My second science 10 lab was to test observation skills. The class was each given 2 papers. One that explained the step-by-step lab procedure, the other to note observations before and after 10 minutes of putting 2 chemicals together. Each pair of chemicals were mostly merging one from a PH scale, and a chemical compound off the periodic table, sometimes one of the two swapping out for being a molecule of a polyatomic ion instead. We received the papers a day in advance to look over them and not be too lost when doing the actual lab, so the next day was when we were put into partners to synthesize the chemicals. We each tried our best to have our observations similar, but ended up writing quite different observations, which was good because it was encouraged to have differences instead of seeming like you piggybacked off someone. Most of my observations remained the same from the start of the new chemical composition to 10 minutes later, so I simply drew an arrow one box over to the table in the next row to represent that my observations stayed the same. We tried doing 2 chemicals at a time, then piggybacking observations but immediately stopped after noticing that our observations were different, making us need to redo the first 2 chemical synthesis’s. I was instructed to use scientific sounding words but, I at the same time tried to keep it simple, which made me not only have to be careful with observations, but also be careful with descriptive word choice. Having to tell our partners our observations to make sure that we were at least close to being on the right track was also a promising idea, to triple check our facts, and give ourselves a reality check in terms of understanding descriptive language. It took a lot of collaboration and open-mindedness to keep a mutual understanding in different (possibly fully opposing) observations, because we had to check each other’s work. This was a problem because it’s difficult to say that something is wrong when you already have an answer you are unsure of but since you wrote it, you want to hope you are the correct one; meaning it is hard to confirm somebody else’s work when you already have a bias answer. Hearing somebody else’s answers helped me by reminding me what categories of observations to look out for (colour, smell, texture, etc.) and what order would best make sense to have them in, so as to not forget any observations. When looking back on the experience, I feel as though I slightly blocked out my partner’s ideas too much, which made me sound biased when asking for an explanation of my partner’s answer.
Both of us seemed to successfully advocate for our observations to each other, just having a hard time accepting that our answer wasn’t the only one. I wasn’t able to support most of my partner’s answers but, I did encourage some of them by admitting that they were on the right track or sounded better than some of my answers. Most of the ones that I didn’t believe were right, I simply tried to only silently deny them and seem like I was acquiescing them and ask to make sure the claims were true because of certain totally opposing factors in my answer(s). Of course, one of us was wrong each time. I tried my best to stay logical instead of biased, but my small frustration of differences in answers drove me to slight biases, same for my partner.
I believe that this Lab helped me develop in core competencies by showing me the results of emotional awareness when there are multiple answers for the same question, and exercised my ability to express how I perceive something in difference to somebody else, and how to confirm if one is correct without bias.
Because I’ve picked up so many cards in my life, I am now able to stop picking up more.
Reflect on how you manage stress in your life and care for your wellbeing. In particular, think about technology and if it is a cause or coping mechanism of stress for you. How has technology impacted your stress levels this year? How can you use technology to support you and your wellbeing?
I used to pick up stress constantly which slowed my work progress down in grade 2 and 3. Once I hit grade 4 I realized that whenever I turn work in, I feel as if half of a car tire was lifted off my shoulders. At the same time, I could see in the teachers’ eyes that every time I hand something high quality in, they like it, they tell my parents and they like it too. My confidence lowers when turning the assignment in because I can never tell if how they act or any faces they make towards my work is good or bad, but when I get my it back, my happiness and admiration towards my work increases.
Doing work with the help of technology is easier because I have all the information right in front of me. I only need to find it, validate it, put it into the correct order, print it out, then turn it in. Maybe have some parts done in pencil or pencil crayon. If I simply don’t wanna do it because of stress, I can take my mind off of it for a bit by watching YouTube videos or by playing games.
If I’m doing a whole assignment online, the possibilities are as much time I have. I have infinite space, I have every piece of information ever collected and resources to them, I can experiment with anything I want, I can to go beyond any expectations set on me I have answers to all my problems, and I can entertain myself by helping other people solve their problems, or by playing games.
To put the limits of technology into perspective, imagine a whole document of information with resources at the very bottom, but in certain places in that document are embeds of other documents and PowerPoints to support your information on the main document, those embedded documents also written by you then containing resources at the bottom. That could be done in a matter of days, and the expectations could just be a 900 word essay on stress.
Whenever I have a personal or academic problem, I can simply search up how to solve it on the internet and get all my answers with relative ease. Everybody definitely has had to rely on technology to solve their problems at least 3 times. This includes me, I can never trust what even a teacher says in high school without verifying it on the internet, doing so not only helps me by either confirming what they say or by boosting my marks because of a mistake made about my marks.
Choose 2 prompts then explain in 1 or 2 sentences how they relate to you.
Prompt 1: I am kind to others, and support others when they need it. If someone is wrong or has a question, even if it isn’t directed to me, I still try to answer them first if I know, or think I know the answer. If someone needs extra help, I am open to helping them and try my best to show them how to do something (mainly if they need help in math or hockey). If somebody has a condition that changes their appearance or abilities/capabilities, I support them and try to talk them through it and suggest how they could work around their problems.
Prompt 2: I can appreciate diverse perspectives on issues and can resolve problems respectfully and effectively. I find it lovely when people work together because the different perspectives reveal mistakes in other perspectives. The only problem is how to let the person in the wrong know that they are wrong and correct them without them feeling stressed, rushed, or overpowered. Usually I try to work by myself because I have more freedom to do the activity I am assigned, otherwise people change it and that could change a context or idea completely, which could then lead to stress, anger, rush, or feeling overpowered by my own group member(s), unless the activity is sport related or if I don’t understand what is going on.
