to write in about all the places we have been to, as well as answer the driving question. How has the geography of the west shaped who I am?.

Over the next few days we got to go on a few more hikes and learning places. One of the coolest days was when we went to the Cave and Basin, the birthplace of Canadian national parks.

After we looked at the cave, we went up the mountain beside it, called sulphuric mountain because of the high concentration of sulphur. The hike was beautiful, during it we got to learn about how scientists had a laboratory at the top of the mountain and it served as a cosmic ray station and helped contribute to international geophysical year.

Overall I think that the geography of the west shaped who we are by teaching us how to learn, adapt and grow to new environments that pose challenges not come across before, this can be proven by the lab at the top of sulphur mountain teaching us that no matter where you are there is always something new to be learned, by the last spike showing that humans can accomplish and conquer an entire country if they put their minds to it. There are more examples I could put but what’s the fun in that? You should go and try to find examples of your own! This trip was amazing and the teachers have been really supportive of us all, thank you!

Story finding in the Rockies!

Hey there! Welcome back to my blog, I haven’t posted a while but I am back! (Let’s be honest you probably forgot about me). Recently I went to Alberta with PLP, and it was honestly pretty amazing, we went on a bunch of breathtaking hikes (figuratively and literally). I also learned quite a bit while we were there. I started to learn about all of the ways to communicate through the moving image. We had to make 4 different videos to help us learn about this, an at home video that I did before we left, where I Talked about all the things that inspire me. Here it is: What inspires me | Youtube video.  When we were making this video we also got to make a YouTube channel where we would be uploading all of our videos. Whilst making my first video I realized how much I liked editing and creating videos. once I had discovered my newfound liking for videography I started to explore new features and ways to get information across, like using background music to convey emotions, as well as adding in text, and different transitions. The second video we did was on the first day into the trip, in a ghost town! We had to make an old fashioned themed, silent video in black and white. The video was pretty fun to film and my group members were pretty good at cooperatin and collaborating. This video also taught me to use body language to tell a story, exaggerated body movement works best, as well as using over the top facial expressions. Silent Video. After the silent video we started to work on our shortest video of them all, the TikTok style video, the name pretty much explains itself. In this video we got to choose a tiktok trend to use and incorporate into a video sharing our trip. I did this with a partner and it was way better than doing it alone in my opinion. This was pretty fun to edit because we chose to do a transition style video where we jump and it changes scenes, I enjoyed making it look nice and doing sound effects. TikTok style Video.

Last but most certainly not least. Our fourth and final video was an investigative video, this video was more academically orientated. In the investigative video we had to talk about how some interviews we did supported our thesis as well as anything else we learned on the trip that could support it. This was by far the hardest video to make and edit because I was actually a little bit confused. I did figure everything out and I am very proud  of the video I made. Investigative video

I had an amazing trip and I want to thank all of the teachers for putting up with us, taking  care of us, and just going the extra mile, Thank you.

My trip to Oregon!

Hi there! My grade 8 class got to go on a special field study all the way to Oregon! It was so amazing and there we many different cool things there! The main reason we went to Oregon was to learn more about advertising and to put our knew found knowledge into use by making an ad for a small, local business. We each got put into groups of around 6 people. The business that I got assigned to was a local Chinese restaurant a little out of the way. It was still a really cool place with a quaint ambiance and a cozy atmosphere, plus the food there was delicious! We also had to write in a journal throughout the trip so here is a link to mine!

Aside from the advertising aspect of things, we also got to learn a lot about the geography, such as yaquina head, or about all of the sea biology which is a subject that I quite enjoy. We got to look at tide pools and dig up shrimp to look at them! Overall this trip was just an all round really cool experience that I am very glad I went on. I’ll catch you next time on my amazing blog!

The medium is the message

Hi there! Welcome back to my blog. In this project we learned all about advertising and how it is used to influence us. This was a really cool project for me because I already knew quite a bit about advertising, so it was interesting to really dive into what it actually does and how it can be used to influence the public to doing what the company advertising wants. This was a really cool learning experience and we even got to make ads for a business in Oregon. We went to Oregon for our field study and we got to learn about the tide pools, but the main thing was advertisement. The business that I was assigned to was a small Chinese restaurant called “Kam Meng”, the food there was amazing and we got to learn all about the backstory of this amazing place. I am also going to put in all of the drafts I did all the way up till the final version.

Finally, my final draft.

It’s that time… tPOLS!

 

Hi there, here we are again! After my first mPOL I started to get into more of a flow, and also understand even more what PLP is actually about. To get started. What has happened since the mPOL? We have done many new projects, such as mind over matter, or the medium is the message. You know what would be really cool? To see how much I have changed since the start of the year. So lets pull up a project from the very start of the year, and compare it to one I made recently!

This was my user guide, a project we did at the start of the year in maker. As you can see I was still new to the iPad, and I did not know how to write as well as I do now. Although I did have a lot of fun making it! It also shows how I thought at the start of the year, about PLP and school because you can tell I was much more focused on the part where I was not in “school mode”. Let’s check out something I did more recently! 

This was keystone 2 for a project called “consequences of colonization”, where I got to learn all about the colonists and what happened when they arrived. But in this paragraph you can see I was much more detail focused and On point with the knowledge I was required to present. Moving on to how I can still grow, one thing I still need to work on would  be my time management skills. The reason I think this is because even now I still leave things to the last minute which can lead to me being stressed and unhappy and then the work quality is much, much lower than it could be.

This was my learning plan and you can see that for this tPOL I did not include my learning plan for maker because I did not have it in the second semester. The trip to Oregon  was super cool and it was an amazing experience overall, even though I was in trip 2 AND on the late bus that went up. Unfortunately I missed zip lining and I was looking forward to that. The other things we did were really cool though, one of my favourite things was yaquina head part because we got to see tons of sea life and learn about the lighthouse that is there. Another thing that we did was going to go see haystack rock which is really cool and we got to see in the tide pools and watch the birds that land on the rock. I even got a photo of me beside it!

Spring exhibition.

This was the spring exhibition and in my opinion it was way better than the winter exhibition. It was organized better, it had a bigger turnout, the teachers were less stressed, so that meant everyone was happier.

thank you for checking out this blog, I hope you learned something reading this and I will see you on the next post!