We chose Canva for our app because we both have had a lot of experience working with Canva. We also knew that Canva had a specific design tab for ads, specifically print ads, which is what we were doing. We also tried out PowerPoint, but we found that it was a lot harder to work with and that it was more geared towards presentations than making ads. So we went ahead and used Canva. What we didn’t want to do was go over budget with random crazy toppings and go wild, so we went with quantity over quality instead of focusing on having different cupcakes with one flavour instead of one cupcake with lots of different flavours. I think that our ad was effective because we made sure to keep it interesting and eye-catching with a very interesting second slide. I recognize different points of view and can disagree respectfully. Both me and Martin gave ideas for how the ad should be run, and we had to collaborate on what was good and what wasn’t. I can understand and share information about a topic of interest in a clear, organized way. For the final slide, I wanted to add the picture of the guy because it was part of a book that I recently read, and it would draw attention to the cupcakes as well as add a bit of dark humor to them. I can show a sense of accomplishment and joy. I take pride in my work and myself. I thought I did well with this print ad, and I think that I would most definitely be hired as a head of marketing at any big corporation.
I can represent my learning and explain how it connects to my experiences. I can use my knowledge from my other classes and previous learning to make a better, more interesting product. As an example, I could use my knowledge from Spanish class to make an interesting and funny statement on the normal assignment to hopefully call more attention to my work.
I find it easy to be part of a group. In middle school, I was part of a program that focused heavily on group work and collaboration. so, now whenever i am asked to do any work with someone that I don’t know, I am familiar with the awkwardness and can move past it to get the job done.
I can develop a body of creative work over time. I can start out with a basic outline of what an assignment could look like, and as I progress, I can formulate better work that I can be more confident in, and my brain can become more focused and have a better understanding of what I will end up with.
The final project for Power Technology 9 was to take apart and rebuild a small engine and get it to start. Completing this project demonstrated my thinking core competency and my Powertech curricular competency. I demonstrated my critical thinking in the rebuilding stage by putting an engine with lots of small parts together and remembering where they all went. it also showed when i had to answer questions on what each part did and why it did it. I demonstrated my creative thinking when I was working on my second engine, which just wouldn’t start. I had to take it all apart again and go through each piece of the box to think about which part could be the issue, really trying to narrow down the cause to a fuel stem (which is a part that goes into the gas tank to collect fuel and put it into the engine) that had it’s filter gunked up with debris and needed to be cleaned out.In this project, I also showed growth in my Powertech curriculum competencies in applied design and applied skills. For applied design, I had to continuously run tests on the engine, starting it, going back to my workplace, and testing it again, all to find miniscule problems like a spark plug that was too tight. and in the applied skills competency, I demonstrated that by taking apart and rebuilding over a dozen engines. even going as far as to volunteer in the week to help out the Powertech 9 teacher, Mr. Pope, take apart my classmates unfinished assignments to help him get ready for the next semester. Since middle school and for almost all of my life, I’ve had an interest in how things work, like cars, planes, and the like. So when I saw an opportunity to take apart and build my own small engine, I jumped at the cane to explore an uncharted world that was the trades world. Going into it with no experience was scary, especially because it was one of my first classes in high school, but I walked out with a good grade and a whole new outlook on my future.
Communication Core Competency for English 9
I went to Hillcrest Middle School. I was in an out-of-catchment programme called MACC. This was a blessing and a curse because I found a group of like-minded people, but they were also coming from outf-cacatchment. meaning that I had to make completely new friends and connections after going into Centennial. This was harder than I thought, and my first instinct was to not engage, and eventually I cut myself off from a lot of people. So in doing things like a book club presentation for English class, I had opened my horizons and got to actually talk with people about a book that was a mutually liked thing. In doing things like this, I was able to cooperate with my book clubmate to create a fairly good presentation on the book Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I developed collaboration skills when doing things like dividing the tasks between ourselves and giving each other feedback on which part was good and what needed to be fixed, tweaked, or changed. For this project, we were tasked with reading Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, creating a PowerPoint presentation on the topic, and including an activity for the whole class to partake in that also relates to the theme of the book. In this sense, I demonstrated the curricular competency. Comprehension and connection. First, we had to read the book in increments on our own time and agree on a stopping place every week. We would then have a discussion on what happened in the recent chapters and what we think will happen next. After reading the book, we had to comprehend the theme of the book and the message that the author was showing us. Then we had to connect it all together into an activity that the whole class could partake in.