Prompt 3: I demonstrate respectful and inclusive behavior. Usually I would rather work alone but if there is somebody who wants to work with someone while everybody else is taken, I am welcoming to them, I can explain to them if they are confused, and I can give them ideas or suggestions. If I am in a group and someone is being left out or seems to feel like they are being left out, I alert the other people in my group to let the person who isn’t doing much, do more.
This design is a collection of words in different colours, fonts, and sizes for the computer to visualize. It is a detailed digital poster that gives key words relating to having a positive digital footprint. I made this infographic using WordArt. WordArt is a graphic design platform that’s used to create key words as headings to sub topics, to be used as posters, documents, or other visual content for free. The best thing is that it is easy to use and you can start creating within seconds.
2. Project Sharing Knowledge:
(Option 2) Word Art…
Explain why internet safety is important.
Internet safety is important because there are many people out there who have the capabilities of hacking into your computer and taking advantage of you or anyone who might be using your computer.
In this manner anyone could hack into your realm and find passwords, bank information, cause identity theft and even change your entire footprint to make you non-existent.
Give examples of unsafe activities.
Unsafe activities include browsing websites that are unsafe, using public Wi-Fi to access personal information or bank information or government information.
Describe the steps everyone can take to stay safe.
Steps to stay safe include not posting personal or family pictures on social media that are accessible to everyone.
Using platforms and websites that are safe.
Not using public wi-fi when dealing with sensitive information.
3. Personal/Social Competency Reflection:
I know that my digital footprint can have both positive and negative consequences including being able to get a good job due to having a good footprint or being targeted for the negative footprint. An example would be comments that are made showing an opinion that may not be favorable to everyone. So, I adjust my actions to conform to having only positive consequences. Actions would include not engaging in social media, refraining from commenting, completely staying away from any controversial matters.
My online support network is helpful to me because I can browse through material which I know is safe. I get guidance on how to protect myself online and have learnt what I look like to the world. Without this assignment, I had no idea what people saw when they searched for me. My school website, career website and Teams are all known sites and I feel confident in the use of these networks.
My strengths as a digital citizen include being cognizant of websites that are unsafe. I also know now how to maintain a positive footprint. Actions such as abstinence, or not commenting on social media, not engaging in controversial dialogue on social media and not posting anything personal are some key methods to maintaining that positive footprint. They contribute to my community by not stirring any unnecessary trouble. They also keep my family safe from being targeted.
You can choose to focus on just one area like Instagram if you wish or you can provide 3-5 key ideas on how to have a positive digital footprint on all platforms.
On YouTube I have liked 9893 videos, subscribed to 344 channels, and have 15 subscribers. I have created a bunch of private playlists, unlinked playlists, and created a few public playlists about space, Minecraft, and Gacha.
There are several ways to maintain a positive digital footprint. Among these include:
Abstinence: If you don’t engage in any social media, then you have no footprint left behind. You may choose to view different cites with “incognito” turned on.
If you do decide to participate in any platform, be sure that it is not a controversial matter. If it is, then refrain from having any comments in order not to be judged, especially when it comes time for new opportunities.
If you do comment on any platform or “like” a comment, then have only positive comments or “likes”. It should never have an opinion which could jeopardize your future options.
Post pictures that are appropriate and relate to you only. Should you decide to post someone else’s picture, you should have written permission no matter how close you are to them.
If you do post someone else’s work or pictures, give them the credit.
Now Google yourself to learn about your own digital footprint. Are you active online? What do you share online and is it an appropriate reflection of you? Would you be okay with your parents seeing this version of you? What about your teachers? Future or current employers?
When searching myself up, I found my dad’s (Irfan Amirali Sonawala) YouTube channel (Irfan Ali Sonawala), his YouTube channel history, his Facebook page, my Facebook page before I deleted the app. With the help of two of my middle school friends, we found an article about my dad’s work with his entire family’s phone numbers, which included mine. Later on, I searched myself up and found a similar page but about my mom’s information (Zahra Diamondali Jamal).
I then went back on my own to start searching about me on different platforms and search engines, I found a picture of my certificate for getting my Junior Black Belt in Taekwondo, and creepily a photo of me during my Taekwondo class with my brother, friends, and three Black Belt’s in the background.
The top result about me is about my Scouts CSA Project when I collected a lot of donations to buy items that we as Scouts donated to the people who were affected by the floods in Merritt in November 2021. The donations were distributed on March 13th from2pm –4pm. The article I found was from the news reporter showing the distribution, and my collaborating with Tim Hortans and the Mayor of Merritt to donate the packages faster. The top picture was while we were trying to collect cash or items through flyers at a local park.
The final thing I could find about me was a picture taken of me after my interview about what I liked about the show “Shen Yun.” At that time, I did not know that this show was a controversial matter against the Chinese socialists. Had I known, I would have likely not participated in the interview.
I think that one thing I learnt from this is that once you do something on social media, there is no going back! And just like the “Shen-Yun” interview that was posted, there is nothing I can do about it or remove it from the online platforms as it has already spread so much.
The articles so far would have a positive impact on who I am. It reflects accurately on who I am as a person. Even though I do not like the Shen-Yun interview only because of the controversy, I believe the items stated reflected my thoughts of the performance and not political in nature. Therefore, I am satisfied with what I have online to date. I believe my parents, teachers and future employers will also be happy with what they see about me online.
Protecting Your Online Identity and Reputation (for Teens) – Nemours KidsHealth. https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/online-id.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2022.
What Every Teen Needs to Know About Their Digital Footprint | Net Nanny. https://www.netnanny.com/blog/what-every-teen-needs-to-know-about-their-digital-footprint/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2022.
