Category Archives: Capstone

PTI Presentations

Here is a link to our PowerPoint.

As part of a novel study we did on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, we were put in groups and had to research a topic related to Indigenous rights.  For my group, our topic was residential schools. In addition to providing research, we had to find two news articles relating to our topic and touch base upon those.  Finally, we were required to put our research into the form of a PowerPoint presentation.  

Digital Literacy Criteria Met:

• I respond to the work or ideas of my peers in a way that is compassionate and productive (Communication and Collaboration 3)

This project required a significant amount of collaboration between my peers and I.  My group had nice group chemistry, and we gave each other positive feedback and constructive criticism in a friendly manner.  For example, we discussed the subtopics that we wanted to cover (abuse, loss of language, etc) as a group and brainstormed who would be in charge of which portion of the presentation.  We also collaborated to find the news articles we would use for our presentation. To do this, we looked up “Residential Schools” in CBC News and picked two that seemed to represent the topic the best.  

• I identify and discuss bias in research sources (Research and Information Literacy 10)

While researching our presentations, we kept a critical opinion on articles we found due to the fact that much of the Indigenous’ history and voices were washed away and suppressed by the government.  To do this, we identified whether or not our articles came from a primary source, as well as who wrote the article (was it someone who went to a residential school, someone who had a family member that experienced residential schools, or someone with no background on the topic?)  Finally, we also checked the articles for the style of writing the author(s) used (persuasive, informative, etc).   

• I look at controversial issues or topics from opposed perspectives and gain a more complete understanding (Research and Information Literacy 12)

In addition to looking for bias in our research, we also took care to refrain from sharing our own opinions or biases during the presentation.  We understood that in order to deliver the proper information to our audience, we needed to come forward with a neutral view on our topic, despite any personal opinions we might have.  We also made sure to stay unbiased, as at the end of the presentation we were required to ask the audience a question relating to our topic, which they were then supposed to discuss in groups and share their answers with the class.  

• I ethically use content that is not created by me by using Creative-Commons licensed audio, video, or images and by properly citing these resources within my work (Digital Citizenship 14)

To make our presentation resonate with our classmates, we used a variety of images to further embellish our research.  These images ranged from illustrations to historical photographs and even pictures drawn from the news articles we’d chosen.  At the bottom of each image, we made sure to include the proper citation to respect the creator of the photograph or artwork. In addition, we credited articles by using a Works Cited as the final slide for our presentation.     

• My work demonstrates a positive, productive, and empathetic worldview (Digital Citizenship 15)

This project was quite important for the history of our country, especially some darker aspects that may not have been touched on for a very long time.  To move forward and reconcile for any wrongdoings from the past, we must educate ourselves on what those wrongdoings happened to be. For this reason, our presentation was the perfect opportunity to discuss the horrible events that many Indigenous people experienced.  By using news articles and quotes from people who’d gone to residential schools in our presentation, we created room for empathy in regards to the trauma and horrors that they went through.

Eminent 

Here are links to my speech and bibliography.

As the first major project of TALONS 9, we were tasked with researching a famous person considered eminent.  Once we had chosen our Eminent person, we then had to create a blog post summarizing their achievements and comparing their experiences to ours.  Then, we had to perform a 4-5 minute speech from the point of view of someone or something who knew our Eminent person. My Eminent person was the Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, and I performed my speech from the point of view of Prince Edward Island, which is where Montgomery grew up.  As our final portion of the project, we had to create a “learning centre” and present it during Night of the Notables, where our families would have a chance to visit everyone’s learning centre. After Night of the Notables, we all completed an annotated bibliography for all of the research we conducted.

Digital Literacy Criteria Met: 

• I tailor my work to appeal to my intended audience, and use language and visual design elements appropriate for them (Communication and Collaboration 2)

Both the speech and learning centre for Eminent had to be presented to an audience.  In the case of the speech, I knew that it would be slightly more formal, but would also require acting as I would be speaking from the point of view of someone who was very proud of my Eminent person.  For that reason, I made sure to refrain from slang, but at the same time add emotion and put on a believable performance. For my learning centre, I kept a strong visual theme and tried to design it so it would be welcoming to my audience.