Personal/Social Core Competency for Social Studies 9
In the beginning of almost every class, the teacher goes over a set of class rules. things that should be said, like their policy for phone use or a punishment system for people who misbehave. If you’re lucky, you can get a teacher that has a class participate in the strictness of the policy’s and even what punishment is appropriate for the person who doesn’t follow the rules. My growth in personal and social competency stems from the group choices that we made at the beginning of the semester. Throughout the decision-making process, you could see different people respond with different ideas on how the matter should be handled. You had one side who wanted to not be punished at all for the use of phones in class, and then the other side advocated for at least some form of penalty. During the process, you could see the different opinions, reasonings, and values that each person had, as they each added their own two cents to the conversation. This was of conducting a form of penalty for people who misbehaved at the start of class and having the students decide on it, make up the rules for it, and all agree to it. It proved to be more successful than the teacher just saying, “This is the rule; everyone obeys.” This topic holds true for curricular competency as well. As a lot of the curricular competencies for social studies are based on interpreting, asking questions, and coming to a conclusion (or, in this case, a mutual agreement), this is a big part of the social studies class as a whole.
THIS IS NOT THE ACTUAL CLASS CHARTER AS THE ONE MENTIONED WAS AN ORAL CONTRACT BETWEEN THE TEACHER AND STUDENTS.
First, we have sports. So as a baseline, I can compare Olympic records. Canada has 326 medals total: 71 gold, 109 silver, and 146 bronze. Costa Rica has 4: 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze. Traditions. Costa Rica has a lot of the same traditions and holidays (like Christmas and Easter), with a couple of exceptions. Dance, for example, is a big part of Costa Rican tradition and is taught to Costa Ricans from an early age. Costa Rica has landmarks like the Arenal Volcano and Arenal Mistico hanging bridges. Canada has landmarks like Peggy’s Cove, the Rocky Mountains, and Niagara Falls. In Costa Rica, they love music like salsa, reggae and cumbia. Canada loves folk, country, blues, and rock. I would love to visit Costa Rica; my parents lived there for a year, and I have family that has lived there for decades. So it would be cool to go and see where they lived, what they did, and enjoy the rich coast that Costa Rica got it’s name from.
Core Competency Reflection:
I can understand that learning is continuous, and my identity will continue to evolve. I am currently in a Spanish 9 class; the Spanish language course goes up to Spanish 12, which means that it is a 4-year-long course. This shows that even though you might finish one year or one class, there is always more material. If I took all of the 4 years of Spanish that this school had to offer, I would still have things to learn about the Spanish language as a whole, whether it’s math, English, science, or any other course that is offered at this school. It’s the same with people. Rarely does someone go through 4 years of their life and be the same person that they were when they started. I can understand that my life and learning will continue to evolve through my life after high school as well as in high school.
I can inquire into and present on topics of interest and topics related to my studies. Anyone can present a topic. You could pick a random person out of a crowd and ask them for a 3-minute speech on why Superman is a good guy. And while they might be able to complete this task with ease, it wouldn’t be the best speech about why Superman is a good person. For that, you would need to go to an enthusiast and have them explain, and then you would receive a better speech. That would be because they have a genuine interest in the topic at hand; they love Superman, and it would be their greatest joy to tell you all about him. But sometimes you don’t have a choice in what you’re presenting, and you just have to suck it up and deal with it, or you can do things like try to choose what you present in hopes of making it more enjoyable for you to present and to make sure you have an interest in what you’re presenting to make it a better presentation and a better grade, all within the limits of the rubric.
