Overall, I have not enjoyed remote learning. Specifically, I dislike the lack of face to face interactions, and a feeling of connection to my class. I miss the energy that comes from being in a classroom with other students and my teachers. One advantage of remote learning is that I don’t have to commute to and from school. Technology is an essential for learning online. I benefited from technology when I needed to record videos for my Science TALONS Talk, and Guitar. Technology comes with many distractions, especially with the notification system. I often disable notifications to focus on my schoolwork, however a few times I missed timely notifications too. One core competency that has helped me is Personal Awareness and Responsibility, because it drove me forward to make sure I was staying on top of my homework. I have met almost all of my deadlines and kept up with my classes. One core competency that I have improved during this online experience is Communication. I have been participating more in class online, and sharing my learning. For example, before my calls, I prepare my thoughts ahead of time and virtually raise my hand early in class discussions.
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How do different types of frequencies affect plants?
Hello TALONS! Welcome to my TALONS Talk, feel free to leave a question or comment below!
References
Akbal, A., Kiran, Y., Sahin, A., Turgut-Balik, D., & Balik, H. H. (2010). Effects of Electromagnetic Waves Emitted by Mobile Phone on Germination, Root Growth, and Root Tip Cell Mitotic Division of Lens culinaris Medik. Retrieved June 4, 2020
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, December 7). Radiation Studies – CDC: Non-Ionizing Radiation. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/nonionizing_radiation.html
Denyer, C. (n.d.). Light Spectrum. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=140807&picture=light-spectrum
Greyling, L. (n.d.). Play Of Sunlight On Radish Leaves. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=329896&picture=play-of-sunlight-on-radish-leaves
Havas, M., & Symington, S. M. (2016). Effects of Wi-Fi Radiation on Germination and Growth of Broccoli, Pea, Red Clover, and Garden Cress Seedlings: A Partial Replication Study | Bentham Science. Retrieved from Eurekaselect: http://www.eurekaselect.com/node/141391/article/effects-of-wi-fi-radiation-on-germination-and-growth-of-broccoli-pea-red-clover-and-garden-cress-seedlings-a-partial-replication-study
Mallette, L. (n.d.). Water Ripple. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=208782&picture=water-ripple
NASA. (2013, March). Electromagnetic Spectrum – Introduction. Retrieved from NASA: https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/toolbox/emspectrum1.html
OSHA Safety and Health Topics. (2008, September 26). OSHA Radiation Spectrum. United States of America. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OSHA_radiation_spectrum.jpg
University Politehnica Timisoara. (2017, January 16). ANNALS-2017-1-16.pdf. Retrieved from http://annals.fih.upt.ro/: http://annals.fih.upt.ro/pdf-full/2017/ANNALS-2017-1-16.pdf
Ursache, M., Mindru, G., Creanga, D., Tufescu, F., & GOICEANU, C. (2007). THE EFFECTS OF HIGH FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES ON THE VEGETAL ORGANISMS*. Retrieved June 4, 2020
Wikipedia. (2016, June 1). Photosynthesis. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Photosynthesis_en.svg
Welcome!
Hi! I’m Derek. Thanks for joining me tonight. For my In-Depth project, I started my own business. The name of my business is G.L.I.D.E, Gleneagle Learning In-Depth Enterprise, and my product is a “Reusable Tri-Fold”. My mentor is Mr. Bingley, a business studies teacher at Gleneagle.
For tonight, I’ve prepared a short advertisement for my business:
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why did you choose Reusable Tri-Folds for your project?
In the future, I hope to study business and someday have my own business. I chose Reusable Tri-Folds for my product because I was looking to fill a need while being environmentally friendly.
What were the learning highlights of your project?
What were some difficulties during the duration of your project?
Obviously, COVID-19 was a massive event that challenged my overall project. While I was unable to build and sell my Tri-Folds, I still enjoyed the opportunity to experience what it would be like as an entrepreneur.
