Professional Development???

Blog

Last Friday was a half-day at our school. However, our DigCit class was asked to stay after school plus and extra 30 minutes to present to the teachers at the Professional Development. I was tasked with presenting Schoology Discussions to the Science teachers. We were going to use these discussions to help students with questions or topics that they did not understand. It was to be used like an online tutor.

I was quite nervous about presenting to every single science teacher in our school, but once I got up to present, I was fine. Our presentation went smoothly and I think most teachers liked the ideas. I think I could have improved on explaining the app in conjunction with my other members. There was a little bit of miscommunication on who was presenting what.

I didn't think that I would like presenting to the teachers, but I actually enjoyed it. In addition, I got to hang out with my class and got to know them a little better.

I would definitely do it again!

Nathan

Graphic Designing

Digital Multimedia and Global Citizenship.

My teacher assigned our class a project that dealt with, yup, you guessed it. Graphic Design. We were each given a club/organization that needed a logo, t-shirt design, or banner.
I think my teacher stepped in because she gave me the Outdoors Club. Thank you!

My task is to create a permanent Outdoors Club logo as well as a t-shirt design. Immediately, my mind started spinning with ideas. Images of tree houses, the ocean, mountain biking, even skiing and snowboarding. I liked the idea of having several trees, each representing a different season.
As a class, we took a trip to the art room where my art teacher gave us a lecture about graphic design. He gave us a better image of what we are supposed to do. But one thing from his lecture stuck out to me, he said:

"Never settle for your first design,"

What he meant was, always improve your design. This quote inspires me to make this project awesome. I'm going all out.
But this quote can be tweaked to encompass all aspects of life. Never settle for what you have now. Always strive to improve yourself. To become a better you.

Here are some pictures of what I have so far...

What do you think? I want to fix the 4 trees to make it look better. Instead of making it on the iPad, I might draw it and color it with pencils. I want it to look abstract, however I still want you to know immediately that it is a tree.

I would love feedback on my designs.

Thank You Everybody!

Sincerely,

Nathan

Twitter Chat?

Hey guys,

FYI, a twitter chat is a discussion platform that is used in conjunction with a twitter account.
I was asked what kind of topic would I lead in such a chat.

If I had to moderate a twitter chat, I would definitely do something science based. I would try to have different topics each week. Things like renewable energy, ecology, sustainable practices, etc. I would choose this topic because it is something I am passionate about. I like life sciences, so I would stick to topics residing in biology, ecology, and environmental science.

I could use a twitter chat as a part of my genius time project to raise awareness about the effects of litter. This could be a cool outlet to get more technical with statistics and facts that may seem unnecessary in my videos.

Twitter chats are effective ways to communicate with others because you can talk to anyone anywhere. You do not have to be sitting together to have a conversation. It caters to a wider variety of people. It is also effective because it is easy to use. You do not have to be a twitter aficionado to participate in a twitter chat.

After participating in several twitter chats, I do think that it is something that I should use to enhance my passion project. It is such and easy and useful tool for spreading information!

Thanks for reading,

Nathan

Getting Feedback from Sharks

Hey guys,

So this week, my class and I created mock "Shark Tank" presentations for our Passion Projects. While one person was presenting, everyone else would listen and ask questions or give feedback to the presenter.
When it was my turn to present, I was a little nervous, but once I started to explain my project, that anxiety went away. When you are passionate about something, you are always excited to talk about it to anyone, anytime.
Through the "Shark Tank" process, my idea of the Genius Time Project has gotten clearer. I still want to make videos about cleanups and trips, but I might be able to expand the idea. Maybe other people could also participate in the cleanup, not just me. As always, more feedback is always welcome:)
By next week, I want to be able to have contacted potential mentors and ask them for assistance. I also want to have researched potential sites for cleanups. I want to start at my "home" lakes and parks. Places where I would normally fish or kayak. I want to start here because they are personal to me. But, I want to map out places past my "home" lakes. Maybe state parks in the mountains or nature preserves. I would like to start planning the longer trips by next week as well. Specifically hiking and camping trips.
I am so excited for this project because it is based on something I love. In science classes, whenever we did a project or report on animals, I was just as excited. I love animals and learning about them. My point is when I can apply an interest into a school project, it is the best of both worlds. I can research something I love, and get a grade for it. But on a serious note, I want this project to be more than just about getting the grade. The funny thing is, I have been talking to my parents about this idea of videoing outdoor trips and cleaning up parks way before this class. When this class was introduced to me, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to explore my environmental interest. I would like to continue videoing cleanups and trips and post them to YouTube even after this project is over.

Have a Great Day. Smile. Compliment someone. And enjoy the beauty of nature.

Sincerely,

Nathan