• I critically assess research sources for Currency, Reliability, Authority and Purpose (Research and Information Literacy 9)

Research was a huge part of Eminent.  You had to have at least 10-12 reliable sources, and be able to answer detailed questions about your Eminent person during Night of the Notables.  For this reason, I did my best to use sources from official websites that were free of bias. For example, a lot of my sources came from Canadian history websites such as Historica Canada. Although the date of my articles didn’t really matter since my Eminent person existed a long time ago, I still tried to look for sites that had been uploaded recently or were regularly updated.

• I attribute credit to ideas that are not my own by preparing a Bibliography/Works Cited and by using in-text citations (Digital Citizenship 13)

As the final piece of work we had to submit for Eminent, we had to create an annotated bibliography with at least 10 of our best and most used sources.  For my bibliography, I used the proper format that my teacher requested us to use and made sure to specify how each source aided my research for Eminent.  I used formal language in my research annotations, and checked each link I provided to make sure they worked properly.

Parts of a Cell PowerPoint Slide

Unfortunately, the PowerPoint was deleted, but I have included a drawing of an animal cell that I created for my slides.

As an introduction to our biology unit, our class collaborated together and created a PowerPoint.  Each of us were responsible for researching a different part of the cell, and presenting our slide of the presentation with a one-minute speech.  The cell organelle I was assigned to was peroxisomes.  

Digital Literacy Criteria Met:

• I use digital spaces to plan and execute collaborative projects with my peers (Communication and Collaboration 1)

Because the whole class was collaborating to make a PowerPoint presentation, it was important that we had some communication since some of the cell parts we were discussing were connected to each other.  We all communicated properly, and there wasn’t too much repeated information. In addition, we had to make sure to tell each other if we were changing the theme of our presentation, as if one person changed their slide’s theme, it would change everyone else’s slides.  Although we had some mishaps with theme changes at the beginning of the assignment, we ended up fixing any problems that arose.  

• I enhance the impact of my research or presentation through creative use of technology (Creativity, Innovation, Technology Operations and Concepts 5)

For the slides I was responsible for, I added my own flair and style as much as I could without changing the PowerPoint’s theme.  I did this by using the “Designer” feature on PowerPoint, since this would alter my slide without changing anyone else’s slides as well.  In addition, I picked fonts that I liked and arranged any diagrams I included to provide emphasis on key ideas I would cover. In addition, I used Paint 3D on my computer to draw a diagram of an animal cell for my presentation as I couldn’t find one online that included my organelle. 

Short Story Mind Map

Here is the link to the write-up for my mind map. 

To wrap up our short story unit in English, we had to create a mind map illustrating the core components of a story (plot, setting, protagonist, conflict, mood, irony, etc) that we chose to read.  The short story I picked was called The Ghost.

Digital Literacy Criteria Met: 

• I determine and use the most effective medium to present my work (Creativity, Innovation, Technology Operations and Concepts 6)

When it comes to mind maps, I had the option of creating mine digitally or on paper.  For the artwork and titles, I opted for the latter as I knew that I was more used to completing assignments on paper and I had more of an opportunity to add my flair to the project.  However, I completed the written portion on the computer, since typing is more efficient than writing, and typing the written portion would also give me more time to focus on the hand-drawn portions of my mind map.  I completed my colouring using markers and pencil crayons.  

• I design my work with consideration given to aesthetics and design, such as consistent colour schemes, symmetry, or organization of visual elements, and overall layout (Creativity, Innovation, Technology Operations and Concepts 7)

A large component of the criteria for the mind map was to have definite separations between different topics (conflict, plot, etc).  To make sure the separations were as clear as possible, I drew borders around the text for each section of my mind map and coded each section by lightly colouring each section of text a different, distinct colour (I chose red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple).  For our mind map, we also had to include a central image that represented the story. For my central image, I chose to draw a rocking chair with vines wrapped around it.