Thanks for joining me tonight! Please leave any questions or comments below! You can also follow me on Instagram @glide_tri_folds
In Depth Blog Post #6
Back in December, at the beginning of my In-Depth project, I imagined myself at In-Depth night surrounded by my TALONS classmates, parents and teachers. I pictured a buzz of energy through the MPR, filled with excitement and pride, as we shared our hard work and learning. When I first came up with the idea of reusable Tri-Folds, I envisioned many of my peers using them for their learning centres that night. Therefore, the four weeks leading up to the May In-Depth night were scheduled for selling and building my product. At the time, there was no way I could’ve predicted where we are now and that the In-Depth night will be occurring 100% online.
Small businesses around the world have been struggling to operate during this pandemic. Local shops have been forced to adapt and move online in order to survive. Social media, such as Instagram, is playing a significant role in promoting and selling products online. For example, Gabi and Jules in Port Moody has upgraded their website and increased their product line to include flour, eggs, butter, etc. Another example is Taps and Tacos restaurant who actively posts pictures and specials on Instagram. My original plan was to sell my product in person at Gleneagle, however I too am forced to adapt.
Since my last In-Depth blog post, I have pursued Mr. Bingley’s advice on creating a brand with a name and a slogan. My business name is G.L.I.D.E, which stands for Gleneagle Learning In-Depth Enterprises. My new slogan is “Spread Your Wings and Tri…Fold”. I thought that I would take a humorous approach, to bring some laughter in these depressing times.
For online In-Depth night, I plan to present my learning in the form of a commercial that will be posted both on my blog, as well as on a separate business related Instagram account. My commercial will feature my reusable Tri-Fold presentation board, and outline all of its key qualities, such as reducing students’ ecological footprint. I hope my commercial will highlight the main aspects of my project in a fun, exciting and engaging way.
In my last email with my mentor, Mr. Bingley, he strongly urged me to create a social media account for my project and I’ve taken his advice very seriously. My next steps will be to design and film my commercial, and set up a social media account. Although In-Depth night will not be what I originally had envisioned, I hope to exchange thoughts and learning with everyone online.
In Depth Blog Post #5
Black Swan: “An unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences. Black swan events are characterized by their extreme rarity, their severe impact, and the widespread insistence they were obvious in hindsight.” Investopedia.com.
COVID-19 is clearly a Black Swan event that has impacted life worldwide. The pandemic has affected all of us. Schools are shut down with learning forced to move online, businesses of all kinds are struggling to operate under restrictions and unusual conditions. People are dying and healthcare workers are being asked to put their own lives at risk to help others.
For our TALONS In-Depth project, modifications are required. In uncertain times, as students, we need to be flexible and willing to adapt. In the weeks leading up to spring break, I felt optimistic in my ability to build and sell my product to my peers. Clearly, COVID-19 has changed everything. Suddenly, there is no In-Depth night, nor any in-class presentations that will be happening in the foreseeable future. Other school events that I was hoping to supply tri-folds for such as Spring Carnival are not going forward. I considered transforming my tri-folds into green screens for video calls. However, I am also unable to visit the stores to gather needed supplies to build my products. I have emailed my mentor, Mr. Bingley to give him an update on my project, but he probably has more important matters on his mind at this time. I hope to touch base with him one last time before the end of my project, but I understand if he cannot.
I am going to continue working on my project at home as much as I can through videos and reading articles and books. I completed a cost analysis and set a “pre-COVID-19” price that I would have sold my product at, had the Black Swan event not occurred.
For my next steps, I plan to research how local small businesses are dealing with this unusual situation. I will also try to envision what learning will look like in six months, a year, or even five years from now. COVID-19 has been such a globally life changing event that people’s habits and routines will never be the same.
1. What kinds of learning opportunities does the mentor provide to expose you to new learning?
So far, my mentor has exposed me to concepts such as marketing and market surveys. To add on, we discussed a variety of ways on how to reach a potential market, such as social media. During our last meeting prior to the break, Mr. Bingley introduced the idea of branding. I found this topic very interesting and we agreed to discuss further on this concept after the break. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has interrupted that discussion. If we have another meeting before the end of the project, we may have a conversation about branding, so I can learn for future purposes, as I won’t be selling any of my product.
