Project #1: “Who’s on First?” Recreation Video
Overview
For a component of my “Eminent” project, in which I researched and presented the eminence of a notable individual (Lou Costello) through a speech and learning centre, I decided to create a video to showcase my learning and add another sense of engagement for people to learn about my project. As I decided to share all about the renowned American actor and comedian Lou Costello, I figured it would be a good idea to recall and recreate one of his classic skits “Who’s on first”, which he performed with his partner Bud Abbott, in my own taste and vision. Starring Myung Joon Cho and myself, this is “Who’s on First? Recreated”.
Creativity, Innovation, Technology Operations, and Concepts
- I enhance the impact of my research or presentation through creative use of technology.
Rather than to simply perform a skit countless times within the duration of my centre, I used the concepts and skills of filmmaking/editing to create an easily understandable, entertaining, and original take on a classic comedic sketch. I used the assets of technology to add subtitles to my video, add appropriate music, and to put a film grain onto my finished product, all leading to a much more polished and creative experience.
- I determine and use the most effective medium to present my work.
As I mentioned before, rather than for me to perform my skit live for guests (which can result in many problems occurring such as acting mistakes, an overload of stress, and a lack of time management relevant to the audience), I determined the best possible alternative that would provide a similar experience and could offer its own perks and opted to go for a video. Not only would I be able to create the best version of my skit through editing, but I could then spend more time talking to guests about my other pieces of work as they enjoy the video.
- I challenge myself to increase my technological literacy by working with apps, software, or mediums that I have not used in the past.
Although many of the apps that I used and worked with for the completion of the video such as Microsoft Word for the scriptwriting, the camera application on my phone for recording, and Wondershare Filmora for my editing, I ended up taking huge leeways with the direction of my finished project and got to experience aspects of Filmora for the first time, especially in the colour/lighting department.
Digital Citizenship
- My work demonstrates a positive, productive, and empathetic worldview.
Recreating such an iconic skit like “Who’s on First” not only pays homage to the last several decades of comedic skits through laughter and entertainment even today, but it also promotes hard work and creative freedom in filmmaking with teenagers in today’s day and age. My work inspires the sides of comedy and entertainment, as well as aspects of filmmaking, and demonstrates it all through a positive worldview.
Project #2: PTI “Indian Act” Presentation
Overview
Prior to our English novel study of Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, our class was split into groups of four to research and present about a specific topic around the themes of the book, some of which included residential schools and women’s rights within the First Nations. For this presentation, my group focused on the Indian Act, sharing what it is, how it has affected the First Nations and any current news regarding the act. The link attached above is the pdf version of the Powerpoint that we used to present.
Communication and Collaboration
- I respond to the work or ideas of my peers in a way that is compassionate and productive.
Because our presentation was a collective effort between me and three other peers, it was no surprise that we would comment, question, and shares on ideas that we had that could make out overall presentation better. Although the four of us had our own sections that we would mainly focus on, I would often drop by the other slides to make a comment or suggestion either verbally or through the comments feature on Powerpoint.
Research and Information Literacy
- I go beyond google and use databases to find scholarly research sources.
To ensure that I had reliable and specific information for my research, I took the liberty to look beyond Google by using “The Canadian Encyclopedia” for many of my research points, as the website has a large source of information regarding Canadian news that I implemented into my sections. In addition to The Canadian Encyclopedia, I also made sure to check out the Gleneagle online library for other resources that I could use to further improve and expand the content of our project.
- I look at controversial issues or topics from opposed perspectives to gain a more complete understanding.
As my portion of the presentation revolved around current news, I worked alongside my peer Myung Joon to research and present two fairly recent and relevant news updates regarding the Indian Act (One talked about sex-based discrimination within the act and the other about a member of parliament rejecting responsibility for the act). In both topics, but more specifically the latter, I had to research both sides of the argument on the current status of the Indian Act and if it should be modified for the advantage of the parliament or the First Nation peoples.
Digital Citizenship
- I attribute credit to ideas that are not my own by preparing a bibliography/works cited and by using in-text citations.
At the end of my presentation, there is a complete “works cited” slide that contained all of the research sources that our group use to present our ideas and information in an MLA format. In addition to our research sources, I have also linked the citations for any images that I personally used underneath the photo itself.
Project #3: Midsummer Night’s Dream Vignette
Midsummer Night’s Dream Vignette Script\
Overview
For our final wrap-up project after the reading of Shakespeares “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, I worked with three other peers to create and perform an original vignette that retold an act from the original in front of the class. Filled with props, music, and creativity, we shared the wonderful stories of Shakespeare through our own lens. The link above is to the original script of our vignette, as the recording of the performance could not be located.
Communication and Collaboration
- I use digital spaces to plan and execute collaborative projects with my peers.
To generate our ideas, share comments, and create our script, our group collectively used Google docs to culminate our project into a single document that could be accessed or changed at any time by any of the group members.
- I tailor my work to appeal to my intended audience and use language and visual design elements appropriate for them.
Knowing that our vignette would be performed in front of our class, my group and I wrote our script to be entertaining, easy to understand, and at the heart of our classes wants when it came to our play. With a rap battle segment, over the top accents and costumes, and several one-liner jokes, we made sure that our vignette did not lose sight of the original vision with its story and characters but still had a twist of originality and appeal to our intended audience.
- I constructively build upon or synthesize the ideas of my peers.
The overall finished script of our vignette, that you can read above, was not an easy product to finish. From conflicting visions of the plot, a large collection of jokes that were all within the script, and a performance time that was way over the limit, our group encountered several challenges and roadblocks that slowed the progress of our project. We managed to get through all these challenges through communication between the four of us, by building upon the dozens of ideas and changes that each of us thought of throughout our process of writing.
Project #4: Banana Slug Biology Poster
Overview
For our biology unit within Science, we were given an assignment where we received one living organism from animals to plants as a topic that we had to research and present about through an educational poster. My organism was the banana slug, and I decided to make a digital poster through the use of Powerpoint.
Creativity, Innovation, Technology Operations, and Concepts
- 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.
Because I was aware that a key aspect of a poster was the overall aesthetic and its layouts, colour, and formats, I made sure to keep these factors in mind when creating my poster by using a relevant colour to my topic, adding enough images to not over clutter the page with text, and formatting the text and research into sub-sections that are easy to follow.
Research and Information Literacy
- I critically asses research sources for currency, reliability, authority, and purpose.
While I was taking notes on my topic, I made sure to check a wide variety of sources, from videos to articles about the banana slug, ensuring that the information I had was doubled checked from different websites.