I can show a sense of accomplishment and joy, and I can take pride in my work. Whenever i do a project, especially if the project has some poster board to go along with it, I want to at least make sure it looks good. I know the presentations that no matter how good the words on the script are, the presentation itself is ruined by a subpar presentation, and the grade that the person gets reflects that grade. So, whenever I do a presentation, I always look for the smaller details that will give a good impression to start off. Small things like bordering your text and images make it look a lot more professional and well done. The same is true of using a ruler to make sure you have straight cuts and that your paper doesn’t crumple or rip as you cut. I take pride in my presentation work and have a good feeling when I finish a good presentation that I know I did well on.
I can work to inform myself about issues surrounding me. Knowing what is happening around you is a very handy skill to have. And it doesn’t have to be issues like two people not liking each other. It could be something like your computer dying and there isn’t an outlet around, or you don’t have a cord. What I can do is something like ask for a cord in advance and find an outlet before I run out of battery to prevent that dilemma. It doesn’t even have to be an issue; it can help to just be perceptive as you go about your daily life. Looking up when walking, having only one or no earphones in at a time, and even looming around every once in a while to see what is happening around you can help.
This year or even in my entire life, I haven’t had many experiences that have caused major amounts of stress, the majority of which were tests or interviews. My solution to this problem is to either solve the issue by doing something productive; for example, if I have a homework assignment due, I will do the homework to the point where I won’t feel stressed out anymore. However, if it is something that I cannot control, my solution tends to be to go back to listening to music or a podcast to take my mind off of my current situation. This answers the next question, “Is technology helping or harming me?” To that, my answer is that it helps me as it is one of my options to help de-stress.
Core Competency Reflection:
I find it easy to be and work with a group of people. due to my history with the MACC program in middle school, I am very comfortable with working in a group setting and with others. I always try to participate in class, to try to make my voice and ideas heard it try to add my two cents in discussions and ask plenty of questions. I can appreciate that everyone doesn’t see the world as I do, and that everyone has their own perception of what is right for the task and what is not.
This year, I’m most proud of my understanding of what I want to do post-secondary. Going into grade 9, I had little to no idea of what I wanted to do after high school, or even in high school. I didn’t have any sort of idea of what I wanted at all, but after going through a semester and a half, I have learned more about myself and my interests. Starting in semester one with my gamble with the class Powertech. I had no idea what to expect, and I didn’t even know I would like it, but after taking the class, I discovered how much I loved the process of going through engines, taking things apart, and learning about the whole trade side of education. I really had no idea what to expect, and now I have a more solid idea of what I want to do in the future and how I will spend the rest of my high school years.
My Favorite Website:
My favorite educational website this year was Duolingo (Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language). This is because I knew that I would be taking Spanish 9 in the second semester, and I knew that that course was something that I should prepare for in advance and not just see how it goes. So, at the beginning of the first semester, I started up my Duolingo account and started a streak for Spanish. This initial boost of learning really helped me out at the start of my second semester, as I was already ahead of the class and was in a good spot to start the course.
My Favorite Video:
My favorite video this year was “History of the Universe, I guess” by Bill Wurtz. The video is a recap of everything that has happened since the big bang. from the formation of the elements to the intricacies of human society, all simplified and put into one 18-minute video. The reason that I liked this video so much is not just because it is very entertaining, but also because it is very informative. In the video, you can make connections to science with protons, neutrons, electrons, and the formation of elements. and you can make connections between social studies and the development of human society, discoveries like Christopher Columbus in 1452, and much more.
My Favorite Image:
My favorite image is an image of a stretched-out polar bear. It seems a bit weird, but there is a reason. The Polar Bear was the first slide in an in-depth presentation that I did on the effects of oil spills on the surrounding environment and how the ecosystem is effected. But the image that I picked of the polar bear wouldn’t fit, so I stretched it out and made it so it filled the slide, creating a little bit of comic relief and a bit of a hook to draw attention to the start of my presentation.
My favorite quote:
“If you build an army of 100 lions and their leader is a dog, in any fight, the lions will die like a dog. But if you build an army of 100 dogs and their leader is a lion, all dogs will fight as a lion.” Napoleon Bonaparte. I have liked this quote ever since I was a kid who did a project on Napoleon in elementary school. In no way does this relate to my own way of life, but it does spell a message that you have to choose the people that you spend your time with or are around and really make sure they are the right people for you. As I said, its hard to make any connections to this quote as I do not participate in any wars, but it’s something cool that was said a long time ago by a cool guy, so I like it.