2. What kinds of learning opportunities exist to reinforce new learning?
One way I reinforced my learning was putting his advice into practice. I surveyed my peers and compiled the data. The Gleneagle Business Club was a great opportunity to reinforce my learning prior to the break. During our meetings, we discussed business cases involving “the four p’s”, product, promotion, price, place. Going forward, I would like to watch videos on marketing such as Shark Tank or Dragons Den.
3. What kinds of opportunities exist that might accelerate learning?
COVID-19 has really roadblocked my project, so although I will keep an eye out for opportunities to further my learning, I don’t see many chances to accelerate it.
4. When you get together what do you talk about?
Usually when my mentor and I meet, we start with a debriefing of my progress and any concerns, or suggestions he might have. We then discuss next steps and often Mr. Bingley tells a story to help my understanding based on his own personal experiences.
5. What is going particularly well in your mentoring relationship right now?
I miss having face to face discussions with my mentor. I contacted him recently and he said that he would help out as much as possible under the circumstances.
6. What are you learning about one another?
We haven’t met since my last blog post due to COVID-19. I realize that he is supportive and willing to help me out even in these unusual times.
Here are some photos that I meant to include on my last blog post:
French Final Project: Du Vélo
Summary of Assignment and Learning Objectives
My final project for French 9 was a power point oral presentation in French on my favourite sport. I chose biking! The learning objectives were to demonstrate our pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Our assignment included photographs of the equipment needed to do the sport, as well as me demonstrating how to bike.
Listing of Digital Literacy Criteria Met
Creativity, Innovation, Technology Operations and Concepts:
#7. 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.
For my power point slides, I chose a colour scheme to ensure that all my slides were visually consistent. I also presented my photos in an organized layout that varied perspective and tried to capture the sense of motion and excitement of biking. I also made sure to limit the number of words on each slide to not overwhelm the reader.
Digital Citizenship:
#15. My work demonstrates a positive, productive, and empathetic worldview
I feel that my power point presentation demonstrates a positive and productive worldview, because it encourages my peers to try biking and be more physically active. In addition, I ensured that my slides included my modelling of safety equipment, to show the proper way of biking with safety. Finally, I injected some humour in my presentation, as the week I was supposed to take photos of myself biking, it snowed.
Science 9 Assignment 4: Reaction Rates
Summary of Assignment and Learning Objectives
For TALONS Science 9, I prepared a five page written report on 5 factors that affect reaction rates in Chemistry. I consulted a number of different sources online using both Google as well as Destiny Discover. To further illustrate my understanding, I sourced images online to include in an appendix. Through this assignment, I learned what conditions are required in Chemistry for a reaction to occur, as well as what factors are involved.
Listing of Digital Literacy Criteria Met
Research and Information Literacy
#11. I go beyond Google and use databases to find scholarly research sources.
In addition to Google, I consulted Destiny Discover to find scholarly research sources for my paper. One of the recommended sources for the database search “Chemistry Reactions” was BBC Bite size Chemistry. I gained an understanding from the site of how molecules react under different factors.
Digital Citizenship
#14. 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.
I wanted to use images to properly show my understanding of the five factors and their influence on reaction rates. I ethically chose images from reliable sources and properly cited each image within my report.
Links:
Appendix C – Concentration or Pressure
Socials Project: Indigenous Women’s Rights Group Presentation
Summary of Assignment and Learning Objectives
As a TALONS Socials 9 group project, we were assigned the topic of Indigenous Women’s Rights in Canada. As a group, we chose to do a power point presentation and collaboratively research online and write our speech using a Word Online document. Some of the learning objectives included preparing slides that flowed and showed images that were relevant to the subject, discussing social responsibilities and suggesting solution. The project was meant to provoke critical thinking on a sensitive topic in my peers and engages them into a classroom discussion.
Listing of Digital Literacy Criteria Met
Communication and Collaboration:
#3. I respond to the work or ideas of my peers in a way that is compassionate and productive.
