We went through a fairly long but simple process for our User Manual assignment. At the beginning of this project, we asked ourselves “How can I creatively communicate who I am?” In other words, our task was to find a way to present ourselves to our peers in a creative manner. 

Throughout the process of working on this project, we learned a lot about our iPads, Pages, Showbie, and Basecamp. We were taught how to properly utilize our tools to help us in our learning. I know for a fact that if someone asked me a month ago to bookmark a file in Basecamp, or to hand in a project in Showbie, I definitely would not have known how to. 

I also feel that I have learned a lot about myself throughout this project. Usually, I don’t spend so much time thinking about myself. My strengths, weaknesses, and things I enjoy. It was nice to sit down and write about the person who I know best; myself. 

During the making of my Memoji Laptop, I learned quite a lot about Keynote. I originally felt reluctant to use Keynote as I felt a document or even Google Slides would work better, but I have learned that Keynote is much more than what meets the eye, as shown in this photo. The paintbrush editing tool provided numerous ways to adjust or edit objects on a slide. I’m fairly certain the app does things that Google Slides cannot match up to. From my original naivety towards Keynote, I have also learned not to underestimate things. Everything happens for a reason, and the reason why the teachers wanted us to use that app was so that we could make our Memoji Laptops with ease. 

I also learned that sometimes it’s okay not to go by script. We’re all writing our own stories, and there’s no right or wrong. When we were presenting our User Manuals, I noticed that my peers didn’t present it word-by-word. Contrary to what I had done, they highlighted what they felt was important about themselves to share. One of my fellow classmates discussed how their coach motivates them for hockey, and how they feel it reflects onto the “real word”. I, unlike them, followed along the manual and summarized my categories. It hadn’t even occurred to me the night before while I was practicing that I didn’t have to follow my User Manual line for line. From this, I have learned that sometimes it’s best to go outside of your comfort zone and be authentic to yourself instead of following a script. 

Overall, I feel that I could have done better. While I was quite proud of the outcome of my work, there’s always room for improvement. Originally when I came home from school, I didn’t really feel as if there was anything to say when my mom asked “What did you learn today at school?” And now? I have a whole list to present to her.