This semester, I completed an independent historical fiction novel study by reading “The Shortest History of War” by Gwynne Dyer, which was about the progression of human warfare from hunter-gatherers to continental conflicts. I practiced using concrete evidence from a text. One of the best pieces of evidence I used for this project were direct quotes from the book with quotations and no paraphrasing. “The Shortest History of War” remains significant and relevant to life in 2024 by providing historical context, insights into modern conflict, and a framework for understanding global challenges and the pursuit of peace and security.
Core Competency Reflection
While completing my novel study assignment, I felt unsure of what to do at times due to the nature of my altered assignment, so I would ask for clarification and do some thinking to be able to progress.
I remain open-minded as I explore viable options or alternative approaches, like when I was choosing topics for the “is violence necessary for a revolution” debate. I took an impartial stance and let my opponent choose their stance, pro or con, and picked the other myself.
I gather and synthesize information to develop logical conclusions, such as when we had to determine whether John A. Macdonald was a good first prime minister or not. I looked over the movie and the readings to come to my conclusion, which I relayed in my final essay.
I can give, receive, and act on feedback to progress toward my goals.
My artifact shows that I can take an assignment that I did poorly on, get a new one, and utilize the feedback I was given to get a better mark on the second one. one thing that i would like to get better at is the giving feedback part, as that is kind of my weakness
For this entire PowerPoint, I used a different type of font that is a little bit bolder and more eye-catching than the normal font. I also used a picture to distract from the block of words on the screen and to give it a bit of normalcy and balance throughout the slide. This was my biggest slide, so there was not much I could do with the wording, but I did slim it down to have the focus on my own words, not the slide. Finally, I added a little bit of design that was fluent throughout my presentation to add a bit of eye-catching flair to it.
I don’t think there would be much to improve on. This slide covers most of the bases for a normal PowerPoint presentation. If there were anything, it would be the words; they are the only thing that could potentially be cut down. but otherwise, I think that it looks good as is.
Core Competency Self-Assessment:
If I were to do this assignment again, I would have spoken slower and would have been clearer with my voice and crisper with my slide transitions. Other than those small things, I think that everything else would have stayed the same.
Why is it important to remember who benefits from the advertisement when you view an advertisement?
I think that it is important because at the end of the day, they are selling a product for you to buy so they can make a profit off of it. So, when watching a commercial or looking at an Ad, it’s always best to look past the flashy exterior and take a look in the actual point or use of the product to see if you actually need it or just want it.
Choose one form of persuasion and explain why it is effective in persuading you/an audience: logical, ethical, and emotional
I think that the most effective form of persuasion is emotional. I think this because people are easily persuaded by their emotion’s. for example when you see a charity Ad for kids in Africa it pulls on your heartstrings and makes you want to do something like donate. By manipulating people’s emotions or even their kids emotions who will convince their parents you can get tons more sales.
· Choose an advertising technique and explain why it is effective in selling a product
I think that the best advertising technique is celebrity appeal. For example, there is a Bic Easy Reach lighter that has one of the best ads I’ve ever seen. The ad had celebrity experts Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. This ad was insinuating Snoop Dogg’s well-known use of weed, and they were making plays on words with the main slogan of the ad being “good for grills, fires, and so much more.”
Core Competency Reflection:
· I showed others that I truly valued their contributions by…
Making sure that everyone’s voice was heard during this project, leaving no one out of the loop, and trying to incorporate everyone’s ideas by integrating them with the project and spreading out the work so as to have others be more involved in the decision-making of the project.
· Some things I thought about when dividing tasks among my group members were…
What everyone wanted to do, the time they had, the time it would take them, and the level of work that was produced. I also thought of inclusivity and not having anyone left out of the group simply because their quality of work was the greatest in the world.
· I showed that I valued feedback from others in my group by…
Integrating their ideas into the project and making sure that they knew why or why not their ideas didn’t get added to the presentation. I also worked with the group to decide what the teacher’s potential feedback would be in hopes of improving the presentation before we even presented.