Being a boy in a group of girls working on the subject of Women’s Rights, I needed to be respectful, compassionate and empathetic. Early on, I realized that my role in the group shouldn’t be forceful, but more of a listener and supporter. I let my group members choose which parts of the project they wanted to do first, and I always offered to help if they needed proof reading or suggestions.
Research and Information Literacy:
#10. I identify and discuss bias in research sources.
When I was conducting my research, I started to notice bias in certain sources. For example, some sources focused on gender issues, over Indigenous rights, while others did the opposite.
#12. I look at controversial issues or topics from opposed perspectives to gain a more complete understanding.
During my research, I came across the controversial issue surrounding “Indian Status” in Canada. I looked for different perspectives on the issue in my research and read several articles and watched a short film that highlighted the differing opinions. This experience was brand new to me and I didn’t know much about the “Indian Act” and the rights that some Aboriginal People have under it.
Links:
English 9 MND Assignment: Character Analysis
Summary of Assignment and Learning Objectives
For my Midsummer Night’s Dream unit, we needed to create and present a character analysis on a chosen character. I collaborated with two classmates to efficiently complete the assignment. We communicated through online platforms including Word Online and other social media.
Listing of Digital Literacy Criteria Met
Communication and Collaboration
#1. I use digital spaces to plan and execute collaborative projects with my peers.
As a group, we decided to plan our project online because we were unable to meet in person often after school. We frequently used Word Online, to collaborate and communicate about our project. We also communicated using Instagram regarding availability to work together.
#4. I constructively build upon or synthesize the ideas of my peers.
After we had our written drafts, we decided to peer review each other’s copies through Word Online. We explored the “suggestion” feature where we could comment on other’s work without directly editing it.
Creativity, Innovation, Technology Operations and Concepts
#8. I challenge myself to increase my technological literacy by working with apps, software, or mediums that I have not used in the past.
I took this opportunity to explore Word Online, as I haven’t been using this platform. I used Google Docs in Middle School for the majority of my projects. Now that I’m in high school, I can take a more profession approach by using Word Online.
ZIP Assignment 1: Animal Farm
Summary of Assignment and Learning Objectives
ZIP is an English Inquiry Project that gives you the opportunity to explore an area of learning of your choice independently. The learning objectives include online research, writing a proposal, constructing a learning artifact and presenting my learning to my peers. I chose George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, as my area of learning. My inquiry question that I was striving to answer was “How does George Orwell construct an allegory in his novel, Animal Farm to represent the political situation during and after the Russian Revolution?”. My artifact consisted of my own written allegory, and a visual character map.
Listing of Digital Literacy Criteria Met
Communication and Collaboration:
#2. I tailor my work to appeal to my intended audience, and use language and visual design elements appropriate for them.
My audience is my peers in my TALONS English class, as well as my teacher, Mr. Morris. I tried to make my presentation board more eye-catching by including pictures of cartoon pigs alongside photos of Marx, Stalin and Lenin. At the very top of my board, I had my inquiry question so my audience knows it was an inquiry project.
Creativity, Innovation, Technology Operations and Concepts:
#5. I enhance the impact of my research or presentation through creative use of technology.
I used Microsoft Excel to create the character map and position both photos of Russian Leaders alongside text that describe their characteristics.
#6. I determine and use the most effective medium to present my work.
My In-Depth project is to start my own business building and selling Tri-Fold Presentation Boards. I wanted to advertise my business by using one of my own Tri-Folds to give my peers and example as to what it would look like.
Research and Information Literacy:
#9. I critically assess research sources for Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose.
Before clicking on any links, I made sure that the website was authentic and a trusted platform. For example, I used BBC and History.com as primary sources for my learning about the history of the Russian Revolution. I made sure that the information provided on all the websites was consistent and reliable.
Digital Citizenship:
#13. I attribute credit to ideas that are not my own by preparing a Bibliography/Works Cited and by using in-text citations.
I created a bibliography citing all my sources and included it in my daily notes. I used Word to create these citations, as we learned in class.
Link: